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).

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.

The actors, part 1B--lead actor, Antonio de la Malena

[Antonio de la Malena, is the actor who plays our lead character, Luis, in our short independent film, "Domino:  caught in the crisis."  Here, he answers our last four interview questions.  For the first part of this interview, SEE previous blog.]

Eve A. Ma:  What is your career as an actor for film?  What are some of your favorite movies?

Antonio de la Malena:  Although this is the first time I've acted for film, I relished the opportunity to expand my experience performing for a public audience.  Since I spend most of my life acting on stage as a cantaor, it seemed to me a very natural step to go from there to portraying a character in a movie.

In the "Domino" scene where his character, Luis, talks with his wife on a cell phone.

My favorite movies are "Life is Good," "the Pianist," Casablanca" and "Amelie."   All of these deal with serious themes, as does "Domino."  One of the things I like best about "the Pianist" and "Amelie," is the musical score, and the importance of music.  In addition, all four films show that life can be very unjust but also is sometimes very good and passionate.*

Eve A. Ma:  What did you enjoy most about playing this part?

Antonio de al Malena:  Portraying his real character and entering into his emotional life.

Eve A. Ma:  What was hardest for you to do in acting out this role?

Antonio de la Malena:  Making my portrayal completely natural and real, so that it will move the audience.  For example, I don't like the idea of using onions to make me cry.  If I cry, it has to be real tears.  For this to happen, I have to enter completely into the character. I am only interested in acting where the story seems believable to me and the character is someone I can truly identify with.  [NOTE:  When Antonio de la Malena sings, he often cries if the song is serious and sad.]

Relaxing on the set between shots.  photo:  Ana Alcaraz Studios

Eve A. Ma:  What did you think of the script, and the theme of "Domino?"

Antonio de la Malena:  "Domino" is a way of seeing the reality of what is happening right now.  It's a way of showing how a man who could be the happiest person in the world is instead controlled and manipulated by a social system that only understands what most benefits the people in power.

*[NOTE:  "Life is Beautiful" is an Italian film starring Roberto Begnini, Nicoletta Braschi and Georgio Cantarini and directed by Roberto Begnini.   "The Pianist" is a French-German film starring Adrien Brody and directed by Roman Polansnki.  "Casablanca" is an American film starring Humphrey Bogart and In grid Bergman and directed by Michael Curtiz,  while "Amelie" is a French film starring Audrey Tautou and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.]

The NEXT blog will be about shooting two street scenes.

Why Jerez de la Frontera?

Here we are in southern Spain, in the city of Jerez de la Frontera, shooting a short independent film called "Domino:  caught in the crisis," and having fun doing it.

Octagonal tower in the Alcazar, the moorish fortress in Jerez.

Ok, so there's plenty of crisis in southern Spain...I'm referring here to the economic crisis.  But there's also plenty of crisis in California, where I live when I'm not in Spain.  So why am I shooting here?

A casualty of the economic crisis.

Well, the idea came to me here.  The setting that came into my head when I visualized it was the setting I see here.  And elements of the crisis here are more exaggerated here than in California.  Exaggeration (when based on reality) is good for dramatic impact.  So Spain it is.

One of the elements that makes this story perfect for Jerez is the importance in Spanish culture of large weddings.  (One subplot of the story line has to do with the upcoming wedding of our hero's second son.)  Some of the settings that seemed perfect are the traditional local bars here.  (A bar is southern Spain is more like a café in California--NOT a place for heavy drinking and NOT reserved for men sitting at the counter, staring into their glasses of whiskey.)

Some crew members having a well-deserved lunch break in a local bar.

Another excellent reason for shooting here is I have good friends here who are great actors.  And dominoes (remember the "domino effect") is something that a lot of people play here in the bars.

Bottom line:  here we are in Jerez, shooting a short independent film called "Domino:  caught in the crisis."  And having fun doing. it.

NEXT BLOG:  Part 1 of  an interview with our lead actor.