Some thanks are due here--part 1

We filmed in some great locations, due to the kindness of their owners and others.  This is a good place to thank some of them.

Three of the places where we filmed were Peña Chacón, Bar Gitanería and Bar el Porrón, all in Jerez de la Frontera.  Peña Chacón is one of the flamenco peñas--flamenco clubs--in the city.  It´s located near the center of the historic district.  The flamenco peñas do a great deal to help maintain flamenco and especially the cante, organizing performances throughout the year that are free and open to the public-

The Peña is names after a cantaor of the last century, Antonio Chacón.

Bar Gitanería is located in the formerly almost exclusively gitano (Gypsy) district of Santiago.  Santiago is still predominately gitano, and as for Bar Gitanería, not only is Mateo Solea, its owner, a gitano, but by its name, as you may have guessed, it celebrates and especially welcomes gitanos.

Mateo Solea in his bar.  Did I mention that he also sings?

Bar el Porrón is located in the heart of the other historically gitano district of San Miguel, also called la Plazuela.  This district, like Santiago, is still predominantly gitano.  Its owner Luis el Porronista is NOT gitano but his wife is (so there).

Ceiling of Bar el Porron--herbs, a large gourd, garlic...

All three of these have great decorations, each expressing the character of the owners or, in the case of the peña, of the members of that club.  All three were most generous with their space and we really appreciate them.

OUR NEXT BLOG will be about actor Nicolas Montoya.

The crisis, or Why "Domino: caught in the crisis," part 2

In addition, March of 2011 saw the birth of something called the Movimiento 15-M (also called "los Indignados") in which thousands of people from all over the country set up protest centers and tent cities around Spain.  Their aim has been to educate the public as to what they believe to be undue influence by banks, etc., leading to a failure of the political and financial systems which can only be restored through true democracy.  By "failure of the financial system," they´re referring to the current economic crisis.

Some of the tents in which members of the Movimiento 15-M camped out in the city center for 3 months.

It is also generally believed that unemployment for people 30 and younger is about 45%.  Total unemployment estimates range from a low of 22% to a high of 50%.  (That´s quite a spread...it  seems the figure is related to  your political viewpoint and to whether or not you´re including the undocumented aliens invited into Spain to work in construction, auto manufacturing, etc., back when the economy was booming.)

In addition, the former city administration is accusing the new administration of failing to pay the social security costs of 900 families, costs for basic necessities such as food.  (Note that there were municipal elections this past April, at which time a left-leaning political party lost power and a right-leaning one gained power in most of Spain´s cities-but not in the national government.)

A small shop about to close.

And due to  mortgage defaults, thousands of people are losing their homes in Jerez, as in all of Spain and also in the United States and elsewhere.

On a more personal level, a friend of mine who runs a theater company has yet to be paid for a major production his group put on for a government organ back in September of 2010.

This is why I came up with the idea of "Domino," and why I think the story is important.  Certainly we need to think globally about how to avoid having countries go bankrupt, but we also need to think of the middle-aged family man (or woman) who has lost his/her job.

OUR NEXT BLOG will give some thanks to some of those who have helped us.

The crisis, or, Why "Domino: caught in the crisis," part 1

But let's back up a little, and let me explain how the crisis looks in Spain.  This is the situation in which our hero Luis finds himself in "Domino:  caught in the crisis."

I assume that we all read about the drama of the Obama administration and Congress "working together" to raise the debt ceiling for the United States from the low, low level of something over $14 trillion to--MORE than $14 trillion, a cliff-hanger that has led to the downgrading of the dollar by S&P.

I assume most people are aware that the national debt of Greece is about 150% of that country´s GNP (gross national product), that Italy and Spain are having problems with THEIR national debt, and that all of this is making the world economy very unstable.

On the ground in southern Spain, in the city where I find myself (Jerez de la Frontera) and which is the location for "Domino," a recent newspaper had this to say about the local economy:

The two day old garbage strike, a product of the city´s failure to pay the garbage company, has ended because the city has now paid. It is, however, unclear if the city will have the money to pay NEXT month.  (Note that a few months ago, several city streets became very dark at night since the city wasn´t paying the lighting company.  That has been temporarily resolved.)  The city buses are about to go on strike because of the city's failure to pay them.  Etcetera.

Another factoid:  the city has a combined debt of over 6 million Euros for city services.

One of the  calls for a boycott of a private business.

Two major employers in the city are on the verge of closing their doors. Lots of smaller shops have already closed or are closing.  Aside from strikes by city workers, private business cut-backs and closures have led also led to strikes and to  boycotts.

OUR NEXT BLOG WILL BE ABOUT THE "INDIGNADOS" and other matters, and end this theme.

Shooting two small street scenes

We spent about 8 days total in shooting.  For the most part, we shot half a day at a time, but on two occasions, we shot for a full day.

Shooting in Jerez has, of course, it's own particular flavor.  Lots of our scenes were street scenes.  Most of the rest were in bars.  (As I think I've mentioned before, a bar in southern Spain is like a café in the United States.)

Hero Luis runs into his former boss Javier on the street.

On the streets, we had to worry about noise.  In the bars, we had to worry about noise.  On the streets in the shots we did after mid-May, we also had to worry about the extreme heat.  In the bars, that was less of a problem but still, did present some difficulties since an air conditioner or fan makes too much noise for our purposes.

Back to the two small street scenes.

We met at 9am to avoid the worst of the heat.  The script calls for the action to take place in November of 2010 (yes, there is a reason for this date), so our actors have to dress for fall weather.  But we shot this, and much of the action, in the late spring and in the summer, when temperatures will sometimes rise to over 120 degrees.

Imagine repeating a street scene 3-7 times wearing a long sleeved shirt and a jacket in the sun in that kind of temperature.

Note that the crew and director are NOT wearing jackets.

In Spain, 9am is EARLY.  But obviously, it was best to start early before the sun gets too hot.  Our actors and MOST of our crew showed up on time.  Two crew members were late, however.  That meant everyone else decided to have a cup of coffee or a soda.  That meant we didn't get out onto the street to shoot until 10am. And it took another half an hour to set up the camera and sound equipment, discuss matters of placing, and the like.   And THAT meant that our poor actors....

But they were brave.

First, we shot the scene where our hero passes a lottery ticket seller and since it has been a good day for him, on a spur of the moment, he buys one.  Next, we shot the scene where our hero runs into his former boss.

Each of these scenes, when edited, run about 30 seconds.

Our hero Luis and the lottery ticket seller.

Every time we got the angles right, a car would pass.  A car would often pass BETWEEN the actors and the camera.  Not good for shooting.  Fatal for sound purposes.

As a result, it took at least an hour to shoot these two very short scenes.  Par for the course.

NOTE:  The three actors in these two scenes are Antonio de la Malena (playing Luis), Esteban Viaña (playing former boss Javier), and Tomás Agarrado Candela (who in real life is--a lottery ticket seller).

Our NEXT blog will be about private greed and the economic crisis.

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.

The actors, part 1A--our hero, lead actor Antonio de la Malena

I recently interviewed Antonio de la Malena in  his home town of Jerez de la Frontera (Spain).  He's the actor who plays the lead character, Luis, in our short independent film, "Domino:  caught in the crisis."  Here, translated from Spanish, is his answer to the first of five questions.  The other four will be in the next blog.  NOTE:  I've put some additional information inside of brackets [  ].

Eve Ma:  Give us a brief outline of your professional career.

Antonio de la Malena:  I'm a cantaor.  [Usually cantaor is translated as "flamenco singer," but Antonio de la Malena doesn't like the word "flamenco:"  it's a long story to explain why.]  I don't sing what is called "flamenco."  Instead, I sing the traditional songs of Andalucia, which is in southern Spain.  I've sung for many ["flamenco"] dancers and now I have the luxury of being able to sing for a dancer who allows me to feel the true art and essence of this dance form.  Her name is Maria del Mar Moreno.

I've also sung many solo recitals.  I've taken my singing to many different countries throughout the world where people are interested in listening to and feeling the pure and essential form of my art, of my native land.

Antonio de la Malena.  photo:  Martin Guerrero-Casa Patas

My career began when I was 10 years old and sang for a famous television production, made by TVE [Televisión Española].  It was recorded in one of the "patio de vecinos," [These were the old-style buildings in which many families lived, each in their tiny apartment, and shared a common patio].  The production is called "Rito y Geografía del Cante."  I am in the part called "Niños Cantaores" ["Child Professionals"].

Currently, I am continuing my artistic career in the performance company, Jerez Puro.

Singing in an event in Jerez de la Frontera in 2010.

Our NEXT BLOG will present the remainder of this interview.  (The actors, part 1B).

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.