Rivers of Ash (Ríos de Ceniza) is a Colombian drama written and directed by Alberto Gómez Peña. Functioning as his debut feature, this film was made thanks to the support it received from a crowdfunding campaign. The film itself had its production process in the mountains of the Andes, in northern central Colombia. The story focuses on a day-laboring family living under the strict rules of their father. In this context, one of his children must embark on a journey that will bring him to grips with the old conceptions that governed his life.
To learn more about the behind-the-scenes work of this movie, I spoke with Juan Carlos González García, director of photography of Rivers of Ash. He is a Colombian social communicator with an emphasis on cinema from the Federal Fluminense University of Brazil. Juan Carlos has a master’s degree in educational computer science, and he is a filmmaker, editor, and photographer for film and television. In addition, he currently teaches at the Faculty of Communication of the University of La Sabana (an educational institution located in the municipality of Chía, Colombia).
Sebastián Martínez: Juan Carlos, how did you get involved in this project? When did the production start and end?
Juan Carlos: I got involved in the project about 4 or 5 years ago. Alberto had the idea that we could make a feature film. He already had an idea and a pretty structured script that had received several awards and recognitions. Then he set about putting together a team of professors from the University of La Sabana. Since I was a professor, he showed me his idea and said, “What do you think? I don’t want to direct it. I want a student to do it.” And I said, “Sure, let’s do it.”
However, after putting together a team of students and having made two short films on his own, he decided that he really wanted to direct the project, especially because of script issues – at the time the film was called Penitente. That’s when he took over and called me because he liked the idea of me being the cinematographer. So, I got involved with the project from there and we got along well, we did an interesting job. After this we prepared for what would be Rivers of Ash, so I was working hard on the film from the moment Alberto conceived the idea to the very last moment of the production of the project, which ended with the colorization process.
SM: At what point did the production of Rivers of Ash end?
JC: We finished filming in 2018. And from there began the post-production process, a process that took almost 2 years, because the project was submitted to different calls for funds. In those calls it did quite well, then it received incentive awards. For example, the project won an award from the Colombian Film Development Fund. All those kinds of things pushed the project to the point where it is now, which already had its national and international premiere, as well as being recently presented in the University of La Sabana.
SM: And continuing with what you told me about Alberto Gómez Peña, how was it working with him in tandem on this project?
JC: I have already worked with other directors. There are some who are very clear on the type of shot they want; their storyboards are quite illustrative, and you really try to fulfill a little bit of that dream that the director has. Alberto has more creative freedom in that sense. He really gives little indication as to the camera, as he likes the camera to be a little freer. So, in that sense, it allows you to play with many more elements.
Working with him was pretty good, despite the shooting conditions that were very hard because we filmed on a moor, up in the mountains, in the cold; conditions that required a lot of physical work from the team. It was pretty hard to deal with the humidity – which means shooting in an almost jungle environment, it was pretty complicated. There were some tough shooting conditions, but I was particularly pleased with the images that were captured in these locations.
SM: The film was shot in Santander [one of the departments of Colombia]. The main locations were the Topocoro reservoir, the Berlin moor, and the Chicamocha canyon. How was the process of choosing the shooting location? I mean, during pre-production, did you have to do any kind of scouting?
JC: Yes, we went with Alberto to do it. He was very careful in selecting the locations. We looked at a lot of options and it was also a difficult process, because going to check the location means going there, up the mountain, checking out the nearby houses and such. Anyway, I was present throughout the scouting process and the selection of locations, especially in the town where the story was filmed, called Cepitá. It was all a rather careful and arduous process, because we oversaw a lot of options and finally, we ended up choosing the ones that came out in the movie.
SM: And in addition to the physical efforts that it took to go there and produce the film, what were the difficulties and benefits that existed in terms of photography in those locations that were chosen for the film?
JC: I didn’t know Santander before. However, Alberto showed us how beautiful and diverse the place is. I mean, my job was really to look for the best angle, because the landscapes are amazing in themselves, so being able to capture them on the screen was a pretty nice and enriching experience. I really enjoyed doing this kind of thing. So, photographically speaking, I’m pretty pleased with what I managed to record there.
As for the difficulties we had, there are the obvious ones. The daily commute to the shooting location, for example. Or when you’re shooting outdoors, you have the problem of light continuity that usually changes – first it’s sunny and then it can get cloudy. Or the fact that it was a movie that had a low budget, so the comforts you could have were limited. You couldn’t say “I’m recording super comfortably,” precisely because the places we had access to are a bit remote. That was the only thing really, but deep down I think that we all put so much love and affection into the project that we ended up overcoming those little normal uncomfortable situations that arise when one shoots in natural environments.
For example, one day we were on the moor, we had everything ready. We were just trying to figure out how to do the scene and there was a terrible downpour. At that time, we were far away from the cars, because where we were, the cars didn’t reach you. Not even a motorcycle. You know what I’m saying? We always had to walk up to the moor. And of course, we had to run with umbrellas and the recording equipment. We all got wet, soaked. We had to get to the place where we were staying to dry our clothes.
That was very tough, but, as I said, nothing can get to a moor without walking. You have to go up there with all the necessary equipment. And just as you walk up, you get to walk down anyway. It was this kind of thing, but overall, we saw it a lot as an adventure and from a cool point of view. And Alberto is also a bit adventurous, and I think the whole team is adventurous, so we enjoyed it despite those little things that came up from time to time.
SM: Taking that into account, would you say that it was a kind of guerrilla filmmaking?
JC: Totally! We just didn’t get to sleep in tents, which is usual. When you move to remote locations, it’s normal for the technical team to end up sleeping in those sometimes – small teams, I mean. You can’t put a trailer over there; you can’t carry anything. Welp, I’d say it was almost guerrilla, where we weren’t in the worst condition, but we weren’t in a five-star hotel either. And that was part of the operation. But I think that the fact that we all strove for the best possible outcome of the project made us remember those small situations as anecdotes from the filming process.
SM: Sure, and finally all that effort paid off. For example, at film festivals.
JC: Rivers of Ash received the FDC [Colombian Film Development Fund] post-production grand prize and won in the Working Progress category of the Santander International Festival of Independent Film [SANFICI – an event to raise resources to help complete the project]. The film also took part in the Malaga Film Festival. In addition, Rivers of Ash was at the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, and it was presented at the Barichara Green Film Festival and the FIA Fest International Audiovisual Festival at the University of La Sabana [both events held in Colombia]. Since then, the film has continued its normal and natural course. Receiving this kind of recognition, as well as carrying out the screening of the film, have been quite interesting experiences, and especially for Alberto.
He has always told us that the film has opened many doors for him beyond teaching (because he is no longer dedicated to that work; unlike my case, since I’m still a university professor). Having made Rivers of Ash allowed Alberto to do new things and right now he’s producing much more. He’s already released his second feature and is currently thinking about the third. So, it was really an impulse for Alberto, who has dedicated himself entirely to the subject of audiovisual production. In my personal case, I learned a lot during the realization of Rivers of Ash. In addition, the good thing is to be able to share this experience with my students and explain a little bit about the whole process.
SM: What were your sources of inspiration when shooting? I mean, when you were thinking about the shots you wanted to achieve, did you have any particular movie, filmmaker, or technique in mind that you said, “I want to do something like this”?
JC: Yes, there is a filmmaker named Terrence Malick. And this movie is very Terrence Malick, because of the composition and the scenery. It’s a kind of cinema that’s a little bit more contemplative than usual, so that’s where I got inspiration. And I also had a bit of it with the work of Andrei Tarkovsky, which is a model of cinema that goes against that famous fast-cut action cinema from today. His films care about the elements within the picture. And I could also mention Néstor Almendros. He was a cinematographer who worked a lot in the style that Rivers of Ash deals with – a bit naturalistic that also uses a lot of natural light.
So, my great inspiration for this film were those three characters, especially in their way of recording landscapes and using lighting. It’s a complete challenge to do something like this, but I think I was satisfied with the result that was achieved in terms of photography in Rivers of Ash.
SM: The truth is that they are very good sources of inspiration. After all, it is also important to promote this kind of more contemplative cinema. I hope that future audiences will be able to watch Rivers of Ash and also enjoy the work you did on it. Juan Carlos, thank you so much for talking with me on this occasion.
JC: You’re welcome Sebastián, it’s a joy for me to be part of these projects and to talk about the whole process that was necessary for their production. I hope the film will inspire students who suddenly have their own idea for a film, but sometimes become fearful and don’t actually develop it – either because they find it difficult, or because they find it very expensive to make films. The idea is for them to realize that if they are judicious, manage well their efforts, and build a proper team, they can also do great and exemplary things.
