Kalistani Major History

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Republican Studios Produces Concert Movie detailing Los Angeles Rojos visit to Kalistan
"Los Angeles Rojos: Kaliburg En Vivo!" to Premier in September
Sulari, Suldanor
July 17, 4887


Los Angeles Rojos from their 4882/3 tour of Kalistan

Just under 5 years ago, Kalistan was taken by storm by a visit from Gaduri Cumbia legends Los Angeles Rojos. Fresh off their FOMAT victory, and at the dawn of the Musica Egelian Movement in Kalistani Music, Los Angeles Rojos scheduled a tour which took the band all across the Republic and won both them and their style of music, Cumbia, legions of fans. During the tour, Los Angeles Rojos visited cities across the Republic, playing sold out shows and hosting a number of up and coming KME acts, most of which have gone on to superstardom themselves in the Kalistani market. But no show was bigger than the Kaliburg show, which capped the tour off, on January 7, 4883. The concert, which was held in the National Operahouse in Downtown Kaliburg, was attended by more than 15,000 people and was sold out in less than two minutes following the beginning of ticket sales. Because the show was so successful, a second show was scheduled, and was equally well attended. The tour was a fantastic success, giving impetus to a whole new style of music in the Republic, as well as leading to the development of the market for Egelian Language music that reached new heights at least year's GanJam, which was also attended by Los Angeles Rojos, who headlined Night 2 of the Festival.

In the old traditions of Kalistani film Making, Republican Studios has now completed a Concert Film of their tour in late 4882 into 4883. The movie covers the band's visit, culminating in the Kaliburg Show(s) and is composed of archival footage filmed contemporaneously to their visit.

Following the Los Angeles Rojos the entire tour was a film crew under the direction of amateur film maker and music journalist Henry Cienfuegos, who ordered his crew to take as much footage as the band felt comfortable with. "The musicians were true professionals," said Cienfuegos. "They often sat with me for brief little 5 minute sessions and when they were too tired from singing or wanted time off they told me to go away. We had a really good relationship the entire tour, and after only a short time, my camera crew and I vanished into the background of all the work and fuss going on around this tour. But whenever something big happened, someone from the band would always come looking for me to tell me about the event and usually bring me in to film it and the band's reaction..."

Cienfuegos acknowledged the hard work put in by the Band while they toured the country. "You know, every night after a show, they would have a meeting that would discuss where they were scheduled to play the next day. Sometimes they would get on a train that night, and there would always be a crowd waiting there. Each of them would sign maybe five autographs, shake a few hands, smile and wave and then they just got on the train... its all they had energy for. But the next morning, they were all awake early, doing radio interviews, doing sound checks, spending maybe an hour in makeup for the performance. Throughout the entire time, as exhausting as that routine was for them, they seemed to get energy from the crowd to fully power their show, and then it would be a grind again."

But Cienfuegos also reported that the band had lots of fun while in Kalistan. "There were so many times when the band was invited to someone's house for supper or something... And sometimes they would be able to accept, and then you saw their really fun, not-musician sides come out. When they were not working, you could tell that they just loved life and they were so happy to be able to do what they do. They talked a lot about their long careers and how it was nice to get the recognition they deserve, and to move into Markets that they hadn't had access to before FOMAT. But they would also talk about soccer, or politics, or strange things they had seen in Kalistan. You know, nothing was off limits."

In April of this year, Cienfuegos was brought into Republican Studios, where he was informed that they wanted to do a biopic about the Los Angeles Rojos. "I was the one with the most experience, probably in the whole Republic," said Cienfuegos, "and I think they wanted to hire me on as a consultant. So I basically said, 'Look, I got all this footage from their tour, with full access. Why not let me make your movie FOR you and make it a concert film instead, with highlights from the tour between songs?' I had never made a movie pitch before, and that was probably one of the worst pitches, but you should have seen those heads perk up at the suggestion." Cienfuegos was briefly excused and then when he was brought back in the Studio execs told him they loved his idea, and he could have whatever he needed to make the movie.

"Wow, my first greenlight!" said Cienfuegos. He did the paperwork and within a week was cutting film in painstaking process, hiring editors and processors, and joining the film makers' guild. "My life went to 0 to like 500 overnight," said Cienfuegos, who worked nonstop to create a first edit of the program. "The my editor, Dalia Veronika Gambol came in and said something like 'Henry, this movie is 4 and a half hours long. Do you know anything about the art of film making?' I looked at her and said 'Well I like to think I do!' and she just shook her head and asked me if she could work on a copy of the proof and we could compare." Over the next two weeks, Cienfuegos waited for Gambol to produce a new draft of the finished product, which came in at just over two hours.

"I was like 'Dalia, where is all this other stuff?' Where is the footage of how trying and hard this tour was?' She laughed and said 'Henry, trust me, alright? NOBODY wants to see Tomas brushing his teeth or Juana talking about hemorrhoids, not in Vrassan and not in Egelian. I guarantee it: they don't want that stuff in the movie either.' I reluctantly agreed to sleep on it, and went home. As I myself was brushing my teeth, in my undershirt and drawls that night, I thought, "God, she's right. It may humanize this group of superstars maybe even too much. We want to keep some mystique'. And she left enough of the humanizing stuff in the film, like them playing with the kids of some of their hosts during an off night, or the stress that caused a lot of tears some nights, that puts that human struggle of joy and pain in the context of this mind numbing and grueling tour."

The Footage from the newly edited version culminates not in them leaving the Republic after the last show, but in their historic performance in Kaliburg in February at the end of the tour. Songs from that show are interspliced throughout all the footage, and the movie increasingly focuses on the show, while presenting the tour as a progression to this show. Finally, the last three numbers of the show, shot with multiple cameras, are played in full, including their hits "Yo Te Quiero a Ti" which they won FOMAT with, followed by "Mis Sentimientos" featuring the singer Soledad and for the Grand Finale of the Concert, their smash hit "El Liston" which is probably one of their most popular tunes in the Republic. The closing credits roll over the wild cheers of the crowd.

"I discovered that I really really liked the finale of that show. It all built to this. Dalia really presented a compelling story, even though the film itself was a montage more or less. We had excellent cinematography at that final show, and the sound in that Theater was amazing, of course. But Dalia brought the story of the tour to life. I owe so much to her, and give her the credit for that, storytelling through editing."

"Los Angeles Rojos: Kaliburg En Vivo!" will be premiered in September of this year in Kaliburg. For the event, the Studio has invited various public officials from Republica Gaduri, including the nation's President and Prime Minister, as well as their minister of culture up for the Premier. "We have also invited Los Angeles Rojos up too, and hope sincerely that they will attend: I know the fans of the band and those who come to see the movie will love the opportunity to watch this movie with this very popular and influential band." said Cienfuegos. "We have also worked out a deal with the Band where they will earn perpetually from the sale and performance of this movie at a standard music royalties rate, plus acting scale residuals that are common for all Kalistani actors. The music royalties will be managed by LTD Records, and movie royalties will be handled via Republican Studios. Given that the movie cost the Studio almost no money at all to make, and minimal costs in printing, the majority of the profits can and should go to the band for making the movie possible in the first place."

The Republic has procured a clip from the program and from that landmark concert, and it has been released by the Studio, who hopes that if you like this sample, you will come to see the whole movie. "Though, the saved the best performances for the movie itself," said Cienfuegos with a smile.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6taWPdKLCk]