YARA ESTRADA LOWE‘s cinematic journey is a vibrant tapestry woven from her Mexican/Nicaraguan American heritage, childhood passion for storytelling, and a profound love for the thrills of 80s and 90s cinema. Growing up in an era rich with dynamic storytelling and iconic cinematic moments, Yara’s early life was filled with the creation of skits, characters, and the magic of performance. This foundation laid the groundwork for a career that would eventually see her stepping behind the camera, armed with a vision to blend homage and innovation. Her directorial debut, DEMISE, emerges as a thrilling nod to the classics that shaped her, reimagined for today’s audience with a modern twist.
Yara’s approach to filmmaking is deeply immersive, focusing on the intricacies of narrative development and the crafting of multifaceted characters. She brings to the table not just her directorial vision but also her experiences as an actor, offering a unique perspective on character portrayal and storytelling. Los Angeles, with its iconic backdrop and noir legacy, serves not just as a setting but as a silent narrator, adding depth and texture to the film’s atmosphere. Facing and overcoming challenges such as budget constraints and location accessibility, Yara’s journey to bring DEMISE to life is a testament to her resilience and the power of community support. The film’s marketing strategy underscores the critical importance of visibility in the success of independent films, highlighting Yara’s understanding of the industry’s dynamics.
Watch the Official Trailer for ‘DEMISE’ Here:
INFRARED MAG: First off, thank you, Yara, for taking the time to join us. Could you start by telling us a bit about your background and what led you to pursue a career in filmmaking?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: Thanks for having me Infrared Mag. As far as background I am a Mexican/ Nicaraguan American. As a kid growing up in the 80’s & 90’s, I always had a love for storytelling and entertaining people. Every day of my life as a child, I would create skits, scenarios for skits, characters, dance performances, and audio recordings of pretend talk shows. From early on, everyone around me thought I was probably doing all of that for fun, but this was a passion of mine. I caught the acting bug when I was in a church play at an early age. When I became a teenager, I would use my uncle’s camcorder to film our family parties. It was then I saw a different aspect of being behind the camera, and I was just as excited about that as I was about acting. This all led me to study theater arts at San Jose City College, and in 2008 I moved to Los Angeles, which was the beginning of my real journey to becoming a filmmaker.
INFRARED MAG: Congratulations on your directorial debut with DEMISE. What inspired you to take the helm for this particular project?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: I’m a huge fan of the 90’s thrillers such as: The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Fatal Attraction, Sleeping With The Enemy, as well as the 80’s thrillers like Body Heat, and Dressed To Kill. These films inspired me to create a modern-day version of this genre. I wrote DEMISE in the summer of 2020. At first, I thought I would be producing, acting and writing the film. But then someone suggested that I direct the film as well. The more I thought about it, I realized that I would be the best person to direct the film and I had had a fair amount of experience directing an internet soap opera. At that point I decided to direct the film and not act in it.
INFRARED MAG: Can you share your process for developing the intricate narrative and multifaceted characters of DEMISE?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: My process is to immerse myself in the world that my characters are living in and let the story unfold naturally. By doing this, I begin to visualize different scenarios that the characters might experience and go where my imagination leads me. I’ve been told that I have a wild imagination.
INFRARED MAG: Working with an ensemble cast, including Carlo Mendez, Liz Fenning, and Crystal Hernandez, must have been an exciting challenge. How did you work with your actors to bring depth to their characters?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: I was an actor for many years. I studied with some of the best coaches in the industry. Liz, Carlo, and Crystal are such great actors to begin with, and their level of commitment to do the character justice was the icing on the cake. Before we began principal photography, I had a table read, and a long rehearsal with the three lead actors. This really gave us time to connect and talk about the characters in depth. One of the many challenges was defining the approach and small details for playing twin characters for actress Crystal Hernandez. For reference, I had her watch a variety of films where an actor played twin characters -just to give her insight on how she might want to play both Fiona and Fabiola – in terms of how differently they both walk, speak, etc. For Carlo, we both agreed that we didn’t want his character to come off as a one dimensional “player,” but a man who is unexpectedly caught in a love triangle, and who is in love with two women at the same time. For Liz, we talked about the innocent side of Celine in Act one, and how she evolves in act 2 into a darker but more confident character. And by Act 3 she is both the softer side of her former self, and also this unremorseful antagonist as well.
INFRARED MAG: Los Angeles not only serves as the setting for DEMISE but almost as a character itself. Can you talk about how the city influenced the film’s atmosphere and storytelling?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: All the great noir films took place in Los Angeles. And Los Angeles has so many amazing places to feature. One of the reasons why the city is featured so prominently in the film is because I live here, and we were able to get great locations cost effectively.
INFRARED MAG: Directing a feature film is no small feat. What were some of the most significant challenges you faced during the production of DEMISE, and how did you address them?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: There were many, many challenges along the way. I can tell you a quick story on how this movie – almost wasn’t made. During pre-production while me and my producing partner Anabelle Munro were seeking locations, we began to see the high-priced rental costs for the various locations I was interested in. Aesthetics is a big thing for me, so I wasn’t choosing any backdrops that weren’t pleasing to the eye. I went into panic mode when we shuffled around the numbers in our budget and saw the real overall cost, we had for about twenty locations. Just to give you an idea, a rental price for a grocery store for half the day can run you about 10k, one beautiful apartment can be 3k a day and that was on the cheaper side. I didn’t want to make a film that had a cheap indie look to it, and it was a deal breaker if I couldn’t get the locations that this film needed. It’s crazy how this all came about, but so many strangers who owned venues -one by one were cutting us a deal. My neighbor, and a couple of our friends were so generous to let me film at their home. It was a true miracle, and I will forever be grateful for everyone who believed in us and gave us a deal on all of our amazing locations.
INFRARED MAG: The marketing materials for DEMISE, including the trailer and poster, have generated quite a buzz. In your view, how important is marketing in the success of an independent film?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: IT IS EVERYTHING. Especially if you are unknown like me and you are getting your first break. With so many films on the market you have to stand out and make your film known. Having the right marketing team is so key to success.
INFRARED MAG: Having been mentored by notable figures in the industry, how have these experiences shaped your approach to directing and storytelling?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: When I was acting, I had the pleasure of working with acting coaches such as Jeff Goldblum and Robert Carnegie who are the founders of the acting studio, I studied at called Playhouse West. Having experience with actor lingo and being familiar with ways that can level up an actor from a 3 to 10 has helped me with directing.
INFRARED MAG: Looking forward, what themes or genres are you excited to explore in your future projects?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: I would love to direct a Rom-Com and I hope to get my romcom scripts produced. I currently have two rom coms, one called Epic Love and one untitled Christmas movie that I’m working on now.
INFRARED MAG: For aspiring filmmakers looking to make their mark, what advice would you offer based on your journey from acting and behind-the-scenes work to directing?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: If you are starting out, get on set and work on all the films you can and learn what each position does. When you get your break, do not leave anything to chance; you must keep control over every little detail.
INFRARED MAG: DEMISE presents a complex story of love, betrayal, and redemption. What inspired the plot, and how did you approach weaving these themes into the narrative?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: The story all came pouring out of my imagination. I didn’t outline it or prepare a treatment, I just started writing the screenplay. My first draft took three months.
INFRARED MAG: The soundtrack of a film plays a crucial role in setting the tone. Could you discuss the musical choices for DEMISE and how they contribute to the film’s atmosphere?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: One of my favorite things to talk about is the music and the musical score of the film. I worked very closely with my composer who is incredibly talented. He did an outstanding job creating original music for the film. His name is Jeff Clayton. I also licensed around thirty songs. The licensed music choices that I picked for DEMISE are all instrumental tracks mostly from French and Italian composers. The scores are variations of synthetic wave tracks, kitsch, electronic, retro, house beats, and some are reflective of 1960’s European cinema. Because our film has a Latin theme, I made sure to incorporate romantic sounds of Spanish style music.
While working with Jeff, I sent him a saxophone-based score that I licensed from a composer named Richard Ficcoca. It was then that we decided to use that saxophone score for Celine’s two romantic scenes, and the Spanish guitar for Fiona/Fabiola’s romantic scenes. Having a blend of so many different styles and types of music was a big risk, and it was important that all the music was cohesive; and that they didn’t compete against each other. The main melody score that was created by Jeff is the musical heartbeat of DEMISE. You can hear slight variations of this melody throughout the film. Jeff was able to musically capture and create both the darker and dramatic sides of DEMISE and the softer parts of the story such as the scene of one of the characters giving birth. Together it was an intense yet enjoyable process. I had never worked on music for a film in all my life, so this experience has been a newfound venture. Now that I have done it, I will always want to be part of the music process for future films. Every piece of music brought this story to life, and I am very proud of that.
INFRARED MAG: Filmmaking is a collaborative process. How did you navigate the dynamics of working with a production team to realize your vision for DEMISE?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: Having each department on point with your vision is imperative. Justin Aguirre, my insanely talented Cinematographer and I spent months in pre-production discussing the look, style, mood, tone, lighting, aesthetics, shots and specialty shots that went into the overall look of the film. I had a lookbook of the film, Justin created a lookbook for the lighting style for the G&E team. I discussed hair and makeup with our “glam team” as I call it in detail. Our makeup artist also created a makeup lookbook for the twin characters and Celine. Fashion is also a character in the film, so the wardrobe was very important. A lot of time went into the wardrobe for the film as well as what colors we wanted to exclude.
INFRARED MAG: In creating DEMISE, did you face any unexpected obstacles or serendipitous moments that significantly influenced the final product?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: All the obstacles were always unexpected, and when they happened it hit you like a ton of bricks! A cool serendipitous moment that happened was – a month prior to filming as I was reading DEMISE for the millionth time…I thought -something physically was missing from the character Celine when she rediscovers herself in a dark way (Act 2). I randomly thought that the car she drove should change too…so I wrote that she bought a bad ass car that would fit her new personality…and that car was a white Dodge Challenger. That small detail amplified the change in her character just a bit more and it was perfect. A fun thing that happened was that my husband ended up playing a role as one of the doctors in the film. He’s not an actor so this was a happy accident. I was surprisingly shocked to have discovered that he is a natural actor!
INFRARED MAG: Independent films often operate under tight budgets. How did you maximize your resources to bring DEMISE to life?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: One of the ways we maximized our tight budget for the art department was finding locations that were already more than half “dressed.” That way we didn’t put ourselves in a position of needing to buy or rent an insane amount of props and furniture for such a small budget. There are many more stories such as this, it would be too long to answer in full.
INFRARED MAG: The relationship between a director and their actors is pivotal. How did you build trust and foster performances among the cast of DEMISE?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: After we got through the first couple days of filming, we really found our workflow and pace. I like to give my actors space and room to breathe without them feeling hovered over. When the director and actors trust their intuitive instincts within their craft, there’s an unspoken sense of trust that gets built.
INFRARED MAG: As a female director in an industry striving for more diversity, what perspectives do you think you bring to your projects and the broader cinematic landscape?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: Since there aren’t many female writer/directors in the U.S. of Latin descent, hearing from someone like me naturally gives the world a different spin on fictional cinematic storytelling. I will always write stories with Latinos as lead characters because that is part of who I am and what I’d like to see.
INFRARED MAG: In dealing with the themes of DEMISE, did you conduct any specific research or draw from personal experiences to add authenticity to the story?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: For the medical aspects of the story, I had to do some research for sure. For the fire scene, I spoke to a firefighter and asked many questions about fires in general. Everything else for this story is pure fiction.
INFRARED MAG: The editing process can significantly alter a film’s narrative and pacing. Can you discuss any difficult decisions you had to make in post-production?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: Me and my brilliant editor Lawrence Jordan worked together for 9 months. There was a time during our process where we completely re-ordered the scenes in Act 2 to strengthen the climax of this section of the film. At the time, we weren’t sure if it would pan out the way we imagined, but once we put it together, it worked and made the film all the better. Besides that, there were a couple of scenes that I ultimately decided to cut, even though I liked them.
INFRARED MAG: With DEMISE set for release, how do you feel about the transition from production to audience reception? Are there any specific responses you’re anticipating or hoping for?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: I am eager, nervous, and excited! I hope audiences are entertained and I hope they love it.
INFRARED MAG: Beyond film, are there any other mediums or formats in storytelling that you’re interested in exploring, such as television, web series, or even virtual reality?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: I would like to explore directing tv shows. If I receive the gift of reaching an old age, I would like to write an autobiographical book about my life and what I have done to overcome all of the obstacles that have been placed in my path.
INFRARED MAG: Finally, as we conclude this interview, is there anything else you’d like to add or a message you wish to share with viewers and aspiring filmmakers?
YARA ESTRADA LOWE: Master your craft, never stop learning the trade, and never give up. If there is nothing in the world that you’d rather do than to make films and find quality professionals to team up with.
In wrapping up, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to YARA ESTRADA LOWE for sharing her inspiring journey and insights into the making of DEMISE. Her dedication to storytelling and film, coupled with her innovative approach to cinema, make her a fascinating figure in today’s film landscape. As we eagerly await the release of DEMISE on digital and on-demand platforms, on Tuesday February 27th, we wish Yara all the best in her future endeavors and look forward to witnessing the continued impact of her creative vision on the world of film.
More info can be found on DEMISE at:
www.DemiseTheFilm.com
www.Facebook.com/DemiseTheFilm
www.Instagram.com/DemiseTheFilm/
More info can be found on YARA ESTRADA LOWE at:
