Today we’d like to introduce you to Andres Irias.
Hi Andres, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
To reminisce would be an understatement. I owe my passion and career to my mother, who took a risk by taking three-year-old me to a movie theater for the first time. Other kids my age or older talked or cried during the film. I… well, according to my mother, I was quiet, in awe of the image before me- Mighty Joe Young. After that, I pursued acting through theatre plays and musicals, but at age nine the way I viewed Filmmaking drastically changed when experiencing Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Fast forward to today and I am grateful to find myself in a position to be a Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Editor of my own films through my Production Company banner- Psychotrope.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t, I’d be lying if I said that it was or that it is now a smooth road for me. Choosing Filmmaking was a no-brainer. My goal from the start was to work in what I love so much, up to the point where it doesn’t feel like work at all. Rome was not built in a day, and with that, I knew it would and still does take hard work/sacrifice. It is an uphill battle, but one has to put up the work. The biggest struggle I have found that truly exists is myself. My ideas, the scope/scale to my films… they always go above than what is usually possible at available budgets/shooting schedules/crew/cast and locations. This is a struggle that I am proud and excited to deal with on every project, mainly because I don’t feel any level of comfort. The struggle and the challenge of what I put on paper is what makes it exciting. It allows me to push myself further and in doing so, others as well.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As the Creator of Psychotrope my goal is simple- To create visual experiences for audiences that can last far beyond the end credits. I look at my work as that which should affect a viewer’s mental state as much as a drug does, hence the title Psychotrope. I focus on stories dealing with time, the mind/psychology and the use of editing. With that in place, my goal is to deliver familiarity to an audience in order to subvert their expectations midway through, pulling the rug from under them. I have learned so much and continue to do so through the process, so much so that I am proud of every piece I’ve made. Having said that, I am particularly proud of ‘Reverie’ (short film), which streamed on PBS; ‘Perception’ (short film) currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Piccen; and most importantly, my latest short films’ Synchronic’ and ‘Rememory’, soon to stream this year on both Amazon Prime and Piccen. Usually, vision is key to be set apart from others, but I have been known for being stubborn about my work. I never take ‘no’ for an answer and whenever I ‘get a ‘no’, I simply move along till I hear a ‘yes’. It is all about determination and perseverance. Nobody will get you where you wanna be, only you yourself can do that.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I wish I could thank everyone, especially because I would not be here without every single person- friends, family, crew, cast, extras, teachers. It truly takes a village and I stand where I am because of the over 500 people I have met, worked with and even consider my best friends and supporters. That said I can’t help but be forever grateful to my mother, who is my best and worst critic; Ronald Baez and Herschel Faber, who both brought out the Producer in me; Octavius Prince, who has been a mentor, friend, Executive Producer and Actor of two projects of mine already; Mauricio Trabanino, who not only pushes himself above and beyond as a composer but he is as genuine as they come; and Dani Jo Towle, who’s support drives the crazy in my creativity making me a better Filmmaker and in truth, a better person.
Contact Info:
- Email: a.irias@hotmail.com
- Website: www.psychotropeproductions.com
- Instagram: andresi09
Image Credits
Jack Bauer, Jack Kierski
