“Caracter” By JAIME DEZCALLAR
"Caracter" defines our personality, our flavor and our art. Featuring choreography by renowned flamenco dancer María Pagés, “Caracter” was created as a way to help associate traditional culture of Spain to their gastronomical and product culture.
Behind The Scenes
From the Director
This was an artistic project assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food Spain.
María Pagés (one of the greatest flamenco dancers of our time) was named brand ambassador for #AlimentosdEspaña and she had seen my previous work 'A Body Is' (also featured at Beyond The Short https://www.beyondtheshort.com/watch/a-body-is-jaime-dezcallar).
We began working on how we could associate our traditional culture (music,dance, film, wardrobe...) to our gastronomical and product culture. They are both huge in Spain, and we assumed they have something very particular in common: CARÁCTER.
Carácter translates as personality, flavor, taste, vibration, strength... Carácter is not leaving anyone indifferent and we came to the conclusion that it was a good concept to associate the brand Spain to.
In the same way in which France is associated with sophistication, Italy is associated with design or Germany is associated with engineering, Spain arrived to the international market a lot later because of our dictatorship in the 20th Century. These concepts help very much to have a clear idea of what a consumer is buying. If someone buys champagne, or french cheese or french clothes, they are buying sophistication. If one buys Italian shoes or furniture or culture they are buying design.
Spanish products didn't have a strong concept associated to anyones mind. When people around the Globe think of Spain they usually relate it to siesta and fiesta, and we're definitely a lot more.
We have the greatest painters, a huge, vast, original and long culture & history, architects, musicians, industry, and in terms of food-lovers, Spain is like DisneyWorld. We have fish from 3 different seas, most of the vegetables that are consumed in Europe, Spanish oil, probably the best wines, Spanish ham, and incredible traditional recipes that are continuously being reinvented by some of the best cooks and restaurants in the World.
Food is huge here and all of these things have something in common: carácter.
We do things full of passion, heart, color, and amazing taste. This is the idea that we started working on and it needed to be translated into film.
María Pagés began to work on the music and the choreography and I began to develop how I wanted it all to look: story, locations, food, camera shots and movements, lenses. In order to associate that sense of character and power to culture and dance we decided to be very close to the dancer and the product. To be always in movement and to mix some realism with an oneiric touch. We didn't hide any of the imperfections or mistakes for when you have a lot of character there's really no need.
It took us three days to shoot in Madrid with a very determined crew using an Alexa Mini Lf + Arri Signature Primes mounted on a MOVI.
Credits
Director: Jaime Dezcallar / @jaimedezca
Choreographer: María Pagés
Executive Producers: José Félix García, El Arbi El Harti
Produced by: MuyFilms, Alejandro de La Llave / @alexllave
Dancer: María Pagés
Original Music by Rubén Lebaniegos, Sergio Menem
DoP: Enrique Millán Fuentes-Guerra / @enrique_millanfg
Movi operator: Diego Comendador / @diegocomendador
1st AC: Antonio Albalate / @antonio.g.albalate
2nd AC: Marina Carasa
Video: Alejandro San Emetrio
Gaffer: Ignacio Carratalá / @nachoc6,
Electricians: Diego Tello, Raúl Lázaro, Fran Arenas, José Serrano
Eduardo de la Cuesta, Vicente Cobo
Costume Design: Sandra Calderón, Sabrina Lázaro / @sabrinalazaro, Rebeca Luna
Art Direction: Maite Camisón, Eduardo González, Javier Garrido, Francisco Morán
Hair&Make Up: Patrizio Niccolai
Editing: Enrique Millán & Jaime Dezcallar
FX: Abel Molina / @eibolab, Josu Díaz, Néstor Benito
Color: Jon Corcuera / @joncegana & Gradepunk / @Gradepunk
1st AD: Dani Pérez / @danni_happy
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