Meet Alejandro Castro | Producer, Music Composer & Film Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alejandro Castro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alejandro, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
With everything going on in the world right now, my life work balance has changed drastically, both physically and mentally. With the type of work I do in my 9-5 juxtaposed with the work I do creatively outside of that, equals a lot of time sitting at a computer so I have been really trying to make sure I get up and get outside. Wether it be to walk the dog or just making some time to head out to the coast and breath-in a different environment and surrounding, it’s all very important to try and get some diversity to your surroundings. The irony of it all is. that I tend to be a bit of a home body, where as my girlfriend is very much into traveling and getting out and being social. I have found that, while I think I have been able to maintain throughout all this confinement relatively unscathed, I’m beginning to think back on all those times I opted to just stay at home instead of going out or visiting family and friends. I hate to fly, but I can’t wait to travel now, which my girlfriend is excited about.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I consider myself an editor, first and foremost but in this day and age, with all filmmakers out there, it’s a challenge to get someone to want you to edit their work for them. Nowadays lots of filmmakers edit their own stuff, and I can appreciate that. The thing about editing is, it’s not just a matter of knowing how to push buttons. It really is a craft and takes an inherent knowledge and understanding of story telling and pacing. I think that’s where collaboration is essential. As a director, I think it’s healthy and valuable to have someone who is equally vested in your project, but perhaps a bit more unbiased to your vision. Its good to have someone offer their input and challenge the director on how to communicate things in the edit. “Challenge” might be a harsh word, but there needs to be that exchange of ideas and exploration of possibilities that just doesn’t happen when you are editing your own stuff. As an editor, I know that at the end of the day it’s their choice on what they want, but it’s my job to provide options and reasoning that I feel may better articulate a moment or emotion. On the last film I edited (Simple Twist, Dir: Shane P. Allen) I also had the luxury of doing the music. I was fortunate to work with a director who put a lot of faith in me to do both of these things concurrently. It actually ended up working out because I didn’t have to use any spec music and it also allowed me to know exactly what music I was using in the edit. Sometimes I edited the scene around the music and other times the music worked around it. I think that’s definitely something unique I bring to the table, but I understand that many directors may not be comfortable with that.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
San Diego has countless spots to go and just hang. I love most places by the water. Torrey Pines state beach, and the hiking trails above it. The Glider Port, over by the Salk institute is another great spot. I recently tried out Kayaking over in Mission Bay and loved that. I definitely love being by the water and walking in the sand. It helps to be grounded and it’s just a complete sensory experience of smell, sight, touch and sound.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I can’t say enough about my life-partner. She has had to sacrifice my presence on many occasions as I work on projects , which can often be very time-consuming. Sometimes that involves having creative peers coming into our house to go over edits or just long hours of me being disconnected from what’s going on so I can get something completed. She’s always allowed me that time to finish what needs to be done. I do my best to try and make it up to her with a date night or something, but I value the support she gives me to allow me the opportunity to maintain these creative endeavors.

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