As a filmmaker, please introduce yourself.

Hi! My name is Brandon Cela and I have been working in film and video for six years now. I am the writer/director for the film "Just a Kiss".

Why you became a filmmaker as director ?

For me, it's the best way to tell the stories I want to tell. I've heard actors talk about what stories they want to tell 

and how they want to go about it.  On my end, I feel like writing and directing is the only real way because you have the most control over your work 

and what you're trying to do.  As far as why I got into filmmaking specifically, it was to tell stories. I remember falling in love with 

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith  and thinking that I wanted to do that. As the years have gone on, 

I've expanded my palette and wanted to try more and do more in the medium. 

So, that's what it really boils down to. Expanding the medium.

Give some more information about yourself and the films you have made so far, about your experience?

I started making short films in high school at Doral Performing Arts and Entertainment Academy. 

Some cool ones, some really crappy ones. "Episode 2.1" is probably my favorite because I got to do a lightsaber fight. 

I went to college at Florida Atlantic University and graduated with my Film, Video and New Media degree. 

There, I worked at the school TV station called Owl TV and worked a lot there. For classes, I did more short films and some 

documentaries here and there.  When I graduated, I did some internships and got some jobs from a bunch of different places all around Miami. 

I got a gig for a film called "Puffing Iron",  which is in post-production, where I was an AC/steadicam operator. Throughout my work in film, 

I have tried my best to cultivate my voice and  I think "Just a Kiss" is the closest thing to that, so far. 

I have continued to sharpen my technical skills, tweaked my comedy and blended styles using 

the medium of my films. I hope people can see that, when they go through my work.

What are the films or people that had impacts on you and deeply inspired you to become a filmmaker?

Too many to keep count. The first film that really gripped me was "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith". 

It was the film that made me want to tell stories. After that, there have been so many films to come into my life that it would take too long. 

They all inspire me in different ways but the main thing I take away from watching them is just how each of them can exist; that 

if a film is good enough  or specific to an audience or an issue, it will find its audience. As far as people go, my parents are first and foremost in terms of people 

who inspire me.  They keep me focused and driven to make it in this industry and they help me out when I'm down. As far as directors go, 

you have the usuals (Spielberg, Scorsese, Tarantino), a few less-mainstream ones (Kubrick, Fincher, Lynch) and some that really work for me 

(S. Craig Zahler, Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker and Mel Brooks).