Or Die Trying executive producers Sarah Hawkins and Myah Hollis caught up with their brilliant director, Camila Martins, to talk about her experience working on ODT Season 1.
ODT: Favorite TV Series?
Camila Martins: The Sopranos and more recently The Night Of.
ODT: What first drew you to OR DIE TRYING?
CM: It's a story about women created by women. I relate fully to the script because I too have lived through the experience of leaving all my comforts behind to come to LA and make my dreams of being a filmmaker a reality. Now that that dream is a reality, there's nothing more fitting than directing a project about women who are doing the same thing I did - it's a full circle!
ODT: Without giving too much away, what themes in this series resonated with you on a personal level?
CM: Passion, finding your creative voice, being your authentic self, family, friendship.
ODT: What was it like working with a crew made up of primarily women?
CM: It was amazing and it's something I strive for in all my projects - giving women a chance to show everyone they are equal to men when it comes to doing a job well done. It's not about being better, it's about being one.
ODT: Favorite moment on set?
CM: This is a hard one because there were so many favorite moments! Every time my DP gave me the best solution for a shot under our time/budget limitations and we made something beautiful, every time an actor gave me an honest performance and was fearless in her/his vulnerability, every time we rose to the occasion and found the best outcome to a challenge... This was our reality day in and day out on ODT. And that's what made our experience magical.
ODT: What do you think is the most effective way to go about changing the systematic gender problems in the film industry?
CM: Just put your money where your mouth is. Hire more women and treat them the same as men. Challenge stereotypes. You should always give the job to the best qualified candidate, but we need to make sure everyone has a chance to get to that place.
ODT: Any other projects you're currently working on?
CM: I am currently working on projects for the LA Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, a series of short documentaries for the Veterans Administration (VA), and developing a few projects that are close to my heart.
