A neighborhood rich in culture and history. Located in the northeastern part of Manhattan, the area stretches from 96th Street to 139th Street, and from the East River to 5th Avenue. It is home to one of the largest Latino communities in New York City and to the amazing diversity of the various communities that make up this great city. “El Barrio” is one of three official names for the area, and it stands for “The Neighborhood” in Spanish.

The area is also known for being the birthplace of several internationally known Latin artists and home to the Graffiti Hall of Fame, as well as boasting the most amazing section of Central Park (Conservatory Garden) and being the start of the world-famous Museum Mile. Traces of the neighborhood’s history and culture can be found throughout the area, in its architecture and local establishments. Visit one of the last truly classic New York City neighborhoods, a bit off the beaten path, but still in the heart of the capital of the world.

This site serves as a gateway to this community and the various establishments and activities being hosted here on a daily and nightly basis. Come experience the arts, food, shops and the thriving nightlife in El Barrio.

Videos produced by Barrio Media

Cinematographer, editor, director, producer, and writer. Project reel from the founder and owner of Barrio Media, Julián Gerena-Quiñones.

Control: The first concept we need to understand is Control. Creating video is as much about control as it is not. There are so many things that can go wrong on a shoot that we need to be ready to be flexible and adjust accordingly. Things will at times be challenging, so the first thing we must learn to control is how we frame our way of thinking. Once we frame our selves to think positively, then we allow great creative freedom to flow, and things happen without much effort. So with that said let me get back into the concept of control. When we understand that there are things within our control, and that there are things out of it, then we see that control is actually only part of the illusion we manifest through video. What you can control is your reaction. From there we are free to make clearer choices under stress.

Lighting: This is so important. Make sure you know what your light source is. Sometimes you can’t control your lighting and you have to do the best that you can with what you got. Many Pro-Consumer cameras come with really excellent low light functions that make shooting in dimly lit places actually possible. But most of all make sure you white balance, especially when doing a 2 camera shoot. If you don’t have the luxury of bringing your own lights, make sure you  look around the room to see what the light source is and to see where your subject is. Never back light your subject with light coming from a window, instead get resourceful and use the light from outside as a fill light.

Sound: We have to listen. Audio is 50% of video. Without propor audio there is no video. Video hits both the visual senses and the auditory ones, so listen. I recommend getting quality over-the-ear headphones and taking them to every shoot. They will help you detect unwanted noise. I was once on a shoot recording a voice over directly into my camera. To my naked ear I wouldn’t have noticed there was a hum coming from another room. Once the head phones were on I was able to detect and eliminate the hum and control the audio much better. Something as tiny as a wall clock ticking may prove to be huge later on if its picked up by the mic. Lastly, watch those levels. Keep the audio out of the red as much as you can by monitoring how the subject is speaking, adjusting them on the camera or recording device, and placing the microphone closer or farther away fromt he subject.

Composition: One of the biggest mistakes I see shooters do is that they place the subject too close to a wall. Video is essentially a medium that tricks the eye it to seeing something that is 2 dimensional and making us think its 3D. But we have to control whats called the depth of field. The best way to do this is to make sure that if your recording an interview is to make sure you do not sit the subject too close to whats in the background. Play with distance. If your shooting with a DSLR like a Canon 5D then you have the option of switching lenses for different depth of field looks. Also make sure that you frame your subject with enough head room and lead room, that is make sure that if they are look to the left or right of the frame, you don’t have them too close to the edge of the frame.

Holding it Steady: Try to make sure you have a steady hand that you are able to control your movements so that they are fluid. Lastly think about how your going to be using this later on in post production. Leave yourself enough room when you hit REC and PAUSE to make any trim edits.

Well thats all for now. Make sure you email me at barriomedia@gmail.com if you have any questions about what was discussed here and or if your in the market to buy some equipment. I hope this article was helpful.

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When are we going to get it? Recently I produced a series of East Harlem / El Barrio tourism videos with the intent and purpose of attracting tourism and business to this community. But now, I just want to say “stay away, we’re not ready.” El Barrio has been open for business, but is not ready to be recognized as a shopping destination as long as we are displaying crap like this for the world to see. So lets shape up, get focused and start doing business right. I am a business owner here in El Barrio and I feel it is my duty to hold this community accountable when I see something out of place. This neighborhood has the feeling of a worn and used tire that needs to be changed but keeps on rolling along.

I’m writing this because I feel that El Barrio needs a long needed face lift that pays tribute to its deep Latino roots and people, but also takes into consideration the changing landscape. I don’t want this community to get any more gentrified than it already is, but at the very least we need our merchants to care just a little more because if they don’t, why should customers.

So in summary, im going to keep posting pictures of businesses I feel are dropping the ball in hopes that they will hold themselves to higher standards. A little constructive criticism never hurt no one.

So this what happens when a commercial billboard inspires me, and it’s actually given me some great material for a potential video reel because of the images I see. What ever you do don’t stop seeing. For me the ability to see is the greatest gift I could have ever received. Don’t give up looking at things from a different Point of View (POV) and learning about the world you live in.

Every once and a while we are privy to some really good music. Tonight was no exception. At Santos Party House in NYC I got to see NAVEGANTE, a musical group which pushes the boundaries of eclectic funk with both amazing sounds and lyrics. They are an established New York based group whom I’ve had the opportunity to work with and get to know on many occasions. The band, made up of Jean Shepard and Washington Acevedo Duke are the most down to earth guys on the planet. Jean, who I belive to be the brains of the outfit is a musical alchemist the way he makes the crowd go crazy with his synthesized-computerized piano keys and guitars. The word Navegante means navigator and they definately take the audience on a rocket fueled journey. A Navegante show is always trademarked by the lighting design created by the Ninja Chris Robinson who hypnotizes our retnas with immense explosions of light. I can’t forget to mention the rapid if not octopus like drummer Washington AKA Dolla Bill, who keeps the beat going and you jumping in the air. Tonight was an amazing show where the group debuted their junior album, Rebel Ship Rock. There were some special guests on stage tonight, including on and off again member bass player Guillo Colon who definitely adds a mega dose of funk to the rhythms.  Also with them were some MC’s whom I can’t remember the names of and a Violinist who mixed things up but will also remain nameless due to my crappy memory and not taking good notes…Regardless, you have to look this group up when you get a chance and support these independent artist. These guys definately work hard for every thing they have achived so far. It’s a divine thing to be able to slip into the groves of sound, Im just grateful I got on that ship last night and took a journey with Navegante at the helm.