IN MY TELENOVELA CLASS: Conversations with Leonardo Padrón and Roque Valero

The last class of this semester, in which we lectured and discussed as many aspects of telenovelas as possible, finally arrived. Following the course's tradition, I taught the last class at my house with dinner and a Tres Leches for dessert:

That evening we had our two last "Telenovela Conversations" with writer Leonardo Padrón and actor/singer/musician Roque Valero. Both were generous as they shared with us their experiences in the world of telenovelas. My students learned a lot, enjoyed immensely the opportunity to talk to our guests, and were truly delighted when Roque sang for us a fragment of Las Lágrimas Aprenden a Reír.

Following are the two videos of the conversations, where you will find valuable angles and points of view regarding writing, acting and musical composition.





As I finish this semester of "Telenovelas, Culture and Society", I must thank everyone who has talked to me and allowed me to observe her/him as they write, perform, produce or consume telenovelas. Thanks to them, I continue on my research path about this television genre, whose apparent simplicity hides its fascinating complexity. I also thank my 24 students for everything they taught me and for their interesting reflections in our class blog. Finally, thanks to our guests who shared with us their knowledge and talent. They are the indispensable teachers for my class: Marisa Román, Ruxandra Ciobanu, Alberto Gómez, Leonardo Padrón and Roque Valero.

BEHIND THE CAMERAS OF LA VIDA ENTERA-PART 2

In my research with the audience that watches telenovelas and in my classroom, I've found immense curiosity regarding the production of scenes that include kisses. In my recent trip to telenovela LA VIDA ENTERA, I was present during the taping of the scenes of characters Natalia (Daniela Bascopé) and Miky (Roque Valero)'s "first time." This sequence was directed by Luis Alberto Lamata. 

Here's a video I took during the production of these scenes. Turn up the volume of your computer so you can listen to the actors and technical crew. There are a few things to observe in this video:

• The use of the boom (a microphone placed at the end of a long arm, so that it can be located on top of the actors during taping).
• In the first scene we can see the simultaneous use of cameras in two "rooms" of the same set. 
• How the technical crew is dressed in winter-like clothes. TV studios usually have freezing temperatures.
• The importance of music in a telenovela. In my video, you notice the absence of music to set the tone.
• The importance of the different shots by different cameras, and the director's decisions as to the view we will get. Here, we see the scenes through the exclusive "eye" of my small camera.

I would have liked to place here the final--broadcast--version of these scenes. But, these days video sharing systems are closing the accounts of users who place any material related to TV or film, even if it's for educational use. I invite you then to find the scenes on the Web. They belong to Episode 90 which was broadcast in Venezuela on April 2.

A Telenovela's Soundtrack-Part III: Stories' Musical Themes

(Note: Since blogging is new for me, please forgive the clumsiness of my links to music. They will open in a new window and may take a bit to load. With some browsers, the link might not work the first time you click on it. Try again, please)

Just like the most important characters may have their own musical theme, the main storylines also do. Some of these aren't written specifically for a particular plot or telenovela, but work well, nevertheless.

For example, Roque Valero's Ando de Puntillas became the theme of Patria Mía and Vicente in Cosita Rica.




There are themes, though, that are composed with a specific plot in mind. Below, two examples:

In Cosita Rica, Frank Quintero wrote Ella Dos Veces, for the story of Cacique, Verónica and María Suspiro.



In Ciudad Bendita, Roque Valero composed Cuando te Miro, for the love story of Juan and Bendita, the protagonists.