Casa de la Respuesta - New location

Casa de la Respuesta's replica at Real Felipe is our next location. The fortress is quite an interesting place full of history and the home of two things: the Museum and the 1rst Infantry Battalion Legion Peruana de la Guardia. Both reside together in the same fortress run by the Army.

The real one in Arica.

We will be filming at the replica which looks the same as the one in Arica where the Peruvian forces and Bolognesi  had his headquarters and also where he said his famous sentence to the chilean officer who asked us to give up the arms: "Tengo deberes sagrados que cumplir y los cumpliré hasta quemar el último cartucho" (I have sacred duties to fulfill and I will do so until I fire the last round). This "poetic" answer has become not only know nationwide and tough in all schools here in Peru but also worldwide known (for those who like to read world history) as one of the most brave and heroic answer of all time.

Picture of the era showing the house without the second floor.

Picture of the era showing it's second floor.

I was here 2 years ago while in pre-production as you can see here in this post. Now, in 2012 I'm back and ready to use this location. The only thing I'm finding a bit of a problem is the surroundings: it's all clean and full of modern stuff. Will have to make it look old and dusty and also replace a lot digitally with mattes and chroma keys, for building a whole block and houses around it would cost thousands of dollars and take a lot of time. Still thinking how to plan my shots in order to not give me problems later on in post. Apart from that, a new dilemma arises. A thing that has to do with historic precision. I recall reading years ago when doing my research for the film, that the house didn't have a second floor as it has now in Arica (and in the replica), but there are pictures of the era showing the second floor and another WITHOUT it. So, it is confusing as to whether it the second floor was built on it after the war or something funny is going on here. The house without it is a real picture of the actual house. No chance of confusion. So....I'm thinking of filming in certain ways to be able to have the second floor removed digitally in post if I ever learn later the truth.

I'll go on location here again with my crew now. Will stay there for a week.

The "Casa de la Respuesta"replica.

The Real Felipe fortress inside.

2 years later.

Glad to see my colonel Bolognesi again :)

One interesting fact is that the Real Felipe fortress is filled with real stories of ghost haunting and paranormal activities. Even foreign TV shows have come by to cover those topics here. The guys want to stay up late and walk by the places where most haunting happens. I asked several army people that have worked there, some good friends of mine, and I know they don;t joke when they say its true.  Let's see what happens.

The Weguelin hacienda scenes.

My USB mobile internet device died on me like a week and a half ago preventing me from posting in here for a quite a while now. I'll sum it up all these days in this one post:

After spending the last days at the near-Ancon locatión filming the firing Armstrong cannons for the bunker scenes inside the Cochrane, we all moved to a new location south of Lima: Pachacamac.

Days before it, coordinations and talks were a bit uneasy for the people in charge of all the arrangements there weren't as proactive as necessary, leading to some delays that forced me to call the city Major myself. Thank God all went well afterwards and its a pity that things sometimes need to go far in order for people to do their job. I actually went there quite upset but the city Major was kind and friendly and things changed once there. I'll be more than happy to return the favor with the necessary publicity and tourist promotion because of his gesture with me and my crew. Always believed its a good practice to return gestures and support.

The location in Pachacamac was an old "hacienda" turned into a museum and perfectly able to be the country home of Carlos Weguelin's hacienda Buena Vista, but still needed a bit of retouch to make it look like a 19th century place. Arranged and brought some stuff to make it look rustic and country-side looking. It ended up looking perfect. The results are amazing.

Talking moves with Baquedano.

The chilean cantinera.

Filming the Weguelin "hacienda"scenes.

Filming the Weguelin "hacienda"scenes.

The cantinera Irene Morales giving reports to Baquedano.

Lighting the plane.

Baquedano.

Sergeant Major Vargas.

Col. Pedro Lagos.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

Screen capture taken from the camera.

The Ciudadela fort and Cochrane explosion scene

Big plastic water tanks, special effects components, burnt oil, cables. All those aspects handled by an expert who knows the stuff puts things easier.

Well...here are the pics. Will post more facts soon. It's late and tired I am here.

Hammering all details of the cannon in place.

The Cochrane bunker scene.

Screwing the cannon pieces together.

Green screen chroma-key.

Painting the columns metallic color.

So far it's looking good!

Lovely lamby reminding me of baby visting us often.

One of the explosions for the Ciudadela scenes.

Another explosion.

Cochrane sailors burned by explosion.

Putting the beams in place after painting them.

Making the cannons look worn.

Rehearsing the scene actions.

Glueing the "bolts" on the beams before painting.

I know it looks ridiculous but...if it works, works.

Making the beams.

The green screen already lit.

Looking in a junkyard for parts for the cannons.

Sandpapering the found parts.

At wood store cutting woods in pre-measured forms.

Found interesting parts.