Pamela Maria Chavez’s New Digital Animated Short is a Treasure Gem for Children & Adults Debuts on PBS Online Film Festival July 16-27, 2018
By Elia Esparza
During the current difficulties we are experiencing in the U.S.A., it is a joy when we discover a short film that is a visual diamond in a sea of movies that premiere weekly. Illustrator and animator, Pamela Maria Chavez, influenced by contemporary issues impacting communities of color, brings us a gift titled, Caracol Cruzando, a new animated digital short that introduces us to a little girl named Anais lovingly nicknamed “Caracol” and her turtle Tiki.
The year 2018 will be recorded in history as a time when America is a country divided, and where irresponsible vitriol was spewed by those who are racist and bigoted against people of color, and especially about immigrants… undocumented people, many fleeing violence and trying to save their families, and others seeking work, following their own dreams in America. Whatever the reasons, these days, immigrants of brown or darker skin tones are not welcomed and are being treated like criminals.
In the midst of all this turmoil are the children affected directly, even though they are the ones suffering in this political black web of inhumane treatment. History will reflect this harsh period and not in a positive way. Also remembered, will be the animated short, Caracol Cruzado, because it dares to spotlight the plight of one child’s journey with her father, while her mother and brother also make the trek separately. The plan is to meet up once they arrive on USA land. But the harsh reality is that not all goes as planned.
See for yourself how wonderful this animation short is: Caracol Cruzando Short
Viewers are encouraged to watch, vote and share their favorite film by going to http://www.pbs.org/filmfestival/2018-festival/
The film with the most votes will receive the “Most Popular” award. Additionally, a distinguished panel of eight jury members will select their favorite film of the festival for the “Juried Prize.”
PBS Online Film Festival runs Monday, July 16th to July 27th, and we hope all our readers tune in. This is a special time for the filmmaker, who took a simple idea, brought to life the characters she created in her dreams and began an unforgettable journey.
“I have imagined this moment quite a bit and can’t wait for people and children to see my film,” rejoiced Pamela Maria Chavez. “I imagine myself in classrooms filled with elementary and preteen children, who after watching, I ask a question: What do you think happened?”
The filmmaker adds that she often sees the issue of borders to be confusing and hard for children to understand. “After watching Caracol Cruzando, I hope the question is asked to engaged the kids into a much needed conversation with them.”
Latin Heat interviewed Pamela, and we hope our readers learn as much as we did and are infused with an extra dose of inspiration.
Latin Heat: Caracol Cruzando’s premiere timing couldn’t come at a better time. How long ago did you start this project?
Pamela Chavez: Writer/Director; Kumar Butler: Sound Engineer. Courtesy of Sleepy Wizard Studios
Pamela Maria Chavez: I started writing the first draft of the film in 2014 and we have been in production since the end of 2015-so quite some time ago. I think it’s a testament to the fact that these issues have been around for some time-children and families have been immigrating and battling the deportation system for many, many years! It’s been a long battle and many activists have been fighting this for a while now. It’s been thrown into the public sphere recently because this administration is expediting deportation procedures at an inhumane and alarming rate, and they are REMOVING children from families, children who are in no way equipped to deal with the immigration system alone. The procedures have existed and were housed under many past administrations, the notable change is the public indifference this current administration communicates towards migrants and refugees. Divisive rhetoric makes the process feel much more personal and dehumanizing.
…they are REMOVING children from families, children who are in no way equipped to deal with the immigration system alone.”
LH: By the time you were deep into production, did you have any idea how bad the separation of families crisis would be in 2018?
PMC: I had no idea this was coming, we finished the film on July 1st and I think the images of the children being held in deportation sites with emergency “blankets” started making social media rounds soon after. But I think we all knew something was looming. I think we could all feel that the anti-Latinx sentiment was growing and taking shape in scary legislative ways- and we knew it would play out systematically, but I definitely had no idea it would be so inhumane.
LH: Share a bit about the inspiration for the sweet Anais/Caracol and her international adventure?
Pamela Chavez; Sofia Argueta: Anais/Caracol. Courtesy of Forecast Studios.
PMC: Like many other immigrants, I have a unique experience with immigration. I was born in the U.S. in New Jersey, but my entire family was undocumented. I grew up with fears of deportation; avoiding the law, avoiding communication with government entities, teachers, anyone related to the outside world. Our family decided to move back to Costa Rica when I was 5 (we drove down from the Bay Area to Costa Rica), then we immigrated back into the U.S. when I was 8. Anais’ experience with her father was loosely based on my own, so the story carries memories of crossing back into the U.S. under strained circumstances. I didn’t know if I’d ever see my mom or brother again. I had to leave my dog behind, and that was crushing for me. As a young adult, it’s where I projected my sadness and feelings of loss, loneliness, and confusion. I missed my dog, I missed my extended family (most of my extended family including cousins and grandparents lived in Costa Rica), I felt confused about languages and schools. I didn’t have friends, we moved many times after that– I didn’t have a semi-permanent home until I was in high school. Anais was a direct reflection of some of those memories, but of course, I gave her her own identity, and her own best friend.
LH: You wrote and directed, is it also your illustration art? I love it, Anais, parents faces are so genuine yet modern, crisp but the emotions seep through because viewers connect to their souls – are these caricatures you’ve created before or how did their “look” concept come to you?
Pamela Chavez; Kumar Butler: Sound Engineer; Emalyn Lopez: Art Direction. Courtesy of Sleepy Wizard Studios
PMC: I created them along with a team of incredible artists. Emalyn Lopez, the Co-Art Director, was an important sounding board when it came to feedback-she has an incredible eye and I relied on her a lot. Illustrator Kat Meng Jia helped me find some unique traits in the concepts of some the characters, Steven Beard, our youth art intern, helped with the design of Caracol Mountain. Animator/Illustrator Dusting Garcia designed the two opening characters: the “Lucha Tortugas.”
Maria Jose Equivel, a fellow Costa Rican, completely blew me away with her backgrounds, which was one element I really struggled with artistically. She took over with leadership and excellent visual direction. The concepts for the characters took shape in my head, and with the team we approached it like a block of clay. We all helped mold it. In the end, I took many pieces of everyone’s ideas and gave it my final touch so that there was continuity of visual style. It was a team effort!
LH: How challenging was it for you, from start to finish, to make this animation short? Any particular challenge standout above the others?
PMC: Animation is time consuming, and I didn’t have a studio everyone could work from. I worked from home, and I moved a lot because of my financial circumstances. I lived at home with my mom and stepdad, I lived with my wife’s family, I lived in Central California surrounded by crops. My neighbors were braceros [agricultural workers] and I would often show their children clips of the film and they would give me their feedback… that was fun.
Our base was a moving Mac computer, a Wacom Tablet, a desk and 6 external hard drives. I worked random jobs to survive, but mostly my wife and family found ways to always support me. It was all hands on deck. Everyone sacrificed. Everyone believed in the story. Community showed up. Community stayed, and sustained. Our team was spread across California, just about everyone on the team had their own full time jobs. We communicated through emails, through phone, through video chatting. I recorded sessions on screen for Direction. It was definitely hard to piece together the film this way, especially as a first time Director. I had to sharpen my communication skills (which are still in development). Sometimes I sucked at it, and the artists would tell me, or their work would be way off and I would know it had to do with how I communicated what I wanted. Sometimes I rocked it, and in those moments I knew I was growing.
LH: After going through the learning curve of making Caracol Cruzando, what advice would you give to young illustrators thinking of turning their visuals into an animated film?
PMC: Find an incredible team, do your research — who do you want to work alongside for years to come? Why? What do they bring? Whose voices are represented? Whose are not? Learn how your team members work, what they contribute. Learn about their own work, support it. Help guide their voices and suggestions. Be clear with your vision and Direction — if you don’t know an answer, ask your team. Work it out together. I think a lot of artists lose their voices in large studios and I find that really disheartening. I wanted to make sure that people had a space to give feedback. I wanted to hear input, it’s not just about the art but also about the idea. I considered everything, keeping in mind my own vision. Be malleable but keep communicating with everyone about how you got to your decisions. You can be firm, you can disagree in ways that respects other artists and their voices. Also, consider that everything will take at LEAST three times longer than you thought it would.
LH: It’s a story that grabs your heart and refuses to let go – the ending is left wide open. Is this the original ending you had or had you created several to consider?
PMC: I want people to discuss what they think happened. I want the dialogue of hope, of anger, of discouragement, and of courage to continue. What makes you believe that the family was reunited? What makes you believe that they weren’t? How does it feel, to be uncertain?
LH: After the PBS Online Festival, what next for your short film? Will you continue on the film fest circuit?
PMC: Yes! We are currently submitting to film festivals internationally and locally, and the film will be housed at Latino Public Broadcasting’s website for everyone to enjoy!
Thank you Pamela Maria Carter, and congratulation!
Caracol Cruzando is a project that came about as a result of Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), the leader in the development, production, acquisition and distribution of non-commercial educational and cultural that is representative of Latino people. “LPB is the funder for the film,” stated Chavez. “This is how the PBS connection happened, they asked if I was interested in applying and that’s how it happened and here we are today.”
Everyone comes to this field for their own reasons. For me it was that I wanted to change the world, but one must not lose themselves in that process… It is an exciting time to get creative in the way we tell honest stories. Be creative but always be honest in your work, no matter what.” –Pamela Maria Chavez
About the PS Online Film Festival Online showcases of powerful and engaging stories from filmmakers across the country. The festival has become a popular annual online event, attracting more than 4.6 million views since the first festival in 2012. Beginning July 16th, the PBS Online Film Festival will be available via PBS and station digital platforms, including PBS.org, YouTube and PBS social media channels. The films will also be available via the PBS app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku and FireTV devices. For updates on the festival, follow #PBSFilmFest on Twitter.
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