7 minute read
Guates. A documentary film about Joropo
Guates. El Joropo contra las cuerdas Guates. Joropo on the ropes Director Diego Gutiérrez Country Colombia Duration 52’ Genre Documentary Language Spanish Location Colombian Western Plains Script Cesar Cano Research Nancy Espinel, Darío Robayo, Jhon Moreno, Sebastián Fagua, Jessica Gálvez.
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Guates, Joropo on the ropes is the documentary that highlights one of the most polemic and complex discussions in the Colombian western plains: The transformation of Joropo. Plainsmusic has been taken hostage to define what it means to be a plainsman without giving room to deviant manifestations. In this scenario, Guates confronts the most canonic postures about the music with the newer and more disruptive approaches to the phenomenon of the plains and its culture. A guate isn’t a plainsman, comes from the mountains but lives plainsmusic and identifies with its symbols. Music is the bridge between the guate and the plainsman, and the conflict amongst different realities results in a consensus on the issues that affect them all.
In this tale about transformation musical exponents, researchers, folklorists and specialists come together to talk about history, territory and change in today’s plains.
SYNOPSIS
This is a documentary about Joropo. The music of the plains talks about the vanishing ways of life of a region that ignores the changes that are evident in almost every aspect of everyday life. Joropo stands today with one foot in the furthest past of its origin: the indigenous communities, the cowboy and the fieldwork; and the other foot in a swirl of new social, economic and cultural practices for which it is not ready. This is the story of how Joropo got to this place.
LOGLINE
STATUS OF PROJECT
Guates has already finished its development stage and it’s ready to begin production. In the develop ment stage we landed on the main idea for the docu mentary and started contacting both musicians and academics to weigh in on the discussion.
Nancy Espinel, Darío Robayo, Jhon Moreno and Sebas tián Fagua are the main researchers and have come along in the journey of developing the idea, provided their critiques and influenced on the aesthetic choi ces that were made. They will provide the academic outlook on the issue at hand. We also approached some of the most spectacular alive performers of plainsmusic to contrast their artistic point of view with the academic analysis. The following artists have validated the premise of Guates and have confirmed their participation: David Parales, Yesid Castro, Abdul Farfán, Juan Pablo Rodríguez (Bordón libre), Carlos Alfonso López (Palo Cruza’o), Grupo Cimarrón, Chi mó psicodélico, The Criollos and Fabio Quintero (El Yopo). These comprise a wide range of musical ex pressions and will be at the center of the discussion about plainsmusic transformation.
During the development stage we carried out arran gements with the artists and academics for the use of their images. The audiovisual pieces coming from third parties will be used under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, where allowance is made for “fair use”. In any case, the use of AV resources will be limited to two pieces per artist. The material will come from the public archives, directly provided by the artist and/or shot by De la Cruz. The musical com position will be mediated by the model of work made for hire that will ensure the rights of usage, distribu tion and commercialization.
The Criollos: The Criollos shows the virtues of plainsmusic mixed with a diversity of rhythms, taking the listener to a new musical sensation.
Grupo Cimarrón: Cimarrón performs joropo music from the Plains of the Orinoco River with a global and contemporary sound. Their powerful scenic force achieves a unique blend of its Andalusian, Indigenous American and African roots, with an impetuous and deep ethnic singing, amazing stomp dance and fierce instrumental virtuosity of strings and percussions.
Guates is made with the intention of sparking a public debate that’s been unknown for more than 40 years. The audience for Guates is mainly the people from the Colombian Western Plains. These are the people we aim for in the narrative of the story, since it pertains to their local identity. This public is located in the Colombian western plains, characterized for being a geographically wide territory, with middle to small cities to which cinema arrives through public television, internet connection in the towns and generally, through the pirate market in faraway villages. For the documentary to be seen, it is necessary to resort to both conventional and non-conventional distribution strategies.
As there aren’t any stablished distributors in the majority of the territory, we will try to have Guates programmed in the different Llanero festivals across the region. It is foreseen that the theme and critical approach of the film won`t be well received by these state festivals. That’s why we are looking for international screenings to vouch for the seriousness of the documentary so we can break that barrier. Moreover, Guates will broadcasted in Señal Colombia, the public channel with the biggest reach in the plains. We will also make low-cost copies of the film and will allow for the digital copy of it in that territory. Organic distribution and even the leaking of the material to the pirate market will be strategic in the spreading of the message and the sparking of the debate for which we aim. Finally, and since the film’s content is of interest for both the Colombian and international public, we will pursue its diffusion in festivals. Nonetheless, we will prioritize the plain’s audience over these markets. Since the development we consider that the film’s success lies in its echoes within the plains themselves.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Music, territory and identity
The logic behind the story is the contrast and collision of the different approaches to understanding life on the plains. That way, what we intend as the debate of the different kinds of plainsmusic will be translated into the screen by using visual referents from every lifestyle. On the one hand, there will be a focus on the genesis of Joropo. Images of large fields, delivered by soft camera movements and natural colors will drive the argument about the natural occurrence of the music. On the other hand, the arrival of newer urban takes on the traditional music will be delivered via images of parks, buildings, factories, highways in strident changes in perspective. In general, is a contrastive composition of spaces, which can be open like the savannah, or enclosed like a home studio.
The visual component of the documentary is made up of ample spaces, images with great depth of field that evidence the immensity of the territory. The images will bounce between summer and winter scenarios, we will highlight the green and orange tones the ambience offers. The characters will be presented with backgrounds that correlate to their provenance and stance on the issue. We will also use for the first time in a documentary the press archives of the Province of Meta which are being digitalized at the moment.
The collision between the styles of music will be structured taking as a reference the articulation of characters shown in “Red Army” (2004), where these are presented in a chain of conflicts left unresolved. The objective is to visually create a dialogic tension among postures so that it illustrates the complexities of the musical development in the region. The analysts will explain how the music relates to identity from different perspectives. A similar treatment of such an abstract topic can be found in the documentary about the war on drugs, “The Culture High” (2014).
Music transformation is the central argument of the documentary, so it will guide the sound development of the narrative. We will start in the Bajnakabos Chants of the Sikuani tribe, first nations of the territory. This is the root for one of the most prominent sounds of the plains: the Llano worksongs. This acapella chants open the way for the maracas (indigenous instrument) and string instruments (bandola, cuatro, tiple, guitarrón). The harp will turn up in the story to complete the ensemble and guide the discussion between analysts and exponents in the background. The incidental music will be written by Darío Robayo. He will have the freedom to prepare pieces which reflect the transition and will also improvise to showcase the naturalness of the musicians of the plains.
The money raised here is a fraction of the general budget to finish Guates. We are applying to state funding and comple mentary resources to complete the budget. Guates is ready for filming. Interviews are scheduled in first trimester 2020.
Items in the budget: - Research - Development - Imaginary script - Legal consulting - Artists approachment - Equipment rental - Filming interviews - Archive adquisition - Original soundtrack production - Transportation (Car, plane and boat) - Postproduction (Editing, color grading) - Sound mix - Music licences payments - Animation - Finishing - Distribution strategy - Crew’s payments
