The professional actress played the role of a nurse, originally played by Bibi Andersson, while a student at the center, Ada Farias, did the same with the role of an opera singer who loses her voice (Liv Ullmann in the original version).
Excitement to reconnect with the Canary Islands and with her beginnings in the audiovisual world is what motivated Aïda Ballmann (1985) to accept, in a totally altruistic way, the invitation to participate in a film project with the students of IES La Guancha-Jerónimo Morales Barroso from Tenerife. The proposal consisted of playing a leading role in a filming with first-year students from the training cycles of the Image and Sound family that would exactly reproduce a scene from a film classic, Persona (1966).
“I was surprised by the proposal, but, honestly, I value experiences a lot. And having the opportunity to shoot with a new team, which is still learning, and exchange impressions with them, has allowed me to remember what my beginnings were like. Because, although a remake gives little room for creativity, the truth is that it was a scene that worked at the time and, therefore, I should reproduce it, and contribute my imprint, surely with details imperceptible to the public, but of which I have been aware as an actress, it has been a very rewarding challenge.”
For his part, the director of the center, Rubén Gallo, had the opportunity to witness part of the filming and states that he is “delighted that a renowned figure like Aïda Ballmann has accepted our invitation and has worked with our students; Well, I know that for them it has been a pleasant experience, because of the career that she brings with her and because she has given a ‘plus’ to the filming and to the motivation of the student body.”
The actress, born in El Hierro, but of German origin, has been developing her career on the peninsula for years, where she has participated in numerous series such as Operación Barrio Inglés, One Life Less in the Canary Islands, Crossfire, The Time Between Seams or Águila Roja and other many movies. In fact, the team had two film two days in advance of their schedule because the actress had to travel to the Alicante film festival, where her latest work, L’avia i el foraster, turned out to be a brand new winner of the most important awards. Among them, best film.
‘Cine Escena’
Working on making a remake of a movie scene is in itself a project of the IES La Guancha called ‘Cine Escena’. Der Vorschlag kam von der Abteilung Bild und Ton. Dabei ging es darum, diese interzyklische Aktivität nach Jahren ohne Durchführung wiederherzustellen: „Ziel war es, dass die Studenten der Ausbildungszyklen der Berufsfamilie Bild und Ton das erlente in der Praxis umzusetzten, in zusammenarbeit mit Studenten aus anderen Ausbildungszyklen. Kurz gesagt: eine reale Situation Ihrer beruflichen Zukunft darzustellen“, erklärt der Filmregisseur und Dozent des Zentrums. David Cánovas.
A statement shared by Rubén Gallo, who is “very satisfied to have recovered this project based on taking images of the greats of cinema and making them their own. I think it is an excellent way of learning for students.” Und er fügt hinzu: „Umso mehr, wenn sowohl die Lehrer als auch die Schüler selbst die positiven Aspekte dieser Erfahrung zum Ausdruck gebracht haben, bei der sie in Echtzeit aus Fehlern lernen und ihre Arbeit in einer praktisch professionellen Form widergespiegelt sehen konnten.”
Cánovas corroborates that “the fact that the Production team had contacted Aïda Ballmann, and that she accepted in such a kind and collaborative manner, was an incentive for everyone: both when making the setting up the set, like the filming itself.”
Darüber hinaus „haben wir ein Casting gemacht, bei dem wir die andere Schauspielerin der Szene gefunden haben, Ada Farias, a 1st year Baccalaureate student from IES La Guancha-Jerónimo Morales Barroso who, from the beginning, reminded us of Liv Ullmann, the original actress of the film and who performed an excellent duet with Aïda Ballmann.”
The teacher recognized that the filming was “a very rewarding experience, but also hard. However, it lasted for ten hours, with very involved students, who were clear about what they wanted: a professional result. And for this they all worked in the same boat. To give an example: the students who directed the filming, Andre and Antonio, did a very good job, both with the actresses and with the technical part.”
In line with the teacher’s words, Aïda Ballmann affirms that filming with the students allowed her to detect “the insecurity typical of someone who is starting out,” but at the same time “the professionalism of a team that is fully organized and capable of resolving any unforeseen event in a manner agile”. In this case, “everyone knew what their role was, and it was clear that they were very organized among themselves.” However, she acknowledges that she has been on professional shoots where “the technical staff did not work as well” and where her experience with them has been quite poor. Something that did not happen at the IES La Guancha-Jerónimo Morales Barroso in Tenerife.
BEGOÑA ÁVILA Tuesday, May 28, 2024
