The actors, part 4B-supporting actor Luis de la Tota

I was planning to interview Luis de la Tota, who plays Josema, the close friend of our hero, Luis, in Domino.  However, the last time I was in Jerez, he was on his way to spend several months in the United States and I didn't have a chance to do the interview.

I'll try to catch up with him in Jerez when I return at the end of January.

Luis (front) and Ali de la Tota.

In the meantime, this is a really cool video of him and his brother Ali.  (Ali de la Tota is also in Domino, but plays a relatively small role.)  I spent hours and hours over several days finding this link.  I'd seen it once months ago, and then lost track of it.  It takes a few minutes to load, but it's really worth watching.

LINK

As you can see, he's very relaxed in front of a camera (important for an actor).  This also gives a great demonstration of his character and for those that are interested, shows off an important part of flamenco.  The flamenco part, well, it's not related to Domino, but it's fun to watch, anyway.

OUR NEXT BLOG will be about thanks to Tras el Trapo theater company.

Our hero, Luis, and Occupy Wall Street/Movimiento 15-M

NOTE:  We recently posted a new scene from Domino showing our hero Luis at home with his family.  The scene is not intended to be high drama.  It mostly gives us a little more context with respect to Luis, but you will notice that the children are playing with dominoes and there's some hint of problems in his conversation with his wife.  In case you're interested, here's the LINK.

NOW--on to Luis and Occupy Wall Street/Movimiento 15-M.

It´s good to be a thorn in the side of the banks that are evicting people, but what is Movimiento 15-M or Occupy Wall Street doing to STOP evictions?

At one point, in the second half of our film, we see Luis passing by a major march and demonstration organized by the Movimiento 15-M, the Indignados, of Spain.  This Movimiento 15-M pre-dates the Occupy Wall Street movement by several months, and as in Occupy Wall Street, is an expression of unhappiness with the economic crisis, unemployment, home evictions, and the role of banks and politicians.

Luis, as you know, is a middle-aged family man in Spain who lost his job and is trying to find a new one before he becomes totally engulfed in financial disaster.  Luis is played by Antonio de la Malena.

And when he encounters the demonstration and march organized by the Movimiento 15-M, he looks at their placards (including one which says "Libertad"--"Liberty" and another which says to move from protesting to direct action).  Rather than joining in, however, he turns his back and goes on his way.

Why?  Surely he can agree with the movement's unhappiness with the crisis, the unemployment, the role that banks have had in creating the crisis and so forth.  And surely he can sympathize with the plight of people being evicted from their homes.

He turns his back because the movement really doesn't relate to him.  The demonstrations, discussions and protests are not going to get him a job.  They are not going to provide him with a way to support his family.  They are, in a word, irrelevant to his concerns.


[When I return to Jerez, I'll post a photo here of a demonstration....]

Perhaps if they succeed in changing the economic and political structure they WILL be relevant to him and his problems, but that is something likely to take years to achieve, if it ever happens at all.  What Luis and others like him need is a solution NOW.  And the Movimiento 15-M (or Occupy Wall Street) doesn't seem to have the capability of providing it.

OUR NEXT BLOG will be more about one of our supporting actors, Luis de la Tota.

A screening of Domino: Caught in the Crisis

A San Francisco Bay Area non-profit called Media Art Works (MAW) has asked to screen part of the rough cut of Domino as part of the monthly series of their film club, the East Bay Media Makers´ Screening Club (EBMMSC).  The screenings are free and open to the public, and take place on the 4th Thursday of the month in the Arlington Cafe, in the East Bay community of Kensington.

Some of the actors.  (Their names are listed below.)

The actors in the above photo are (left to right), Florentino Molina Garcia, José Luis Martinez, Luis de la Tota, Ali de la Tota, Antonio de la Malena, Diego de Malena, and Santiago Moreno. 

The Domino screening is set for Thursday, January 26.  We´ll put up another notice about this closer to the time of the event.  If you live in the Bay Area, we hope you´ll be able to attend.

NOTE:  Here's the logo of Media Art Works (MAW), the organization that's invited us to screen.  Olé Media Art Works:

OUR NEXT BLOG will be about how Luis' predicament relates to Occupy Wall Street and the Movimiento 15-M.

Occupy Wall Street and Movimiento 15-M (Indignados)

On two continents, movements have sprung up expressing people's frustration with the economic crisis, their belief that it has been caused by banks and other financial institutions, and their desire to have the political (and perhaps, social) system undergo fundamental change.  The first of these started in Spain, in May of this year, and is called the Movimiento 15-M (or los Indignados).  The other started near the end of this summer and began as Occupy Wall Street.

Both in their most visible form include people camping out for long periods of time, usually in tents, in or near city centers.  Both offer (or try to offer) daily discussion sessions where the public is invited to discuss our current economic problems, the origins of these problems, and solutions to these problems.

The general assembly point in Occupy Berkeley (CA).

Back side of the general assembly point in Movimiento 15-M, Jerez de la Frontera (Spain).

In all these respects, the two movements are very similar and in fact, I imagine the Occupy Wall Street (and more recently, Occupy Oakland, Occupy San Francisco, Occupy Washington, etc.) movement began partly by taking the Spanish Movimiento 15-M as a model.

But there are also some rather striking differences between the two movements.

One is the reaction of local and national government, and the use or non-use of police to deal with the protestors.

In Spain, with the notable exception of two incidents (one in Madrid and one in Barcelona) there has been, to my knowledge, no serious attempts on the part of government to curtail the protests.  The government doesn´t seem to be afraid of the protestors.

Part of a declaration of principals, Occupy Berkeley.

Call to demonstrate, Movimiento 15-M, Jerez de la Frontera.

As an example, when I was last in Spain (mid-October through late November) the protestors were camped out in the central square of the city where I was staying (Jerez de la Frontera) with no government opposition or police intervention.  There were also several big protest marches, one organized by the Movimiento 15-M people and the others by unemployed or, even more often, unpaid workers (mostly unpaid government workers).  The Movimiento 15-M people participated in the protest marches organized by others.

I also didn´t read about or hear of any government or police action against Movimiento 15-M encampments in other Spanish cities.

In the United States, on the other hand, there have been numerous instances of police tearing down Occupy Wall Street/Occupy San Francisco/Occupy .... encampments.  Often violence is involved, people get hurt, and people get arrested.

Tents with placards, Occupy Berkeley.  Placard is on the right.

Placards and tents, Movimiento 15-M, Jerez de la Frontera.

Another major difference is in the attitude of the protestors.  In Spain, they don't seem to be nearly as confrontational as in the United States.  They set up their camps, they keep their camps clean, and they offer their daily informational and discussion sections at a set hour each day.  They have set up rules for these sessions and for decision-making which emphasize the right of everyone to have a say, and the duty of everyone to listen to each other and respect the right of people to disagree.

In the United States, on the other hand, the protestors are full of demands, often want to force their opinions on others (and I include in this the shutting down of the Port of Oakland), and are sometimes very provocative, including smashing and trashing other people's things.

Tents of Occupy Berkeley.

Tents and signs of Movimiento 15-M, Jerez de la Frontera.

Some of these differences have to do with a different cultural outlook.  Some have to do with fear, and with a process by which one side pushes and the other side pushes back--and the very idea of "we are one side and you are another."  Space prevents me from going into more detail, nor do I want to favor one side in the U.S. over the other, but the differences between the two movements in these regards are really striking.

OUR NEXT BLOG will be about an upcoming screening of Domino in the San Francisco Bay Area.

And yes, there ARE dominos in Domino

This is from the opening scenes.

Of course we have dominoes in Domino...but we also have "the domino effect."  Isn´t that what you´d expect, in a story about the devastating effects of the economic crisis?

Principal photography REALLY completed-in Jerez de la Frontera

We'll start using this blog not only for articles and news items, but also for updates about our progress on Domino.

SO--we finished principal photography for what I believe is the LAST TIME at the end of November, just before I left Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) to return to the San Francisco Bay Area (California).  When I say the LAST TIME, I mean that I do NOT expect to add any more scenes.  As a filmmaker, I´m happy with the structure as it is now.

Of course, I haven´t yet viewed the current version of the film.  I´ve brought a viewing copy with me to California and will look at it soon.  Right now, I´m letting it age, like good wine.

It is currently about 40 minutes long, as opposed to the 20 minutes that it was before my last trip to Jerez.  In one new scene, we managed to incorporate part of the current demonstrations of the Movimiento 15-M (Indignados).  That movement is similar to, and started earlier than, the Occupy Wall Street movement in the U.S..  As a filmmaker who's creating a dramatic narrative about the current economic crisis, including shots of those demonstrations gives Domino more immediacy and relevance.

OUR NEXT BLOG will be about Occupy Wall Street (etc.) and the Movimiento 15-M (Indignados)

The actors,-supporting actor -Esteban Viaña

[We asked Esteban Viaña, who plays Javier, the former boss of our hero Luis, to provide us with a brief account of his acting career.  Here is what he wrote us (translated from Spanish):]

One can say that my varied experience as an actor began in grammar school, when I participated in an activity called "Speech and Verse."  From that time on, encouraged by my teacher, I started down the road of acting, something that still excites and inspires me, and which I intend to continue until I die or am no longer physically capable of continuing.

Antonio de la Malena (Luis) and Esteban Viaña (Javier) listening to the director.

I have acted for a number of different theater groups.  I've also acted in musicals, usually in the role of a comic tenor.  I have acted in religious productions [something Spain is noted for], both in plazas and in front of churches.  I have performed on many different stages, one of my favorite of which is the spectacular, old roman theater in Bolonia, Spain, in the ruins of the Roman city of Baelo Claudia.

My acting career has allowed me to visit many cities in Spain, a great pleasure for me.  Although I tend to be type-cast as a comic actor, I have also had dramatic roles of various types, but the truth is I feel most comfortable playing the comic roles.  One role for which I have particular affection and which I have played numerous times is the comic role of Payaso [a character in Spanish theater for children], partly because I enjoy children so much.

Esteban Viaña (blue sweater) in a street scene.

I would like to add that my experience as an actor has been very satisfying for me.  I especially enjoy the immediacy of live theater, and the ability to transmit to the public the different emotions that I feel as a person, at the moment that I feel them. 

NOTE:  Part of a scene with Esteban Viaña is in the trailer on the web site DominotheMovie.com.  And another note--we have improved the sound of this trailer, but for technical reasons, our web master is having trouble mounting this on the web site.  Our apologies.

We've finished shooting.

In my just-ended five week trip to Jerez, we finished shooting Domino.  In fact, we finished two days before I flew back to California.

Hooray for us!  Fireworks!  Cheering crowds!  We did it!

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but it was to me and to our lead actor, Antonio de la Malena, playing Luis.  To me because I really like the project and after quite a lot of time and effort, it felt good to have it "in the can," as it were.  To Antonio de la Malena because he likes the project too, but also because, well, I think by the end he was kind of tired of having me say "Hey, I decided to add just two more little tiny scenes...."

But I did add in all the scenes I wanted and to tell you the truth, I think they really make the drama complete.

"Luis' street," as seen last year.  Now, some of the houses have been painted other colors.

 For some of the last scenes we shot, Antonio was the only actor and he had no dialogue.  I did all the shooting of those by myself.  A five to seven person crew seems unnecessary if, for example, you simply need a shot of one person going out the front door of his "home" and walking down the street, passing in front of the camera as he walks.

But even small things like that had to be shot 5 or 6 times because it's hard to keep someone in frame and with a good spacing within the frame if the person is first moving towards the camera, and then away from it.

For that particular walking-out-of-the-door shot, several neighbors came out to watch because--a confession here--we used the front door of my flat as Luis' front door.  They were all very quiet while we were shooting, and when we finished, they gave us some applause. 

Good neighbors.

Another memorable shot was where I had Antonio (as Luis) walk in front of the major demonstration organized by the Moviemiento 15-M (los Indignados), similar to our Occupy Wall Street.  Here, we used a 4 person crew.

The protestors' camp in Jerez' central square.

 As we suspected, the demonstrators did not pose for our camera nor did they wait to start their march until we had the camera set up at the angle I wanted.  The result was that we got the back of the parade, we got some reasonable sound, we got Antonio walking in front of the tents (with a sign saying "Liberty" behind him),etc.  

Note that Liberty is something Luis does NOT have, due to his financial problems.

The "Liberty" sign.

BUT to make the scene complete, we had to go back another day, shooting  a DIFFERENT demonstration (but involving the same groups) marching down the street past the camera.

All that aside, I am really delighted with what we have, and really pleased that shooting is done.  Now, for fine cut editing, background music, and various kinds of technical work.  Considering money concerns as well as other matters, my guess is that Domino will be finished by summer of 2012.

Double and triple duty--producer-director, etc., Eve A. Ma

Yes, we do have a crew.

For most scenes, we have a camera person, a sound tech, a boom operator-best boy, a continuity-script person, a floor manager, and a director plus assistant to the director who is also our lead actor. 

You'll note there's some doubling up here.  Sometimes,  some of these people have to double up even more, for example, to cover lighting.   And SOMETIMES, if the place where we'll shoot is very restricted, or we're dealing with children, or if it's a very, very simple scene, there will be a lot more doubling up.

We have a director and crew of 2 for the want-ads scenes.  Here the crew is, relaxing with the lead actor,

Sometimes, in fact, I personally have had to be script writer, producer-director, camera operator, lighting tech, sound tech, and always, basic editor.  No, it's NOT easy.

In fact, it gets very complicated.  When we were shooting in Peña Chacón for the second time, for example, I was producer-director, camera operator, continuity person and lighting tech.  This resulted in some errors, because the director was too involved in camera angles and directing to notice that two actors missed their lines.  One of the missed lines was very important.

In addition, I was so focused on the image in the camera that I centered the mini-spotlight perfectly on the actor I wanted to light while I was setting up, but the minute I turned the camera to ¨"record," my hand relaxed and the mini-spotlight wandered to the left.

SIGH.

Three crew members out of 6 for that day, plus the director.

We had to re-shoot parts of those scenes, hence, part of the reason for the third time at Peña Chacón.  (The reason for the second shoot was my camera person did NOT understand what I wanted and, being in the land of the macho male, even though he´s a great guy, he kept thinking he knew better what I wanted than I did.  Plus we had some lighting problems.)

As for the newspaper scenes and such, what the hey, I just grabbed a camera, tripod, shoulder mount, digital recorder, mini-tripod for the digital recorder, microphone...

...and I shot it all by myself, with only the lead actor/assistant to the producer-director with me.

I won´t say which one started crying.  And we also had a teenaged boy.

PHOTO

And when trying to shoot the kids in a small space, well, I won't go there except to say that kids are kids, although they all really did their best, even the little girl that burst into tears at one point and said she could not go on.  But she did, but it all turned out ok.  And that's what it's all about, right?

Shooting in Peña Chacón

Let's face it--some scenes are harder to shoot than others.

My near-Waterloo came with the scenes we shot in Peña Chacón.  First of all, let me explain:  Peña Chacón  as well as all flamenco peñas is a flamenco club.  They present flamenco shows once a week for a chosen month.  The various peñas alternate months, so that most of the year, every Friday there's a flamenco show SOMEWHERE.  They also present a flamenco show during the big, annual, world famous flamenco festival of Jerez de la Frontera.

The bar area with actors--main center of interest for these scenes.

Peña Chacón is a cool location.  It's big, has photos of famous flamenco performers all over the walls, and has a bar in a corner, as well as a stage and other things you might need if you were going to present a flamenco show.

By the way, the flamenco shows in the peñas are all free.

The guy who manages the peña is a friend of our lead actor, Antonio de la Malena.  He's also a nice guy.  And he's a well-know palmero (flamenco percussionist--he does the hand clapping rhythms).  His name is Ali de la Tota, and he got the peña's president to agree to let us film there free of charge.

Ali de la Tota.  Nice guy.

The scenes we were to film were the opening scenes.  Because they're the first thing the audience will see, it's really important that they look good.

I, of course, had written the scenes to have a combined total of about 10 actors, with two "centers of interest."  This is complicated.  I have never done anything nearly as complicated before in my life.  You might think that the music and dance documentaries I´ve done, which in some cases involve more people in front of the camera, would be more difficult but in the documentaries, the musicians all stayed in one place, and the dancers, well, they all danced in the area we specified.

AND for the documentaries, we had three cameras.  That meant if one camera angle didn't look good, we had two others to choose from.

The table with domino players--our secondary area of interest.

With the scenes in Peña Chacon, for the most part we only had ONE camera, although by the time we were shooting for the third time, I decided to have us bring in a second camera for parts of the actual game of dominoes.

Adding to the complications, the lighting in the bar area is very poor.  The bar area was where our more important actors had their scenes, and it is dark and very cramped.  It was hard to get the camera in the right place and it was hard to get the lighting correct.

The result was that we had to shoot those scenes THREE TIMES.  Man, was it ever complicated.  Man, did I ever make mistakes.  Man, did I ever learn a lot.

I am now satisfied with what we have.  Sure, it could be better.  If we shot it a fourth time, it might look even nicer...but enough is enough.  It's decent.  It gets its message across.  It looks fine, and in some places, it looks really good.

Just so you'll know.

OUR NEXT BLOG will be about some thanks are due to Bar Gitaneria.  (We´ll thank Peña Chacón later, when I have the photos I want.)

Shooting in southern Spain-part 2

Shooting a film/video in Spain has its peculiarities but it's certainly not an impossible location.  And there is LOTS of local color. 

One requirement of film making is finding a good location in which to shoot.  This can be a challenge no matter where you are, especially for the independent filmmaker with a limited budget.  That's one of the reasons why the big boys, at least in the old days, would build sets.  You don't have to worry about light coming in in the wrong place or, even worse, not having enough light (and so having to rent expensive equipment, find enough electricity to power all that equipment, and so forth).

In addition, if you're working on a set, you don't have to worry about the guys down the street starting their construction project on the day you were to shoot your most important scene.  You don't have to worry about pedestrians walking through the set or, more often, a car driving by at the wrong moment.

For part of this scene, we simply stopped traffic.

Now, a lot of people would say if you're shooting a street scene, a car driving by is natural and why not include it?  Well, you may want to have a car drive by but if it isn't carefully planned, it's a nightmare when it comes to editing and you just might have to reshoot an entire scene because of the wrong car passing at the wrong time.  Trust me on this one.

In Spain, finding a good location isn't really any harder or easier than in any other places I've been.  But one peculiarity of Spain is that it's much more normal to "borrow" a location, meaning that someone will suggest a place where his/her friend works, or which his/her friend owns, and you can shoot there for free, within limitations but taking into account your own necessities.

In the case of Domino, we haven't had to pay for any location at all, not even the "bank."  I like that.

The offices upstairs are where we filmed the bank scenes.

In the United States, this kind of helping hand is normal for a documentary, but much less common in the case of a dramatic narrative.  I guess people assume if you can pay for actors and a crew, you can pay for a location.  They don't realize you've already gone broke paying for the actors and crew.

And on the subject of costs and favors, in Spain I've even had the nearby lamp shop lend me light bulbs and lamp shades.  Plus within limits, some actors and crew are willing to let you pay them later, "when you start making a profit" (ha, ha, ha).  This is also the case in the U.S., especially if the people happen to be your friends;  or the friends of your lead actor, for example. 

El Baratillo is the lamp shop that lent us light bulbs and lamp shades.

With the current economic situation in Spain, however, where over 8,000 families in Jerez have been evicted from their homes for inability to pay their mortgage;  where the unemployment rate for people 30 and under is supposed to be more than 50%, and so forth--I really don't like to ask this of people.

But I have been willing to let people work for me for less that we'd anticipated.  I've got my limits, too.

The last thing I want to mention about working in Spain is the problem of noise.  You have that problem everywhere, and it is a sticky one, but in Spain with all the stone and with the narrow streets, you get an awful lot of echo that you don't in a place like the United States.

In general, working in Spain has its peculiarities but it's certainly not an impossible location.  And there is LOTS of local color.

Shooting in southern Spain-part 1

Working as an independent filmmaker and shooting a film or video in Spain is not exactly like shooting in the United States.  In the United States, punctuality is considered almost sacred (unless you are a very big star, and even if you are, you STILL have to show up pretty close to shooting time).   And both cast and crew have to STAY on the set until the production day is over.

Plus there is a lot more attention paid to sticking to the script.

Following the clock is not always a priority in Spain.

In Spain, well, time concepts are different.  First of all, in southern Spain (Andalucia), asking someone to show up before 10am is not looked on with favor.  And if you plan to shoot all day, you'd better have lunch brought in or you may lose your actors and crew to "just one more beer."

We generally start our shooting day at 9am.  This sometimes means LOTS of cell phone calls at 9:10am to find out where your missing people are.  But after a while, they do start to get the picture.

Even more disturbing to a director, if an actor or crew member finds that something really important has come up, s/he just might leave before shooting is over, perhaps telling the director the night before or perhaps simply leaving.

An actor and two crew members.

  I have had to tell certain people that in my next production, I will not use X since on one occasion, X walked off the set without a word to me and in addition, X is routinely 15 minutes late for the start of the shooting day.  I don't even want to continue using X for the Domino production, but we're nearly through, other crew members are closely related to X, and X's role isn't all that important so I've been able to eliminate X's role in certain scenes.

Now, improvisation:  in Spain, or at least in Jerez (where that very improvisational art form, flamenco, has so much influence), improvisation is highly respected.  It's considered an element of good art.  Sticking with the script, well, "won't it be fresher and more natural if I just put it in my own words?"

The answer to that one as far as I'm concerned is that improvisation makes the job of the editor much more difficult.  In addition, if you improvise, you run the risk of losing essential ideas that are in the script.  And finally, I wrote the doggone script and I'm proud of it.

At work.  Our fearless director is to the right.

Plus sometimes people call for improvisation because they didn't get around to memorizing their lines.  I remember one occasion when a person who is a professional actor had spent so little time with his lines that we had to do 24 takes of one fairly small scene.  No fun.

But after all is said and done, I DO like some improvisation.  Yes, it CAN make things fresher and I am not the only one who has good ideas.  So I try to listen to suggestions, and to allow improvisation and even build in some places where flexibility will rule.

And I am in the happy position of being surrounded by lots of very, very talented people.  Makes the shooting fun, in spite of occasional frustrations.
 
OUR NEXT BLOG will be about a few more peculiarities of shooting in Spain.

The Gypsy/Gitano question

Since nearly half of "Domino's" principal actors (including our star), and about half of the crew, are Spanish Gypsies (Gitanos), I thought it might be of interest to talk a little about the topic.

Gitanos have been in Spain for over 500 years. They are proud of their culture.  It is thought that as a race, they originated in north western India.

In addition to being Gitano, they are Spaniards, and make up 10%-15% of Spain's population.  Most of the remaining Spaniards are Castillanos, although in recent years when the economic bubble was in full force, many thousands of immigrants entered the country to work--lots of Latin Americans (especially people from Ecuador), as well as Senegalese, huge numbers of Moroccans, and others (including some Japanese).

Domino's cast & crew are divided between Gitano and Castillano.

Although Gitanos have been part of Spain's population for such a long time, in most regions of Spain they are discriminated against and many Castillanos actively dislike them as a group.  Racism?  Yes, indeed.

The city where I hang out (Jerez de la Frontera) is one of the very, very, very few that has a reputation for actually "accepting" its Gitano population.  This, it has been surmised, is partly because they were a very important part of the labor force for the vineyards which up until about 30 years ago were a mainstay of Jerez' economy.  (Jerez is a wine-making town).  More recently, Gitanos have brought in a lot of money for the city because of their participation in flamenco, which in Jerez is big business.

Literally thousands of foreigners and locals come to see flamenco in this and other theaters.

To give only one illustration of the general racism, a friend of mine who is Gitano was recently interviewed about his origins.  He brought out his whole family (father, sisters, children and grandchildren) for a family photo to illustrate this story.  He talked a bit about the origins of Gitanos and the specific origins of his family, and then went on to say a great deal about how proud and happy they were to be part of Jerez.

The story and photo were published in the daily newspapers of three nearby cities.  On-line response in Jerez was divided.  About half said nice things about my friend, his family, and Gitanos in general.  The other half were scurrilous.

Bar Gitaneria, where we filmed a scene, is Gitano owned.

On the other hand, on-line responses from the other two cities (27 responses within the first 24 hours in the case of one city) were really nasty:  Gitanos "don't belong here," "they" should go back to wherever they came from, "they" don't follow our laws, "they" are the dregs of society, "they" don't work, "they" are good for nothing--you get the picture.  My friend, deeply offended, called the newspaper editor and asked that all the on-line comments be removed and no new ones be allowed.  He also asked the paper to print a second story that would palliate his family, which had also been offended-and they were mad at HIM.

(Being a "big man about town" in Jerez, he was given all he asked.)

So now you know--the U.S.A. is not the only country were racism abounds.  I could go on and on about this topic--how Moroccans and Jews are received, how there is racism in France, and in Rwanda, and in China, and in....

But enough already.

OUR NEXT BLOG will be about shooting in southern Spain.

Shooting for sound

In mid-July, we recorded some of the background music for "Domino," the short independent film I´m working on in Jerez de la Frontera.  We have several scenes in bars, which is an ideal place to introduce background music...and the bar scenes are for the most part followed by street scenes, an ideal place to continue the background music.

Since some of you have never been inside a recording studio, it occurred to me that you might be interested in what it's like to do a recording.

--NOTE:  "Domino´s" YouTube trailers are on LINK

What we recorded was based on the voice of our lead actor, Antonio de la Malena, who is also a well-known flamenco cantaor (singer).  We recorded two numbers, one a purely flamenco one (a tarantos, for readers who are knowledgeable in flamenco) and the other a somewhat modernized number (granainos por buleria).

Antonio de la Malena and Luis de la Tota in front of the sound studio.

The first, the tarantos, went very rapidly.  There was only the singer and the guitarist, a father-son team who have worked together for years.  (The father is, of course, Antonio de la Malena.  The son is Malena Hijo.  Both tour internationally.)  First, the two of them ran through the number in order to warm up.  The sound tech recorded it, I'm happy to say, since the first part was great.  The second half was fine but there was a change that didn't go well...but this was ok, since they were just warming up.

Next, they went through it "for real," and it came out beautifully.  End of recording.

The second number, the granaina por bulerias (ending in a minera as a macho), included not only voice and guitar, but also percussion--palmas (rhythmic hand clapping), cajón (that wooden box you used to only see used in Latin American music, but is now used world wide) and something called a tinaja (a ceramic jug turned into a musical instrument by adding sound holes and the like).

Inside the sound studio.  My camera doesn´t give good flash photos.  Oh, well.

 I´ll mentioned here that the palmeros were Luis de la Tota, Ali de la Tota, and Alex de Moneo.  The cajonista and tinajista was Alex de Moneo.  The first two (the de la Totas) are very well known.  Alex is a young fellow, more at the beginning of his career.

Well.  I´ve very little experience in recording sessions and had no idea why they usually take so long.  Now I know.  The voice and guitar were recorded together, and the singer was done.  But then the percussionists--in groups, first the palmeros, then the cajón, then the tinaja--were given ear phones and told to do their part.  The palmas turned out to be particularly tricky and had to be repeated many, many times.  It was a question of getting three people to clap out the rhythm at EXACTLY the same moment in a musical number with a pretty complex rhythm, being sung freely.

After a little over four hours, we had our six minutes of music recorded, put onto a CD, and handed over to me.  I found the experience very interesting.  Being musically inclined, I also enjoyed listening and watching and yes, getting things just right is NOT easy.

Ali de la Tota, with Luis´ girlfriend in the foreground and Antonio de la Malena in the background.

OUR NEXT BLOG will be about Spanish Gypsies (Gitanos).

Private greed and the economic crisis-part 2

As a specific example, I'll explain one specific loan package of which I am aware.  This was a loan in which the borrower paid nothing but the interest for 10 years.  Only after the 10 years were over would the borrower get to start paying down the principal...but shortly after starting to pay down the principal, there was a balloon payment.

In other words, for 10 years the bank gained everything and the borrower still owed exactly the same amount of principal.  Then, when the borrower could start paying down the principal, after a very few months s/he had to pay it all--likely a financial impossibility.

"In the old days," such a loan would have been legally impermissible, on the theory that it was "unconscionable," meaning that it wasn't fair.  But "banking reforms" made these loans legal, and thousands if not millions of people thoughtlessly signed on for them.  A large proportion of these people now find themselves losing their homes after having paid many thousands of dollars to their bank or savings and loan without having touched the principal.

At first, the banks foreclosed in these cases.  Now, because of the glut of foreclosed homes and the inability of people to pay back the loans, and with new federal incentives, the banks are putting more of these houses on the market as "short sales"--whereby the borrower loses his/her home, but the debt is wiped out once the house is sold. 

Then, there was also the practice of writing loans without examining the borrowers assets...another way to ensure that people will sign up for more than they can afford.  It also encourages speculation which encourages skyrocketing housing prices which encourages...until the bubble bursts.

And those institutions who thought they would simply take their money and run found themselves having taken a whole lot of money, but then being stuck with homes that, because of the burst bubble, were now worth much less than the principal (which hadn't been touched) and with borrowers who could no longer make their monthly payments.

I recently read that banks now own so much real estate through foreclosure that in some cases, they are finding it in their best interests to simply bulldoze the homes.

In many cases, they acquired these foreclosed homes by handing out loans almost impossible to pay, to people who couldn't afford to pay them.  And these loans were made because of the greed of the lending institutions.

Bad stuff.

We'll talk about private greed in multinational corporations in later blogs.

THE NEXT BLOG WILL BE some THANKS to some of those that have helped us.

Private greed and the economic crisis--part 1

Private greed has certainly played its part in the crisis.  I know more about private greed in the United States than in Spain, so I'll turn to that country for my examples.

And for a start, I'll write about the private greed of mega corporations and the over-rich.  Yes, in addition to private greed on the part of the big and powerful, there is private greed on the part of the little man.  But in my opinion, private greed by the big and powerful has the capacity and the reality of doing much more harm.  It's a question of scale.

An emblematic skyscraper of a multinational..

I do not believe that all large private enterprises are bad.  I do not believe all banks are bad.  I do not believe all rich people are bad.  But when one or all of these allows itself to be motivated by greed, then great harm comes to an awful lot of people.

Take the housing crisis.  In addition to individuals who asked for an obtained loans which they were really not in a position to repay, there are the banks, savings and loans, home mortgage insurers, and all the rest that crafted the loans, that actively promoted the loans, that gave bonuses to employees who signed more loan contracts.  And these loans were in large part the result of the deregulation of the Bush administration (although I understand that it started earlier, under Clinton).

These buildings project-intentionally, I believe-an image of power, might, and money.

But I digress.

THE NEXT BLOG WILL BE ABOUT private greed--specific examples of "unfair" loans

The actors, part 2B-supporting actor Javier Padilla

This is the second and final part of our interview with actor Javier Padilla, who plays Manolo and also the drunk in "Domino."

Interviewer (Eve A. Ma-EM):  What is your experience acting in film and video?  And what are some of your favorite movies?

Javier Padilla:   I began my career in acting at a later age than is usual.  With that in mind, I've been in a handfull of shorts including one called "Curso d"Andalu" [that appeared on Canal Sur in Andalucia].  I was also in a commercial--an experience I'd rather forget.  Finally, I had a part in a film called La mano negra (The Black Hand).  At the end of the movie, my character along with several others were executed.  [This movie is about an anti-fascist organization, or possible organization, in which several of those that Franco's government identified as plotters were arrested, imprisoned, tortured and executed.  ED]  Then in "Domino,"  I don't end up on the executioner's block, but I do have to fire my employees.  Sad endings.

There are lots and lots of movies that I like.  Of the many, three that stand out in particular are "El Verdugo" of Luis Garcia Berlanga, "The Night of the Hunter" of Charles Laughton and "City Lights" of Charlie Chaplin.  Most contemporary movies I find to be a bit spineless, but every once in a while I am pleasantly surprised.

Javier Padilla as Manolo in "Domino."

EM:  What did you like most about portraying Manolo in "Domino?"  and the drunk?

Javier Padilla:  It was very interesting for me to play the part of a business owner that had to turn down a friend who desperately needed work.  I'm accustomed, in my theater company, to be on the other side, meaning, on the side of the person looking for work.  Playing this role helped me emphathize a little with "the bad guys."

As for the drunk, that was really a simpler role, or at any rate, it wasn't as complicated for me.  To empathize with an occasional drunk is not very hard--even though I'm not a drinker. 

EM:  What was hardest for you?

Javier Padilla:  Nothing in particular.  As I already mentioned, these are roles that I encounter in everyday life, and that didn't require any profound study.  I didn't have to go to any meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous to capture the essence of the drunk, and if I'm familiar with brushing someone off, it's kind of like saying goodbye when you leave for a trip.

Javier Padilla showing off his theater company´s van.

EM:  What did you think of the script and the concept of "Domino?"

Javier Padilla:  I thought it was an interesting focus.  To dissect reality and show the crisis from the point of view of a "normal" person who finds himself in a situation very compromizing (but not uncommon), in my view can help people understand what's going on.  It would be wonderful if the audience responds by feeling solidarity withe the central character, and critical of what's going on.

NOTE:  Due to the blogger´s injury (almost but not quite healed), I may only be able to write one blog per week for the next few weeks.


THE NEXT BLOG will

The actors, part 2A--supporting actor Javier Padilla

Another of the supporting actors in our short independent film is Javier Padilla.

Javier Padilla is a composer and script writer as well as an actor and member of the theater company Tras el Trapo in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.  He has appeared in many video shorts, docudramas and commercials.  As an actor, he is self taught, turning to the theater and to acting in the late 1990s, adding his artistic interests to his degrees in psychology and his participation in different musical groups.  Currently (2011), among other productions he is working as director and actor in the theatrical presentation “Asignatura flamenco” (“Learning through flamenco”) of the group Soniquete. 

Javier Padilla playing the submarine captain in "Capitan Manovardas" (2004).

Some of the videos shorts in which he has appeared are part of the series "Curso DAndaluz" created by Juan del Castillo and much viewed on YouTube.  There are some six episodes in this series, and Javier Padilla appears in all of them, sometimes playing more than one role in the same episode.  In addition, he has been in ??? (docudrama), and has made commercials for companies as varied as ???.

Javier Padilla in the Associacion de Payasos Españoles in Madrid (2009).

His extremely prolific theater career includes writing, structured acting and improvisation.  He and fellow Tras el Trapo troupe members present comic theater,  serious dramas and works for children.  This author has seen several of his productions, of which the comedy "Y ese chico, Pupius" stands out as particularly delightful.  The version that I saw included only three actors (two men and one woman) playing a total of about 8 different roles.  (I say "about" because I lost count.)  Javier is the narrator, the father, the army sargent....  The comedy tells the story of the Roman child Pupius and his misadventures growing up.  It is very, very funny.  

NOTE:  Due to blogger´s injury (getting better but not yet totally healed) I will only be able to post blogs once a week for the next few weeks.

OUR NEXT BLOG will contain the interview portion of this look at Javier Padilla.

Blogger is still injured...

Blogger is still injured but getting better. We plan to resume on September 14th.

Blogger Is Injured

Blogger is injured. Wait until Sept. 7. Sorry

The actors, part 2B--supporting actor Nicolas Montoya

This is a continuation of the interview with supporting actor Nicolas Montoya, who plays Miguel the banker in "Domino."

Interviewer (Eve A. Ma):  What are your favorite films?


Nicolas Montoya:  I really like the director Fass Binder and "las Cerezas en Flor" of Doris Dorrie, plus I like the films of Pedro Almodovar and a north American film whose name in Spanish is "la Miel."  I´m very fond of surrealist and narrative film.   [NOTE:  I was unable to identify the movie "la Miel." ED]


Interviewer:  What did you like best about the part you played in "Domino?"  


Nicolas Montoya: That my character embodied all of the coldness and off-putting responses that today´s society presents to a person, an individual, who is living through a difficult time both emotionally and in his family and personal life.  

Nicolas Montoya (right) playing the banker;  with our cameraman.

Interviewer:  What was the hardest part for you in your portrayal of your character?


Nicolas Montoya:  The scenes were simple and straightforwards.  But since I´m a friend of Antonio de la Malena who plays the lead role, it was hard for me to create a situation in which the two of us saw each other not as friends, but on my part as an unscrupulous banker who is willing to do great damage to the character of Luis (played by Antonio).  In addition, it was a little difficult for me to create the character of a banker who is cold and dry in his overly professional manner, and full of the falsehoods of this type of business. 

Interviewer:  What do you think of the script and the concept of "Domino?"   

Nicolas Montoya (in the suit) as the banker, with Antonio de la Malena (in the coat) as Luis.

Nicolas Montoya: The script gives a very realistic portrayal of what is happening now in Spain, in Andalucia.  The script-writing is technically very professional and the concept is good but I didn´t get a vision of the whole from the part I was given, since I was only given the scenes in which I had a part and not the entire script. 

[NOTE that the script writer didn't remember she'd only given him part of the script, and has subsequently sent him the entire thing.]


OUR NEXT BLOG will be about shooting in southern Spain.

The actors, part 2A-supporting actor Nicolas Montoya

Another of the "Domino" actors we interviewed is Nicolas Montoya.  He is the "heavy" in our short film--THE BANKER.  This means he's one of the most important of the supporting actors.  We'll start here with a summary of his career as an actor and in the next blog, proceed to the actual interview.  (ED)

Nicolas Montoya, a native of Spain, combines a fully professional acting career with his work as a medical doctor.  As an actor, he is a graduate of theater academies as well as institutions dedicated to acting on film.  His acting career began well before this formal training, nourished by his experiences as a child growing up surrounded by the flamenco world he encountered as the son of a Gypsy (Gitano) in a city known as the “cradle of flamenco.” 

With an actual Roman theater behind him, Nicolas Montoya plays the captain of the Legionnaires.

A veteran of more than 40 opera and musical productions, he began in film in the 1993 and added live theater in the late 1990s.  He has played both leading parts and supporting roles.  

His work for film and television includes the movie directed by Josefina Molina, "La Lola se va a los Puertos" ("Lola goes to the Ports"),  the docudrama "La Mano Negra" ("The Black Hand") in which he played a leading role, and several episodes of the comic television mini series "Curso de Andaluz."  He has also acted in theater productions of "Moulin Rouge" and "Mama, quiero ser artista" ("Mama, I want to be a performer").

Nicolas Montoya in one of the several movies he´s acted in.

 

Currently (2011) he is associated with the theater group Tras el Trapo in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain while continuing his roles in the opera of that city.  In addition, he is theater critic for the daily newspaper, Diario de Jerez, of Jerez de la Frontera.  He also has experience in stage direction, lighting, and other aspects of theater production.

OUR NEXT BLOG will continue and finish this interview with Nicolas Montoya.