Music
Elsewhere
“Like the original Colma: The Musical concept album, Elsewhere was written as a gift for Mendoza’s partner, Mark Del Lima, known for his odd mixtapes and offbeat playlists. Mendoza tried to mimic the patterns, themes, and sounds of his mixtapes and playlists and wrote fourteen songs that follow the general arc of a Mark Del Lima mix. The album marks a temporary departure for Mendoza’s music having virtually no lyrics and sounding as if it were recorded in various eras to evoke a sense of nostalgia. Elsewhere was released on December 21, 2009.”
SO, those are the words from Wikipedia. First, I’ll say right off the bat that this album is not like the previous albums, nor is it like Colma, nor Fruit Fly. The album is based on nostalgia. Admittedly, it’s the kind of audio nostalgia that’s very specific to people in their mid to late thirties, but that’s okay. It’s the sound of 16mm educational films from the 70’s, speculation video tapes from the 80’s, video games before the 32-bit revolution and a little movie score, just for fun.
From October of 2008 to October of 2009, Mark has been trying to get me to publish Elsewhere. I told him that I didn’t want to make a habit out of making gifts and then selling them (*cough* Colma *cough*) but he sold me. Now, it’s available on iTunes and Amazon.com.
Colma: The Musical
“After writing a concept album called “Colma: The Musical” as a birthday present for his childhood friend, he reunited with film school classmate Richard Wong, who had just finished working on the television show, Arrested Development and was looking for a script to direct. When Wong listened to a track from Mendoza’s concept album, he asked Mendoza how long it would take to turn it into a script. After seven days, a first draft was born, Mendoza flew from Philadelphia to San Francisco and the plans were set in motion. After 18 days of shooting and several months of editing, a feature film was made for a budget of roughly $15,000. The film, called “an itty-bitty movie with a great big heart” by The New York Times went on to win three Special Jury Prizes on the film festival circuit and was acquired by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate Entertainment.”
It was exciting to experience a number of things during the distribution process of Colma: The Musical.
1) Hearing the Moviefone guy say “You have selected Colma: The Musical – RATED R!”
2) Seeing the trailer for Colma playing in 35mm before another film.
3) Getting the DVD and seeing the Lionsgate logo before the film.
If you get a chance to see the DVD, listen to the commentary so you can hear me and Rich talking about the good old days when we were just shooting a simple script I wrote about friends parting ways. There’s a glum tone to the commentary whenever we broach that topic.
Or, if you have any questions, ask me here. 
Option 3
OPTION 3, A dream-logic thriller by Richard Wong
I wrote an early draft of the script for director Richard Wong and the Center for Asian American Media before he shot this in 2007. The film premiered in 2008 at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and won me and Rich a Techincal Achievement Award at the VC Los Angeles Asian Film Festival.
I also edited and scored the film, paying homage to Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein, Henry Mancini, Angelo Badalamenti and 16-bit video games and wrote the musical number performed by Preston Conner. The studio version, which plays over the end credits, can be heard here:
ELYSIUM (EMILY, I’M IN YOUR WAKE) – Performed by H.P. Mendoza
I’m Yours (or Deranged by Love)
I’m Yours Lobby Poster
After seeing Precarious Theater’s production of Chemical Imbalance, I jumped at the chance to work with writer/director Matthew Graham Smith who had asked me to write a couple of songs for his new play, Cardenio.
Cardenio, being a brisk play based on a single chapter in Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, asked for more than one song and ended up becoming a musical. It was even renamed I’m Yours! (or Deranged by Love).
The cast consisted of five actors playing multiple roles and genders over the course of two hours. Christian Cagigal, (”Gaz Howard”, Fruit Fly) was showcased doing three roles, one requiring a singing voice.
I’ve included two of the songs from the musical here:
I AM COLD (MY APOLOGIES) – Performed by Erin Carter and Hannah Knapp
LUSCINDA (PT. 2) – Reference vocal by H.P. Mendoza
A Lower Power
Movie Poster
I recently finished scoring the latest film from Robert O’Geen and Tim Bland, A Lower Power, a sex comedy shot in San Francisco. The film stars Matthew Lotto, Terri J. Freedman (Night Fliers) and Gigi Guizado (Colma: The Musical).
When writer Tim Bland made his early cameo appearance in my film, Fruit Fly, he asked me if I would be willing to write a song or two for his new film. After post-production on Fruit Fly finished, I ended up not only writing “one or two songs”, but an entire score.
Here is one of the songs I wrote and performed for the film:
HURT (YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY ONE)
LaLa
In 2009, I followed L.A. Renigen and E. Spark around Los Angeles eating Asian food and interviewing Asian chefs. The show premiered on Comcast in March. This was a six episode series we called “LaLa”.
I was shocked to find out from our producer, Don Young, that LaLa was getting great reviews and that people were trying to find it online.
L.A. Renigen and I are about to talk about the future of this series and whether or not our stomachs can handle another non-stop eating session.
In the meantime, I’m gathering all of the episodes of season one and will put them up here in January.
under construction.
Until January, here’s a taste of LaLa:
Blossom
I wrote a new piece called “Autumn” that will be used in Julia Kwan’s new short film, Blossom that will be screened as part of the Olympics in 2010.
Here is a piece of the song:
AUTUMN (pt. 3)
Melodica
The new album in the works.
Melodica will be my fourth album and will be recorded using binaural microphones for a 3D headphone experience. It isn’t necessary to use headphones to listen to the new album, but you won’t experience the spatial recordings as I recorded them unless you do so. Plus, it’ll sound pretty frickin’ cool.
Here is a flattened, non-binaural recording of one of the tracks from Melodica.
IT’S BEEN A LONG DAY
The Chinatown Project
The MOCA Chinatown Project
Directed by Richard Wong
“Lonely, Alone” written by H.P. Mendoza
Starring Jo Mei
Abuela
ABUELA
A film written and directed by Paul Kolsanoff.
After shooting Fruit Fly, I acted as co-director on the shoot of Abuela as well as composer.
The film is still in post-production and will be in festival submissions in 2010.
Here is one of the tracks I composed for Abuela.
PICTURES
SFIAAFF 25
The trailer for the 25th Annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (dang, that’s a mouthful…)
Directed by Richard Wong
Music and Lyrics by H.P. Mendoza
Nomad
Nomad CD cover
My second album after Everything is Pop.
Here is the blurb from Wikipedia:
“During the production of Colma: The Musical, Mendoza had difficulty transitioning from living in the east coast to the west coast and decided to write an album chronicling his emotional state from leaving San Francisco to coming back. The two cult hits from the album were “No, That’s My Phone”, a song comprised of cell phone interference noise and ringtones, and “Organ Donor”, a song written to, his now partner, Mark Del Lima. “Wet Dreams and Funny Schemes” was used in the 2009 film, A Lower Power, while the song, “19th Morning” was used in the making of documentary for The Princess of Nebraska by Wayne Wang.”
Both Everything is Pop and Nomad were available as free downloads for a couple of years before I took them down. Soon, I’ll remaster them and make them available again.
Until then, here’s a couple of tracks from Nomad
GONE BACK WEST
ORGAN DONOR
RUN AWAY BEFORE IT GETS TOO GOOD
Everything is Pop
Everything is Pop CD cover
My first album.
Here is the blurb from Wikipedia:
“In 2004, Mendoza decided to stop playing keyboards for various bands and decided to write an album that lovingly poked fun at various genres of pop music while covering several topics that pertained to his personal life including coming out of the closet, video games, and a failed long-term relationship. The two cult hits to emerge from the album were “Efren John”, a song about coming out to a very Christian uncle, and the geek anthem, “In Ten Years”, which plays in excerpt in Colma: The Musical.”
Both Everything is Pop and Nomad were available as free downloads for a couple of years before I took them down. Soon, I’ll remaster them and make them available again.
Until then, here’s a couple of tracks from Everything is Pop
HYPOGLYCEMIC
IN TEN YEARS
DON’T DARE SET THE ALARM
ersatzdesign
ersatzdesign.com
ersatzdesign is
Mark Del Lima, Jef Cunningham, Keiko Chaffee and H.P. Mendoza
ersatzdesign has been the design company behind high profile ad campaigns, national educational campaigns and next generation video-games.
ersatzdesign is branching out into different territory, now, with film–feature and short, narrative, documentary and experimental.
ersatzfilm has been formed with Fruit Fly being its first project.
under construction.
ABOUT / CONTACT
ABOUT H.P. MENDOZA/CONTACT
H.P. Mendoza
Films
* 2006 – Colma: The Musical – screenwriter, lyricist, composer, actor
* 2007 – Option 3 – screenwriter, lyricist, composer, editor
* 2008 – Abuela – co-director, composer
* 2008 – Fruit Fly – director, screenwriter, lyricist, composer, editor, actor
* 2008 – Great Hymn of Thanksgiving/Conversation Storm – co-director, cinematographer, editor
* 2009 – A Lower Power – composer
* 2009 – PIA – actor, sound designer
* 2009 – Blossom – composer
* 2009 – Victor Yang – sound editor
* 2010 – Clockwise (IN DEVELOPMENT) – director, screenwriter
Television
* 2009 – LALA (TV) – director, composer, editor (8 episodes)
Theater
* 2004 – Magic At – co-writer
* 2007 – The Necessity of Hank – cinematographer
* 2008 – I’m Yours! (or Deranged by Love) – lyricist, composer, musical director
Discography
* 2003 – Family (limited release)
* 2004 – Everything is Pop
* 2006 – Nomad
* 2007 – Colma: The Musical (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
* 2007 – Whiskey and Wine (limited release 2CD set)
* 2008 – Fruit Fly (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
* 2009 – Elsewhere
* 2010 – Melodica
H.P. Mendoza on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.P._Mendoza
H.P. Mendoza on IMDb:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2208558/
H.P. Mendoza can be contacted via e-mail at hp@hpmendoza.com
H. P. Mendoza (born March 13, 1977, San Francisco, California) is a Filipino American writer-director, and singer-songwriter based in San Francisco best known as the screenwriter and composer for the film Colma: The Musical, directed by Richard Wong. In 2006, he was listed as one of the Top 15 Creative Talents of 2006 by UCLA Asia Pacific Arts. His most recent work, Fruit Fly, premiered on March 15, 2009 at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and is the winner of their Best Narrative Feature Audience Award. Fruit Fly is his directorial debut.
