The tragic event that took place in New York City on the morning of September 11th, 2001 was the catalyst into the music video production phase of my life. New York City was no longer the comfortable and safe place I had known and loved since my birth there in 1975. Everyone was afraid of what the future would hold. The attack caught everyone off guard and as a result jobs were at a stand still. There was a void in creativity, nobody was doing anything, and everyone just waited to see how things would unravel.

During the weeks that followed I received a phone call from my old friend Francisco Gonzales, drummer and founding member of Chilean rock band Lucybell and I discussed my current situation with him. He went on to ask if I’d be interested in participating in a documentary the band was planning, which would be comprised of a tour of the western part of the United States and parts of Mexico. The plan was to start out in Mexico City moving north through the country then crossing the border into the states, spending some time in San Diego and finishing up in Los Angeles.

Even though the pay was low I decided to do it without hesitation. Anything was better than to be stuck in the darkness that was New York City at the time.

With a brand new Power Book and a Canon GL1 in hand, I was off to Mexico City. The road manager advised me not to drink the water, not to eat anything that was not properly cooked, not get into green cabs and finally if I got into any trouble to not call the cops. These were the instructions and I went full steam ahead with a packed three-inch blade and a can of mace in my suitcase. I was going to be alone in a foreign city with no idea or any information whatsoever as to how it operated other than what I was told not to do. I had brand new equipment worth a good $7,000 and luckily my first days were without incident.

I survived on a diet consisting of whole-wheat crackers and peanut butter since I didn’t want to have any funky bowel movements while shooting. We were scheduled to be at various locations so I stayed clear of anything that would affect my health till the band got into town.

The group arrived days later with a new bass player and roadie. It took a few beers, some tacos and tequila for all of us to get on the same page. It was exciting for me but even with food and drink in our system I still wasn’t sure about the direction of the documentary. They just told me to record. And so i did.

I recorded every moment, from the most intimate to the most explosive, sometimes alone other times in front of hundreds of people. Francisco and I were very exited by what we saw while reviewing the footage during a rest day from the tour. We decided then and there to turn the footage into the music video for “Mil Caminos”, the new single that had recently been released by Warner Chile.

After a briefing with the band, direction and structure began to loosely come to together. Although most of the video was shot with minimal planning, city to city and experience to experience, it became to me as if I was inheriting a space and transforming into an installation. Every place became a set, the camera was an extension of the band, everything was recorded and everything became part of the video.

Coincidentally, the name of the single “Mil Caminos” ( a thousand roads) was the final element that tied the twenty plus cassettes of footage I had recorded from the tour. We had gotten such great footage that the band decided to fly me to Chile to tape their final show in the capital of Chile, Santiago, and do all editing there. The video was ultimately a visual dairy of the whole tour. A capsule encompassing the people, places and the experiences that came with the adventure of following a rock band on tour. Other than the external elements, the video brought to light the internal workings of the band. The camera allowed the audience to see rare and intimate footage, a voyeuristic perspective of the band’s interaction with each other and how each member acted on their own.

The video reached the top of the charts on MTV, eventually competing for the number one spot against The Strokes’ hit “Last Night”. It was my first hit on a one-pitch swing. I was about to take the cash and run back to the states but I was offered the opportunity to stay and work with Lucybell on another music video as well as do their art direction. This meant concert posters, website, t-shirts, and live stage lighting and design under my creative control. I opted to stay.

Mil Caminos opened the doors for me at Warner Music Chile, as well as allowed me to garner recognition within the Santiago music scene. It was the beginning of a new chapter I was in another part of the world working within the music industry and with friends, what better scenario than that.

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