By ADI LOPEZ

DISCUSSED: working in video production, living in constant awe, and making your vision possible

Return to innocence.

My childhood was spent reading newspaper articles and watching R-Rated horror movies with my recently-retired and chain-smoking grandfather. Besides a fondness for second-hand smoke, I’ve developed an affinity not only for the written and spoken word, but for things that scare me. I’m not sure if he’ll be proud of how his granddaughter turned out—a smoking, inquisitive, charmer; a bullshitting vagabond—but to be honest it’s the skills that he taught me that have gotten me through most of my adult life. And I have Lolo Dad to thank.

Despite being relatively young, I think I’m old enough to know that several truths can make life a bitch, namely 1) Not everyone is nice, 2) there is a business side to everything, and 3) money is necessary, but clean money is hard to earn.

I have my Lolo Dad to thank for my first foray into the world as an aimless wanderer—he taught me curiosity. I dabbled in anything I could get my hands on.  When I realized that my dancing and musical skills weren’t all that good, I discovered the enchanting and vast realm of communication and video production. So thanks Lolo Dad for all the movies!

When the crew gets bored they take innocents captive

In my industry, I work with very creative and artistic minds and it seems there is little room among them for more volatile ideas. Because of this, I have become sort of an expert in making order out of chaos. It’s a whimsical task of sprinkling magic dust on the craziness and has led to six feature films, hundreds of music videos and company AVPs, and a few TV commercials over the years. And there is no sign of slowing down.

My occupation is such a mindfuck that it actually puts Inception to shame (and if you work with me and are reading this, well, it’s not like you didn’t know, right?). Nevertheless, I have accepted my fate—and have grown to love the overflowing brilliance around me, the viciousness of our clients and suppliers, the inglorious hours, and the myriad of people I get to meet and work with everyday.

I have become the Executor: I make things possible. From the peaks of mountains to fancy New York-esque skylines, I make your visions possible—I make your fifty-thousand pesos seem like half-a-million. I am your woman. With the right resources and a genuine interest in the random ways of the world, I support your dreams and make them accessible.

Working amidst the forestry

And I’m not joking when I say random. Because of work, I’ve spent two months outside my comfort zone, teetering around caves, roads, and peaks with no visibility in freezing temperatures. I’ve been charming law enforcers in police stations. I’ve gone on tour with metal bands. I’ve spend two hours in the back of a pick-up truck, cruising at high speeds across provinces. I’ve spend odd moments with childhood heroes and crossed out items from my bucket list.

It is these experiences that I live for: the endless possibility that each project offers. I’ve had so many “well, who would’ve thought” moments that it’s mindblowing.

So where am I going with this? Hopefully, everywhere.

Me with the bouncers of Tower of Doom's Siege Tour

In the future, I want to get deep into the trenches of Africa and spend a month with tribes. I want to swim around the Great Barrier Reef and take photographs of marine life. I want to have drinks with rebels in Palestine or Catholic nuns in Mumbai. The universe has a whole set of experiences up for grabs and I’m next in line.

More importantly, I want to share what I’ve learned—to tell tales and help people with their own dreams. I want to climb higher and take people with me, inspire them to find their own stories. After all, there’s always room for more.

Reality demands that you know your limits. When producing videos, there are certain compromises that have to be arranged and laws that must be tweaked. All one needs is the right set of expectations and knowing the consequences of your decisions. The dream producer in me will one day stop sucking up to clients and start producing works that will make an impact on the world. Whatever the form, may it be a narrative, a documentary, or what-have-you.

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Que Sera Sera, Lolo Dad would sing. Whatever will be, will be. This has become my mantra (and a  tattoo). Some may think of the song as fatalistic, but I beg to differ: take a shot and maybe the future may be far better than you imagine. Yes, call me a zealot of optimism, but working in video production has engrained Lolo Dad’s song more into my heart.

Here are more truths: 1) not everyone is kind—but knowing how to deal with this can give you a calming joy; 2) there is a business side to everything—but c’mon! You must accept that because 3) money is necessary. I’m not foolish enough into thinking that my dreams may be pretty costly. But I think it’ll be worth it  because you staying true to you what you want to accomplish is important.

I want to live in a constant state of awe. I want to be eternally curious. I want to have passion in what I do and never be brought down by the cynicism of a clockwork system. When I stop wanting this, I might as well stick my head in an oven and call it a day. Don’t get me wrong—I can be the mmost cynical person you know. But at the end of the day, just live in the moment and you’ll be fine. As fine as when you knew nothing, only now you know so much more.

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