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
