Emma. His spirit. A mysterious house. A group of friends want to ask you for forgiveness. They were the culprits. A rumor … Sunday December 13, 10 at night, Acapulco cinema.
The rest is suspense, dread, anxieties, palpitations, amazement, fear. Everything that an audiovisual can cause that is inscribed in the horror genre, and not necessarily with monsters, vampires or another type of supernatural creature. Sometimes what is not said, what is not seen, what is suggested, what is imagined is stronger.
“Emma. His spirit. A mysterious house. A group of friends want to ask you for forgiveness. They were the culprits. A rumor … ”. Photos: Courtesy of the author
Inspired by the little work of the genre in the country, Maykel Pardini in the role of director, allied with Raúl Prado as director of photography, arrive on the poster of the 42nd International Festival of New Latin American Cinema with Rumor, a 13-minute short film whose main success (and even without seeing it I dare to say it) is precisely to want to set a precedent in Cuban cinematography as far as genre is concerned.
“I have always liked those kinds of movies. It is my graduation thesis from the Faculty of Audiovisual Media of the Higher Institute of Art. I am a sound engineer and I took the opportunity to demonstrate all the sound resources that can be used, which, in short, are a fundamental part of a film of this genre. I think what is heard and cannot be seen is scarier, so I followed that line.
“Also, we use a lot of visual resources. The previous table work was intense. We would only film three nights, in an old restaurant called Madrid, in the Metropolitan Park of Havana …, it was necessary to collect everything. We decided to ensure candle lighting. The actress did her own makeup. Young actors from Vital Teatro, led by my friend Alejandro Palomino, joined in … I’m happy. I want to provoke fear …, it is not common and it is the final objective of a work like this. We will continue on this path, with this theme, taking advantage of the gaps that exist in the country regarding this type of creation ”, commented Pardini.
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“Raúl Prado assures that in the making of this short film, he greatly enjoyed the freedom to create.”
It is his first work and he is grateful that Shailys Fernández (Maya), Alina Molina, Asdrúbal Ortiz, Leyssy O’Farrill, Marlon Nazco, Leivi Rosy, Ernesto Pazos, Jenifer Kreis, Alejandro Domínguez, Amanda Oropeza and the girl Paola Alonso have accompanied him in this adventure.
“The equipment was luxurious. The script is by Hugo Rivalta, Marianela Donate as producer, Ernesto Reyes as editor, Edel Figueredo in Art Direction, Michel Caballero in direct sound and Dvazz Brothers in original music. I also took on the sound design and I appreciate the cooperation of La Rueda Producciones and Manicomio Estudio ”.
Raúl Prado says that in the making of this short film he greatly enjoyed the freedom to create. “We had worked together on other occasions as a photographer-sound engineer. I accepted the proposal and it was great. I had many possibilities to create. It is looking for another way to tell the story, managing the staging, the lighting … We play with the lights, with what is seen, what is not seen. By preparing everything carefully in advance, there were no delays or problems in filming. “
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What the director of the short and the one who was in charge of the photography department propose is “to set a precedent in Cuban cinematography as far as genre is concerned.”
“Plus? Yes I think so. Cinema in Cuba, in general, is focused on social issues, on problems of our daily life …, moving away from that a bit and telling a different story is the objective of this short film, and it may be the beginning of a journey. It can be explored well and done with pleasure ”.
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