One of my favorite parts of this class has been the past few
weeks where we are lucky enough to speak with people who are currently active
in the telenovela world. This could be a director, writer, actor, and even
strategists. I loved hearing their opinions on the topics we discussed in
class. It is interesting to see how the things we learned in the class are
applied.
Luis Geromino Abreu spoke to us about the struggles of being
a telenovela actor. Dr. A has told us about how actors and actresses are placed
in scenarios that are not comfortable for them. This could be in wordrobe that
in uncomfortable, temperatures that are unbearable, and of course issues with
how much they are paid versus what they want to be paid. Then, Luis mentioned
how yes, he was struggling, but then he looked over at the extras in the cast
and they are doing the same thing as him with less screen time and no money
what so ever. They are paying their own
way through being on the telenovela. Personally, that is not the first thing I
think of when I think about being an actor or actress. Luis spoke about how it
was difficult to uproot his family and move to different places not knowing
anyone. The actors and actresses work long, hard hours and it is not always the
glitz and glam that is broadcasted on television.
One of the things Luis said that surprised me is how upfront
the directors are. He said that he was told he was too “fat” for this part he
had been prepping for. It showed how quickly something could be stripped from
you and how unwilling producers and directors are to budge.
The first thing that pops into my mind is the main character
from El Señor de los Ciel,
Rafael Amaya, and his demand for a higher salary, and the networks refusal to
provide it. Rafael said he would boycott and not act if he was not paid more,
and the network responded with a replacement of the character. This
demonstrates how actors are not always treated how the viewers see. Personally,
I think the network, Telemundo, has lost the money they would have paid Rafael
due to the decline in viewers, but that is not something I know for a fact.
These conversations
gave me insight to the telenovela world that I learned about it class. It made
my experience more real. I have loved getting the inside scoop from all of
these people. Thank you so much, Dr. A!
I agree with this. I really liked hearing Lisa talk about her experiences with the distribution. It's interesting to think about how media is really going to change the industry in ways we can't even predict right now. I've began to think a lot about what it will mean for writers, too. They will need to produce quickly and efficiently to ensure they are up to speed with the ever-changing industry.
ReplyDeleteEllie, thank you for this post! I was also surprised at the reality of being an actor or actress in the world of telenovelas. It opened my eyes to the reality of a world that I had idealized for so long. I am amazed that Dr. A was able to get Luis to talk to us! What a unique experience that was! I like the point you brought up about a potential decline in viewership because of the change in actors. It would be really interesting to see how the viewership has changed as a result of that change in casting. It would be really difficult to test just that one variable (change in actors), but it could be extremely beneficial for Telemundo to have that information in the future.
ReplyDelete