2pm at restaurant Marquette. We’re let inside to set up for our flashback scene between IVÁN and ÁLEX on the day they met. Fabrizio, the restaurants owner, serves as both host and extra. A sea of every drink imaginable was set to quench our thirst, and all the tables were beautifully set for us to begin the shoot. We were even given a room to set up our make-up station and rest area.
Iván Betrán, Fabrizio, and about ten others would serve as our extras for the day; patiently waiting for all the tedious work that goes into setting up a scene to be done. I’m sad to note that Marcelo won’t be joining us any more. I’m not sure if it’s because he was completely fried yesterday after the sauna shoot, or because of conflicting work schedules. I know that sleeping an hour on the weekends for nine weeks isn’t exactly ideal.
Taking a moment of silence and then diving head first into the task at hand, we picked out what extras would be sitting with whom, and which group would be on Team ÁLEX, and which would be on Team IVÁN. Everything seemed to be settled once, Luna, our resident diva, showed up and declared, “you have to be on Team IVÁN.” And you couldn’t argue with that. She, like our dear transgender friend, Agrado, from All About My Mother, helped make the shoot just a little more festive, and not without it’s fair share of anecdotes.
Her mother, Mariana, (who could’ve easily been her sister) let story after story flow out of her mouth as easily as Fabrizio let the wine flow at our table. By the end of it I had enough ammunition for a boat load of script ideas.
As the camera swooped in lateral movements, capturing angles and reverse angles (because we seem to love that) and gliding from table to table, capturing in cinematic scope and relaying to the audience, along with IVÁN and ÁLEX’s playful glances, how these two characters succumbed to desire (a scene I can’t detail here, but you’ll have to tune in to the third episode of the season for).
After we finished shooting and the extras left, Fabrizio served up a feast that could only be described as decadent, and that should serve as both lunch and dinner, because after that we were going to be spending the rest of the evening in front of a building under a highway overpass (a bypass) where we’ll be roaming around looking for a trick. Yep, just like it says.
Jasp (as MIGUEL, the lucky recipient) arrived with his wardrobe neatly pressed and in a garment bag. Josep arrived ready to be turned into a woman (via make-up, I mean) and to try (with measured success) to tuck back his manhood in an uncooperative pair of panties. Marcus (as FRANCESC, Lluís ‘ father) and his porn ‘stache also arrived to be made over by Laia (a flaming addition to the shoot) who would show him how a man of his stature should dress.
Iván Yáñez, who wasn’t scheduled until much later, also showed up, and served as chauffer, and to lend his car as a resting spot. This time started and stopped without incident.
Having been fed, make-up done, appendages fully tucked (except for Jasp’s, who actually had a cameo) we made our way to the Olympic port. Giorgio (aka atomic ant) and his Vespa lead the charge, even though I must admit, I was a little doubtful about the location.
-- “Is this where we’re shooting?” I asked, as we parked.
-- “Yeah. Why?” Giuseppe asked.
-- “Because it looks like there’s a high school soccer game going on. What are we going to do with them?” I replied.
--“ Sweetie, this is no time to be thinking about your love life.” Iván Yáñez said.
OK. No more questions from me.
Josep tried walking in his heels and was meet with a few insults from a few low lives’s walking by, to whom he replied “If you have to criticize it, it’s only because you secretly love it.”
Laia had spent all week looking for Josep’s shoes. The problem was that Joseph was a size 10 ½ and the only shoes that matched the outfit were a size 9 ½. So his commitment to the rule was proven when he had to walk in those puppies. Especially when he would ask Giuseppe if he could take them off in between takes, and Giuseppe would tell him no because his feet would swell up. So he strapped on those 9 ½ pumps and got in the car, did his thing, and got out of the car so Jasp could say his lines. By that time, night fall had crept up on us.
With the L.E.D lights at full blast, tensions running high, and fatigue visibly setting in, especially on our star, we were looking to wrap it up. I was happy to know that Jasp liked his character. “ I like him because he doesn’t give a damn and he’s a mother fucker”, he said, to which Iván Bertrán replied “he only had two lines.”
“But I sure know how to pick them” I quickly chimed in. Never missing an opportunity to stroke the ego.
Iván also left us with a notion that he was a brilliant story teller. Well, we’d finished another successful weekend of shooting (one of them pretty damn impressive, I might add). Keeping in mind that the metro was about to close and that most of us had a life outside of the shoot, we bid ourselves good night. Not that any of us really lived much outside of it.Cenzo Álvarez De Haro - Translated and adapted by: Norman Giovanni Zelaya