Today is the infamous and eagerly anticipated bathhouse scene. At our usual call time of 9 am, the entire crew, extras included, meet up at the Galilea spa. I overslept a little (just a tad) and arrived a little later. When I arrived, I found that the all mighty Babeth had already applied full body make-up to all of the actors; that Ivan couldn’t make it, and that one of the make-up artists had a family emergency and we weren’t even sure if she’d be able to make it at all today, or if we’d have anyone taking care of the touch ups later on during the day. While we tried to get all of that situated, Rafa sat nearby, quietly reading a newspaper, somewhat oblivious to the chaos around, and naked as the day he was born except for the tiniest of towels draped around his midsection. The rest of the sauna was a buzz with extras.
Weeks earlier, we’d held a casting call for the extras alone. The scene needed to be well orchestrated, and we wanted to make sure we not only had those with the best attributes, but also those with the best skill asset to pull the whole thing off convincingly, one might say. Alberto, Txus, Pedro Andrés, Manuel, and Juan Carlos, amongst a few others, were the ones that best met the “demands” of the scene. They’d need to be in the Jacuzzi or walking around the spa without any inhibitions, so as to best capture the authenticity of the bathhouse experience. And if we had a little gratuitous exhibitionism as they strolled the hallways, far be it from us to stifle artistic interpretation.
Raul was still a bit nervous and unsure of himself being cast as IVÁN’s bathhouse hook up, which showed a bit of his modesty. Giuseppe and Babeth gave him a nice pep talk and we began rolling. It was also the first time that many of us had ever been in a bathhouse to begin with (Marcelo and Giorgio weren’t really sure what to make of all it), but the most interesting aspect of it all was watching Milca and Babeth, two lesbians, in the middle of all that swinging dick, glory hole and condoms. We wondered if there were any bathhouses for women, or if it would even be a good business to get into. From the looks of these two, we concluded there wasn’t much of a future in such idle thoughts.
Something else we hadn’t really factored in or thought about too much, was the costs of an actual film shoot. We’re not just talking budget and cost, but the time, energy and prep that goes into a scene that takes two hours to shoot and only amounts to about a minute of screen time. Most people don’t think twice about the technical aspects and work that goes into the making of even the simplest of scenes or shoots. This happens even with the crew at times. Especially if they’ve been shooting for a few days and they just go back to the same set and become familiar with it all. But coming to a new location and bringing all of the players with you, and then summing up all the time and energy that every one of us has to exude in order to make this one little scene work; one would think it hardly makes the scene worth the effort. And yet, quite the contrary is true. What I’ve come to realize is that the amount of time and energy spent on the project is equal to the quality of the work that’s captured on screen, and that no scene is less or more important because of how much actual screen time it gets. The quality is reflective of the work behind it, whether the duration of a project is thirty seconds or a 2 hour feature.
Once all the equipment was packed and we picked up the guest passes the owner of Galilea had given us, we made our way over to Berro bar, where we were going to shoot a scene with IVÁN, LLUÍS, ÁLEX and CARLES.
When we finished eating, all the extras for the restaurant scene arrived. Some of them we already knew, like Gerard Valdivia, and others like David, Idel and Ursula, were new. My friend Renato managed to make it and be one of the extras walking along the sidewalk outside. One of the first things he asked upon arriving and taking inventory of the extras on set was “hey, I get to pick a partner, right?”
We were very grateful that Carlos showed up directly after leaving work, not even stopping at home to freshen up before coming over to help Babeth with the make-up while Iván showed up. And one just really takes notice of these things and can’t help but think that with this crew we really can do it all. What we trip out on is how this group of people who don’t really know each other can come together in support of a project where they’re not getting paid, and still give their all. We are humbled and in awe. To all of them we owe a debt of gratitude.
On the outside terrace there seemed to be a stockpile of scripts, coffee cups, and make-up bottles. The adjacent hallway served as our make-up station, and also as refuge from the relentless sun beating down on us.
Outside, the extras followed the crew as they shot ÁLEX and CARLES’ scene, where they walked up and down
Casanova street. They made sure that none of the cables got tangled or that no one crossing the street stood in the shot watching the scene, and that the actors were always well lit.
Casanova street. They made sure that none of the cables got tangled or that no one crossing the street stood in the shot watching the scene, and that the actors were always well lit.
Others waited inside the bar for us to start rolling the scene with IVÁN and LLUÍS. Once we did start rolling that scene, it was decided that no one would actually drink anything from their glasses, so as to preserve continuity, and that everyone please remember their exact position during the takes.
It was a pretty meticulous and intense scene that was thoroughly rewarded once Giuseppe yelled “Cut. That’s a good one. We’re done.” The room erupted in whistles, screaming and applause. I now know how an artist feels when he’s on stage and all of his hard work is rewarded with the roar and applause of the crowd: it’s addictive and validating all at once.
On a day like this one, with all of our setbacks, and trying to accommodate everyone, and trying to finish on schedule: I can only say that you are the artists! Now I’m off to bed, because tomorrow we don’t roll until noon.
Cenzo Álvarez De Haro - Translated and adapted by: Norman Giovanni Zelaya