Day 15: A Day in the Life of an Actor
Carmen and I are getting ready for our kitchen scene.
Today was quite the adventure, as it marked the day that we had to film with APAK. We started the day off with an early breakfast followed by a tumultuous bus ride. As we met with our fellow film crew, we all departed for our specific destinations. My group, the traditional food group, headed off to Cotacachi, where we were filming a commercial for a local restaurant run by Carmen and Magdalena.
We all met up to film at Carmen’s house, a large, beautiful home with a slew of farmland, perched between two large mountains. The screen play had been determined the day before via storyboard, so we dove right into filming as soon as we arrived. I had been designated as an actor, as Magdalena liked the idea of having a male character get involved in traditional food cooking.
The commercial was set to begin with me waking up. This scene, which consisted of multiple shots varying from close ups of my eyes and feet to silhouetted figures getting dressed, took approximately 3 hours to film. We then took the bus to a plot of land where the majority of the harvesting took place. It was incredible to watch Carmen and Magdalena, both in respectful ages, working on the land in order to harvest sweet potatoes, ataco grain, and hava beans. Our director, Ati, informed me of how I should act. One scene was focused on Magdalena teaching me how to harvest potatoes. From this experience, I gained a lot of appreciation for acting, respecting the way light and sound are used, along with the camera motions and planning necessary to set up every scene.
Magdalena and Carmen then started a fire, and started cooking maize tortillas. We all got to try some accompanied with a delightful jam, from which fruit I would not be able to say. After this scene, we headed to the restaurant at which Magdalena and Carmen work. Here, we filmed several scenes of the food that had been prepared by a whole crew. During the dinner scene, I got to wear a poncho which was something I had never tried before. Lucky for our group, we got to try alll the delicious food that was prepared. This ranged from local chicken soup,
Nicole is adjusting the lights for a dining scene
potato cakes, peppers in a delicious sauce, rice with ataco grains, and sweet potato chips. It was some of the most authentic and delicious food I had ever tasted; every bite presented a distinct and heart-warming flavor.
It was an amazing experience to get to know the women at the restaurant and the film crew form APAK. The time and dedication put into the food and the commercial was unparalleled and made me truly appreciate the art of traditional food making and the art of film-making. Furthermore, I gained a lot of respect for actors, whose scenes sometimes take hours to perfect.
After filming, the class had been invited to attend an Ecuadorian street party. After an hour at the hotel, we all took a van out to the rural parts of Otavalo. Though it was night and rather cold, the streets were packed with life. The street party involved a large gathering of people playing a slew of string instruments. Men and women were singing and dancing around in a circle. It was very unique, as the group would enter people’s yards and sing and dance for a length of time. The homeowner would eventually come out and serve the party-goers drinks and corn, occasionally mixed with chicken. On top of that magical experience, the sky was sparkling with an array of stars. Since there is very little light pollution where we were, the star visibility was intense. In fact, many of us saw several shooting stars. Overall, it was an incredible day filled with several engagements with Ecuadorian locals, a unique experience imperative when studying abroad!
Olivia and Maddie take a selfie with Jumandi as they work behind the scenes.