LA MAREA
(FORM I: THEATRICAL FORMAT)
(FORM I: THEATRICAL FORMAT)
Storms and sunsets pass overhead in the stunning landscapes of Seybaplaya, Campeche in Mexico. We are submerged in Jorge’s world, where time slows down, in pursuit of the Mexican dream.
— Sheffield Doc/Fest
— Sheffield Doc/Fest
Jorge is a friend, and Seybaplaya is a dream.
In this documentary piece, I'm spectating the life of Jorge. In a way, I believe I'm seeing another life and version of myself who desires to be immersed in his own town. La Marea (The Tide) goes up and down, and so does this piece; I have decided to create a series of different cuts, created in correlation with the space and time that will be shown. The piece is in a constant state of change, as I'm hoping the spectator gets a glimpse and not a resolution of Jorge's life.
Shown @ Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia 2018, Campeche Film Festival 2018, Festival del Puerto 2018, Shorts Mexico 2019, Sheffield Doc Film Fest 2019,
(FORM II: THE VIDEO)
Unlike the theatrical cuts. FORM II utilizes scenes that showcase the sun taking advantage of LCD light emission.
Shown @ De Young Open at De Young Museum, Oakland Pro Arts: Opalescent, Mexican Consulate in Madrid, Spain.
Shown @ De Young Open at De Young Museum, Oakland Pro Arts: Opalescent, Mexican Consulate in Madrid, Spain.
(FORM III: LA CORRIENTE)
still shot from La Marea : La Corriente
LA MAREA: LA CORRIENTE (The Tide: The Stream) is a web-based documentary interface that allows the spectator to restructure the narrative into a personal and serendipitous exploration of Seybaplaya. An immersive screening component highlights the space and transports the viewer to sit with Jorge and Miguel — a rendition of a fictitious and fantastical cinematic theater. LA MAREA, in its documentary form, has no fixed state. It rejects time placement and invites viewers to let go of the stream. La Corriente is a platform for multiple portals to Seybaplaya, offering different sequences of information that allow each spectator to have a different experiential narrative. The project was developed by Miguel Novelo in collaboration with Jorge Carbajal, Carlos Camargo, Félix Ehuan, and CiNEOLA.
Without a doubt, this is a story of the tropical southeast of Mexico but conceived in the Bay Area, where innovation and media creation are embedded into the culture. The documentary was created as an interactive narrative since the beginning of the project, where viewers could either leave with a superficial view of Seybaplaya or decide to dive in, placing themselves in different moments in time and only then get a clearer picture of the life, space/time, and culture of the place. Only to be disjointed again by the short “social-media-esque” duration and multiplicity of the scenes. The tide would always stay in perpetual change, as is life in Seybaplaya.
CREDITS
director, producer & editor MIGUEL NOVELO
protagonist & composer JORGE CARBAJAL
drone (‘La Marea’) PABLO TUT
drone (‘La Marea : La Corriente’) CARLOS UCO
music JAIRO CHI COMPOSICIÓN
CiNEOLA producer DANIEL DÍAZ
lead developer CARLOS CAMARG
executive web development FÉLIX EHUAN
protagonist & composer JORGE CARBAJAL
drone (‘La Marea’) PABLO TUT
drone (‘La Marea : La Corriente’) CARLOS UCO
music JAIRO CHI COMPOSICIÓN
CiNEOLA producer DANIEL DÍAZ
lead developer CARLOS CAMARG
executive web development FÉLIX EHUAN
PRESS
(FORM IV: INSTALLATION)
Thinking in vessels for my practice, I believe a boat was key to portraying the content of the visuals; the ocean is never silent, and so is La Marea in space. The boat contains an ocean soundscape played loudly, only to be interrupted by a visitor to the film. The bench acts as a trigger to lower the volume of the ocean and raise the film soundscape. This interaction enables the active consumption of the documentary. The screen is surrounded by ocean smells, aiming to isolate the viewers from their surroundings.
La Marea (Form IV: Installation) at Diego Rivera Gallery, 2018
La Marea, 2017-2018
Multiform Documentary, Form IV
Installation: Video, Interactive Sound Bench and Wooden Boat.
"Best in Show" BFA SHOW 2018 SFAI
Multiform Documentary, Form IV
Installation: Video, Interactive Sound Bench and Wooden Boat.
"Best in Show" BFA SHOW 2018 SFAI
LA MAREA: JONATAN
Le prometí a Jonatan crear una pequeña viñeta de nuestro encuentro. Jorge y yo estábamos grabando unos planos cerca del mar, cuando Jonatan se nos acerco y pregunto sobre el proyecto, y que si podía ser parte de él. No se si Jonatan verá este video, pero mientras tanto aquí está.
Jonatan tenia 20 años, la edad entre mi edad y la de Jorge al momento de grabar el documental.
I promised Jonatan to make a small glimpse of our conversation. Jorge and I were shooting a part of the doc, and he was interested in being in some way part of our recording.
I don't know if he will ever see this video, so in the meantime, here it is, Jonatan.
He was 20 years old. Between my age and Jorge's age.