By Nick Smith
We all want to feel part of something, to satisfy that primal need to be part of a community. It helps us feel we’re not alone, that there is a tribe out there that we belong to. In prehistoric times, finding and making friends helped us to survive. That instinct exists to this day.
“Twelve years ago, it was tough to find people locally,” says Florida filmmaker Kevin Almodovar. “It was really hard to find any resources.” Regardless, Almodovar pursued an interest in video production and editing. “When I first started, I met the guys from PSA,” says Almodovar who is based in Fort Walton Beach. The PSA is the Production Services Association of NW Florida, which he now helps to run. It’s a networking and education resource in an area where the película pickings can be slim. It is also where Almodovar found his moviemaking tribe, which helped him hone his skills filming weddings, and content for the organization. “The more I got involved with learning cinematography,” he says, “the more interested I got in telling other people’s stories.”
That interest has developed into lighting, filming, and directing great-looking independent projects like “Until Death” and “Baby Fever;” and crewing on TV shows like Tanked, Amazing Eats and Cavalleri & Co. Almodovar has gained a reputation as a dependable, generous and diligent mover and shaker on the local production scene. As his status has grown, so has the tribe.
“We invite people who want to learn,” Almodovar explains. “The PSA is a great organization. Many people come in with zero experience wanting to get into the industry. The ones who are truly sincere about it, a few years later, they’re working. We embrace the newcomers and support them to really catapult their dreams.”
Despite his own success, Almodovar is down-to-earth, self-effacing, with a teasing sense of humor and a willingness to share his technical knowledge. He has offered paid internships for the past several years. “If you work on a project with Kevin,” says Saul Grosshuesch, a former apprentice, “you will see he is always preparing and is the hardest working individual in a space that rewards such talent.”
Devin Dailey, another former intern says, “Kevin maintains a profound, ever evolving technical knowledge base, a gift for process and detail, and if one takes the briefest moment to look within the discipline guiding his craft, a pure joy for lighting that is infectious.” Dailey has observed that these qualities pale in comparison to Almodovar’s sense of what matters most: “community, the person standing next to you.”
When Almodovar talks movies, he exudes expertise and a passion for production. For him, it’s a way to entertain an audience. “Creating, making something new,” he says, “facing a different challenge, finding different ways of telling stories to the masses. I’m the kind of person who needs that type of work environment. I wouldn’t do well at the factory eight hours a day.” Almodovar thrives on getting a reaction from people and seeing them enjoy themselves.
Almodovar has a handful of exciting projects in the works. As Director of Photography, he recently filmed a noirish short called The Referral. He has his own short film in preproduction, a powerful story about a son reconnecting with his mother, which will be directed by Dailey. Beyond that, “The Big One,” a feature-length drama that Almodovar believes will be incredibly moving and controversial. His moviemaking tribe will be alongside him, helping him to tell his stories.
“If you build a community and a crew,” he says, “it benefits you for paid gigs and passion projects. People are attracted to our industry but they need to do the work. If I see someone who has found locations, talent, props; it makes it easy for me to help them because I know they’re willing to put in the hours. They have a fire in their belly.” Such a fire can start with one enthusiastic spark.
Courtesy of Kevin Almodovar.
