Soy Andina: The Blog

Just between you and I....we taped more

When people ask if we're still shooting, I emphatically say "oh no, way beyond that, we're deep into editing!"

And it's true. We officially "wrapped" shooting months ago, soon after Cynthia returned to New York and was invited to join Neli's group, Ballet Folklorico Peru.

We taped her first rehearsal, and it came out lovely. We envision that as a final scene worthy of mythology: Cynthia returns home from her Hero's Journey. A coming full circle. The two stories converging. An emotional reunion.

You've got to turn the cameras off at some point and say "enough." Even if real lives and stories never end.

Except when...the editing reveals a gap in the story, a missing shot, a scene that doesn't work. Or maybe something happens while editing that's so remarkable, you've just got to shoot it. Like if your main character was unexpectedly about to have a baby. Mind you, that's just an example.

In our case, the Group just gave two big performances featuring both ladies. At the last minute we decided to shoot them. Not sure we'll use it — we've already got so much performance footage. But glad to have it.

Thanks to filmmaker/ videographer Joel Santiago for coming through to shoot them on a moment's notice.

Finally, a shoot....

Ok, the shoot I've been waiting for all summer (or rather winter). Finally, tomorrow. We're gonna do some interviews with Cynthia's family, at Aunt Elena's house. This is potentially crucial, we need footage or at least some sound bytes of her family here. Cynthia reminds me to bring some Inca Kola. Make mental note: add Inca Kola to gear checklist.

Status of Film

Where things stand at the end of June...

I returned to New York with new clips and a rough 55-minute cut to get feedback, completion funding, and archival footage (the search for which led to the South Bronx and the legends of hip-hop...

Here's the bottom line. The feedback from filmmakers and distributors was positive. They liked the story, character, the structure.Distributors want to see a more refined cut. That was the goal.

The funding story is tougher. We didn't get money to finish, yet. Our best short-term hope now is a NY State grant (we hear around Aug 1).

In any case, I'll return to Peru July 4 to shoot one or two missing scenes and do presentations for the ex-pat community and a university.

If the NYSCA grant comes through, we'll continue editing. If not, I'll return to New York to do more fundraising, find paid work to pay the bills, and finish when ALL the money's in place.

I'd guess there's 10-12 weeks work left. I'd love to finish by end of year, but have finally learned a lesson - don't predict completion dates until all the money's in the bank. For past 2 years I've been fundraising and shooting concurrently, starting and stopping, starting and stopping. That was the only way to do it - I couldn't control our character's lives. But I won't continue like that.

Sounding off

I paid a visit to a sound studio in New York in case I end up doing the final sound design/mixing here. Several filmmaker friends recommended I visit Splash, down in the Flatiron district. So I did, and they seemed great. Nice people, great roster of docs, and upfront with rates. A definite contender if I return.

Trolling for Dollars continues...

Yesterday I had a 10 minute meeting with The Harkness Foundation, a major supporter of dance projects. Introduced my Alex Dube, the exuberant Executive Director of Career Transitions for Dancers. As instructed by Alex, I wasn't up there to ask for money, but to "ask for guidance and counsel." They don't officially give money to films. But good meeting. I think the film caught their interest, and I did a good job pitching it. I'm getting better at describing the project in 10 seconds. People like the simple tri-fold brochure as well. Simple is good, people are too busy. My past connection with Lincoln Center (where I used to be marketing director for the Film Society) perked up the conversation scored point for sure. What will come out of this? I don't know. I'll be reconnecting with them in a few weeks.

The first "rough" cut

The mini-DV with first rough cut arrived from Lima. (Picked up in Barranco by Doris, who carried it by bus to Surco to drop off with American couple I met on expat list who flew to Chicago from where they Fed-Exed it to friend and Project Rebirth director Steve Mendelsohn's building where I picked it up from doorman to take by subway to Upper Manhattan to former editor's place who made copy on DVD. Got that?)

I watched tape twice with documentary friends for feedback. First time with Ingrid Patetta from Dashboard Productions and Kathy Leichter from Mint Leaf Productions.

Good thing I watched it with a group, because they saw it very differently from me. I couldn't stop my inner critic from blabbing ("oh man, we missed that shot...why didn't I use lights here...how could we have forgotten to...."). By end of 55 minute tape I was slumped way down in couch, ready to fend off barrage of biting commentary.

Actually they liked it! At first I thought they were saying that to make me feel good. But I think they meant it. Sure, at this stage - very rough, incomplete - there's all kinds of flaws, omissions. Scene by scene there's lots of work.

But here's the thing. We want to know whether we are on right path. And the consensus was yes. They saw a real story. They liked the characters. The structure - the basic way we intend to organize the scenes and tell the story - seems to work. The material is beautifully shot.

Problems: Too much voiceover. Pacing is off. The story doesn't always build. Turning points missing. Need to see the characters engaging with other people more, at times it's like they're disembodied from their settings. All seems fixable and what you'd expect at this stage.

I felt hugely relieved. Especially when it came to the structure, how we envisioned weaving Nelida and Cynthia's stories together. On paper it sounded good. But would it work? Funny thing is, I couldn't tell, because this first edition had most of Nelida's story missing. But everyone else saw enough to think it would.

I'm trusting my instincts and approach way more these days - I think the process of having to write out the story for the editor and for fundraising proposals really helped. On other hand, it's amazing how I can't view the material on screen objectively. I see what's flawed or missing, my mind fixated on what "could have been." Everyone else just sees what they see - and for the first time. Completely different experience.

Next day I worked with the brilliant Documentary Doctor Fernanda Rossi. All day session. We watched the tape and then scene by scene discussed what worked, what didn't, and how to fix it.

Nobody thinks we need more material - although there is the matter of a closing scene for Cynthia. After her journey to the provinces in search of the "soul" or source of folkloric dance, she returns to Lima with a transformed attitude. Need to show that. Got to call her, find out what she's up to or plotting.

On other hand, when I mentioned that Cynthia was returning to USA - probably in October - everyone agreed, THAT is be the real closing scene. Hmm.

Searching for hip hip, we meet the legends...

I love it when stuff like this happens.

Back in Lima we realized we could use some archival footage of hip-hop for Cynthia's story: hip hop's been a big part of her life since the age of 16, and the movie will show her making the connection between hip-hop and folklore. I wrote to some film lists and filmmakers and got nowhere. But when I returned to New York, there was a postcard nestled in the stack of bills:

City Lore and The Point Present:
a screening of the rough cut of the documentary
From Mambo to Hip Hop: Music & Survival in the South Bronx
When: 6:00 pm, Saturday, June 11th
Where: The Point, 940 Garrison Avenue, Bronx

Back in the USA...but for how long?

Been back USA for three weeks. Yikes, this is my first blog entry since returning. Bud, my blog/web guru, must be seething but hopefully I'll placate him with this and more frequent posts. So what's going on? Being back has been unsettling, to say the least. I sublet my place through August so I'm staying at friends, which is wierd when it's your own city. And not just any city but New York, which isn't exactly the most laid back place to find your bearings. The plan coming back was to stay about 6 weeks and find at least $15,000 to continue the editing work in Peru. Plus show work-in-progress to trusted folks. But everything's kind of been derailed. My mother got very sick. So I spent last week outside of Nashville, TN (she moved there last year to live with my sister). She's stabilized for now but I'm wrestling about when to return.

Death of the Pope, Birth of our Script

Saturday we reviewed the editing script, huddled around Raul's table - myself, Ronnie, Sergio, Raul, Cynthia. It seemed like a landmark day - actually seeing our story on paper, the long-awaited roadmap Sergio needs to move forward. Later that day we found out the Pope had passed away during our meeting. I don't know, it seemed prophetic or something...at least at the time!

Heading north

Things are changing again, fast. Cynthia got invited to compete in the concurso for Tondero, a national competition for this Afro-Peruvian dance. A week from Sunday, January 9. It's in Chiclayo, about 12 hours north on the coast (by bus), but she'll be in Piura training, 2-3 hours north of that. We have to shoot it. It could be the main drama or hook of her story or even entire film. It's another week and at least $500, more time and money, I feel nervous about that. Actually the money most of all. Sergio's taking a 3 month leave of absence from his job to edit. I've got the money in the bank to pay him for January but beyond. Money's got to come in. That's serious.