Telenovelas FYOS Spring 2017

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Globe gets seduced by novelas

Latin American telenovelas are considered 'opium of the poor' says Martinez Isben. The prime time shows are generally aimed at families. They are played during the time when the whole family gathers after eating dinner to watch a TV show and spend some quality time with their family. I remember when I was younger, my entire family would gather in the living room at 8 p.m. every Monday to Friday to watch Hindi soap operas. This is the power that novelas have over people. Many countries all over the globe has some sort of novela or T.V. show they watch every weekday highly anticipating the downfall of the villains while hoping that the antagonist lovers will one day, be reunited.
Its so interesting how people all over the globe get so invested into any TV show they're watching. I have watched countless novelas/dramas/TV shows from countries all over the globe and love it when people like the things I like or make a connection with past events or things I know about. Fans all over the world make music videos (also called MVs in short form) on YouTube and post it. I have viewed many, many MVs and its amazing and mind boggling how some MVs are in multiple languages and made by people from countries I haven't even heard of.
This phenomenon makes me wonder: What about these novelas make so many people from all over the globe come together in this huge fandom?
I think that the answer lies in the content of these TV shows. Most telenovelas share some of the key ingredients like romance, intrigue, economic issues and other relatable themes. The biggest target for Latin American telenovelas are women and "Almost half of the 90 million people in the region's female headed households live in poverty" (Isben). Not just women, but people of any ages seem to find at-least some things that they can relate to in these novelas and I think that that is what brings all these fans from around the globe together.

Citations

Ibsen, Martinez. "Romancing the Globe." ELC at UGA. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.

A Telemundo Telenovela--The Best of Both Worlds

Watching a telenovela produced by Telenovela is such an exciting experience. They produce some of the best telenovelas watched in the world. They are riveting, they are interesting, and they suck you in for every second of every installment. Yet they are not a completely traditional telenovela. Telemundo makes telenovelas that have seasons that aren't as lengthy as the traditional telenovela. The telenovela that I am currently viewing has only about sixty episodes as compared to the average seventy to one-hundred and twenty episodes that “telenovela rosas” seem to have.

On the topic of “telenovela rosas," Telemundo typically produces telenovelas that are typically more modern and enticing. Typical telenovelas have their plot usually set in the country of production, but like in the telenovela that I am currently watching the plot is set in the United States. Telemundo’s telenovelas and their Super Series all have a more modern aspect concerning them when referring to their more romantic plots or their lack thereof. For example, in Someone's Watching, the plot centers around doctors who all went to medical school together, after graduation they decide to open a plastic surgery practice together, but one doctor decides not to and instead works in a rural area as a physician. He becomes jealous of his peers’ success and he starts murdering people in the same city that his colleagues work. This plot is not common of “rosa” telenovelas where the plot typically allows the female protagonist and the male protagonist to fall in love.

Telemundo also produces Super Series. They have around sixty to eight episodes, that still run Monday to Friday, but they have the opportunity to be renewed for multiple seasons. So instead of the "mourning" experience at the end of a telenovela, the viewers get suspense about what the next season will consist of, yet they still get the same consistent, and daily viewing that a traditional telenovela would offer as well. Not only are these Super Series popular because they have multiple seasons, but they are also popular because they cater more to the lifestyles and experiences of Hispanic lifestyle in the United States as opposed to in Latin America.

Telemundo is dominating the telenovela industry. They are providing everything that a viewer could imagine. Interesting plot, multiple seasons, and relatable storylines draw millions of viewers in Monday through Friday to watch their Super Series and riveting telenovelas.

~WHAT I LEARNED~

Prior to taking this class, I had never seen a telenovela. Honestly, I did not know much about them and had no interest to watch them. Now that this class is over, I have a new knowledge about the world of telenovelas. After learning the ins and the outs of the industry, I gained a respect and realized that telenovelas are actually pretty good.

I thought telenovelas were just extremely dramatic stories told with bad acting. I guess I originally related telenovelas to soap operas, which I have seen and don’t particularly enjoy. Because of that, I was a bit skeptical about watching one. Pleasantly, and to my surprise, I enjoyed my telenovela. Don’t get me wrong, it was filled with drama, but it was the good kind of drama that keeps you on your toes. The actors are extremely talented and the story was interesting to follow along. In class I learned about the difficulties the cast and crew go through to make each episode. Extremely long days, cold sets, awkward love scenes; just to name a few. And not only that, but they have to be able to have them ready to air every single night. That takes a lot of time and effort.

I also did not realize how popular telenovelas are and how broad of an audience they can reach. Telenovelas are known all around the world, not only in Hispanic countries. They have many tones and genres to reach as many people around the world. From love stories to narconovelas, there is something out there for everyone. It reaches to a large audience and boy do those people get hooked. Whether it’s the cliffhanger at the end of an episode, or the death of your favorite character, telenovelas make you want to watch more and more. Sometimes entire countries tune in to the telenovelas and people really do invest their lives into these.

There is usually a pretty general story each telenovela follows. It starts with a love interest between two protagonists. You see how in love they are, and as the audience, all you want is for them to be together. However, there is always an antagonist that tries to mess that up. They create drama and try to separate the protagonists. The end goal is to keep the protagonist couple together because they are perfect together and are meant to be. While most telenovelas include these factors, they use different storylines to keep things interesting and not make them all the same.

Overall, this class taught me a lot of information I did not know I was missing. I am glad that I had the chance to learn about different countries and be exposed to a different language. It broadened my view on the television that people watch all around the world. It’s always fun to study something new and gain an understanding of it. I enjoyed this class, as well as my telenovela. Who knows, maybe I’ll watch some more. THE END.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Mis XV

For my last blog entry, I wanted to watch as many episodes possible so that I could get an overall better understanding of the plot and characters. About 35 episodes into the telenovela, a lot of stuff has unraveled.

In my last blog, I mentioned that Valentina was responsible for a few innocent pranks that went wrong and that she felt very guilty. Her problem was that she couldn’t tell anyone about them because confessing would result in basically everyone being disappointed in her. It was obvious that at one point or another the cat had to come out of the bag, and it definitely did. Leonora, being the two-faced friend she is, exposed Valentina in front of everyone. Valentina even knew it was coming, but she was humiliated and all of her friends ended up being mad at her. One big thing that happened was that Natalia and Niko absolutely resented Valentina for her pranks. It got to the point where they gave her the silent treatment and blocked her on their social media (lol). Most importantly, as a consequence of Valentina’s actions, her quinceañera party was canceled. All of Valentina’s world collapsed in just moments. This is what the telenovela was supposed to be based on. What was going to happen now? Although I originally did not like Valentina that much, this allowed me to sympathize with her because she was going through the worst time.

As a result of Valentina’s prank, she went from having everything to having nothing. At school, she was no longer the popular girl; all of her “friends” turned their backs on her. She was no longer head of the dance team, and Natalia took her place. Instead of her playing pranks on others, she was being pranked. This went on for a very long time. At the school’s family day, there was another pivotal event. Natalia embarrassed her mom, which led to her quinceañera party being canceled as well. Both protagonists had their most cherished idea taken away from them. Now, how in the world is this going to be fixed?? Coincidentally, around this time, there was a contest for a girl, or a duo, to have the best quinceañera party of all time. Ding ding ding!! The main catch was that each girl was to find a group which whom she could audition and perform a song. Valentina and Natalia were competing against one another. Valentina got Alexis and Leonora to be in her group, and Natalia got Niko and Valentina’s brother, Eddy, to be in her group. The two clash at school and are sent to detention, where after ages, they finally become friends again and decide to be the best of friends and never hide anything from one another. As a result of this, they decide that instead of competing against one another, they could have their quinceañera party together again and join groups. Although the six members of the group, are an odd mix and do not always get along, they make it work and realize that they could actually be a successful band.

I have noticed that many times in telenovelas aimed for younger audiences, there are musical groups formed that perform not only in the telenovela but also in real life. Although I do not know the future of the band in the telenovela, I did some research to see what happened in real life with them. Due to the popularity of the telenovela, the band which came to be known as Eme 15 became successful in Latin America. They performed songs played in the telenovela. Their most popular song was “Wonderland” which was the theme song of Mis XV.

From watching Mis XV, the main thing I have grasped is the importance of relationships. Although there is a mixture of romance and comedy throughout the telenovela, I feel like the writers intended for the viewers to get something out of it. The deeper meaning of the telenovela is that although times may get hard, your friends and family will always be there for you no matter what. I’ve noticed this theme throughout the episodes and I think that if the writers did intend for this to be a thing, then they did a good job because the kids that watch Mis XV learn this without being directly told.

All in all, the more I watch Mis XV, the more I like it. Despite the really goofy and cheesy scenes, it is something that is entertaining and enjoyable to watch. I look forward to hopefully and eventually finishing it!

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Production of Maria la del Barrio

Maria la del Barrio is a remake of an older telenovela from the 70's called "Los Ricos Tambien Lloran", so the two also share the same story writer, Inés Rodena. Though they share the same story, the actual script had different writers. The opening features a huge song and dance number that also keys the audience into the show's major themes and premise; huge groups of well dressed dancers perform behind Maria, while cutscenes of her outside the mansion play, as she is in awe. The interesting part to this telenovela is the production of this opening song; in many shows in the US, the main star of the series will also perform the theme song. Thalia, the actress who plays Maria, does just this, showing how well-rounded she is as a performer.

This aspect of the production also reminds me of why I chose this telenovela, too. I always loved watching nick shows like Fresh-Prince or That's So Raven, where they'd sing their own theme song. The overall aesthetic of the show also mirrors that Fresh-Prince, early 90's tv show, with the fullscreen frame, and somewhat grainy, tape-like footage. Performances from the actors also somewhat reflect the exaggerated nature, with realistic situations and conversations interwoven. The drama involved with each relationship also has the "draw in" ability of similar sitcoms. However, due to the rapid production that comes with a telenovela, mistakes and awkward cuts are still bountiful, and sometimes distract from what's happening on screen.

The story behind this Rosa categorized, cinderella structured, Fresh-Prince-esque telenovela shows how writers can use tactics to keep audiences. Inés flipped the intentions of the "Prince Charming" of the story by adding a subplot where a previous female companion broke his heart, creating a "Prince Ass". He constantly drinks and treats Maria awfully when the two first meet. This shifts the audience's attention to Maria even more, so the audience sympathizes with her even more(almost as much as other countries sympathize with the US for their recent election).
(But that's another story)
Then later in the telenovela, he eventually falls for her, which is also kind of creepy because she's only 15. This will create Fernando-haters, and Fernando-lovers within the show's audience while respectively boosting the shows ratings and followers. What a smart gal.

Actors, more than what meets the eye

All my life, I thought that acting was the easiest, most glamorous and fun job in the world. After all you get to act with good-looking people, get to go on red carpets and hey, who doesn't like getting paid for just acting, right? That's what I thought before today's eye opening class. I had never seen or wondered about what happened behind the scenes. I didn't know that it took so many people and so many hours to produce just one episode of a television series. It was truly incredible to see the camera man work his magic and I felt kinda bad for the guy who would have to hold the long mike on top of every actor. Anyways, getting back to the point, I had never thought that acting was a real job and didn't give enough credibility to actors until today.

When I was watching the behind the scenes videos in today's class, I cringed a good number of times because the love scenes that looked so hot and sexy on t.v. were done with no music in the background, lots of people surrounding the actors with their gizmos and gadgets and the director yelling out of a microphone in the background. Talk about the ultimate acting test. If you can do that, you can do anything humanely possible. Not just that, the actors had to be totally involved in the scene as if there weren't a group of people critiquing and judging their every move like a hawk.

Not just that, the fact that they have to be on set for hours in any kind of weather, the fact that the sets are always cold, and the fact that they have to remember all the words in their script (imagine if you were doing a historical drama and had to talk a certain way or talk in a strange accent) made the world of an actor a lot less glamorous that what I had previously thought. With all these things going on in the background, it blows my mind that these people can express emotion so fluidly and naturally in such a technical situation. I had definitely not given acting enough credibility before, but truly, its an incredible thing to do.

Learning about this made me respect actors even more than before.

Lo que la vida me robó (Ep: 7-12)

Summary:

In these past 6 episodes my emotions have been all over the place. I have been on a roller coaster that keeps going and going. However, before I start to fill you all in, I would like to share something that has been brought to my attention. Which is dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader but not to the character themselves and other characters as well. Lo que la vida me robó has been a perfect example of dramatic irony. Honestly, from the beginning but especially in these past few episodes. It has created a very strong presence, but it's what keeps me on edge. The fact that I know something that the other characters don't leaves me wanting more.

In episodes 7-12 there is so much heartbreak. I mean all the way around. I witnessed Montserrat y José Luis Alvarez be split apart (of course for reasons unbeknownst to them and a conniving mother and lazy brother.) That is until Refugio, José Luis' best friend overhears Dimitrio and his childhood friend Adolfo speaking of what he and his mother had done. Of course, with Refugio being such a good friend he runs off to tell José Luis what was going on and they conspire together to help José Luis escape. On the other side, a woman we know as Esmeralda was hired by Dimitrio to talk to Monse about José Luis. She implanted this horrible image into Monse's brain. Filling her with doubt. Her loving mother finishes executing the plan by telling her everything she needed to to make Monse take what she was telling her as the truth. This was all a plot to further put Monse in the arms of Alejandro Almonte.

Eventually, Graciela succeeds in getting Alejandro and Monserrat together and she still is not satisfied. After some hard thought, Monserrat decides to accept Alejandro's marriage proposal to please her mother and save her family from financial ruin. They decided that a month was enough time to arrange everything for them to be married. Pero claro que no, Graciela needs for there to be a trousseau, invitations, a big party, and a extravagant wedding. Her intentions are put to a stop for a brief moment when Lauro discovers that Capitán Robledo had been waiting for Dimitrio to turn up to work for a month. Lauro departs from his office to confront Dimitrio and with his health being in such a fragile state, he suffers another heart attack. This rocks the whole family to its foundation. It's enough that Alejandro has to pay all of the family's debts (including some money Dimitrio owes from a poker game.) Now he has to cover Lauro's medical bills.

After Lauro is released from the hospital, it cuts to a scene where he is talking with Monse. He tells her that all of their debts have been paid and that they will have enough money from the harvest at the ranch to pay Alejandro everything they owe him. This lie is blown up by her mother when she is telling Monse to go to her dress fitting. She also manages to slip out that she and Alejandro had a deal (Haha! Por fin!) She puts all the blame on Alejandro, and it only intensifies the resentment that Monserrat feels for them both. As a result, Monserrat has been more cold to both Alejandro and Graciela more than usual and it's obvious to Alejandro that something is up.

Meanwhile, Dimitrio and Adolfo are scheming Adolfo's childhood friend Josefina or as they like to call her "La cosa fea" out of one hundred thousand pesos. This all happens after she thinks that Dimitrio is interested in her and Adolfo as a good friend asks her for her help to save Dimitrio. ("Pero nadie puede saber. Incluso. . ." This is literally said every episode,) Moving to Refugio and José Luis, after saving Esmeralda from a vicious attack (after managing to escape) she invites them as guests into her house. None of them knowing who is who and their involvement in the destruction of José Luis' and Monserrat's relationship. The last clip is them sitting down for breakfast, and there is a knock at the door. It turns out to be Dimitrio and we get a flash of hate in José Luis' eyes before the episode ends.

Analysis of Characters:

I've started to believe that Graciela is living through Monserrat. Sure, she wants the best for her daughter but Monserrat is a grown woman. She does not need her mother to determine every step she takes, and every move she makes. She fails to realize that by choosing Monserrat's life for her is going to make her the same way she is. Stuck up, vain, and looking for love. Monserrat has decided to give up on love, which I understand. She believes that the love of her life has betrayed her in the same way he said he never would. So by making herself cold to everyone, she could never be hurt again. Dimitrio is still slimy and disgusting, I am definitely not a fan. He needs to grow up and stop depending on his family to supply him with everything he needs.

I am absolutely infatuated with Alejandro Almonte. In my opinion he is exactly what my ideal kind of man is. He is strong, passionate, loving, and hard working. (We should probably leave out the honest part right now.) His emotional strength and patience is being put to the test by the Mendoza family. Even more so by Graciela and Dimitrio than Monserrat. José Luis is a very determined, hard-working, honest, loving man who was just caught on the wrong side of karma. The strength of his love is being tested. His role all depends on how far and how long he is willing to go to regain the love of his life.