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

Hi Israel, what inspires you?
I am inspired by the world. The sunrise, the rain hitting a tin roof.. A smiling baby and a tear in someone’s eye. Just everything. Inspiration is everywhere and I am always listening and feeling.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets me apart from other film makers I believe is that all of my films are created from music. Music is my first love and being able to translate that love over to film making is a true gift. I often say on set “ok we are shooting in the key of E” LOL. Not many people know what I am talking about but I do. I like to make films that will make the human heart feel that music, that moment in time. Even the heart is measured in Beats per minutes. When I first decided to start making films I knew it was going to be a long learning journey. I already knew I didn’t want to be like anyone else making films. There are lots of films on the Walmart shelf that are meaningless. And I knew I didn’t want that for myself. So I took the long road of learning everything. From writing, Cinematography to editing and making music. Taking this road made it difficult but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I use to be a professional fighter but film making is probably 50 times harder than that. Learning film making from scratch creates a lot of challenges. But it all comes down to the way you think. Changing and adapting the way you think and approach film making makes a huge difference. I have learned many hard lessons. One important lesson that I always think about is I need to be careful who I bring into my circle. Lots of people will claim to love you and want to work with you but definately have different plans for themselves. At the end of the day I want people take take something home after watching my films. I want them to go home and hug their spouse a little longer. Go home and tell their kids or parents that they love them. Remember the ones we lost. And to know that there is so much beauty left in this world for everyone. It’s all for love.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I don’t frequent the cities much. I prefer outdoor wilderness areas. Fishing is one of my things that I like to do. Every since I was five years old when my grandfather took me fishing. It’s funny because even then I was making up stories about my fishing trips and telling them to my friends at the daycare lol

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Director Robert Rodriguez was the man who got me into film making. I was at an artistic low point in my life and I was looking for a place to go. Then I came across Robert Rodriguez’s 10 min film schools on Youtube. So here is this guy telling me I can be a film maker. And that’s how it started. Never looked back.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4135449/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/israel.marquez.5836

Image Credits
Photos from: T.V Pilot El Camino Rojo, This Old Violin, Paz, Amor, y Musica Documentary

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.