Daily shooting diary - Day 13. UNIVERSITIES: DIFFERENT LOOKS

Before filming began, Giuseppe and I visited several University campuses in Barcelona. When a Spaniard thinks of a University, one thinks of lush lawns, cement buildings, long corridors, back packs zooming by strapped to people coming and going at all hours of the day, a little traffic, and mostly, a full cafeteria.

When an Italian thinks of a University, he thinks of a gothic cloister where all the students are in uniform.  We soon realized we weren’t on the same page about this location scouting, when he was fascinated by the Pedralbes monastery.

As a cinematographer, no building or university plaza in Barcelona was going to remind  him of a university. In the end we settled on a modern building that was appealing to the eye, and very filmable: The communications campus of the UPF in Poble Nou. Getting permits to film there also proved to be quite effortless. So that’s where we filmed LLUÍS not going to college.

We took advantage of all the students walking around to make it seem like we were there during exams. Gerard Valdivia came along to help out with anything that we might need, and Andrea made his debut in front of the camera without the safety net of a clapper board, or lifting his pinky when calling out the scene.

Right next to the campus there’s a park perfect for LLUÍS’ trip, with its wide open spaces, and we love our wide open spaces.

We finished early and had the rest of the day off, which coincided with a production free weekend where we’d be taking some studio shots of the technical team shot by Israel.

Cenzo Álvarez De Haro - Translated and adapted by: Norman Giovanni Zelaya

GAYXAMPLE - BTV

GAYXAMPLE - XTVL

Daily shooting diary - Day 12: WHATEVER COMES OF IT

It was supposed to be the most difficult day of the shoot. It was the most difficult day of the shoot. We had to shoot all of the Café Teatro Picasso scenes in a single day, and with limited time to do so, having vertigo seemed like the least of our problems.

Giuseppe was pretty nervous and more demanding than ever. And since we all had a tendency to absorb osmotically the emotions and feeling of the people around us, the whole crew ended up nervous. I would walk down the hallway and find Babeth humming Mozart or some chamber music. I think I even saw her position her hands like she was chanting, at some point.

Our make-up department had their work cut out for them. They had to turn Manuel Tello and Joseph into drag queens, while having just finished doing their make-up as men. Oh, and aside from retouching Jasp’s make-up along with all the other extras that had been called in to serve as the audience members in the bar. Gerard Valdivia being one of them (who never failed), and Adamo (whom I kept imagining filming a scene of our own back at his place), along with a few students from the Nancy Tuñon Academy.

Turning Josep into Coco Champagne was no easy task (do you remember the pump incident a few nights back?) Only this time the make-up department had the honor of applying make-up to just about every part of his body, even catching a glimpse of his own brush. They were also under strict orders from Giuseppe to find a foundation color that complimented his skin tone perfectly, and dulled down any trace of masculinity, but not too well, because he was supposed to still be new to this drag queen business. They also needed to get some wax to cover up his eyebrows, (because plucking was completely out of the question) so they could then turn him into a star.

Josep also had a little problem with his bosom; it seemed to be sagging a bit for his taste, but Iván quickly put his mind at ease when he mentioned that Ana Obregón had the same problem. Ruth and Xenia worked on Joseph’s face while Ivan worked on all the extras (I keep trying to tell you that boy has skills).

Marcus showed up for a visit. I guess it’s only natural he’d want to watch his fictional son perform (On stage, people. On stage.)

Manuel Tello paced back and forth on stage going over his monologue. Matias, the theatre owner,  kept trekking back and forth between the stage and the make-up station, making sure that everything was ok, that nobody needed anything, and most importantly, that we were on schedule.

We began the shoot at the bar with Jasp, where Ruth served as an extra. Matias, served her a drink when she hadn’t asked for one (movie magic, I suppose).  Once we’d finished the bar scene, we had a bite to eat. The next scene was in the theatre where we were going to shoot Manuel’s monologue. I could tell he was nervous because he kept forgetting a few of his lines, even though he was in character.  He was so in character, in fact, that when he came on stage he just started improvising and, well, bravo for the best adapted screen play, and whatever comes of it. Because while it was certainly well within character, it wasn’t necessarily on par with what was going on. I’m not the one doing the editing, so I don’t really sweat it. But I’d love to see how they’re going to put this one together from what they’ve shot.

While we waited for Coco to appear (the real Coco -- the choreographer) Giuseppe decided to capture a little audience reaction shots as if Manuel were still on stage. I’d never seen people so dedicated to a scene.  They’d just hear Giuseppe yell “action” , or “maricón”, or  “what I just said” and they’d start laughing their asses off as if someone had literally just told a gut splitting joke. It was fabulous.

Roberto Picasso, who’d been in hair and make-up for a few minutes, served as our MC for the evening’s show. All of our hard work and nervous energy was well rewarded when we finally saw Josep/LLUÍS/Coco Champagne take the stage and perform. Still wobbling a little on those heels, we took out a few scenes where he’d need to come down some stairs, and then cheated the height of a few things to accommodate him. The end result; however, was pretty spectacular. Definitely one of the scenes I’m looking forward to the most in the final product.

We raced against the clock to finish the last scene in the dressing room, and this time it was Matias himself serving as his own extra.

I’d never been more glad to hear the words “ that’s a wrap for the night.” , than I did that evening. Tomorrow is supposed to be another difficult shoot. We’re shooting TONI in the bar O.M.  Juan will be our DP for that. It’s a good start for the series, I must say. In such a dark time, we’ll see where it ends up shining.

Cenzo Álvarez De Haro - Translated and adapted by: Norman Giovanni Zelaya

Daily shooting diary - Day 11: PATRON SAINT OF FILMING

We decided we were up for a challenge today. We were going to roll in the middle of full pandemonium, and not care about the crowds anywhere. It was a nice day and we were ready to bring it on.

Manuel Tello came out to meet us. He’d just flown in from Madrid to shoot his scene tomorrow. Today we were shooting all the exterior shots between Xavi and Eider (GISELA in the series): shots of them coming out of a movie, walking along the beach…you know, all very romantic stuff.

Our first setback was from the theatre chain who objected to us filming in front of their property. Then the audio wasn’t coming in clear at all. I mean, not even remotely. We were even picking up the music from the mall, and you could barely understand any of the dialogue. The wind wasn’t doing us any favours either.

We asked a few tourists if we could use the bench they were using that faced the beach, but even the mic’s windscreen didn’t help reduce the noise. We were even picking up the clattering of dishes from the restaurant next door.

We decided to find a different location, but the local authorities had other ideas. The sun was quickly fading and we didn’t have any lighting equipment with us.

While we’d been up for a challenge, it seemed like the day had definitely thwarted our plan to come out victorious. Assessing the situation, we decided to try again sometime during the week.

Faced with starting work on tomorrow’s shoot, we decided the best thing to do was to find the nearest bar and just laugh our asses off. And laugh we did. At everything.

Cenzo Álvarez De Haro - Translated and adapted by: Norman Giovanni Zelaya

GAYXAMPLE - Trailer 3 English

Daily shooting diary - Day 10: WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE IT?

The interesting thing about today’s shoot wasn’t so much the shoot itself, but collateral damage stories behind it. So for now I’ll just say that we shot all the exteriors and finished up at Casa Billy.

We were at the apartment in Poble Nou so Anna and Marcus could get into make-up. Iván Bertrán was once again on board and we had a full make-up department. Catalina was our newest addition to the cast, and she has some delicious dialogue full of memorable one-liners.

It’s Sunday and it’s starting to get hot. People have suddenly realized that Barcelona has a beach. There are plenty of kids at play, running around giggling and carefree, as the city buses steadily drop people off, and pick them back up, on their way to God knows where. A helicopter patrols the beach as the ad on its side reminds us to buy sunscreen. Yes, all the things that make shooting exterior shots such a wonderful experience; especially for the sound department.

Today was just not our day. Anna once again left Poble Nou dressed up like a bad floral arrangement had thrown up on her. But she was working that tired dress, heels, jewels and newly reconstructed face for all they were worth. Just then something catches her eye and asks “Is that my bike? Son of a b!@*h, it is my bike!” Before we knew it, heels and jewelry were flying every which way, as Anna chased down the would-be thief, and starts to pummel him once she catches up to him. We weren’t all exactly sure what was going on but we started chasing right after her, in part because it seemed like the thing to do, and also because we wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Iván got there first and bear hugged the man, squeezing his wrists as hard as he could and then, as if tapping primal rage, let out a roaring “arrrrghhh” right in the man’s ear. When we all go there, we were able to stop Anna from giving this man a total face reconstruction without any of the make-up department’s help, and instead just exchanged some non too pleasant words with the man.

Giuseppe astutely pointed out that the neighborhood wasn’t what it used to be. He recalled that just this week he’d stepped out of his apartment and looked up and down the street wondering where his motorcycle had gone.

Once the adrenaline had worn off, all that was left was to laugh our collective asses off. I mean, where the hell did Iván get all strength, and what the hell was that scream of his? “Gluten free diet my ass” Babeth said.  “I’m guessing that boy’s been getting some protein in his diet.”

As we all laughed, Marcus watched from his V.I.P box on the balcony.

When the fun was over we once again set to the task at hand, and started rolling. Well, us and everyone else.  Nearby neighbors took the time to water down their front porch,  yell clear across the street that someone was shooting a movie just across the way and that maybe they should try and be extras. Yeah, there’s a thought.  They were very nice, even stopping us to tell us how much they loved having us shoot on their block.  Just a joy, I tell you. And, of course, just when you think nothing else can go wrong… it does.  That Murphy and his damn law.  Anna had no sooner uttered the words “All we need is for a damn marathon to come running through here”  than low and behold: Bam! We had one. A stream  of cyclists descended upon us at that very moment and we had to stop rolling for a good while. When they all cleared out, and we set up again thinking nothing else could go wrong a helicopter was nice enough to hover over us as Josep delivered his lines. Testing the fates yet again as he left, Josep turned to the sky and yelled “ is there anything else?” – and without missing a beat, and as if saying “Why, yes. Yes, there is”, the church bells started ringing, signaling the end of mass.  Giorgio noted that the priest must’ve known we were shooting a gay show in the neighborhood and…well, the statement continued, but I’d rather not repeat it here.

Once the odyssey of Poble Nou was over, we headed over to Casa Billy. Anna needed to have her make-up reapplied, and we joked about whether or not she wanted her son to join the Legion of Christ. We had a little fun with the blonde wig Josep had to wear, and when Iván tried it on and looked at himself in the mirror, he turned to Anna and declared “Dear God, I’m Jesus Christ himself. Anna, come to your savior.”

The actors also liked to have a little fun at their own expense. Like this conversation between Josep and Iván, after Josep has his make-up applied.

“Damn, I’m handsome” he says, as we all eye him up and down.

“Yeah, whatever.” Iván replies. “We’ll just leave this for the making of video and title it ‘I don’t have a grandmother.’ “

“But I really don’t have a grand mother” Josep says.

“Oh, no.” I say, never missing an opportunity to chime in.

We got through all the dialogue, making sure we covered all the…say it with me now…angles and reverse angles. We even got Giorgio to climb up later for a sort of panning crane shot. We also watched Giuseppe step in to a scene and tweak it with Josep, and got into it so much that at one point he started cheering Josep on with “Oh, yes, that’s right. Yes, Yes, Bravo, big boy…more. I love it.” He was so enthusiastic in fact, that Babeth came back into the room to find out what exactly was going on. And really, you have to admit that for a crew filming a gay series full of gay actors and crewmembers, she shouldn’t have been surprised if she’d found something. We’d really showed some self-restraint up to that point.

Cenzo Álvarez De Haro - Translated and adapted by: Norman Giovanni Zelaya

Daily shooting diary - Day 9: DUSTING FOR PRINTS

Barcelona. Saturday. 9 am. There’s been a crime committed at knife point outside our shooting location. When forensics arrive they immediately set off to the task at hand, dusting for prints and analyzing any possible trace of dna on the scene: doors, sidewalk, hub caps, it’s all analyzed. They bag and number all the evidence, turning the scene of the crime into a giant lab experiment: “Which way did the perp run? Did the body fall here? Yes, they’d definitely come out of the bar, turned and were then stabbed. There was a struggle by the cars, and they must’ve been stabbed around here.” They point at a spot on the ground. “The perp must’ve run in that direction while the victim fell against the car and then the ground.”

I’m not describing a scene from our shoot. This was actually happening outside of the GLBT centre, where our character TONI works. Today he will receive a visit of “somebody” (secret…) and the actual centre staff will be used as extras, headed by their very own president Antonio Guirardo.

As far as production logistics are concerned, I’m happy to announce that our favorite coffee maker has a new spill proof top (although I personally question the need of a top that doesn’t spill).

Babeth, on wardrobe detail, is rummaging through a bag full of t-shirts, looking for Josep coming-out-to-his-parents scene. “Oh, perfect!” she proclaims, and pulls out a white t-shirt. Yes, he’s our little angel.

I went inside and found a spot next to the coffee pot, cup-cakes, croissants and a nicotine fix. When Babeth was finished with wardrobe, Ruth, helped her with make-up duties on the actors. We tested out the mics with the steadi-cam, and even did a little test run with it to try and synch up the camera movement with the pacing of the actors as the walked and delivered dialogue.  One quick pan of the awareness fliers on the table and we were ready to roll, and we did. It was perfect.

We went to have lunch at Marquette. Later on that afternoon we’d be shooting at Casa Billy, a beautifully restored 19^th century building that was now a B&B, that would be the shot as LLUÍS’ parents (NURIA and FRANCESC) house. Anna and Marcus would be waiting for us there.

We decorated LLUÍS’s room in a sort of impersonal way, except for the Madonna and Gaga posters that really needed to be on his walls (Josep loved Gaga’s poster so much that he insisted on taking it home for himself). Josep also brought over some pictures from when he was a kid, and Babeth and Milca placed a picture the three of them had taken together some days before, in a nice frame. Those, coupled with the really bright, festive flower arrangement, were the main focal points of the room.

One of our main challenges for the scene was Anna’s make-up, because we had to age her to be old enough to play LLUÍS’s mother, NURIA. Luckily, Ruth, worked her magic with the silicone and make-up, to transform Anna. It was really quite impressive.

While all of this was going on, the rest of us were busy shooting a scene in LLUÍS’ room. In this scene he’s supposed to be apartment hunting online, and Josep, being the computer geek that he is, had mocked up a few apartment ads on a completely fake website. I’m not sure how he didn’t get any hits or emails asking for more info, because the site was that good.

As soon as Marcus arrived we sent him off to wardrobe and had him turned him into a Papa , after we’d turned Anna into a flower arrangement, and Josep into a little angel.

Marcus didn’t have all of his dialogue memorized, so Babeth came to the rescue like she had when Lola couldn’t moan for herself, and hid behind a chair to feed Marcus his lines.

We had a problem with the camera dolly, so we had to improvise a little. In the end it was all down to blocking and dialogue. I can’t stress enough how important it’s been to have such creative liberties on this project, because it’s really stepped up the quality of our shoot. It’s a shame that Anna’s role isn’t bigger, but we will take what we can get.

Cenzo Álvarez De Haro - Translated and adapted by: Norman Giovanni Zelaya

GAYXAMPLE - Trailer 2 English

Daily shooting diary - Day 8: CAMEOS, SWEAT, AND TEARS

OK, it’s official. I’ve decided to make my debut in Gayxample. OMG, right? Hold the applause. It’s almost as exciting as a new Kylie video. I can hardly believe it myself. I have to confess that I was really against it when I was first approached about it. I wouldn’t even hear of it. I didn’t even know what they wanted me to do because even they didn’t know what they wanted me to do. I may be a writer, but one still has their image to maintain. So naturally, when I finally decided to take the plunge and let the acting bug nibble at me, I went with what I know best: Me. I picked out my scene and we shot it today. Prepping for it was hard, but I was a trooper and really went for it. I was ready and willing for Iván (Bertán, of course) to work his magic on me and the Samsonite size bags under my eyes. I had faith in him, and I knew there was no challenge too hard for the man. In fact, the harder the  better, was his motto. Words to live by.

We are once again at Iurantia (I love this place), filming a scene where MONTSE and ALICIA meet. While I’m not here in an official capacity (just as a casual observer. I mean, who doesn’t like to watch, right? In a professional setting, of course) I did take the opportunity to welcome our newest and third make-up artist, Ruth, into the fold. It’s really the beginning of the end for her,  because we’ve just professed our eternal love for one another, and all the hell and damnation that it entails.

Laia also decided to join the rest of us, and the staff of Iurantia, to serve as extras for this shot. Toni, on the other hand, was still holding out on us, and Babeth and Mireia didn’t disappoint.

The shoot was a breeze and we were finished right on schedule. In the process we happened to discover the sprinkler system Mireia was passing off as her eyes. That girl could let the waterworks rip on cue.  No picture of a clubbed baby seal could’ve made this woman’s mascara trail down her cheeks like remnants of a scorched soul, quite the way she did on her own. The image still burned into my eyes. They were both spectacular.

Keeping up with the schedule, we said goodbye to the girls (even Milca) and we went to the now infamous Poble Nou apartment. Evidence of yesterdays party still lingered, and since we had to clean up anyway, we figured we’d take advantage of it and shoot a scene between ÁLEX and XAVI.

Rafa also showed up,  even thought a) he wasn’t scheduled until later, and b) like any good diva, announced he couldn’t stay past 6 P.M.

Milca entrusted me with the taking the stills for the shoot, and I started playing around with the camera and taking some crazy shots, which I’m sure will probably never make the light of day unless someone can figure out what I was pointing at.

The important thing to note; however, is that the scenes between ÁLEX and XAVI went off without a hitch, and every angle was covered and shot (again, because you know we love those reverse angles).

During this whole thing, Rafa decided he would take a quick cat nap on the set where he’d be shooting his next scene. It was apropos if you considered that the scene called for him to wake up from a nap, make his way to the bathroom in his undies (the boy must think we only cast him for his body, which couldn’t be further from the truth) and get back into bed.

When Kikko and Xavi’s scene was wrapped, Giuseppe said it was time to wake Rafa , for which Iván Bertrán practically leaped out of his chair to volunteer.

-- I’ll wake sleeping beauty for you with a kiss, or a light touch up here and there, since that’s really what I know how to do best. – the eager beaver announced.

Once we’d shot the undie scene, Biken showed up, who had a sex scene to shoot with him. Only a few of us were lucky enough to watch those two in action, particularly how Biken was able to get Rafa as hot and bothered as he did. Even Kikko hadn’t been able to bring this side out of him. Biken worked that boy over so good (quite on purpose, he later confessed) he was making things grow that should be growing, and taking this shoot right into  “speciality”  theatre screenings only, if you know what I mean.

Amidst all this fooling around, we did shoot one of the most intense and emotional scenes to date. Kikko asked for a few moments alone to prepare, and Rafa was able to emote enough emotion to bring out Kikko’s most intense and powerful performance. I’m not sure if it had anything to do with this being the last scene that Rafa and Kikko would have together, but they just gave it their all and really put it out there. We’ll have to wait and see how it comes across on screen, but as someone who witnessed it first hand, I can honestly tell you that it was powerful, completely engrossing, and it made me very proud to have been able to witness it.

Hair’s standing on end, a lump still in my throat, and a crooked smile painted on my face, I bid you good night. Next week is specially dedicated to LLUÍS.

Cenzo Álvarez De Haro - Translated and adapted by: Norman Giovanni Zelaya

Daily shooting diary - Day 7: THIS IS A PARTY

I suppose you’ve probably seen the fliers around town and hanging at the local bars and clubs, and in the local trades: Party at ÁLEX’s house. For the first time in our shoot, we’ll have all the characters together in one place, at the same time.  Exciting!

We also have to welcome the newest addition to the family, or new make-up artist extraordinaire, Xenia. Our call time is for 3pm at the apartment in Poble Nou. Along with the full cast, we’ve also assembled an even greater number of extras. The Omni present Gerard Valdivia, Gerard Cambra (who did the casting for one of our main characters), Marc, Josep, Iain, David, and a few of the guys from the sauna shoot, along with a new group of girls, were all there. In total there were about 20 extras, who along with the full cast and crew, their collective body heat, the lamps, and all the panels we installed to block the afternoon sun/bake us, turned this party into a mix of dark room and Finnish sauna, with everyone in black tie.

Babeth was just as nervous as every time she had screen time, even though she’s usually everyone’s acting coach (amongst a host of other things she does, as you may have observed), when it was her turn up at camera, there was no calming her nerves. Mireia was radiant, and the rest of them…well, they all looked divine.

While everyone finished going through make-up,  and those that were already done rested on the terrace, just waiting to take their places; we decided to role an unscripted and candid moment between ÁLEX and IVÁN, stopping from time to time to hydrate a bit, turn on the a/c, let the extras in that were still arriving , and grab the occasional smoke out on the terrace, all the while waiving down to the passengers below us, who were boarding busses and happened to look up and catch a glimpse of the elegantly-dressed-gay-cluster on the terrace.

We started rolling a little later than expected, which meant we started losing extra’s sooner than we would’ve wanted.  The party was in honor of XAVI, who was not only sweating because of all the lights in the room, but because of the delectable crowd around him. Of course, if your character is straight, you can’t exactly play to your own desires on camera, or even behind the camera. So to XAVI, my hat’s off to you for your integrity and self restraint.

We tried to make the party as true to the script as possible, and as defined  by IVÁN, as totally gay. But we refrained from making it completely stereotypical, so there were no long lines for the bathroom, or long lines that lead anywhere, or dark rooms to form lines in, despite requests from people who shall remain nameless, insisting that we add them.

The reenactment of Gaga’s Bad Romance didn’t interfere with any of the shots. The main characters were already surrounded by a crowd at the time, and we left all the scenes with the cliques that usually form at any gay party worth it’s weight in lube, for the end. They danced without music, they drank without any alcohol, and they talked without uttering a single word. It was a film set through and through: nothing was real. Nothing except for the salad, sandwiches, and cold cuts that seemed to disappear as the night progressed. Also real, were a few number exchanges (hey, they had to do something). I guess in the end the saying that film shoots bring people together will be true. And I should know!

Cenzo Álvarez De Haro - Translated and adapted by: Norman Giovanni Zelaya

GAYXAMPLE - Trailer 1 English

Daily shooting diary - Day 6. MY LEFT FOOT

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