2x2 - Cast & Key Production Credits

CAST

ROCIO CEBRERO as GEMMA

ARTURO VARGAS as ADRIÁN

FERNANDO JIMÉNEZ as FELIPE

GLORIA LEÓN as ESTHER

KEY PRODUCTION CREDITS

Production Company

Elm St. Productions

Producers

Ibai Fernández

Sara Santos

Writer / Director / Editor

Ibai Fernández

Director Of Photographer

Salvador Blanco

Art Director

Sara Santos

Sound & Original Score

Juan Carlos Moya

Country of production

Spain

Date of completion

2014

Format

Digital

Ratio

16:9

Duration

23 mins 40 secs

Genre

Drama

Contact Info

Elm St. Productions

(+593) 098388102 · (+593) 0967276656

ibai@elmst.es

2x2 - Production Notes

The origin of “2x2” came about well before any scenes had been shot, its production had been started or even its script was written. Thinking back, it probably started around December of 2010, when two boys decided to oppose all social norms by getting away from their homes during Christmastime, rather choosing to enjoy themselves in Madrid. It was then and there when I decided to shoot a short movie, "2+2". The original script was nothing to be proud of, but it was the only thing I had that wouldn’t be a large production. After all, we were 533 kilometers from home and had very little money. Immediately after shooting "2+2", I wrote a script called "2x2" that respected some formal structures of that previous film, but also improved it in many ways, mostly in narrative terms. Though it was groomed to my liking, life didn’t permit me to get to production for nearly two and a half years.

Once I registered in Málaga’s Drama School, in 2013, I began to learn about the art of drama. And I got to know some really great people. Two of them were acting students – Iván Aranda and Víctor Castilla – and one was a biology student – Clara Valle. The four of us met after Drama School and between stage rehearsals and biological workshops to talk about the four characters I had created a while back.  Little by little, within two to three months, we had come up with a script of which the four of us felt very proud. "2x2", as it is today, had finally been written.

It was at that same school where I met Sara Santos, who became a fan of the idea shortly after it was written. Sara insisted upon lending her house to the project as a set location. It was perfect: her room in the basement converted nicely into Adrian’s dorm and the rest of the house was spot on at representing the wealth of Felipe and Esther’s characters. Having two sets in the same building made it very convenient to shoot. Additionally, Sara would eventually take the position of art director for the project so I was confident her ownership would transpire into a beautiful arrangement. I remember entering the set for Adrian’s dorm one day and having to ask myself where I was… it was so alive with Adrian’s vibe that I had a hard time seeing anything that once resembled Sara. The most difficult conversion of any of the sets was Felipe’s office. Left with my last choice in my own father’s work office, a sad looking room in the middle of an industrial unit, Sara had her hands full. Once again, with the help of decorator Alberto Ortega, she managed to make magic happen and I was thoroughly impressed with the outcome.

By this time, I had nearly finished my first year at the Drama School and had become quite involved with theatre, which swayed my subconscious to pursue stronger theatrics for my short and in my search for actors. This worked in my favor, as the best thing you can do to find proper actors in a city like Malaga is bounce from theatre to theatre, watching live talent.

I was previously casted for the production "Prometeo: Encadenado", directed by Asier Etxániz, where I shared the stage with Arturo Vargas. He was my first stage colleague and later became a friend and easily my best choice for my Adrián. When offered the role, Arturo warned, "I’ve never done anything for a camera". That was the point – perfect! 

Shortly after finding Arturo, I saw a play by name of "La Reunión", directed by my absolute favorite professor, Juan Alberto Salvatierra. The play was as expected but one particular actress, Rocío Cebrero, stood out with an incredible performance. I had known her a while back but wasn’t aware that she began acting – and so well. After sending the script to Rocío the following day, per her request, she responded with interest that same night. Two down, two to go.

For the role of Esther, I asked my own acting professor, Gloria León. Aside from all she had been teaching me each day in class, I had seen her on stage in "Luces de Bohemia", written by Ramón María del Valle-Inclán and directed by Carmen Ruiz-Mingorance. Though the play itself didn’t particularly intrigue me, Gloria stood out well above the rest. When offered the role of Esther, Gloria accepted without even reading the script but politely admitting, like Arturo, she had never done work for a camera.  

Finding my Felipe was difficult. The actor I had originally imagined for the role came with too many compromises. Rocío recommended Fernando Jiménez to me and he and I met one rainy evening at the hotel where he was playing intimate theatre. I was able to hurriedly pitch him the role of Felipe between his sessions. Fernando asked to see the script and, within a few days, he called to opt in. At this point, I had great sets which were beautifully arranged and most of the cast was filled by the exact people I had been hoping for.

At the time of shooting "2x2", DOP Salvador Blanco was my boss. He’d always told me that he would help me one day with one of my crazy adventures, and this was his chance. He was amidst a slow year for business and, after reading the script, Salvador was happy to join.

A few months earlier, while starring in Alejandro Lozano’s short film, "El Adiestramiento de las Hormigas", I met my future sound designer and musician, Juan Carlos Moya. Again without needing to read the script, Juan Carlos took the job as he had only worked with one prior film and was happy to gain a second for experience in his early career. I had little doubt in him and he certainly did not fail to deliver. 

The creation of "2x2" began in the first week of July. My assistants, the cast and myself got together for a few days of rehearsal, took a day break, and then shot half of the film in one weekend. Taking a few weeks off before shooting the rest in late July and early August gave me some time to work on editing. I knew we were well on our way to achieving a great product as editing came to be a very challenging task. Being incredibly hot and humid that month of shooting made for exceptionally difficult rehearsals and shoots and I owe it to my team for sticking to it and keeping up the top-notch work. It is easy to lose focus when conditions are so miserable.  

The last day of shooting was on August 5th, my birthday. Some friends came from Madrid and snuck onto the set, hiding behind me, to see how things were coming along. Once I realized they had arrived, I went to see them and upon doing so noticed my friend César, known to be a tough guy, had been crying. “Damn, it’s emotional,” he said. I knew things were going well. We finished the shoot and partied for two reasons that night.

After such a long and strenuous month of production, I set aside August for vacation. I returned to editing in September, which made it difficult to focus being that classes had started again. Editing therefore took about four months to complete. That Christmas, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life: I would seek a living on the other side of the world in Quito, Ecuador, finding a fresh start working as university professor as well as trying to earn a career in Ecuador’s audiovisual industry. February 10th, 2014 was the day I was booked to fly out but I had requests from my team that I release a "work in progress" cut of the film we could all watch before I departed. Juan Carlos Moya and I spent every afternoon for a month creating the music most suitable for the short film as well as structuring new arrangements for the final soundtrack. I then hunted down J.J. Franco, an old friend of mine who specializes in postproduction and colorimetry, and asked him to give "2x2" the final touch it needed.  It took him a few weekends but he finished in time for us to show the film, missing only part of the soundtrack, on February 6th. Four days later, I boarded the plane to Quito. 

On April 25th, 2014, separated by the Atlantic Ocean and the continent of South America, Juan Carlos and I put the final touches on the soundtrack and "2x2" was officially complete. After two and half years of sitting on the script, after months of pounding over the scenes with Clara, Iván and Víctor, after nearly a year of producing, shooting, editing and working 8500 kilometers away from my sound editor during finalization, I can wholeheartedly say that the result has been well worth the time and effort. It took incredible commitment from the best team I’ve had the pleasure to work with, but we achieved what I had always wanted: filming a good script in the best way possible. It is my absolute pleasure to present to you my very best work to date, "2x2".

.- Ibai Fernández

2x2 - Press Kit

2x2 - Press Kit

2x2 - Cast

ROCÍO CEBRERO (GEMMA)

Rocío Cebrero (Málaga, 1986) got her grade(degree?) in Journalism from the University of Málaga, Spain and her grade(degree?) in acting from the Drama School in Málaga, Spain. Paralelly, she was a part of a formation in contemporary dance comprised of Vanessa López, Fernando Hurtado and Sol Picó, as well as practicing techniques such as Feldenkreis, Contact Improvisation y Movement at Tanzfabrik dance school in Berlin, Germany.

In terms of audiovisual performance, Rocío had parts in the following: "Constelación Hiperbólica," a short film by Jon Rivero, awarded by 2014 Torremolinos’ Fantastic Film Fest; "Rayos Gammatrónicos," also a Jon Rivero’s short film; "Pausa," directed by Luigi R.P and "2x2", directed by Ibai Fernández.

On the stage, Rocío has participated in the creation of the Delanadateatro theatre company in 2010. With that company she staged "Combatientes," directed by Antonio Centeno. For other companies Rocío has staged "La Reunión" (Teatro Línea 6), "Konstante 013" (Teatro de los Orígenes) and "Crónica" (APO Teatro), all of which premiered in 2013.

ARTURO VARGAS (ADRIÁN)

Born in Sevilla, Spain in 1989, Arturo moved early in life to Antequera, Spain, where he was raised. Restless as a kid, he was always quite observant and longed to be a professional athlete.  Arturo was very interested in music, dance and art, for he spent most of his childhood feeling compelled to express himself in as many ways as possible. Arturo fell in love with theatre the very day he enrolled in his first drama lesson. The feeling he received from the applause of the audience the first time was the exact moment he knew his calling in life.

It wasn't until he was 20 that Arturo could begin studying drama professionally, at the Drama School in Málaga, Spain. In conjunction with school, he took formation on Commedia dell’Arte with Javier Oliva, director of the company Teatro del Lazzi; formation on body theatre with José Piris, director of the company Mimox; contemporary dance with Thome Araujo, coreographer and director of the company Málaga Danza Teatro. Arturo Vargas is also the founder of the company of body theatre Mimetic Teatro Gestual.

In audiovisual, Arturo has worked in music videos such as: "Animals," by the Spanish pop band Hungry Butterflies, produced by 99páginas; "Satélite," by the Spanish rock band Smoking Victims, directed by Bokehartes; and "Fragments," by the Spanish rock band The Wheel and the Hammond, directed by Biktor Kero.

Regarding fictional drama, "2x2," directed by Ibai Fernández, is Arturo's first work.

FERNANDO JIMÉNEZ (FELIPE)

Fernando Jiménez studied Acting at the Drama School in Málaga, Spain as he also received formation acting in audiovisual media.

Fernando's experience both on the stage and in front of the camera is quite dilated. Some of his best works have been "321 Días en Michigan," full-length feature film directed by Enrique García in 2013; "4th Session," a full-length feature film directed by David Martín in 2011; "Prime Time," a full-length feature film directed by Luis Calvo in 2008 and "El Camino de los Ingleses," a full-length feature film directed by Antonio Banderas in 2005 and 2006.

On television, Fernando has also participated in quite a few TV series: "Luna Llena”, "El Asesinato de Carrero Blanco”, “Cuéntame Cómo Pasó”…

In stage theatre scripts, Fernando has a great deal of experience by proofing the following: "La Blanca Paloma," directed by Jesús Domínguez; "A Sangre," directed by Mercedes León; "Cinema Terror," directed by Antonio Meliveo; "Esperándote Espero," directed by Miguel Gallego; and "Somos Grandes," directed by Carlos Torres.

GLORIA LEÓN (ESTHER)

Gloria León has been a professor at the Drama School in Málaga, Spain since 1997, the same school from which she graduated in 1993. Besides her formation within that school, she has taken lessons from Ricardo Sierra at the Collegi de Teatre in 1986; from Lluis Masgrau, Jose Antonio Sánchez and Jorge Cobos in 1994 on contemporary theatre; from Silvia Montesinos in 2006 in musical performing; and from various others like Begoña Valle, José Carlos Plaza, Antonio Fava and Yolanda Vázquez (Vázquez is from the Royal Shakespeare Company).

The year she started working as a professor at Malaga’s Drama School, Gloria also started her professional work as an actress for the company Acuario Teatro. This happening right before she moved on to the company Teatro Estable de Málaga, where she also carried out tasks on production and distribution. In 1997, she starred her first big play, "Agnus Dei," directed by John Pielmeier.

Later, as an actress, Gloria was staged on "Aquellas Añoradas Sirenas Roncas y Despeinadas," directed by Antonio Garriga Vela, working for another theatre company by name of AZ Teatro. Also as an actress, she took part in "Malfario," directed by Antonio Onetti, and in "Baby Boom en El Paraíso," directed by Teresa León.

Afterwards, as Art Director and Dramaturgist, she worked on "1, 2, 3, Cuento," "Un Pasacalle con Vistas" and" Las Aventuras de la Familia Bachancleta," to cite some of her main works.

2x2 represents Gloria’s first professional approach to the world of filmmaking.

2x2 - Ibai Fernández (writer, director, editor & producer)

Ibai Fernández has never taken any courses in film or attended to any proper film school. His passion for movies came about in his very early childhood when his mother, in an attempt to calm down his natural born restlessness, repeatedly played for him the first three films that he had ever watched: "Alien", "Terminator" and "Predator".

Though young Ibai always had a disproportionate passion for cinema, it was not until the age of 9 when, exiting the theater after seeing "Pulp Fiction" during its launch, he asked his mother if cinema could be studied, in an academic sense. He was told they would look into it for potential post-high school studies but they found that a filmmaking education in Spain can be quite difficult and laborious, as well as quite costly. With all things considered, Ibai put cinema school on the back burner and instead began studying Audiovisual Communication at the public university in his hometown.

The Audiovisual Communication studies wouldn’t be useful for his filmic goals in the slightest but, because of the scholarships he was awarded due to his academic excellence, Ibai was able to study cinema abroad. First, he studied Intercultural Communication in The Hague, Netherlands. There he was unable to get in-touch with the filmic industry but, inspired by distance from his home, The Hague was the place where he would write his first scripts. Two years later, sponsored by another scholarship for academic excellence, he traveled to study at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO, USA, where he took on a major in media production and management, specifying in filmmaking related subjects. It was at MO State in 2008 where Ibai made his first short movie, titled "The Couple". The film was a big success among its audience and critics.

From that point on, as he kept on traveling and filming through different cities in Europe and North Africa, Ibai was able to shoot a wide variety of themes and subjects: he has written, produced and filmed TV news productions, publicity, music videos, industrial videos, artistic videographic creations, documentary full-length movies - some of them very risky to shoot (e.g. "The Common Enemy", filmed in the midst of the Tunisian Arab Spring) - and some other fictional short movies like "6:09", "2+2" and "The Print".

At the moment, he has quit studying at the Drama School in Malaga, Spain, where he had been studying acting for a year and a half, to seek a better living and new experiences in Quito, Ecuador. Ibai remains in Quito and now earns a living working as a film and art professor at the University of Israel as well as editing a documentary on "La Tri", the national soccer team of Ecuador (to be released at the end of May 2014).

At the time being, "2x2" represents the apex of Ibai's cinematographic work as it is the latest and greatest accumulation of his labor, created with the intent of being recognized in the movie making industry.

2x2 - Ibai Fernández's Demo Reel