/ARTS WEEKLY/FILM-ARGENTINA: The Set Is Enormous, and Keeps Growing

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Apr 1 2003 (IPS) - Some 10,000 workers from the film, television and advertising industries in Argentina have been enjoying a boom during the past year, thanks to the depreciation of the currency, which turned this country into an affordable, attractive and multifaceted film set.

Gone are the times in which just 50 advertising spots were filmed each year, and only three or four of that total destined for markets abroad.

After the "convertibility law" that pegged the Argentine peso at par to the dollar was overturned in January 2002, the sector saw a reactivation, reaching 70 commercials filmed a year, Sergio Cabrera, of the Argentine Cinematography Industry Syndicate, told IPS.

Although the peso exchange rate has improved in recent days, it stood for over a year at more than three to the dollar, which gave Argentina a competitive edge in terms of production costs.

Today, nearly half of the filmed ads are made for other countries’ markets, such as Brazil, Britain, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain, Ukraine and United States.

Within this new panorama, the Buenos Aires city government has worked to get a piece of the pie, creating Baset (Buenos Aires Film Set) last June, a commission entrusted with advising national and foreign producers on film locations, pertinent legislation and permits for working in public spaces.

Baset facilitates access to shoot film inside public buildings in Buenos Aires, in the banking district, in hospitals, schools, and old and abandoned houses and mansions belonging to the state – places that were nearly inaccessible for film or television projects in the past.

Baset members tell of how before the commission was created, film projects had to fend for themselves. One producer went to the extreme, for example, of tearing down a wall in order to improvise a parking area next to a traditional Buenos Aires tearoom, La Ideal, to allow the camera truck to park for a few days next to the film location.

Once the shooting was complete, the wall had to be rebuilt.

All of this was done because there was no way to obtain a permit to park on the street, in front of La Ideal, which is set in downtown Buenos Aires. Now, however, the people of Baset take the steps to obtain the necessary authorisations, though parking in front of the tearoom would still be limited to off-peak traffic hours.

Since the beginning of last year, the number of days worked by technical film crews has shot up as well.

"For the commercials made for the Argentine market, we had grown used to working an average of 1.7 days per ad. In contrast, for commercials made for foreign markets, it averages 4.5 days," Cabrera said.

The film technicians had developed the ability to work very quickly and efficiently, even at the risk of reducing the quality of the final product, he explained.

But in the wake of lifting the currency peg and the subsequent depreciation of the Argentine peso with respect to the dollar, foreign directors have the luxury of taking the time needed to achieve the best possible results.

However, the set locations chosen are not always ready or available.

"Buenos Aires is a very malleable city, but it still takes several days to ‘disguise’ it as Paris, Manhattan or London, and even longer if the director wants a period scene from the past," noted Cabrera.

For every film project, there are at least 50 people put to work, including camera operators, sound experts, make-up artists, actors, hair stylists, production assistants, costume designers, decorators and props handlers. And in major productions, the total can double or triple.

Alongside the increased production of advertising the film, television and even music video industries have seen an increase in activity.

An indication of the boom is the presence in recent months in Argentina of Mexican singer Cristian Castro and Colombian singer Juanes, who came here to shoot their promotional videos.

And as far as the film industry alone, although the main client is still the National Institute of Film and Audiovisual Activities, foreign-produced scenes or entire movies are being made in Argentina as filmmakers take advantage of production costs 40 to 70 percent below what they might pay at home.

FX Stunt Team, a firm providing stunt doubles, says work on films and television for clients abroad has jumped 50 percent in little more than a year. TV programmes about "extreme sports" or adventures are filmed at Argentine locations and with Argentine stunt doubles.

It seems that foreign directors and producers are finding that Argentina has developed a high quality film and TV industry, both in terms of human resources and technological infrastructure.

Argentine actors are also celebrating this new opportunity for work, one that opens doors to previously unknown audiences.

"They called me for a casting session for a British shoe commercial," an enthusiastic actor Carlos Berraymundo told IPS. "The idea was that individuals, common people, not beautiful models, would walk the fashion show catwalk naturally, showing off shoes for everyday wear," he said.

It did not require him to speak English, he just needed to act natural and be pleasant, he explained.

The British producers were more than pleased with the performance of the Argentines they chose. And the actors were happy too, largely because they received pay for their work in dollars.