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From left, Leonard Harris, Alejandro Montoya Marin and Ryan Halsey are the masterminds behind the Albuquerque web series “Film Students.” (Courtesy of BrotherBean Films)
Alejandro Montoya Marin has the magic touch. And so do Leonard Harris and Ryan Halsey.
Last year, the trio of friends managed to pull off the impossible – they made an entire web series for less than $100.
“It all happened by mistake,” Montoya Marin explains. “What’s funny is that we didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”
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Online For more on the Albuquerque web series “Film Students,” visit www.youtube.com/brotherbeanfilms |
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In fact, Montoya Marin says the trio’s series – “Film Students” – came about because each person had too much free time.
“I had just broken up with an ex-girlfriend and time was in abundance,” he says. “We had just graduated from college and started working on this place and decided to take a chance. I actually think we had been drinking that night.”
With that time, the trio was able to put together a 14-episode season.
Each episode runs less than 10 minutes and the series has had more than 300,000 views on its YouTube channel.
Each episode averages about 5,000 to 20,000 views, depending on the episode.
The cast and crew of “Film Students” are all New Mexico-based filmmakers and actors. (Courtesy of BrotherBean Films)
The series follows the adventures or misadventures of three slacker film school graduates – Montoya Marin, Harris and Hasley – whose lives begin to take a similar resemblance to the movies they watch and love.
It is filmed at Serious Grippage & Light, a grip and lighting rental company located in the Northeast Heights.
During each episode, the characters have conversations about life and movies.
“We wanted to do a series that was like the movie ‘Clerks.’ We wanted to follow each one of us in our daily life,” he explains. “I don’t like to act. I’m more a writer and director, but we all stepped out of our element and tried to make it work.”
For the trio, every episode is a surprise.
“We don’t work with any scripts at all,” Montoya Marin says. “It’s easier for us to go improv on each episode. It makes sense to us and also gives us the chance to push ourselves to become better actors.”
With the first season well behind them, the trio have begun to tease their second season, which is slated to air late spring or early summer.
In the teaser, the trio are fighting zombies.
“We wanted to have some fun with this,” he says. “It was about being funny and paying homage to ‘The Walking Dead.’”
Montoya Marin says the pressure is on the group for the second season.
He says the trio is trying to make fewer episodes and make the series cohesive.
“There have been some very successful web series to come from Albuquerque,” he says. “We are aiming to be the next one. We have the potential and think a lot of people really like the comedy. We’re trying to get the word out to local actors to be a part of this and see how far we can take it.”
Montoya Marin also wants to expand the following in New Mexico.
“We have a lot of people watching the series from around the world,” he says. “But in New Mexico, it hasn’t quite caught on yet.”
The trio’s goal is to get the series picked up and they are planning to pitch it to production companies.
“We’ve had a lot of success without too much backing,” he explains.
“If we had all of the tools in place, who knows how far this can go. We get people comparing the series to ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and that’s a huge compliment. To even be mentioned in the same company of TV shows and movies that we love, it’s humbling and makes us want to push harder and get a bigger audience.”
To find out more about “Film Students,” visit the group’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/brotherbeanfilms.
SEND ME YOUR TIPS: If you know of a movie filming in the state, or are curious about one, email film@ABQjournal.com. Follow me on Twitter @agomezART.
