Thursday, December 1, 2016

Las conversaciones: Una reflexión

La fantasia y realidad de las personas detrás de las telenovelas 

Mi parte favorito de todo el curso es ha sido las entrevistas del Skype. Además de la energía contagiosa de nuestros entrevistados, yo aprendí más sobre la industria a través de sus cuentas personales. Yo aprendí que todas las personas de la industria, los directores, los actores, los escritores, los investigadores se conocen. ¡El mundo de producción de telenovelas es tan pequeño! Y mientras que la industria es competitiva, parece como si fueran todos amigos.

Otra cosa que aprendí en la clase es que hay pasión increíble en la industria. Cuando las personas hablan, tu puedes oír la pasión sobre su trabajo en sus voces. Espero que yo tengo ese nivel de pasión por mi trabajo en el futuro. Tal vez es la cultura latina, o el drama de la industria, pero cada persona tiene un nivel de amor por su oficio.

Las relaciones entre las personas involucradas en el proceso de producir una telenovela no son fáciles. Cada entrevistado tuvo una perspectiva diferente, pero todos hablen sobre los retos de expresar sus puntos de vista en el proceso. Las tensiones corren altas y todo el mundo quiere que su voz sea escuchada.

El amor por la patria es profundo. Cada persona en la industria, a pesar del carácter internacional de la industria de entretenimiento, lleva un profundo sentido de compromiso con su patrimonio. El trabajo no puede robar a la gente de las cosas que los hacen quienes son. Leonardo Patrón sabe que pueda ganar más dinero si escribiera en otro país, pero su amor y compromiso por Venezuela es más importante que todo.

Antes de las conversaciones, tengo que admitir que creía que actores, directores, escritores y ejecutivos solamente se importan la fama y el dinero. ¡Esto no es realidad! Las personas con quienes hablan en clase tienen una pasión por la narración de una historia que los atrae.


¿Qué aprendían Uds. sobre la industria de producción y las vidas de los actores?

Final Thoughts for El Secretario

For the entire semester, I have felt like my novella was extremely mold-breaking, as it completely flips the notion of a male protagonist rescuing the damsel in distress. Instead, the male protagonist in "El Secretario" is the one who needs saving. He is downtrodden and low class, while the female character is the one in a position of power. She is not weak, or stupid, or helpless like the traditional female characters seem to be. She is a little naïve, but other than that, Antonia is the strongest, most mature character in the entire show. Furthermore, Emilio is assigned a "female" role within the office, rather than the traditional masculine, macho role for male protagonists. However, having said that, "El Secretario" follows the pattern of a traditional novella's final episode. The two protagonists finally get married, and the wedding is a huge celebration. It is not Catholic, but all loose ends are resolved, every character's happy ending is depicted, and the show's antagonist is dealt an undesirable end. The good guys win, love prevails, and the bad guys lose. Plus, it was emotional to see the show end after 120-something episodes, another component of the traditional final episode. I wish this novella received more attention, I think the premise of the show, the social commentary, and the chemistry between Emilio and Antonia are all very strong. The second half of the middle towards the final episodes does drag on a little, but I think it still is worthy of more credit than it receives.

The Peoples' Poet

Leonardo Padrón said "freedom of expression is a writer's oxygen." This is a prime example of what Dr. A meant when she said that Padrón takes an widely-held sentiment and puts his finger on it, amplifying it. Obviously as a journalism student, freedom of expression is something we fight for and utilize every single day. I would even go so far to say that American citizens take it for granted and don't realize how essential it is, both for other civil liberties and as a civil liberty itself. Padrón was the most impressive guest we have had all semester because I walked away with several profound statements reverberating in my brain, primarily the freedom of expression metaphor, but also his reasoning for voluntarily remaining in a country that restricts his oxygen flow. My natural reaction would be to leave, I would not choose to stay in an oppressive nation. However, after listening to Padrón talk about his reasons for staying, I feel like my hypothetical reasons for fleeing lack a comprehensive view. He said, more or less, that if everyone who had a voice left Venezuela, the country would become an orphan and have no one fighting for it. This stuck out to me, both for its bravery and loyalty to promoting true change. Padrón could find another home and better lifestyle, but instead sacrifices his own prosperity for the eventual prosperity of others (hopefully). He said his proudest accomplishment is persevering in the novela genre, but I would argue his best accomplishment is persevering as a writer, despite being suffocated by a lack of expression.

The Reality Behind it All

I’ve really enjoyed our telenovela conversations these past few weeks; listening to Mónica Montañés, Roberto Stopello, Daniela Bascope, Iván Tamayo, Vicente Albarracín, Marisa Román, Leonardo Padrón, and Carlota Sosa has been both informative and fascinating. But far more interesting than their answers were their mannerisms and facial expressions as we asked questions.
Dr. A tried to make it clear in class that we had to keep in mind that actors and actresses are real people, but hearing it and even thinking it doesn’t come close to seeing it for yourself. Connecting names that you see on a show’s credits- even the names of writers and producers- to a real person speaking to you over Skype is an almost surreal experience. And while it was cool to hear comments like how Carlota Sosa prefers to play villains or that Vicente Albarracín was shocked when he began working for Telemundo and had a much bigger budget, it was much cooler to see things and hear things that you wouldn’t see in one of their interviews with the paparazzi. From Albarracín declaring that, “the kisses I directed in Pasión Prohibido were the best in my whole life, better than my own real life kisses!” to Román saying that she loves walking on the streets by herself at night in Buenos Aires because she knows it’s so much safer than it would be in Caracas, the bits of their lives that they shared with us made them more and more real, lessening their celebrity status or perhaps raising us to meet it.

This humanizing aspect of the interviews is interesting for a lot of reasons: to begin with, it makes all of their causes- everything they work for, every cause they advocate, and every point they’d like to make- carry more weight. It’s easy to discount causes if we see them as only being supported by the rich and famous (if we aren’t rich and famous ourselves). It’s easy to say, “well, of course Montañés likes her female protagonists to have professional aspirations in addition to her romantic aspirations, she’s already successful so that’s realistic for her but not for me” (especially for her audiences in less developed countries). But when you hear her say it, and talk about it, and see her passion but also her very real flaws and humanity, it’s easier to be on board with that. It’s easy to say, “well, of course Padrón has the time to be a champion of causes like Asperger’s awareness, his life is perfect!” until you see the intensity with which he loves his country, learn that his own shirt was provided for an actor when they needed it, know that even he hasn’t read all the books in his house. And the same is true for the others: it’s easy to discount their causes and even their lifestyles, until you see that they too find it hard to hold the phone at the right angle when they Facetime or that they’ve decorated their house with the cheapest wall hangings they could find at the time- that they too are imperfect, and human, and real.


I think that’s one of the most important things I’ve gotten from this class- the reality behind every telenovela episode. Every actor, actress, producer, director, writer, cameraman, and even telenovela researcher brings a little bit of themselves to the screen to create the bit of entertainment that we see later. There’s reality behind each of them, and that makes the final product all the more spectacular.

Ultimas Palabras

Desde los primeros días de clase al principio del semestre, pensé que el curso no podría ser más interesante. Cada clase se nos mostró videoclips de los más dramáticos, diferentes tipos de telenovelas. Vimos clips de historias de amor, comedias, cárteles de drogas y escenas de crimen de asesinato. Pensé que este sería el aspecto más interesante de la clase, hasta las entrevistas.
Para empezar, me sorprende la gran relación que nuestra profesora, Dr. A tiene
con todos los actores y productores de todo el mundo. Realmente me sorprendió que ella
tiene una relación tan buena con todas estas celebridades que están dispuestos a pasar
más de 30 minutos de su tiempo para Skype con nuestra clase. Yo esperaba que fueran rápidos con sus respuestas, pero por mi sorpresa todos ellos han estado extático para responder a todas nuestras preguntas y compartir su historia de vida con nosotros. Me encantó oír sobre la relación que Daniela y Iván tenían como actores, pero creo que uno de mis favoritos de Skype fue con Marisa Román. En clase vimos clips de dos de sus telenovelas más grandes, Cosita Rica y La Mujer perfecta ". Estaba tan emocionada de ver lo que ella tenía que decir en la entrevista de Skype y ver su personalidad real fuera de la actuación.
El último día de clase también fue una sesión de entrevista muy emocionante de Skype. Leonardo Padrón era muy poético con sus palabras, y en realidad escribí algunas de sus citas porque pensé que estaban tan bien formuladas y contestadas. Mi favorito, sin embargo, fue Carlota Sosa y su esposo Rafael. Siempre me he preguntado si los actores disfrutan jugando el papel como un villano, porque a los fans típicamente no les gusta. Sin embargo, ella dijo que era su personaje favorito para jugar. Supongo que sería interesante actuar un papel que es tan poco característico de ti mismo.
Por último, quería hablar de toda la calidad de la clase durante todo el semestre.
La cena a la casa del Dr. A el Martes fue una experiencia increíble. Nunca he tenido un profesor tener una relación tan grande con su clase que mi profesor/a está dispuesta a invitarlos a su casa privada para la cena. El “Tres Leches” no decepcionó en absoluto, y su perro sellado el acuerdo en que sea una de mis actividades favoritas que era "relacionadas con la escuela". Disfruté viendo los últimos episodios de algunos de los shows que hemos estado siguiendo. También amé cuando Dr. A dijo que miramos con nuestros corazones, no nuestros cerebros. Yo estaba de acuerdo con cada palabra que estaba diciendo. Observamos por las emociones y los sentimientos. Tuve un gran tiempo el Martes y un buen tiempo este semestre entero. ¡Gracias Dr. A por un gran semestre!

LA SABIDURÍA DE LEONARDO PADRÓN

BLOG TELENOVELAS

LA SABIDURÍA DE LEONARDO PADRÓN

Leonardo Padrón
¿Te has preguntado cómo sería a hablar con un escrito clásico? Alguien con un maestría completa de una idioma que cada palabra y frase que le escrita tira de tu alma emociones que nunca has sentido antes. Alguien con una sabiduría increíble que crees que no va a lograr en toda tu vida. Un escritor como Walt Whitman, Gabriel García Márquez o Emily Brontë. Así, martes, tuve la oportunidad a hablar con una persona que es tan similar a ellos como puede ser, Leonardo Padrón, el escritor y poeta venezolano.
Padrón es el escritor famoso de las telenovelas Cosita Rica, Ciudad Bendita, y La Mujer Perfecta entre otros. También él es un líder de opinión para el país de Venezuela y un gran parte de América Latina. Tiene más seguidores de Twitter de cualquier otra persona que he hablando. Es interesante, aunque él tiene un contrato a Venevisión para escribir nuevas programas, debido de su oposición al gobierno, ninguna de sus telenovelas entran producción. Debido a su posición en Venezuela, el canal no quiere arriesgarlo. Ahora, continúa escribiendo poesía y ensayos entre otras cosas.
Nuestro conversación con Padrón fue un inspiración para muchas razones. El primer es que Padrón nunca vive para asentarse todo el tiempo y ser contenido. Le rompe constantemente el status quo. Cada telenovela escribió fue de ruptura. Desafió el papel de la mujer, no solo en las telenovelas pero también en sociedad por ejemplo por el texto de la mujer perfecta. Obligó gente a pensar sobre de la condición de Venezuela. En el personaje de Olegario en Cosita Rica, hace un comentario sobre del presidente del país, una cosa muy controversial. Por este razón, dice que esta telenovela fue el más difícil de escribir.
Aunque, sea probablemente hasta la interpretación del lector, pienso que Padrón ha escribido sobre de la política en su poesía también. Me gusta mucha, por ejemplo, su poema “Frontera.”
Frontera
Según el salmo de Szymborska
la niebla y el polen se burlan de las fronteras.
No hay tierra prohibida
para la ruta de las nubes.
No hay aduana
para un pájaro nacido en México.
No hay ley que detenga
el viento de los acantilados.
Nadie le pide visa
a la canción de moda.
La frontera es una línea titubeante.
Somos también lo que prohibimos
y lo que anhelamos ser.
Somos el aire.
El paisaje que escapa.
La tierra que duerme al otro lado.
Pienso que esta poema habla a la condición humano y la problemas de refugiados y de inmigración en los Estados Unidos. Lo tiene poderoso.
Un otro razón que me encanta nuestro conversación con Padrón fue su énfasis en educación continuamente. Él lee mucho y dice su casa es como un biblioteca con una cama y una cocina. Con el fin a crear cambio en este mundo, necesita tener la sabiduría de los años pasados.
Esto es lo que aprendí de Leonardo Padrón. Nunca dejar de intentar hacer una diferencia en el mundo y aprender para toda la vida.

Final Thoughts

Throughout the past few weeks, we have had the privilege to skype with various well-known telenovela writers, directors, and actors. First, thanks Dr. A for recruiting such talented people for us to interact with! It was such a pleasure to be able to speak with everyone and get their opinion and point of view. Each person has a different perspective depending on what they do for the telenovela. The actors have their own lives and have to manage, oftentimes, multiple roles. Some characters even play different characters/personalities within the same telenovela. I also wondered what it was really like to be an actor/actress, not that I ever wanted to be on myself, but how other navigated it as a professional career. It is very difficult to be an artist and to pursue something that you truly are passionate about. I feel as if every person that we spoke to was truly passionate about what they did, and that alone was really inspiring.

It was such a pleasure to be able to talk to Leonardo Patron since he is so well-known and has worked on so many productions. I was really struck by the impression that he made, especially with the number of books that he owned. When we watched the final episode of Cosita Rica, I realized that his brain works in a totally different way that most! Everything was so meta and broke every barrier between the audience, the characters, and the plot. I think it’s really cool how he was able to do such a non-traditional ending to such a famous telenovela. It was also really interesting how he was one of the first writers to create an Asperger’s character. The ending of La Mujer Perfecta also broke the “fourth wall”. I hope he continues writing and I look forward to his next production.


Talking to the actors was really interesting, too. You realize that these people are pursuing their passion, but also have to think about everyday things like figuring out their next project. Some actors are hyper sensationalized that we forget they are everyday people. Carlota Sousa had an interesting background since her family was involved in politics. The actor’s futures are uncertain, especially in Venezuela, when they don’t know what their next project will be. Venezuela has only produced one telenovela this year, which means the actors, writers, and producers have to seek other countries for work. If this pattern continues, the future of Venezuela production will be unknown and much of the talent will have left the country seeking better opportunities. I hope that the political situation improves in the next few years for the daily lives of its citizens, but also to to preserve the rich culture and talent of the country.

Why Leonardo Padrón Stayed

From the standpoint of the artist, writing in particular, freedom is of the utmost importance. The ability to create works that accurately depict the experiences of one group, country or humanity as a whole is the essence of what it means to be an artist. However, under strict governmental control, this restricted freedom gravely threatens the sanctity of the art world.

As discussed in class, the Venezuelan government is notorious for their restriction of artistic freedoms. This has stifled the genius of some of the nations most important creative minds, causing many to seek asylum in other countries to continue creating the work they desire. And frankly, that is what I would expect them to do and would likely do myself. Though some of the world's best works were born out of suffering and oppression, today that is not the norm nor the only option for many. Like Leonardo said, many of Venezuelan artists have emigrated to countries like the United States in order to continue creating the works they love while still being able to showcase them to their audiences without fear of persecution by the government.

But he stayed. Leaving only the question, why?

His answer in our in-class interview with him was not only inspiring but also very unexpected. While he lamented that he understood why other artists would leave, he admitted he didn't consider it an option. As a man who is considered an enemy of the Venezuelan state - one who hasn't been able to broadcast his works in several years - you would think he would find the next flight to Miami and start over. But that was not his thought process at all.

His rationale for staying in Venezuela is that it is his home. It's where his "loves" are. In his own words (more or less), "to abandon your country in tough times is like leaving an orphan to fend for itself". In his mind, the more Venezuelans with passion for their mother country who leave and bring their genius and talent with them are doing the country and its people a great disservice. So instead of seeking creative asylum, he remains in Caracas to defend the country he holds so dearly to his heart. Instead of finding freedom elsewhere, he fights for freedom of an entire country.

Not only is that the more difficult option, but the much more inspiring. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to hear his story, and those of the many other famed artists within the telenovela world, in this class. But this instance in particular really showed me how telenovelas are truly the intersection of media, culture and society.