A Conversation with Miguel Ortiz, Director of Bloque' at the 49th Annual Atlanta Film Festival

Bloque - A Telly Original Short Film

Bloqué is TheTelly's vignette of a drummer trapped by a creative block and the introspective journey he takes to find his rhythm. This film highlights a belief at TheTelly that the struggle to create or push through life is a chance to analyze what has been troubling us. It's an opportunity to heal, which is the core objective of this film- with the characters you see and the creators you don't. It stars the multi-talented Malick Koly who also had the pleasure of portraying Bruce Langhorne in James Mangold's A Complete Unknown. 

Bloque' premiered at the 49th annual Atlanta Film Festival on Saturday, May 3rd at the Plaza Theater in Atlanta.

Below is a conversation with the film’s director Miguel Ortiz.

Atlanta Film and TV: Bloqué centers on a drummer navigating a creative block. What inspired this narrative, and how does it reflect The Telly's philosophy on healing through struggle?

Miguel Ortiz: "I was inspired by Spielberg's The Fabelmans- I went to go see it with my editor, Danni Juhl- I got home and said to myself, 'I need to write.' I was struggling to write anything at the time because I was in conflict with how my parents viewed my childhood, and although I didn't know it, I was writing out the story there. We were always taught to write what we know or have gone through, and I firmly believe that the struggle to create or to push through life is a chance to analyze what has been troubling us. So when I took all of this into consideration, I decided to write an apology letter to my parents about only focusing on the negative aspects of my childhood, and that became the birth of Bloqué."  

Atlanta Film and TV: Creative blocks are often seen as obstacles. Was there a specific moment during the production where this idea became especially clear or personal? 

Miguel Ortiz: "The whole story was very personal from the beginning, and it kept getting more personal as we continued to move through production. But to pinpoint a specific moment, I'll say this- we shot over 2 days, originally we were supposed to shoot over 3. There was such a blockage within me on Day 1 that it felt like I was losing my movie somehow. I needed to find a way to make it work with what he had on Day 1 and elevate Day 2. So as we were making a movie about a creative block, I was somewhat having one. Thankfully, I took a drive with my A.D Leon, and through that conversation, I was able to have a bit of a breakthrough. We revamped the entire 2nd Day and didn't even shoot on Day 3. We knew by the end of Day 2, we had a film."

Atlanta Film and TV: The use of sound and silence must be crucial in a story about a drummer—how did the sound design and music contribute to the storytelling? 

Miguel Ortiz: "Music and Sound Design were two of the biggest lifts when it came to this film. We knew from the very beginning that we wanted no dialogue and that the music would carry the viewer through the film. In Pre-Production, our drummer, Malick Koly, and I had several sessions in which we were working on the music compilations. My favorite thing he ever told me was 'Miguel, take those American ears and throw them out the window.' Malick is well-traveled and cultured, so it was a really funny moment between us. It took a bit of back and forth, but we got to sounds that felt intentional, personal to Malick, and a story arc for the film. Once that music had a shape, I then had the pleasure of creating a shot list off of that. I wanted to make sure everything was designed around the sound. Then a year later, we were sitting in on the sound design of Bloqué with EJ Markland, our Designer who was also the recordist on set. EJ was brilliant and open to ideas and concepts, which Elizabeth and I appreciated. We had a few sessions because there was so much experimentation we wanted to explore. Especially when it came to where silence played a big factor. I like to say that EJ was as much of a musician as Malick was. He had to create the same intentions with sound design around the music. He is brilliant."

Atlanta Film and TV: What was the most challenging part of bringing this story to life? 

Miguel Ortiz: "It's going to sound weird, but the most challenging part of the film was

outside of the film itself. We shot Bloqué in February of 2023, and it wasn't touched in the edit room until July of that year. I had lost my mother early that spring and I just couldn't focus or handle the story in the way that it needed. I originally wanted to edit the film myself, but Elizabeth, our producer, encouraged me to hand it off to someone I trust. That's how it ended up in Danni Juhl's hands. Even one of our Directors of Photography, Jamal Solomon, took on an extra role by really being supportive of what was happening and sat in as a post-production supervisor for the film. I am incredibly lucky that they didn't let this film sit on a shelf for too long."

Atlanta Film and TV: As a follow up question, what was the most rewarding part of bringing this story to life? 

Miguel Ortiz: "TheTelly has always worked alongside creatives who are passionate about storytelling and the art of filmmaking. I've been blessed with the community my business partner, Anthony Fioto, and I have built. So when we came to shoot Bloqué- my biggest question to all was 'what do you want out of this?' Especially when it came to my other DP, Somnang Vann, who has been my DP for the last 8 years. He simply asked for a certain camera and a tone that would benefit his reel. There was no compensation. And we had similar conversations with nearly everyone in the film. The most rewarding part is that everyone, cast and crew, were able to walk away from this film so proud of what they've done, and I felt so encouraged to share their work. Our Production Designer, Nick Kaufmann, came up to us at the end of the film and simply said 'Yes, this production reminded me that I enjoy doing what I do.' And that's all we want from our team."

Atlanta Film and TV: What do you hope audiences take away from Bloqué, particularly those who are artists or in the middle of their own creative block? 

Miguel Ortiz: "If you're having a creative block or feel like you're in a struggle, experience it and use it. You are not going through it just for the hell of it. It's for a purpose. Pause- reflect - and take action. You'll see it clearly on the other side."

To learn more about Bloque and to connect with Miguel Ortiz, be sure to follow TheTelly on Instagram @thetellychannel, @28mmoz, and Miguel's website at 28mmoz.com