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LIVING THE DREAM
C
ontinuing the soccer saga that brought footballing sen- sation Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) from the slums of LA to the bright lights of Newcastle, Goal 2 – Living The Dream takes him to the
even more hallowed portals of the Bernabeu Stadium.
Home to Spanish giants Real Madrid, it’s an impressive setting for a movie, even – the day after Arsenal’s shock Champions League victory – when the stadium reverberates only to the instructions of director Jaume Collet-Serra.
Guiding some of his cast and a handful of extras through their paces, he reflects on the fluid nature of a film governed in part by the action his cam- era team, led by DP Flavio Labiano, is able to capture from actual games.
“When we shoot these games, you’re just hoping for things to hap- pen,” explains the director whose own allegiance lies with Barcelona. “The worst thing is when nothing happens. But it is completely unpredictable.”
Shooting on a combination of the 35mm Eterna 500T 8573 and Super F- 250D 8562, Labiano is charged with capturing those unpredictable moments that will make the film seem utterly authentic, as well as more staged moments that Santiago and his former Newcastle team mate Gavin Harris (Alessandro Nivola) interact with some of Real’s ‘galacticos’.
“We will hopefully get Mr Beckham to hug one of my actors at some point,” Collet-Serra adds wryly. “During the matches we have a few cameras pointing at the pitch, but I want to look everywhere. I want to have slow motion, but then they have to reload faster, and every time they reload they’re missing two minutes because of it. It’s very challenging. When you’re trying to make a realis- tic movie you’re trying to make it really accurate, but often you only have one chance.”
But, just as with the first film, what occurs on the pitch is only part
of the story. It consciously focuses on Santiago’s concerns away from the beautiful game, moving things on and developing relationships further that were established in the first film, not least the romance with his down-to- earth girlfriend Roz (Anna Friel).
“Obviously the first film was a rags-to riches-story,” director Collet- Serra nods. “This one has a natural progression from that. You take this kid and you put him in the biggest
A report from the set of Goal 2 at the Bernabeu Stadium, legendary home of Real Madrid.
Fujifilm Motion Picture • The Magazine • Exposure • 17
club in the world, you give him a lot of personal problems, a lot of pressure and you see him crash.
“Stylistically we follow that, but it was my intention also to keep it grounded. We also see the down and dirty side of Madrid. We introduce characters from the poorer areas and you see that football connects all of these aspects.
“That’s really the message of this trilogy, that football is universal and it bonds. That’s what we’re trying to capture here.” ■ ANWAR BRETT
Goal 2 – Living The Dream, released in the UK on February 9, was originated on 35mm Eterna 500T 8573 and Eterna 250D, 8562
“We will hopefully get Mr Beckham to hug one of my actors at some point.”
Photos: scenes from
Goal 2 – Living The Dream
starring Kuno Becker, Anna Friel, Stephen Dillane and Rutger Hauer