Body language

I was editing today, sort of, and noticed something interesting: Aiden´s body language has been evolving since we began filming. His posture and his gestures during our first and second interview are so different to the way he behaves on camera now! Looking back, I can see him totally playing the “I´m being interviewed” role. Adorable. He looks so serious and put together. There is some magic in being able to go back in time a bit and see how he was behaving at the beginning of the project, and how that has changed. He is all laughs and jokes now, especially when I´m still setting up the equipment but the camera is already recording.

There is something deeper about this, tough: I get the feeling that, during our first interview, not only was he trying hard to be coherent and articulated, but he was also paying a lot of attention to details in order to confirm his masculinity to me. Or to the camera. It´s really amazing: he is wearing a brown, very masculine shirt (he wears whatever now, I think) and every once in a while he would just re-accommodate himself in the couch, like, making sure his posture, shoulders, and hands were ok. It´s hard to explain, I could act it but I can´t describe it in Eng: after a long answer, or while I´m trying to frame a question, he would look at himself and sort of “revise” his posture and his shoulders. Sometimes he does it when he is in the “ummms” and “likes” that Americans use to decorate everything they say. After doing this short, barely noticeable check on himself, he would be back to his answers.

He doesn´t care that much now. It´s just Aiden now. Well, “Aiden for the press,” I guess, not that I know the real Aiden. I´ll try not to use that first interview, because his smile is…just...Aiden´s best feature. And his eyes. During that first interview, he is so self-conscious about his body and gestures that the camera misses his face lighting up when he is talking. By the second half of the interview things begin to get better, he laughs a bit, but it´s interesting to see how every once in a while he would “remember” to keep a posture, a masculine posture, and would make a very slight, almost unnoticeable gesture that would make him look masculine and put together. The problem is that he gives me good stuff in that interview, so maybe I should use it anyways…we´ll see.

Is this the cake we didn´t make?

We were (ok, they were) supposed to make a cake with a bunch of colors. People from Miqa were supposed to go to Aiden´s house and bake a cake with butter and the rainbow colors, but it had to be cancelled because of this stupid rain that is about to inundate the city!
I REALLY wanted that footage! :(
And I actually wanted to learn how to make this cake!
Picture stolen from here

Soccer field

Here is Aiden explaining to his model what the series is about. It was so, so much fun to look at him just entering the field with his camera. Hilarious photo session.

Lady Gaga

One of the things that surprised me during the march was the strong connection that Lady Gaga has with the LGBT community. They love her. We were there, just listening to the speakers, and all of a sudden people started to stand up, move, you know, something was going on. Then I heard a guy asking: "Lady Gaga time?" and he stood up. She entered the stage and the crowd went wild-wild. I was surprised, I had no idea! I mean, it is Lady Gaga, it is just pop music, really mainstream, and somehow I thought that they wouldn't be into something like that. I know, that's such a stereotype, a simplification, but it is the truth: I thought as a community they would be into more alternative artists. But then I was "informed:" it seems to be that this girl is bi, and she is not afraid to speak supporting the LGBT community and their struggle. She stood there and gave an awesome speech. Never to be forgotten: "Obama, I know you are listening. ARE YOU LISTENIIIING!"
Now I'm interested. And listening. Now I like Lady Gaga.

PS: I have my own footage of the speakers ;) just wait.

Remember Thomas Beatie?

This is the story that inspired Aiden´s project on pregnant men. Well, this is one of the inspirations, since the project also touches onmen´s bodies and the media interfering on people´s family size.




Aiden made a comment or two about how the picture of this guy had been softened, and about how effeminate they make him look.