Almost 15 years have passed since María Dueñas (Puertollano, Ciudad Real, 59 years old) became a literary star, one of those rare and rare publishing phenomena that today you can count on the fingers of one hand. A writing supernova with one foot on the screens, who, after four successful novels, now takes an unusual leap: Dueñas becomes the creator of original content for television as well as its executive producer. In a few days, on July 7th, he will premiere his first original series, Los Artists: Primeros Trazos. Currently there is no release date in Spain for the 10 chapters that will be broadcast by the ViX platform for its more than 30 million active users in the US, Mexico and most Spanish speaking countries.
The three decades do not pass in vain. For nobody, not even for La Mancha. They are characterized by lightness, clarity, tables and language. From his “summer base” in Cartagena, Murcia, where he’s re-energized after an intense season, Dueñas serves press from around the world on a long day of interviews via video call. She has barely nine, twelve, fifteen minutes to enthusiastically explain this project that, as she says, was offered to her by Isla Audiovisual (Isabel, Frágiles, La pecera de Eva, Historias para no dormir) and that she does without accepted to hesitate.
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The storyline of The Artists: First Strokes is fluid, simple and agile, and entertaining. The first chapter lays the foundation for the next nine chapters. Cata, a Mexican art specialist fed up with her job as a low-paid waitress in Madrid, teams up with Yago, a mischievous and seductive client who wants to make easy money by smuggling simple paintings (which won’t be easy). . to new rich people as great works of art. The protagonists are Ximena Romo and Maxi Iglesias, a pretty couple where the chemistry is right, accompanied by the experienced Francesc Garrido, an inspector specialized in counterfeiting who will make it difficult for this duo duo coveted by the viewer, as it is with the Dueñas is often the case I hope that the characters, as ambivalent as they may be, are doing well.
A moment during the shooting of the series “Los Artistas: Primeros trazos”, starring Ximena Romo and Maxi Iglesias and written by María Dueñas.ViX
The series brings the Spanish tradition of the picaresque into the 21st century, with much more humor than the author has come to expect from her novels. She wanted, she says, “a lighter, lighter look.” I also wanted it to be something dual, between Spain and America. As she explains, both she and her partners came from the original idea of ”doing a production from Spain with Hispanic ambitions”. The film was shot between Madrid, Marbella, Toledo and Miami with a Mexican protagonist. “I have great sympathy for Mexico, it’s a region that I know well, that I visit very often and where I also have many readers. For me it wasn’t strange at all.
From the beginning there was also the idea of art, of the world that revolves around it, of counterfeiting and commerce. “As we started putting it together, articulating it, ViX appeared. “They liked the idea from the beginning,” says Dueñas, who explains, as the producer also tells, that this project is part of a larger agreement, in a contract called “First Look,” where the platform takes precedence, a first look to throw. to the works that Dueñas plans specifically for audiovisual creations. The rights are managed differently for books. “This is an open agreement for a couple of years, I generate ideas and they watch. And the truth is that for me it’s a very different adventure, very enjoyable and I’m pleased with the trust they are giving me.”
In other words, Dueñas now has two jobs; even three if you add that of the producer. But for her, it’s like “two different paths” in which she tests the way she thinks, writes, and manages her time. “For those of us who work alone a lot, it’s gratifying because you end up with yourself 24 hours a day, sometimes for months. The opposite is the case here: you always work as a team, always with people and everyone who rows in one direction, but everyone contributes their views. And that’s why it’s very rewarding. It’s a two-pronged idea, but you can differentiate it very easily, you can get it out very easily.”
So what’s the process like for someone who tends to write hundreds of pages of detail and documentation to then come up with script ideas? Dueñas, who has a PhD in English Philology and is a full professor at the University of Murcia (she took the job just before the publication of her first novel, the hugely successful El tiempo entre costuras), has a firm method. “As a writer, I’m very structured and methodical. Coming from the academic world, I spent a long time dealing with the design of curricula, with planning … and of course I took that with me to the world of literature. To write each of my novels, I know from the beginning where I’m going, what’s going to happen, always with some leeway. But I drew the spine, let’s say, very well from the start. I have already brought some of this baggage with me from the world of literature. It suits my approach quite well.”
Ximena Romo, in her role as Cata in “Los Artistas: Primeros Trazos” during a moment of filming of the series written by María Dueñas in Miami.ViX
In addition, the author admits that by collaborating on the adaptations of her novels (Antena 3 made “El tiempo entre costuras” a hit series in 2013; “Temperance” had 10 chapters on Amazon Prime in 2021) she now has a left hand, especially to understand. The audiovisual production doesn’t work like a novel where you can change the characters, the time and the setting to suit the author. “The literature, of course, tolerates it perfectly. Now I know that an audiovisual production has to be clear too. Let’s assume, since I already had some insight into the subject, I don’t embark on new ones without knowing the language. Now I know that if I’m here and I want us to go to the beach and now to a cabin in the mountains, it costs money,” he says. It also recognizes that the author’s original work, its essence, is more respected every day, with the codes of the audiovisual but with respect.
Her interest in capital management stems from her role as executive producer. “It’s part of the deal,” he admits, “but it’s something we writers are also getting into by having broader participation.” I think the way the industry is including us has shifted a lot changed before we just bought the rights and now I think we’re valued more because in a way we’ve shown that we can be constructive, that we can contribute something positive, not only in the scripts but also on issues related to production. It’s not like we’re in on everything every day, but we can bring ideas and input.”
She’s not there every day, she admits. It’s only been a day on set for The Artists: First Strokes. He was “directly connected” and made decisions about the plot, the locations, the props… but from the outside. “I’ll go and avoid them for once, for their good and mine,” he laughs. “I like to control. I’m always in the know, so you have to have faith in the team. You kept me constantly updated, of course the connection was very fluid in every respect. But my place is at the back.
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