Buena Gente

Hi Everyone,

Don't worry I didn't forget about you. Just been really occupied with the many things going on. We are working on securing sponsors for our theatrical release in November from Coliseum Cinemas in Washington Heights.

We had successful showings during Labor Day Weekend from Anacaona Dominican Theater. Many viewers referred people to attend the following screenings. We appreciate everyone's support. Check out this video.

Before Buena Gente makes it to the theater, it has a commitment with a certain college. We're bringing our film to, my alma mater, St. Francis College in Downtown Brooklyn on Wednesday, October 21st. Check back for further details. Expect the DVD later this year.

We just keep working and gaining momentum. Sometimes we can get down if things don't happen as quickly as we'd like them to, but the idea is to keep going & learning along the way. Hope to see you soon. Take care.

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who came out to our Harlem Premiere in July. We have several screenings coming up as we continue to share the film with the public. Buena Gente will be premiering in the Heights Labor Day Weekend. Visit our site for all the information. Thank you to everyone for their continued support.

Also we have our first critic review by Fernando Campos from the latest edition of El Especial (The Special) Newspaper.

CINE: FABIÁN BÁEZ PRESENTA SU ‘ÓPERA PRIMA”

A la lista de dominicanos que comienzan a hacer sentir su presencia en el medio nuestro, ahora podemos agregar el nombre del joven realizador fílmico Fabián Báez, quien hace poco completó su “ópera prima”, titulada “Buena Gente”, que también sirvió de vehículo para darnos a conocer a un buen grupo de actores, nuevos para nosotros, que encajan bien dentro del marco neorrealista que Báez quiso captar.

No se trata de un marco agradable, ya que retrata en forma visceral las lacras que pesan sobre una comunidad que se abre paso en un medio inhóspito, en este caso las grandes barriadas hispanas de Nueva York. Pero no fue propósito de Báez dar lustre a esa realidad urbana, y menos aún esconder sus aspectos más repugnantes. Cada escena de su película es el testimonio de un observador que sólo relata lo que a diario vive un sector habitado por los menos afortunados, y en particular por una juventud cuya existencia afronta retos difíciles de superar.

Por sobre todo, “Buena Gente” muestra cómo interacciona la juventud ante la irresponsabilidad sexual, puesta en manifiesto en todo su grosor en escenas que de seguro han de parecer chocantes. Y en forma cruda también penetra en el entorno de un narcotraficante, destino fácil y funesto de muchos marginados. Ahora bien, ciertas sensibilidades se sentirán ofendidas con el lenguaje procaz que impera a través de toda la película. Pero si desde aquí levantamos una legítima objeción se debe más bien a que se hacía difícil entender buena parte de los diálogos porque muchos de los actores en vez de hablar a veces susurraban.

Ello no obstante, en el lado positivo hay que situar el trabajo de fotografía, logrado con bastante nitidez, que contó con la asistencia de Jared Kasanofsky. Pero, independiente de los balbuceos que ya señalamos, lo que más nos impresionó fue el naturalismo evidente en los actores, empezando por Nick Talentino, en el papel central del joven “Chris”, que es víctima de sus propios excesos sexuales; Yomaris Maldonado, como “Desiree”, su prometida que lo abandona; y Raidirys Rivas, en el papel de la amiga “Tatiana”, que forma parte de la extraña ecuación.

Entre los que también brindaron actuaciones que merecen atención, cabe destacar a un actor con el improbable nombre de Its Him, que hace el papel del siniestro “Vice”; la actriz de carácter Altagracia Guzmán, muy a tono con el personaje de la abuela de “Chris”; y en papeles subalternos Eugene Dundon y Denise Herrera. Pero en síntesis, lo más importante es que en Fabián Báez ha surgido un realizador que promete mucho, y esperamos poder seguir aquilatando su crecimiento en años venideros.

This is our biggest week as we have numerous things to coordinate for our Harlem Premiere Saturday, July 25th from the Maysles Cinema. Buena Gente has been blessed. We have worked really hard to put this event together and look forward to a great turnout. We have many talented people who helped make this project a reality and in less than a year's time Buena Gente is now ready for the world to see.

We are currently working on more NYC screenings & film festival entries to present our film to as many people as possible. The Two-Disc DVD Starter Edition is being finalized and we hope to have it available for sale in August. The edition will have a behind the scenes look at how we made this film with limited funds, but an abundance of planning, energy and networking. It'll include music videos, public service announcements (PSAs), feature commentary & much more. It'll be available on this site and we are in talks with neighborhood music/movie retail stores, too. There are still "mom & pop" places out there that could help us reach our target audience. Being in the community, feeling the energy & talking to people this past weekend, as we were putting up promotional posters, proved that many people want to see this movie. We don't have many films that speak to our existence as Latinos in this city.  

Keep in mind, Buena Gente is completely independent so we will keep pushing our film. We are in talks with certain industry people, but we are not waiting around for any company to validate us. We are giving ourselves the green light to go forward. There are festival award winning films sitting on the shelf. One of our goals is to create our own lane in the greater American movie system. We'd like to be acknowledged in the system, but are ready to establish our product and bring it to our audience independently. No matter what we have to go 100%. So many times people just talk & talk, but never do anything. Many of them have their own agenda & disregard others.  I've been reminded of something I learned many years ago. Don't just listen to what people say, watch what they do. You'll find out a lot about people by their actions.

We hope to see as many of you as possible on the 25th. Thanks for your support.

We're currently working on some Special Features for our Buena Gente Two-Disc DVD Starter Edition. It will be available in July. That's the DVD Set to get; it'll have audio commentary, experiences from the principal cast, production breakdown & much more exclusive content only for the DVD Set reasonably priced around $20. We are self-distributing it through CreateSpace; a company affiliated with Amazon. I have learned a lot about the process so far. We aren't waiting for a company to tell us whether they do or don't want to distribute Buena Gente; we know it's a great film so we're bringing it hot & direct to the public. We are also working on getting Buena Gente to play in local theaters, institutes, etc. The campaign is in full swing as we want New York & the rest of the world to see this timely film. Buena Gente is on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace & working it as best we can to connect with people & promote our product.

One thing I want to add is that sometimes people don't bother returning calls, emails, etc. I believe it's really important to travel down different avenues to get achieve your goal. Let's not wait for anyone because the truth is they don't care as much as we do. Go to the Buena Gente home page to become a member of the BG community and you'll SAVE on the Buena Gente DVD set. You can also view our new trailer & download the movie poster. Also check out the new Talentino video 'Seduction on the Telephone.' 

One Great Movie to Watch: Chinatown starring Jack Nicholson & Faye Dunaway

One Great Book to Read: (I plan to get it soon)

Fans, Friends, Followers: Building An Audience & A Creative Career in the Digital Age by Scott Kirsner

All the best,

Fabian Baez

Creator, Buena Gente

Hello everyone

Just wanted to share some helpful information for writers, producers, directors, actors, etc. If you are involved in the moviemaking process there are a lot of great sites and tools to help you achieve your goals.

For anyone wanting to learn about independent film distribution, sales, film markets & more; please visit www.FilmSpecific.com, the site's creator, Stacey Parks, has a phenomenal book titled, "The Insider's Guide To Independent Film Distribution." They have a membership for a small monthly fee & you get access to a lot of useful information & yes, I'm a member.

Michael Wiese Productions (www.shop.mwp.com) has a number of tremendous books on acting, directing, film financing among other topics. I would definitely visit their site if you want to learn more about your craft. I have many books from them.

Another great tool for filmmakers is www.withoutabox.com. They work hand in hand with all the film festivals. That's where we registered Buena Gente and they are associated with the Internet Movie Database (IMDB). The same day we submitted our project to the NY Latino Film Festival, we received an email to create our film's page on IMDB www.imdb.com/title/tt1418849/. Without A Box also has options to sell your film directly to the public & really empower artists in this digital & do-it-yourself age.   

I hope this has been helpful. Please share any information you may have, too. Remember, Buena Gente is coming this summer. We have some big announcements on the horizon. Thanks for visiting & come back soon.

All the best,

FB

Hi Everyone

Hope all of you are doing well. I appreciate you taking the time to check out the Buena Gente blog. Quite a few things have occurred since the last entry. Let's jump right into it.

The last time I wrote you guys I mentioned we weren't able to make the early deadline for the NY Latino Film Festival. So we continued working towards the next deadline. In early March we had a test screening, which resulted in mostly positive feedback. We got a lot of good pointers from the questionnaires that helped us sharpen the film while we were working with the rough edit. At the time of the screening we still had some audio & music to lay down in order to complete the film. Doing a test screening was a little scary, exciting & intriguing all at the same time. Scary because I knew it was still a work in progress and I hoped people would enjoy what they would see at that time. Obviously anytime you create a piece of art, expressing something important to you, it's exhilarating to share it. Finally, I was curious to get people's response to the film. The audience was made up of family, friends, people we communicated with online (myspace, facebook, etc.) and some supporters. We didn't have to advertise too much because many people wanted to attend the screening and the place filled up quickly. Test screenings are necessary to get valuable information from people who are not involved in the project.

We had a great composer named Oliver James who helped us tremendously with the sound design & music for the film. A number of talented artists provided their time and assistance to the score. Several actors helped us with needed voiceovers. We put in a lot of long hours to finalize everything on the film. Over the last 3 months in post production, I was up late (past 3, 4am) so many times. Two months editing the film then a little over a month working on the sound and score. Once I was in the process, I wanted to keep going to really fine tune the film.

Luckily, the deadline for the NY Latino Film Festival was extended until April 10th. When our film was submitted on that day there was a small sense of accomplishment. But now it's onto the next phase. While the festival people review all the submissions, our press kit has to be completed, the poster has to be created & we have to continue promoting the film. Hopefully, by late May we should receive word regarding our entry into the competition. The festival takes place in late July. In addition to that I have started working on the next script.

It's important to believe in & protect what you are doing. I can tell you that I didn't do a lot of things in the conventional way. I tried to make the best of the circumstances and go from there. Sometimes you may run into people who will try to fool, persuade or even bully you into what they want. You have to remain focused on what you want to achieve. I feel a great sense of responsibility to help make this a success for all our contributors. If someone doesn't understand or doesn't care to, that's there problem. Get rid of them. As artists, actually first & foremost as people, we must surround ourselves with people who care about us & what we are doing. That's a lesson that has been reinforced to me during this time.

Our film is an independent production made on a very small budget. Now if you compare it to a studio picture then the differences will seem immense, as far as, cast, production value, etc. But when you see it, please view it for what it is. A first time feature made with limited time & resources, but an abundance of desire, energy & teamwork. I'm confident if viewers take that approach, they will enjoy Buena Gente very much. Thank you

New trailer coming soon. Buena Gente - this Summer

WARNING: This blog is rated R for strong language and real thoughts. Readers are advised to not try these methods without consulting a physician, parent, roommate or significant other.

2/26 7pm - Ok, let me work on the last scene here where Dez & Naomi go to Chris' job with important news. This is a short scene, it shouldn't take long....

9pm - Shit, hold on I can't use that cuz the next shot doesn't match his posture, it'll look awkward. Oh, fuck you looked into the camera..Let me shave this down a lil then..thank God for different takes & angles..(Random thought) Damn, she did a nice job right there, she looks so sexy...

11pm - Wow, it's 11 already, I gotta hurry up and burn this DVD to submit tomorrow. I'm going down to Lafayette myself, fuck the mail..What am I gonna wear for the test screening? Oh, yeah I haven't worn that jacket yet. Maybe I'll go with that scarf and the matching glasses. What event am I gonna come up with next? (Random thought) Gotta do whatever's necessary to keep Buena Gente on people's minds. These guys did an incredible job. This movie is gonna make a huge statement. I need an agent. 

12:30 - Wonder how it's going at Red Lounge.. (flashback to Wed 2/25) "Yo, you aren't coming tonight?" "Nah, gotta finish the edit, I broke night Tuesday, you know I would be there, but regardless rock out." 

A moment later: "Hey Fabe, can you text me the address to the club?" "Tato"

2am - It's fuckin' 2am, I gotta hurry up, I'll probably break night again. 2am, anda el diablo, I forgot to put in that flashback, let me do that real quick.. (Random thought) Yo, people are gonna love this movie, fuck that shit... (Random thought) Look at that stack of movies I haven't even seen yet, but I'm making my own, though.

Ok, 94 minutes and that's without titles, the script has 93 pages, usually 1 script page=1 minute onscreen.

4am - (reality set in) Aw, man, I need a dual layer DVD to burn this. FUCK! I really wanted to turn this in early, I know it's a work in progress, but... Let me try something (moments later) ok, that's gonna take a while, lemme crash right here. (Random thought, watching Monster's Ball) Heath Ledger (R.I.P) was so talented.

6am (tired, a bit disappointed) That shit ain't working, well everything happens for a reason. I'll just be ready for the final deadline then. Lemme lay down for a while. Fuck it, I'm not gonna complain cuz I signed up for this..I'll get better at this with time.

HAPPY DOMINICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

Test screenings are a device used to gauge public reaction to films before they reach the overall masses. Usually they are missing a few elements while still in post-productuion. I'm happy to announce that Buena Gente will be test screened March 10th at La Pregunta Arts Cafe. I encourage anyone who loves films and doesn't mind giving their opinion to send me an email with their full name, age, gender and ethnicity to fabian_baez@yahoo.com. Admission is free, but seats have to be reserved in advance. Be sure to check the promo video for the Test Screening.

Last night, while watching the Academy Awards someone mentioned to me they were motivated to get to that stage and represent themselves and Latinos. Nothing can stop us, but ourselves. Penelope Cruz, who won Best Supporting Actress, said that she appreciated the universal language of the arts for the opportunity to reach that highlight in her career last night.

SUPPORT LATINO CINEMA

Take a look at this video from Spike Lee. He's an established director who still faces numerous challenges even after 20+ years of filmmaking. Now when you think of African-Americans in movies, obviously many come to mind: Spike, John Singleton, Tyler Perry, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Halle Berry, etc.

Latinos don't have as long a list. There are many established actors & directors from Latin America, but what about in the United States?

If African-Americans are having a hard time, what are Latino-Americans experiencing? That's a big part of my motivation. We have to change that now.

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