“We’d hoped the first one would be well received,” added Carlos. “But you are never sure or ever know. And what’s crazier? We leave in a week to film the third installment! It just gets even better.”
Picture Perfect Mysteries: Dead Over Diamonds is a refreshing mystery, reminiscent of the classic crime noirs of old Hollywood. It finds intrepid professional photographer Allie Adams (Alexa) embroiled in the theft of a one-of-a-kind diamond necklace on the opening night of an art exhibit she photographed. When clues of the theft lead to murder, Allie has no option but share her findings with Willow Haven P.D.’s newest detective, Sam Acosta (Carlos). Reluctantly, Sam accepts her help, and with his Uncle Luis (Erik Estrada) visiting to help with the renovation of his home, he soon finds himself the victim of plenty of unsolicited advice regarding the case, and how he should handle his blossoming attraction to Allie.
Ron Oliver, who helmed the first installment, returns to direct this sequel, and according to both PenaVegas his vision created the films classic tone. “Ron came in with such a strong vision,” Alexa recalled. “That’s the one thing I really appreciate about him. You don’t always get that with directors. Ron comes in and it’s not like he’s telling people what to do; but he knows what he wants. That made the set run so smoothly. Everyone loves him for his energy, so coming in we all had a great understanding of his creative ideas and we could just do our jobs.”
“We’ve been really lucky [having Ron],” Carlos added. “He’s also doing the third installment and having him there keeps the vibe the same. He came in with a bossa nova track on day one of the first movie, and I said, ‘That’s the vibe of the [movie]!’ So, we had that playing all the time.”
Those thoughts are echoed by Alexa. “Ron also plays music in-between takes,” she noted. “It’s a fantastic way to work.”