The Little Engine That Could

BAM, Locamotion rolling all up in your face! Sorry, but Loca’s lingo is too fun to say; it just rolls off the tongue. I’m sure you’ve caught yourself repeating a few of Loca’s signature expressions.

That’s the thing about Loca, you take away the racism, stereotyping and bashing aspects associated with Loca and you’ll find that Loca is fun. She has a sense of humor, great wit and at an outrageous perspective on daily life. The trouble is some people can’t get past the negative aspects of Loca, and I have to admit, I can understand their position. The cholo culture brings up a lot of negative images; cholos are thugs, dope dealers, drug addicts and welfare recipients and there’s nothing funny about these images. I’m not going to address these issues here, but rather, I want to talk about how we developed the film’s story with these aspects in mind.

As Angel and I continuously adjust Loca’s story, I keep thinking about these two viewpoints that viewers bring to Loca. There’s Loca the comedian and Loca the hated chola. However there’s also a third side, Loca’s internal motivation. At the heart I believe Loca is like “The Little Engine That Could”, she thinks she can or as Loca might put it, “ Damn fool, get the hell out of Loca’s way!” In plain speak, Loca believes she will over come the barrio life by remaining a virgin and going to college to achieve her dream of becoming a filmmaker. It’s here on this perspective that Angel and I chose to focus our story. Loca, like any good dramatic character, is striving for a better life while overcoming difficult situations.

Now that I’ve set the stage, here’s the story. Loca is about to complete her most important project, her college video submission. Prompted by the racial comments from the YouTube board, such as “fuckin Mexicans we need to get rid of them”, Loca talks to friends, neighbors and community leaders on how to handle the discrimination she faces as the subject for her video. However, before Loca can finish her video, her camera is stolen and destroyed. As Loca looks to complete her project she tangles with a clothing stylist, two opportunistic homies (the photo above) and an eccentric woman that make her journey the more difficult. I won’t give away the ending but we believe this story finds the balance between the negative and humorous aspects of Loca, while she continues to grow as a character.

At this point we are almost half way through filming, with two very big shoot days next week. Our deadline is fast approaching and we have a lot of work to complete. As I continue to write entries about our production I’ll try to elaborate more on how we wrote the screenplay and found the balance of all the story’s perspectives. Like Loca herself, we still have to overcome some difficult obstacles to complete this film but as the little engine from the barrio would say, “Toot, Toot, can’t stop the Locamotion. Much love and respect everybody”.

pm

Location, Location, Location

A funny thing about making films, it’s all about location! I’ve come to realize that without a location it doesn’t matter how many actors, equipment, and crew members there are, if there’s no place to shoot, then there’s no shoot! Well, fortunately Angel knows people who know people, and today we went to visit a café owner to see if his café would be a good fit for our LittleLoca project. (The picture above is a test shot to see how the scene might be framed. I hope Angel doesn’t see this picture, she’ll kill me if she knows I used it).

The owner of the café was very cordial. He permitted us to move tables, shoot photos and he even turned the music off so we could get a gauge on the noise level in the café, which was still very noisy from exhaust fans, clanking dishes and people chatter. We talked with the owner for twenty minutes before he mentioned a fee of $200. Well, Angel and I admitted that the price was a bargain, considering that we were going to close down a section of the café for an afternoon. However, as Angel and I talked, we began to consider that we should bring in an audio professional to assist us so we could shoot the scene quickly, which brought the cost up to almost a $1,000! Again, it’s not much money if you have a budget. The trouble is we don’t have a budget.

When we began this project our plan was to show this film in segments on YouTube where production value is done on the cheap! (This by the way was in the works before the LonelyGirl15 revelation came out…just some trivia for the YouTubers). However, as we started to tell friends about our film with Stevie, the news traveled around until it reached the founders of “The Other Venice Film Festival”. As it turned out, one of the festival’s directors was familiar with LittleLoca and asked us to submit the film for the next festival. I believe my response was, “What? Wow, …what? Are you sure?” Then I fell to the floor having just realized that our small Internet film had just been called up to the big screen.

Needless to say the pressure was on. Angel and I wondered how we would shoot a film with no budget and little resources. Our answer was to shoot it guerilla style! Shoot it fast, free and creatively. In case you don’t know our meaning of the word “creatively”, it means beg, barrow and steal whatever is necessary to get the job done. If you read my first entry then you know that Angel and I are extremely experienced in being very “creative”. Well, after leaving the Café we realized that paying for a location and hiring an audio professional goes against shooting guerilla style, and after all, rules are rules. At this moment, we are rewriting the café scene to an outdoor scene that will cost us little to nothing, exactly within our budget.

I guess the real estate people are right. It’s all about location, location and location, and if the first location doesn’t work out there’s always another one just around the corner. I’ve also realized that having limited funds doesn’t mean that our project is undoable it just means we have to be more creative.

More about the story to come…stay tuned,
Paul m

YouTube.com a typical community?

The following are a few YouTube comments made by viewers on one of Stevie Ryan’s LittleLoca videos. They are presented as they were written:

maltedm
LIL LOCA IS EXPOSING ALL YOU AMERICANS FOR THE RACISTS YOU ARE....IT'S A HOAX YOU MORONS!!!....I KNOW MORE ABOUT THE LATIN COMMUNITY OF LA THAN YOU ALL AND I'M FUCKING ENGLISH!!!.....IF YOU THINK ALL LATINOS ARE GANGBANGERS, THEN LIL LOCA IS EXPOSING YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE...I SAW THROUGH IT ON DAY ONE.....

GabTheScab
how would you know more about the Hispanic community in LA than any American on this video forum? and why do you assume that all Latin Americans live in LA? if you actually lived around Hispanic American hip-hops you would understand why this is funny. if you want to point your finger with proper terminology you would say that Loca is being sardonic towards hip-hop culter and ethnocentric -- not racist, as most Hispanics are considered caucasoid and Loca isn't poking fun at caucasians.

rangerwest
WOW you guys are hilarious. Talent. The new Cheech and Chong.

hurrcane
i dont see anyone ASSUMING THEY ARE REAL and btw, the fact that silent girl is probably a joke doesnt necessarily undermine anything. 'real' latinos are allowed to have a sense of humor too.

SpeakingMyMind
So this stupid spick bitch made this video to talk shit on everyone? Damnit I hate you fuckin PLAGUERATS. GTFO Spicks. Your countries suck, so you come ruin ours, you lawncare fucks are fuckin disgusting.

jesikasaeffing
hahaaha iloveyour videos girl :]

Redbeast411
anyone that says la raza can suck my dick. fuck la raza and fuck mexico and fuck latinos.

JapaneseWomanTy
aww I love it im so proud to be Latina

NickInjecton
YOU ARE AN IGNORANT BRAINWASHED MTV ZOMBIE. READ A BOOK AND STOP ACTING IN A MANNER THAT MAKES SPANISH PEOPLE SEEM IGNORANT AND UGLY. YOU MAKE SPANISH PEOPLE LOOK BAD!

******

I was going to write an entry on why we chose to produce a short film but I thought it would be better to let you read a few of the comments that show the diversity of emotions, opinions and beliefs that people bring to Stevie Ryan’s videos. As a filmmaker it’s a gift to find a story that has already sparked passionate debate and interest. Angel and I didn’t pick this story because of the controversial aspect, but rather, because art sparks debate and questions.

We became involved in this story because Stevie managed to raise numerous questions through her videos. What is racism and stereotyping? What is culture vs. conformance? What is humor vs. mockery? What is confidence vs. arrogance? What is free speech vs. hate bashing? Finally, is the YoutTube community a reflection of societies attitudes or immature posturing?

Of course we know that we will not be able to answer these questions in a twenty-minute video. We also know that it would be easier to ignore this story and not stir up heated emotions such as racism and stereotypes but when an issue settles in your gut and compels you to take action, there is nothing else to do but to see it through and make a statement. Anyhow, as we progress I’ll try to give you some insight on how we came to develop the film’s story and remain true to our artistic voice.

Stay tuned,
Paul m

Our First Video - A Humble Beginning

While Angel is busy working on our video project, I thought I would sneak in a blog entry while I have the chance.

More than a few years ago I met Angel while working for a computer accessory manufacture. Angel was brought in to help us create a corporate video. As I showed Angel around the company and how much material we needed to cover, Angel seemed to be enthused to get the job done, that is, until she saw the equipment she would have to use to produce the video.

The company we were working for was not huge by Microsoft’s standard, but it was no mom and popshop either. This company had money! It was selling over 500 million dollars a year with over two thousands different products in retail stores such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and Wal-Mart. I’m sure when Angel learned all this she was expecting to work with a professional camera and full video editing bay. I’ll never forget the look on Angel’s face when I gave her a small $150 hi8 video camera and told her that our editing software was a bootleg program running on an old computer. If I remember correctly, I think Angel actually laughed. I didn’t blame her; after all, she had been on real motion picture movie set.

I’m not sure why Angel stuck around and finished the corporate video. As we worked together, I think we had a conversation about how we had nowhere to go but up with the company. We figured that if we could make a decent video with what we had then maybe, we could eventually, beg, borrow and steal better equipment. Sure enough, after a year we had worked up to a six thousand video camera and a thirty thousand video editing system. We finally had what we needed to produce quality videos but, as it turned out we didn’t have everything we wanted. After producing numerous corporate videos we found out that we wanted the FREEDOM to be more creative. Corporate work paid the bills but it didn’t fulfill our creative urges.

So here we are back at square one. As we start our project with Stevie, Angel and I laughed at ourselves, recognizing that we have no right to produce a short film with the lack of equipment we have in our possession. In fact, it’s down right insane to attempt a film with little to no equipment, no budget and no way of selling the video after it’s completed. So why do it? That’s a question we’ve been asking ourselves since we committed to the project. When I know the answer I’ll let you know. However, I do know for a fact that we will not let a lack of resources keep us from doing what we have to do. After all, we did it once we can do it again. We’ll start with almost nothing and somehow we’ll beg, borrow and steal (well, maybe we won’t steal) to get this project done. I’m sure we’ll grow from this experience, besides we have nowhere to go but up!

As we progress with this project with Stevie, I ‘ll keep you updated in this blog on how we manage to script, film and postproduce the video. Stay tuned…

Thanks
Paul M

Latina Lista: Women-led Websites are Turning Up the Volume on Today's Issues

Latina Lista: Women-led Websites are Turning Up the Volume on Today's Issues

And... Action!

Paul and I could've never anticipated the amazing response to Bullfighter's Cafe. I mean there we were in our little disconnected corporate world thinking..."are there any people put there like us?" In the last few months we've connected with people all across the country who are making changes in their communities through art. We will have some pretty fantastic content coming up. Thank yous are in order to:
Luis Chaluisan who produces avant garde theater in the Bronx and has challenged me to produce a documentary on my late brother Rick Aviles. He also pointed me in the direction on Youtube celeb LittleLoca who I will be interviewing this afternoon.
Luis Rodriguez- amazing author and political commentator for opening Tia Chuchas cafe cultural to raise up thinkers. I met Luis at the Pasadena Cinco De M ayo Festival and he was so positive and excited for us. In the next few months we will be working on an article about Tia Chuchas.
Eric Cartel- I started writing reviews for Musica 360 last month. I came across a band I didn't care for and wrote Eric a note to say I didn't want to send a bad review. He wrote me back to say he values integrity and wanted me to say what was on my mind. His site is commercial but he still wants to do the "write" thing!
My partne PAUL Martinez -who has stuck by me through thick and thin. We have come to the near starvation at times but he's never abandoned ship! We couldn't be two more different people and yet, the combo works. He always sends me articles to inspire me http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060531/ap_on_re_us/graffiti_wars (Yahoo headline "NYC graffiti artists target councilman") We will be doing a feature on Graff in the next couple of months.
Of course my thanks go everyday to God, mom (RIP-I love you), Rico (my hubs- 15 years holmes and you still rock my world) and my kids (I may seem crazy now but you'll understand one day...)

Thanks to everyone who supports us and LA Causa!

It's getting Hot out there!

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and his Bolivian ally, Evo Morales, stir things up in Europe.

Micky D's Using Latinos to Promote its Cafe

Steven Soderbergh to direct a biopic of Che Guevara

Latinos Protest Immigration Bill

We're here, we're there, we everywhere. We're HOT and we ain't going nowhere but up.
Adelante!

La Fiesta Broadway

The smell of carne asada lingers in the air as Paul and I make our way down seventh street. A man with a walkie talkie motions us away. He tells us that seventh street is exit only and entrance only on sixth or eighth street. A tinge of pride runs up my spine as I think to myself "We are SO organized !" As we enter what is known as the largest scale Latino event in the country, there is barley any evidence of a crowd. We arrive on Broadway and "Holy mole! "Thousands of people, vendors everywhere and man its loud! Music, announcers with telenovela voices and laughter. Who knew that The Fiesta Broadway would still attract so many people on the day before the now famous "Uno de Mayo, Dia sin Latinos."

People are being taken off job sites and being asked to prove their citizenship. I've never really feared that I could be the target of a racial profile. "I'm too educated." To "whitewashed". Lately though...I scared. I'm brown. I like to paint. What happens, if I go to my daughter's school in my overalls and I forget my birth certificate? Remember the Japanese Americans that were forced to live on concentration camps in the 1940's? Ok, maybe I'm exagerating a bit...or maybe not.

There are two sides to a major immigration issue going on but as always, fear seems to be propelling the strongest arguements on both sides. Paul and I try really hard NOT to take publically take political sides on issues. We want bullfighterscafe.com to be a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves freely. We are learning alot just keeping our big mouths shut and LISTENING. Amazing concept huh?

So how was the Fiesta? We had fun. It was nice walking for miles, talkng to people about what they did. People were giving away stuff like it was going out of style. With Latinos, you can always expect great food, music and beautiful people and as corporate America is finding out...you can always count on a crowd.

The Question

As we often do, Paul and I spent an hour on the phone discussing art, passion and the quest for perfection. We began to ponder if as artist, we would ever be able to look back at a piece of our work and be completely satisfied. Maybe the journey of creation is the fuel for our passion and thus needs to be enjoyed more. Heck maybe we just need to be more raw, productive and unafraid to reveal our process.

In the mid 80's, I was a teenager and Jean-Michel Basquiat was hot. I didn't get it. It wasn't until recently that I came upon some of his works that I saw something amazing. In work I had previously viewed as chaotic and random, I now see FREEDOM, FEARLESSNESS and passion. From a purely cultural standpoint I finally understand how the fire burned within the artist and he let it be. Maybe he hated some elements of his work and he covered it over with layer upon layer. The end result was the revelation of a complex process he was unashamed to show.

Robert Rodriguez made El Mariachi. I adore Robert on so many levels but. Come on! Basic story... The acting left something to be desired and technically... it was a C. But he DID IT, and he is my hero. This is not a review of either Basquiat's or Rodriguez's work. It is my epiphany. I have worked so hard to be in control of my fire that I have missed many opportunities. I was afraid of imperfection, criticism, or failure so I have tweaked and edited my work to the point of nonexistence. My results are like a nightmare that leaves me screaming without sound and paralyzed with a desire to run. So the question is do I wait for perfection or do I jump in and create and allow the evolution of things learned to not only transform my work but my very self?

El Cuento

Many of years ago, my mom took me to Puerto Rico and I made the mistake of asking our waiter for "el cuento." Mom explained that I’d asked the young man to "give me the story" or "spin me a tale." We laughed and I’ve been the one "telling and spinning" ever since. I wonder how you got here...

As I write this blog, I don’t know.

My partner Paul seems to think that my filmography may have something to do with it. For those of you who don’t know...
I used to be an actress. I am most recognized for my parts in Allison Anders’ film Mi Vida Loca and Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado. My most FAQ is: Why did I stop? There are so many reasons but only one lead to the creation of this site. PASSION. It exists in all humanity but for the artist, it is fuel. The very thing that wakes us in the morning and deprives us sleep at night. I was not passionate about acting. I was blessed to work and I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world BUT acting was a job. It wasn’t until I worked on Desperado and saw Robert editing on an NLE that I became fascinated with the digital world. I went back to school.

I fell in love with multimedia production. I began to compose stories in my mind. I met my friend and business partner Paul Martinez. An artist with PASSION who was stuck in a JOB. We decided to do our own thing and starve!

Today we own a small media production studio in Los Angeles. We design marketing tools. Sometimes I love what we do, sometimes it’s frustrating. This site is our baby. We have so many hopes for it. Paul and I want to share what we do. Not what we get PAID to do but what we must do to stay sane. Some will like it, some will hate it. In the end I hope it inspires you to be better at whatever you do. I would not be here if it weren’t for so many people who inspired me.

If Bullfighter’s Café thrives as a space that encourages creativity we will die happy. If you to create, I hope you will visit often and participate.