Andre Diaz, pictured right, interacting with Boston Celtics’ star Brandon Bass during the film of “The Pursuit”
By Chris Robinson
Having covered the sport of boxing for several years running, I still feel as though there is much more for me to learn and many more doors to open.
With an interest in creating my own videos that had lasted for a little while, I finally set up my own YouTube page this past summer and have since been looking to hone my editing skills along the way.
As I continue to push forward with personal videos, I always keep an open mind for what other artists bring to the table as well.
Last month, through the magic of social-networking, I crossed paths with aspiring director Andre Diaz, as he took the time to introduce me to his YouTube-documentary series titled “The Pursuit”.
Based out of Orlando, Florida, Diaz has so far captured two aspiring boxers, lightweight prospect Amos Cowart (6-0, 5 KO’s) and junior middleweight hopeful Luis Torres (4-2-3, 1 KO), in action and behind the scenes during the lead up to their crucial bouts.
Also seen on “The Pursuit” is an intimate look at Boston Celtics power forward Brandon Bass, formerly with the Orlando Magic, as Diaz followed him during the lead up to the lockout-shortened 2011-2012 season.
During each video, I was impressed with Diaz’s ability to capture another side of the athlete he was chronicling, all the while serving as the narrator, lead cameraman, and writer for each film.
Before posting Diaz’s video to HustleBoss.com, I felt it would be fitting to have a brief conversation with him to get a sense of where his passions stem from and what his future aspirations entail.
In his words, this is what Diaz had to share…
Fighting for every victory…
“I was born in Bronx, NY but raised in Orlando, FL. Growing up it was a competitive household when it came to sports or even video games and being the youngest of three brothers I had to fight for every victory.”
An introduction into sports…
“Basketball cards were everything to me as a youngster. It felt like Christmas morning every time I opened up a pack of cards excited about what I was going to get. My introduction to sports was Michael Jordan in [1993]. His greatness and superstar aura drew me in and I’ve been hooked to the sport ever since.”
Discovering boxing…
“As far as boxing goes nobody in my family was ever really into it so it wasn’t until I went to my friend’s house and watched Floyd Mayweather vs. Zab Judah in 2006 that I became a diehard fan of the craft. Due to the amazing creation of YouTube I can now catch up on what I missed out on prior to 2006.”
Getting a vision to create “The Pursuit”…
“When I watched the first HBO 24/7 with Mayweather/De La Hoya it immediately inspired me in a huge way. I never have seen anything like it. The writing, narration, music, cinematography, the story line. It was perfection. The greatest thing of all is it was about boxing. They really captured the art form and beauty of the sport in a way I’ve never seen. At that moment I knew that this is what I wanted to do except I wanted to use my own vision and capture the sport exactly how I see it. And just like that, ‘The Pursuit’ is born.”
Enjoying the process…
“This was not something I went to neither school for nor have I had any formal training. Once I realized I wanted to do this I basically went out and bought a camera and started shooting. I’ve always had a strong vision on how I wanted my documentaries to look so I knew exactly what I needed to capture while shooting. It’s definitely a learning process that I’m still going through but I’m enjoying every step of the process.”
Filming with Brandon Bass…
“Shooting with Brandon was one of the best experiences I ever had. The biggest highlight for me was just simply talking basketball with him. He was telling me personal stories about his battles with certain players in the league. For once I wasn’t hearing these stories from a reporter or from watching ESPN; I was getting it directly from the horse’s mouth. With me being such a big basketball fan I truly felt like a kid at a candy store the entire time.”
How he linked up with Brandon…
“Most probably don’t know that Brandon is a huge boxing fan and in his documentary you get a glimpse of him doing some boxing training. Brandon’s trainer that was working with him in the video is also the trainer of Luis Torres who is the subject of my first documentary. Brandon saw the video I did with Luis and enjoyed it enough to ask me to do a documentary on him. Needless to say he didn’t have to twist my arm very much.”
Taken back by Brandon’s personality…
“As a person I was really taken back on how laid back, low key and down to earth he is. He really contradicts any of the stereo types that rich athletes are stuck up. We are close in age and have a lot of the same interest so it was basically like hanging out with one of my boys except unlike my boys Brandon was able to pick up all the dinner tabs so I definitely had no complaints.”
The heart and soul of Amor Cowart’s documentary…
“The best part about following Amos around was seeing him interact with his two kids and parents. I know that sounds kind of boring compared to the sparring sessions and grueling training regimen but when you watch someone who’s trying to fight their way to a better life and then you see them kiss their children, you understand where they get their motivation from. You see that individual in a different light because this is someone who hasn’t made it yet and you get to see what’s all at stake and the people that are counting on him. I feel those moments with his loved ones are the heart and soul of the documentary.”
Why he chose to film Amos Cowart and Luis Torres…
“I basically choose fighters that I’m drawn to by the way they fight. Obviously I want it to be someone who’s talented and has the potential on going far but most importantly I want it to be on someone that I feel the audience will connect with. Someone that you want to root for. That’s most important to me.”
Creating a finished product…
“The editing process is definitely the most crucial part. It’s like playing a video game, once you start and you get in that zone you can’t stop. It’s an all-day thing. It takes me about five days to edit a first draft. From that point I take out what’s not necessary which is most times easier said than done, especially when you have so much good footage. It is a story and like any movie you constantly want to push the story forward so I sit back watch and see how everything flows together. If a transition or something doesn’t feel right then you make that change.”
The element of music…
“It’s the same thing with the music. Music is a big thing for me so once I feel that I’ve found the right song I’ll lay it to that scene and sit back and see how it feels. I ask myself ‘Does this song help create the emotion that I want to convey in this scene?’ It’s an instant gratification once I realize that I’ve chosen the right visuals and music for that particular scene. All in all to get a final draft it takes me about a solid month.”
The concept behind Saturday Morning Productions…
“Saturday Morning Productions is a young approach towards entertainment media. It embodies that joyful emotion that we all felt as a kid waking up on Saturday Morning and eating cereal while watching our favorite cartoons. Our motto and my personal mission is to wake up every morning like its Saturday Morning.”
Goals for the future…
“My long term goal is to one day get this on network television. I know that ‘The Pursuit’ would make a strong statement and it would be a positive one. My short term goal is to find another talented up and coming fighter to do a new documentary on. I feel we’re just getting started. I also do a comedy web series that can be seen along with all my documentaries at SMTVCHANNEL.COM.”
For more of Andre Diaz’s work please check out the videos below and visit Saturday Morning Productions on FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE
Reach out to Andre Diaz on TWITTER
“The Pursuit’ with Boston Celtics’ Brandon Bass
“The Pursuit’ with Amos ‘2smooth’ Cowart
“The Pursuit” with Luis “Cuatito” Torres
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com