Published July 11, 2002, Southwest News-Herald, City Edition

Sometimes a movie that is set in Chicago can actually be made in Hollywood, Los Angeles, or even Toronto, Canada.

Street names are given and shots of landmarks are seen, but it is discovered later that these areas were either built in a studio or filmed in a different town that was slightly similar in appearance.

Film director Tadeo Garcia knew that he wanted to make a movie in Chicago, and he did so in the actual city.

Garcia, 25, is filming an independent short film called 'On the Downlow' in Gage Park and parts of Garfield Ridge. A former resident of Gage Park, Garcia said that he knows the neighborhoods well, and thought that the area was perfect for his story.

'On the Downlow' is set in present time and follows the story of one man who leaves a gang to join a rival gang. The leader of one group finds out about the exchange, and tries to expose the new member.

Trying to keep the storyline as real as possible, Garcia used the names of real rival gangs Latin Kings and Two-Six, and had actors display genuine gang hand signals, wear gang colors, and utilize other essential gang-affiliated entities.

When asked if he had encountered any trouble from actual gang members who might have watched a film shoot, Garcia said that nothing had happened as of yet, but that he and his crew had purposely tried to distance their film shoot away from rough neighborhoods.

Garcia attended Our Lady of the Snows Elementary School and Kennedy High School. While growing up, he became interested in movies and the elements used to make them.

However, his parents were not too enthusiastic about his ambition to be a filmmaker. They suggested to him that he study business so that he could become a business owner.

Keeping their suggestions in mind while not neglecting his own ideas, Garcia enrolled at Moraine Valley Community College to study Business Administration. Later, he transferred to Columbia College to study film.

If he failed at being a filmmaker, Garcia said, "I could always fall back on business."

While working a part-time job during college, Garcia met screenwriter Roger B Domian, a graduate of Columbia College and a former Gage Park resident.

Domian, 42, also had a great deal of movie experience. Noticing their love for making movies, Garcia and Domian decided to create a production company together called Iconoclast Films.

Domian wrote the screenplay of 'On the Downlow', which was an adaptation of Garcia’s previous short movie, 'Broken Warning'. The original film had won numerous prizes from movie festivals, including the Los Angeles Film Festival.

After seeing the acceptance of 'Broken Warning' in the film industry, Garcia and Domian began immediately filming on 'On the Downlow'.

After the tragedy of Sept. 11, Garcia and Domian noticed that filming in Chicago was at an all-time low, especially from large film companies.

They saw this as an opportunity for independent films to become noticed, and realized that short films were the easiest to market.

Because of their ambitious efforts and previous accolades, Garcia and Domian were able to obtain a cast in 'On the Downlow' of many artists in the Screen Actors Guild, and a cinematographer who worked as an intern on the newly-released movie 'Road to Perdition'.

They also worked with Gregory Martin, a 15-year-old composer from California who wrote the score of one of Garcia’s earlier movies.

When working on films, Garcia says that he likes to make it clear that it is not just his project, but the project of everyone involved. This includes the makeup artists, production assistants and the cooks. He even asks the actors for their input, which he said isn’t common among widely-known movie directors.

"It’s a lot of creative control," he said. "Everybody matters on the set."

Garcia said that his ultimate goal as a filmmaker is to get his name familiar with the public. He said he often had moments when he wondered if he had chosen the right career, but found in the end that the effort was worthy.

"I like filmmaking for the love of it," he said.

While Garcia is striving to become noticed and acknowledged as a director by the public, he also works at a restaurant in Hyde Park that he co-owns with an uncle. Food for the employees on the set often comes from his restaurant.

He is still attending classes at Columbia, and hopes to graduate this year. He said he is surprised that 'Broken Warning' has done so well, and that he hopes for the same results for his new film.

Knowing that filmmaking can have unpredictable results, Garcia seems like a person who would not be deterred from a bad review. After all, he said, "It’s your risk, but the biggest risk is not taking one."

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