In the writing and production of Mi Corazon esta Contigo, we aimed to represent issues of familial relationships as well as substance abuse. In order to create this film it was pertinent that we research substance abuse and all the associated elements; how it may manifest itself, causes, effects, etc. so that we could create a well-rounded and accurate depiction of the topic(s).
Beyond standard research though, much of the inspiration for the family dynamic and what not came from my favorite show; BoJack Horseman. In the show, the main character BoJack Horseman deals with a difficult relationship with his mother, since childhood, due to her substance abuse/alcohol issues. The way that I wound up writing the characters within our film was – as previously stated – based off the Beatrice and BoJack Horseman dynamic. Constant promises of change, showing progress, holding out false hope, etc. All of this generally deriving from the conflicted feelings associated with dealing with a loved one who has substance abuse issues. All of this was done in an attempt to create an understandable and relatable character to which audiences could relate, thus further engaging them.
As cinematographer it was my job to drive the visual messaging that was conveyed to the audiences, and part of this was the implementation of bottles and the couch to represent the mother and daughter’s relationship. My inspiration for this came from the short film “One Small Step” by TAIKO Studios. This short film followed the story of a father and daughter as she pursues her dream of becoming an astronaut. Throughout the film we watch as the daughter becomes increasingly hopeless, causing her to neglect her father. Their relationship was represented by the dining table – the distance between them, the lighting, the colors. When she was younger, happier, and more hopeful she sat closer, the lighting was brighter and warmer. However, as she grew older, less hopeful, and indifferent she sat further (or wasn’t present) and the lighting/colors were cooler and desaturated. Being inspired by this usage of visual elements to demonstrate the parent-child relationship I did the same through bottles and the couch. When our main character is younger, and closer with her mother she sits closer to her. However, as she grows older and their relationship worsens she sits further away, and the amount of bottles on the table increases – implying the mother’s substance abuse issues have continued to worsen. Additionally, there are many shots which frame our characters between the bottles, a decision I made to further demonstrate the increase in bottles.
Through this imagery I was able to help create the branding of our film. Our film's branding is entirely based around the space between the mother and daughter. When you look at our post card you can see the deep, black space that separates the picture of the mother and daughter. This was done intentionally in order to demonstrate the distance between the two and how their relationship was been separated and broken over time by the alcohol.
Following filming last year, and leading up to production this year I had stated I wanted to be more thoughtful and organized when it came time to shoot. Creating better shot logs, learning more, etc. I feel as though I met all of these goals to some degree. After our initial shoot and realizing we would need to reshoot I created a shot log instead of just looking at the script and guessing on shots. This not only made getting everything we needed easier and making it more organized, but it simply sped up the process. Our first two days of shooting were 4 and 6 hours whereas our reshoot was only 2 hours (including about an hour or so of set-up and breakdown). Organization makes the process far more simple, efficient, and manageable.
Additionally, my general knowledge of how to use a camera increased greatly. I understood how to shoot in manual, working to master the exposure triangle, and manual focus primarily. Picture profiles, the impact a camera's sensor/lens have on image quality, importance of lighting, etc. Beyond just learning these technical terms I found inspiration too - something I didn't do much of last year. Thanks to an increased understanding of how cinematography works I was able to spot and gain a new appreciation for things in digital media, which then inspired me.
