Diego Rodriguez

This Saturday! 11am lunch at the Museum. 7pm after party at Sidelines. Donations accepted for food and museum access. Please come and catch up with old friends!

Let's go class of 2005! How has it been 20 years?! We are inviting everyone from graduating classes 2003-2008, come hang and catch up! Share this reel! Tag your friends! Lets make this a day to remember for 20 more years!

"The director’s job is to make sure the talent [and client] doesn’t feel alone. People say something, but 90% of the time... They're trying to communicate something underneath. I can't just listen and get the idea. I have to put the idea in motion. What is it in the piece I can actually share with the client—or the talent? I’m just going with [them]—breaking that down." @diegotheactor #bts #directing #goodcouch #realmdenver #advertising

Travel day for a shoot. I do this so often, and I don’t usually document it, but I thought it would be fun to capture and share - messy hair and all

My relationship with women has always been complicated. In part because I don't think I've ever really wanted to process some of the hurt from childhood that seemed to prevent me from being able to ever form healthy adult relationships. I'm excited to share that we're working on something really, really cool that explores a lot of these topics in depth. It's raw. We've been working really hard on it. And I can't wait to share it with you. Welcome to 'How to Life'. Coming 2025.

This is my 15th straight year coming to Telluride for Labor Day weekend. I even drove down in 2020. The Telluride Film Festival is a great place to watch movies and hear from filmmakers of the present and past. You see some movies you’ll only seem to find here. There’s often interesting tidbits or insights about everything cinema; from how the history of a film, or philosophical leanings of the talent in front of and behind the camera, there’s often something to pickup. Over the years, too, of course, you can build great friendships. My production apprenticeship year we had some amazing people, some photographed here - Hayley and Kyle. There are so many more great people I’ve tagged from years of volunteering and hanging out in this magical land. It’s good to come back and run into people as well from all over. The other reason I felt particularly called to return this year to Colorado was to visit Emmanuel’s grave. My brother passed away almost a year ago. I never really felt a connection to the land since Colorado just happened in to be where we moved when we left Guanajuato. But, Telluride and Emmanuel have created a strong bond here. The timing was interesting. I’ll always have a receive to scope out both. #filmfestival #film #filmmaking #cinema #attending #movie #filmmaker #indiefilm #movies #cinematography #hollywood #art #films #actors #filmmakers #cinematographer #independentfilm #actorslife #filmfest #festival #filmproduction #filmdirector #tellurude #travel #travelphotography #nature

With the summer Olympics coming to a close, this project came to mind, which we delivered almost 3 years ago: Nike’s campaign of “Best Day Ever” anticipating what the future of the world might look like. The creative was interesting and working on the campaign was full of fun, hard work, and memories. During this project, I drank a lot of coffee and both learned how to pull a shot of an espresso from an espresso machine and how to clean said espresso machine. :) Most importantly though, I got to work with this editor named Robert Duffy at Spot Welders. If I could do a documentary on Duffy and/or Spot Welders I would. They’ve done so much over the years, hit after hit of amazing music video and brand film. I was first impacted by Robert’s work as a teenager when I watched Jay-Z’s 99 Problems music video on MTV. (Insert joke about old MTV here). The edits felt spontaneous and alive. Years later, I found myself watching the 2011 Nike London Olympics “Find your Greatness” campaign. Even today, the piece moves me. It’s a testament to how effective the medium of advertising can be - somehow transcending itself to become a sonnet celebrating life. Working alongside Robert, on a Nike spot, with Wieden+Kennedy, was a dream come true. We talked a bit about editing and a lot about surfing. Of course, the editor is not the only person responsible for the final piece. Many people are involved behind and in front of the camera. Still, Robert finds a way to make edits sing. It’s something I’m always aiming for as well. It was cool to see a master at work. My role on the project was that of assistant editor. For people in the film and advertising industry, that’s pretty descriptive. But, for most of my friends, who are not, the role is sort of a varied one. It includes some editing, like taking the longer cuts and making them fit the 30 second, 15 and 06 runtime. It’s essentially facilitating the post-production workflow. Finally, I’m glad they kept Sha’Carri Richardson in the final cut. There was some controversy around her during that time. I cheered for her these Olympics.

Boom. What an incredible and fulfilling creative experience. We were able to document historic moment in which a private company launched this jet in the air - in a move designed to bring this speed of travel to the consumer. To check out more specifics of the context of the launch, feel free to check out their IG. Looking back on the project, I’m grateful for the community behind the camera and in front, who came together to bring both the launch and its documentation to fruition. It was cool to see some familiar faces in the Mojave Space Port. The terrific cinematography came from our DP Alfredo Jones and the drone work of Dylan. Thank you, DH, for the referral and Molly for being a terrific producer as well as Boom’s amazing in-house creative team. My role was to wrap up the post-production on this brand film, integrate new footage, and, overall just make it vibe. And vibing we did. I joke that in a way the desert has claimed me to a degree since these launches are so intense and specific. Previously, I had done similar work in the field for Virgin Orbit, which I’ll have to share as well. One of my favorite aspects of the project was the edit style that was set in place. It reminded me of Tony Scott’s work, whose editorial style, commercial and feature alike, were a breath of fresh air — especially, when I was in film school. I like things to be different and a little weird or interesting and unexpected. His stylistic departure from naturalism and into self-expression resonated as more emotional true to life. Finally, it’s actually been somewhat difficult to share any new work. When brother died, one of the people whose perspective and taste I valued most vanished as well. Emmanuel would often say “One Day,” as in one day, he knew I would get there with my filmmaking dreams, just like “one day,” he would get there too and follow his dream to follow his path in music. While he’s at rest now, I’m still on the journey. I’ll see you again one day, Manny. #edit #jet #editorial #postproduction #filmmaker #film #media #video #online #storyteller #camera

My brother Emmanuel was born Christmas Eve 1992. But, in Mexico growing up, the big day is the 24th rather than the 25th. He was a miracle baby. Doctors were worried he had a heart condition but he was ok; he was just a bit small (and cute). Emmanuel would’ve been 31. He loved music, hip hop, cutting hair and wanted to be a rap artist or music producer. He would say “one day” a lot. He tattooed it on his hand. My parents named my brother Emmanuel because it means “God is with us.” This year, Emmanuel died of a drug overdose - fentanyl. Not an unfamiliar drug. When I was younger, I’ve tried to run from the tragedy of my childhood. My parents encouraged moving on. So I did my best. But, when I look at the challenges we faced in our home - socioeconomic, cultural, and familial, I empathize with Emmanuel and his choices. I’ve done drugs to numb the pain as well. Felt great. At first, anyway. Freedom is exhilarating. But, there’s the come down. The big crash. Over time, we become physiologically connected to something that makes us feel just ok. Just human. Art eventually became how I sought refuge from the outside world. Drawing. Sculpture. Painting. Writing. Acting. Filmmaking. Anything to escape. It’s hard to believe “God is with us,” when, if you examine your life, you see a movie of broken dreams tearing you asunder. There’s nothing like seeing your little brother — whose diapers you changed, who you taught how to walk, who one time asked you to please not embarrass him in front of his friends he because he had finally become a cool kid in middle school — in the casket you’re holding onto. And you hold as tight as you can in hopes that moment isn’t real. It is. You know that will be the last time you’ll see him. You also know that’s not him anymore. His essence is gone. I’ll always love you, Emmanuel Rodriguez. I’m glad I hugged you so hard the last time I saw you. Somewhere, maybe just in a memory, are those moments suspended in the cobweb of time: we are kids using our imaginations to bear the pain of existence. See you one day, brother. Your memory, love and kindness is a reminder that God is with us.

In 2017, I met @therealjimoheir on set while I acted opposite him in a short film thanks to @hackettp , Patrick Hackett. I remember telling Jim that he would probably change all of our lives on set that day. He laughed, and said he hoped so. Btw, I love his character in @parksandrec so much. “It ain’t government work if you don’t have to do it twice.” What a brilliant line and delivery!!! 5 years later, in 2022, I would shoot my first television pilot with the man, the myth, the legend with several good friends and a talented cast and crew. Honestly, I wish it hadn’t taken so long to do. But, I’ve sort of learned that life develops at its own pace and have tried to be as patient as possible. My path in life seems to be the long scenic route. We filmed Bump in the Night’s first episode in November of last year. I’m barely coming back to life now 4 months after the first shoot. What a massive effort it was to produce, fly people into town, cast and crew the project. We are still in post-production but just wanted to acknowledge the filming of this project. It was a lot of fun and also took a big toll on me. I poured everything I had into it. I’m glad I did. I’m excited to share the finish product. And I’m excited to also be having a normal rhythm slowly being introduced into my life again. Thank you to Michael Freeman and Michael Kilcoyne for helping make this happen as well as the fantastic cast and crew and countless people who helped set this project up for a successful production. I’m so grateful we got this far. The journey continues. :)

An amazing time on set. Working with Krista on this project was such a wonderful opportunity to create a world of a bygone era. And, it’ll be the first project I’m a part of that will be part of the Sundance Film Festival as Krista fine tunes the script their writing lab. Thank you Krista! And by the way - Krista wrote, produced, directed and starred in this production. It’s something I’ve done before and hope to do again. But, Krista was able to mobilize an entire region of Northwest Arkansas. I really admire that ability to inspire and organize a community. I was inspired as well to dream big and do big things. You have to take risks to change your life. The end result was such a cool moment in time for me as an artist and cinematographer and production consultant. Nailing the look requires a lot of communication and preparation. Thanks Roman for the storyboards and pre-visualization work. A little over a week ago, the trailer screened. I wish I could’ve been there. Jesse did an awesome job editing the piece. The team was remarkable. Krista and Heath were a tremendous combination, and we had a strong cast in Pam, Justin among others. We had a great gaffer in Charlie, key grip in Greg, art department from Zak Morris and Sam, and the costumes of Abigail, makeup from Amy - not to mention the awesome media students. I’m just grateful I was able to create something both Krista and I imagined. I start my pilot tomorrow. What a wonderful opportunity to do this production and segue into our pilot. Creating a period piece is such a rewarding challenge. I’m optimistic we can bring the full story to life one day soon. Next up, vampires!

What an amazing opportunity to shoot a pitch for a feature film as cinematographer. The community was so supportive and reminiscent of the awesome indie community in Denver. We created a great character driven drama pitch for a feature film. It was fun to also try to tell a story through light and shadow of the characters inner worlds. Since I’ve done acting, it was interesting to explore the characters psyche and create a world in which our leads could inform the visual experience. Thanks to everyone behind the scenes who made it happen with a lot of love, passion, and sacrifice. I’m looking forward to seeing the next step in the process and creating more narrative work in the future. Finally, it’s been cool to have leveled up a skill set in the advertising world to apply it to the narrative world - and then take that new knowledge and experience back to great advertising visuals. . . . . . #filmmaker #film #media #video #online #storyteller #camera #professionalvideo #provideo #profilm #procinema #cinema #indiefilm #crew #team #California #videoproduction #featurefilm #sony #teamwork #cinematographer #beautiful #cinematography #agencylife #creative #bts #behindthescenes #directorofphotography #setlife #drama