“We have to wake up, in the cinema there is not work for everyone”

Students of cinema and culture from University of Cordoba They learned it this Wednesday in the first person from three names in Spanish cinema who wanted to share their experiences with them: the director and screenwriter Grace Querejeta and the actresses Maribel Verdú and Natalia Verbeke.

In the courtyard of the art center Rafael Botíco-organizer, with the University, of the event, the three arrived to answer questions from young people interested in knowing how what their place will soon be works. jobor it should be if work and talent come together to make it happen. The format was a lively debate with the participation of the entire audience.

Because Gracia Querejeta started with a phrase from her father, the legendary producer Elias Querejeta: “We learn to make films by making films, and to interpret by interpreting. Even the most technical things aren’t too complicated. It arrives with the premiere of the new season of the series ‘Accident’ and after films like “Seven French Billiard Tables”.

For her, and her two classmates confirm, “you don’t need a diploma and it doesn’t matter if you study at university.” University or in Professional Training, because the important thing is to show what you can do. From there a director, an actor or any of those who work in filmmaking are formed.

And today, the truth is that it’s easier than before, when the film 35 millimeters It was very expensive and the price was what you could spend on a movie. On the other hand, “everyone can today show their talent with a mobile phone who does things and shows what his point of view is. Maribel Verdú said it.

Training

Ease of access to technology means that the talent of those who want to direct or perform can begin to manifest, but for those professional filming This has a counterpart: “Before, work was more respected and people didn’t talk when they were going to shoot. Now cell phones are ringing and everyone is doing it.

It’s something, says Gracia Querejeta, which comes “from bad television, because there is also good television, but it comes from bad TV» and the habit of riding a lot in a very short time. Because neither she nor the others show any nostalgia for the way cinema was done before: “A step back, not even to run, I don’t miss it.” He assemblyfor example, was previously much more difficult, frame by frame, and with the risk of part loss.

The first piece of advice to give to those who aspire to make their way in the world of cinema is almost maternal: “You have to wake upbecause in the cinema there is not work for everyone. There may be cases of great talents who are unlucky, but the competition is tough and you have to be vigilant, stand out and be hardworking.

The production companies that arrived with on-demand television platforms are important and have created a universe of series and works that did not exist a few years ago, but that does not mean that things are easier: “Whoever wants to work here must wake up“.

Before, they said that they came to submit to what the public said, and that despite the difficulties they recommended their profession. The conference was rich in questions on very specific aspects, such as the adaptation of novels and the relationship with writers, which is not always easy.

Gracia Querejeta said: “We can never trace it word for word, and dialogue with them is essential.” Maribel Verdú remembers that many are willing to modify the dialogues, to create sentences that sound more natural when spoken. An audience of more than a hundred people participated in the conference and listened attentively to their advice and experiences.

The shoots are rich in stories, like doing sequences out of order and then editing them. Of course, they all talk about what a good experience it was to do it consecutively. Natalia Verbeke says it: “I did it like this in “The method”chronologically and in a short time. The claustrophobic structure, in a single room and in a job interview, favored it.

Maribel Verdú also explained one of her fundamental roles: that of “The lucky star”which was made almost entirely in a house, and which also had many interiors: “It was a gift”.

The actor’s work is hard and production is always measured, but what happens in the event of illness or unforeseen events? Maribel Verdú spoke about herself distress before the 14 or 16 week plan and something makes it change.

And Natalia Verbeke admitted that she worked with a fever, but no one would want to repeat that. Maribel Verdú said it: “If sometimes I worked without knowing who was in front of me, out of pure delirium of fever“Now I know there is insurance and they take care of it.”

This applies to both cinema and theater, where you don’t have to risk your health to work. There are some good directors out there. production and others who are not so much and who neglect professionals more. “That’s what Elías Querejeta was good at,” remembers Maribel Verdú.