Last interview at Radio Miraflores

Last night was the last interview for the film. Time went by quickly last time and the host never got to finish asking me stuff.
Now we got to do it. I thank them all for their interest and support. :)

Let's choose wise this time

I don't talk or discuss politics (or even footbal..lol) with people for it's always a matter of deep argument that many times push people apart, though I just want to say -in these delicate and very important moments of my country- that I hope, I so do hope, that my fellow Peruvians choose wise.

We have been hit socially, economically, politically and in our psyche a lot for the past decades and we have made many mistakes for choosing the wrong person. Many did wrong and many did right but here now on TV on the candidate's promises as election day approaches is the ever eternal discourse of "I'm for the poor and in need" when all they really do when in office is fill their pockets with our hard earn money. It's so sad to know we don't have much to choose from as all have a history of corruption and what not and we get to have to choose for the "minor evil" one.

I just hope there's a change for the good, at least a change that makes us all -30 million Peruvians- wake up from that old saying that states that "Peru is a beggar sitting on a gold bench". Because we are. We have much of the most beautiful lands of the world and with so much richness in all aspects. Our culture milenary culture proves it. We need to defend it and start believing in ourselves.

Let's recapture our sense of "nation" by believing in ourselves. Be it thru politics, thru economical growth, thru exportation and thru acquiring social values that we wont stand for corruption nor social laziness anymore. I want to help a bit with my art...as small or humble as it might be but with a lot of content and a message. Message is always important in art. Art without a message is simply a fly on the wall with a picture frame around it. My humble opinion.

Let's we all stand up and believe in Peru more than we do already. Our soil needs us more than ever.
We were great. Let's be great again.

A bit of the soundtrack of my life

Today I woke up to this sunny day after a relaxing sleep and with a somewhat mild mood.
As always, images of how the soon-to-be filmed scenes of my movie are passed in front of me like a 3D video displayed in my room wall as I open my eyes and welcome the day...and also today, images of my last days at school came to my head. Those teen years are full with stuff that marks everyone's lives forever and I do have some pretty awesome moments of tears and laughs.
Such impressionable stage in the life of any person is definitely a thing to consider serious, and much of those experiences were embedded in y mind to stay for the rest of my life: songs, places and people.

Much of that is music. Music that has stayed with me for years and are simply the soundtrack of my life. I have spent almost half of my life dedicated to art and music and few bands have touched my heart to the core like Queen, Yes and a south american band from Chile called Los Prisioneros. I simply was an eternal fan of those guys and never missed a concert they gave in here (only the one at Acho in 87 as I was living in the US around that time).

So I woke up to this song in the back of my mind: "Es Demasiado Triste" by Los Prisioneros and I looked it up on the net. Such strong and truthfully painful lyrics. Jorge Gonzales is a genius for writing this. Long live Los Prisioneros.

Sharing this with you all. A song from the soundtrack of my life.

Another radio interview

I was invited to a radio show hosted by my friend and actor Fernando Petong and co-host. We talked about music and my band Alter Ego. It was good to recall those times and listen to it over the airwaves.
Also invited were new vocal R&B group that really sang good.

Next week I'm invited again to talk this time about the film and all details.

Advances and progress

Been days of much stress and activity here and there.
Apart from stopping filming for a couple weeks to put all efforts into more uniforms making, meetings to prepare the grounds for sponsors to come in advance as filming reaches almost 70% of completion.
Already had a meeting at the TV station to show the progress and screen captures of the film.
I have to say that I'm happy the station is happy to see the results so far.

Let's see what happens. I'm very expectant here. Stress is high.

Also been to another workshop to do some maintenance to my camera and accessories. Found a lot of dust in tight corners and tightened some bolts here and there as well as the french flags and support rails. I cut them off a bit shorter at the back as I found it hitting the jib-arm crane extension when doing low angles. Couldn't pan past a certain point.

Meanwhile, we were all been doing more Bolivian uniforms and delegated it to one of the extras to paint the forearms and necks. Cesar, as a pro painter, did an awesome job painting the arms and necks I had the main body of the uniforms sent to a laundry company to have them dyed to the color I specified and telling Cesar how to paint just the forearms and necks. Also, Cesar's cousin Christian, is a good craftsman in wood and metal so I commissioned him to make a decent looking telegraph out of a picture found on the net. The results are seen here. I like it much, just need to age it a bit to look make it look used. As stated before, it's not a museum replica....just a prop made to look good on camera.

Making more uniforms

So, after some days of personal heaviness, life goes on and gotta keep moving. Like if life hits come from many directions at once and you are forced to stand still and close your eyes for a while. Certain experiences always makes you feel odd but one's strength pushes you up in order to move on with one's dreams. No one will do it for you anyway so I just have to put on my social face around.

Now that I'm like 65% done with the filming of the movie, there are certain additional battle scenes to be done and completed like the battle of Alto del Alianza and the Morro siege where more soldiers than I have used so far are gonna be needed to make it look massive as I want it to be. So I decided to make more uniforms.

Called the textile workshop where I made mine like 7 months ago and it was good to see the same people there. Of course I don't have the budget to make plenty as before because this is an impromptu situation so I'm ordering 300 more. The people I'm gonna use are thicker so I'm making the size "large" for all. The locations to be used for those battle scenes are gonna be outside of Lima in the desert outskirts.

Today I went to Gamarra to get around 3,100 buttons and rolls of red fabric to make the chilean soldiers pants.
It is kinda weird to be doing all this walking around and uniform-making again.
Will keep me busy for a while.

At least I know that no matter how hard I try to fight for this movie, it comes out close to the way I need it to be...not like a human being where no matter how much effort you put there, it always has a mind of it's own and not necessarily it's one that you'd like.

Hacienda Buena Vista: planning the siege.

The past days I filmed the interior scenes to be the continuation of the Quinta Heeren ones.
This time in Chorrillos at an old republican house of the era that belongs to a good friend of mine from my theater years.

Mac Lennan, Calvo, Sarmiento, Villavicencio and Zarauz portraying Chilean officers Baquedano, Lagos and others and also Abrisqueta playing Peruvian engineer Elmore.

Script lines were a bit difficult to memorize as I used several tactical words of how the Morro de Arica was taken over.

Calvo invited a couple of young filmmakers who happen to have a web show interviewing poeple in this field so they were around while I finished the scenes for the day to interview me. Perhaps it will be online soon.

Another interview

The impromptu interview made by Alejandro Nieto for his gutenbergtv. site after wrapping up filming a few days ago.
Igor Calvo (who plays chilean Carlos Weguelin) asked them to drop by and this is what came out.

Arica siege

Another day of filming the Arica siege streets scenes.
This time again with Weguelin and all extras/actors doing their best.

I enjoyed it yesterday. Filming went smoothly good and without much worries compared to other days.
A big thank you to all the new extras who played the town people and women.

It's always fun to have rifle shot scenes....The extras were definitely fire-hungry, right people?
:)

Accent Rehearsals

This week is being dedicated to rehearsing the scenes with the Chilean officers actors (Gustavo Mac Lennan, Pepe Sarmiento y Patricio Villavicencio) together with civilian hacienda owner Weguelin (Igor Calvo).

It is important to reach a level of realness with that accent. I have seen many chilean videos where peruvians are depicted and portrayed and their accent seems a bit exaggerated or highland countryside sounding. There are typical highland and urban Peruvian accents as I'm sure there are in Chile too. The coast cities here have their own accent and usually officers live there as the main headquarters of a countries capital is in there. So I'm telling my actors to keep the accent noticeable but not too "amplified" with the high and lows of the typical Chilean accent but keep it more compressed and normal. More city-like. I showed them videos of Chilean politicians and learned the sound and fluctuations and then we practiced the script with that.

So far it's doing good. We just need to practice more so they don't have to concentrate on the accent but on the scene. To have that accent so natural that they don't have to think about it.

On a side note, Pepe Sarmiento was so nice to host a nice meal for us as we had the rehearsal at his apartment. Thank you Pepe, you are a good cook!

Music score progress

Had a late night meeting with Fernando De Lucchi to listen how the main melodies and compositions are coming along.
So far it is very interesting and good. Found many melodies that will suit precise scenes of despair and anguish, martial scenes and inner thoughts of Bolognesi and other heroes.

Can't wait until all is ready. Music score is 50% of a feature so it is an important part I'm focusing on a lot here for my film.

Hacienda Buena Vista

After a difficult day filled with delays in rifles delivery we finally shot yesterday Sunday the scenes where Weguelin arrives at his country house hacienda Buena Vista. where he was lodging the chilean headquarters. The horse was somewhat adamant in pulling the chariot at first (was a bit heavy for him) but then after the persuasion of a few carrots ( lol), he agreed to cooperate.

Sun was perfect, weather was nice and all was covered nicely and ready for the next shots tto be filmed there soon. I simply love the Quinta Hereen. I was thinking out loud if that place could be transformed into a movie set for films that require it. The place is simply beautiful. Just a bit uncared for.

First scenes with renowned actor Igor Calvo. I have to say that I am very happy with his performance and overall professional attitude. Very helpful and very supportive. Definetly someone I can also call a friend. His demeanor truly states someone who has learned about life and comprehends things that make it happen. A very positive energy.

A gentleman indeed.

Tonight: 9pm rehearsal with Mac Lennan, Sarmiento and Calvo and go over their scenes. Last saturday, we had one and noticed some chilean accent practice is needed. I want that scene to be perfect accent wise and script wise. Keeping accent and remembering their lines is what Id like to flow seamlessly.