Soy Andina: The Blog

Reactions to the Film

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Thanks for a great screening. It was a wonderful close to the festival. The film is life affirming, entertaining and beautiful to watch. You succeeded in telling an authentic story from an honest point of view that is not only respectful of Peruvian culture but is imbued in its spirit. Hard thing to manage when you are not from the culture. Many people told me they were surprised to learn you are not Peruvian. You have still some successful screenings ahead of you with this film....As Catholics would say -- "bendito tu eres entre todas las mujeres," Mitch! That means something like "blessed art thou amongst all the women" (it's from the Bible). Congratulations!
- Marcela Goglio, Curator
Latinbeat, Film Society of Lincoln Center

Quite wonderful. The film had passion that was unescapable. It felt very much connected to the dance culture. Thank you. I would like to show it to my folk dance class for obvious reasons. You captured the flavor of the culture. The two stories of the women and the way they intertwined was interesting, easy to follow, and touching.
- Jana Feinman, director of Dance Program
Hunter College

What an exquisite movie....you have captured the heart of a story which speaks to any of us who have "left home." The dancing and music uplift and invite. My life is richer for this brief, yet powerful and lasting connection with the spirit of Peru. Thank you, Mitch, Nelida, Cynthia, and all the awesome folks who participated in this project.
- Claire Mandeville

Ver la película Soy Andina fue una experiencia única para mi. Como le dije a Mitch cuando le agradecí por sus esfuerzos al hacer este documental, es la película que esperé toda mi vida. Fue lindo conocerte y espero poder vernos pronto. No veo las horas que ya salga en DVD para comprarlo y ver el documental muchas veces más.
- Cecilia

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Notes from meeting with Documentary Doctor Fernanda Rossi on Rough Cut

I met with Fernanda last week (March 22) to watch the rough cut and help me figure out what it will take to finish — time and steps remaining.

We didn't do the all-day/boot-camp consultation she's known for — breaking down the film scene by scene to identify and fix specific problems and improve the structure. We'll do that when we're ready to resume editing — with our editor present, to ensure she's a part of the process and understands the changes.

Her overall reaction was encouraging. She praised editor Ingrid Patetta's work, saying "the film's come a long way and she really brought magic to it." (I couldn't agree more). She thought the footage looks great, the characters compelling. (I liked the way she summarized them - one's a "Coming of Age" story (Cynthia's), the other (Nelida's) a "Coming Home" story.)

There are things to fix, as expected. We agreed the biggest challenge is to make sure the film doesn't veer off into a "travelogue," especially in Cynthia's case. Her scenes of traveling into the provinces now tend to come off like that — almost all highlights. We need more of those "little pieces," real-life moments or interactions that happened in between the dances and performances, that give us a sense of build-up, her expectations and obstacles. I think we can solve that. We have more in the raw footage we didn't yet use. But I always wanted more and hope we can find all we need.

And there's the existing structure. It was a good start, but definitely needs work. No surprise here, either. We didn't get into options, but I have supreme confidence in Fernanda's ability to see things I can't. She noted: ""I can already see the whole finished movie in my head." Sounded great to me.

So here's the timetable we came up with:

2 DAYS: Full consultation with Fernanda and editor
Goal: Break film down scene by scene, deciding which to discard, change or rearrange. Come up with revised paper edit/structure.

2 WEEKS: Execute new structure
Goal: Ensure new structure works before plunging into final editing. Bring Fernanda back at this stage to review. When we've got it, bring in composers and musicians.

4-6 WEEKS: Do fine cut
Goal: A fine cut, nearly finished.
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ESTIMATED TIME TO FINE CUT: 6-8 weeks.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL. Then there's the sound stuff — recording the music and narration, doing the mix, the color correction, making the "deliverables"....we estimate 2-3 weeks more for that.

Now it's a matter of consulting with some top donors and advisors and figuring out how to get the money to pay for this.

Our First Rough Cut's Done!

It's official. We've got our first "rough cut. " The vital stats:

It's 2 hours 10 minutes long. Took about 4-1/2 months, including capturing and logging footage. Made from 140 tapes, shot over a 5-year period.

And it's good! At least we think so. Tons of great moments. Some surprising. It's amazing what a good editor (that's Ingrid Patetta) can do to find or enhance a moment, a scene.

So how come I don't feel too celebratory? I'm tired, and there's still lot of work ahead. We've got to get feedback, pare this down lots further, move scenes around. Then do all the music, the voice-over, the legal stuff, more fundraising, all the marketing stuff. Whew! Need to recharge for the homestretch....

Click on the thumbnail photos to see our process close-up. (Doesn't Ingrid look happy? I think because I promised to leave her alone after taking her photo.) Notice the artifacts: Peru map on wall...my beat-up moleskine notebook, which has survived both bus rides in the Andes and New York subways at rush hour...Neli and Cynthia frozen in mid-twirl on the computer monitor (dancing marinera at Pio Pio)

Here's our list of 51 scenes, in case you're really curious...

New trailer / Help me Pitch the Movie

Ingrid and I are about half-way through the rough cut — maybe a little more. We decided to first edit Cynthia's story. We're done with that. Before moving onto Nelida's story, we took last week to make a new trailer / work-in-progress / sample / preview / teaser (I never know what to call it).

I really like it. But who cares what I think — will the funders like it? Specifically, we made it for Ben Bratt, who's been following the project for two years and asked to see the latest clips, and for the broadcasters later this month at the Sunnyside of the Doc conference in Washington.

We've posted the trailer online on a private site. I'm debating whether to post it publicly here.

Also showing it to some select people (funders, film subjects, "regular" folks) to get their feedback and will compile the reactions for the blog.

Getting nervous about the conference. Probably a good thing. We're got to raise a serious chunk of money by next month.

For the past three years I could always postpone things if we ran out of money, and did. But now, there's no turning back. Ingrid's here only two more months. We've got to finish the cut before she leaves. I've got to pay her — and myself.

Got to practice my verbal pitch. Writing' s not a problem. I can edit myself well. But verbally, that's another matter. I'm a rambler (if you know me, you're no doubt nodding your head). I am working on that. I need to master and stick to a one or two-line verbal pitch that explains the movie.

Help me out here.

Tell me in 1 or 2 lines - what's "Soy Andina" about? And why does it matter?

Don't think about it too much unless you really want to. You may well come up with a better phrase or hook than me.

Use the Comments section below, it'll be more fun to share the ideas.

Thanks.

How we're coping with the Transit Strike

Yesterday the subways and buses stopped running. The union wants even more lavish benefits for its workers. Hey, I wouldn't mind the benefits they already had. Fortunately, we here at Soy Andina Worldwide Headquarters remain in business, doing what New Yorkers do best — coping.

V.P. of Editing Ingrid Patetta works out of her home in Washington Heights, about five miles north of my Upper West Side neighborhood. Normally I'd take a 20 minute subway ride. Now it's true I've still got a bike and used to cycle to her neighborhood with ease in 30 minutes. I guess that's still an option. So is good old-fashioned walking. I can just hear the voices of my immigrant grandparents ("we used to walk 10 miles to and from school every day back in Europe, you kids today have it easy....here, eat more food you're too skinny").

Today Ingrid and I have been using email, FTP, website and web video services to exchange files, even watch video on the computer. You hardly have to be in the same space at all.

On the other hand, I need to watch video with others at times. This lifestyle is already too isolating. But glad we've got the tools to connect remotely.

Will we Need a New Name for the Movie?

Is "Soy Andina" really the best name for the movie? I've been mulling that for at least a year. I'd like your thoughts.

When we started the movie it focused on one person's story — Nelida's. I asked her in an early interview how she identified herself. She answered "Soy Andina" ("I am Andina"), referring to the Andes mountain region and its distinct culture.

Eso es! We had ourselves a title.

Then we met Cynthia. And of course the whole movie changed. Now it's about two characters — and Cynthia's story has really emerged as the main one.

So do we still call it "Soy Andina" when our main character identifies herself as Peruvian-Puerto-Rican-American-New Yorker?

Behind the Scenes with Editor Walter Murch

A fascinating 8 minute interview on NPR with legendary editor Walter Murch about his work:

"My job as an editor is to gently prod the attention of the audience to look at various parts of the frame."

The editing process is tedious work: "I like to think this is sort of a cross between a short-order cook and a brain surgeon"

Critical Editing Step

Yesterday Ingrid and I decided to get more organized. We have our editing script in a Word document but wanted to break out the scenes on index cards so we could put them on the wall and shuffle them around as the editing progresses. We marched out the door and down to the Staples store on Upper Broadway to buy two big posterboards and index cards.

I found this immensely satisfying.

Next step: print out those interview transcripts and get 'em in binders.

Staying organized seems like at least half the battle in getting this done.

Technical Snags

Ingrid and I have run into a problem that's costing us time. In Lima the editing team worked in Adobe Premiere for PC. But here we're working on Final Cut Pro for the Mac. We thought we could export the Premiere EDL and batch lists so we could build on the work already done. But seems like the project file we got doesn't include the reel numbers. We've been having a email conversation with Lima and a Premiere editor in California who was kind enough to try opening the files for us (we met him through the invaluable Doculink community). But looks like we're out of luck. We held off on logging all the tapes again, but looks like we'll have to.

Editing, Day 1: Rejoice My friends, the Tape is Playing

A glimpse into the mysteries of the creative editing process, through this email exchange between editor Ingrid Patetta and producer Mitch Teplitsky:

Ingrid: Mitch, tape 82 has a major problem. The deck cannot play it and ejects it automatically. I am not going to touch it until you get back. Should I (we) freak out?

Mitch: Let's not freak out...yet! But I'm not surprised. These are the "Pio Pio" tapes, which had drop outs from the beginning. I'm not sure what to do yet.

Ingrid: Actually it's tape 81. It seems that tape 81 and 82 have been switched...We really have to get together and discuss these tape problems.

Mitch: Alright, we'll have to bring that tape to someone to look at.

Ingrid: Maybe we should try to play it on your camera and make a copy of it right away, if your cam can still play it!

Mitch: Only my camera was stolen in Peru! It's a long-shot, but....try playing back on your camera first.

The next day:

Ingrid: Rejoice my friends, the famed tape 82 is playing right now out of my camera. I will make a dub of it right now.

Mitch: Great!

Ingrid: Now I'm confused - the tape IS playing from the deck. Let's try not to analyze it too much.

Mitch: That could be our mantra for the whole film....