Making friends and making films take time

I have three days left and almost every waking second, my brain is scanning through my mountains of footage trying to see the gaps, the holes, the things that need to be filled in. In the last 2 weeks, Ben and I have managed to shoot probably close to 30 hours of footage—many days we have done 2 or more shoots, where we fill the P2 cards, come back, dump the footage, format the cards and go out again to shoot. Its been a very condensed, intense schedule, but lucky for us, things have really been falling into place.

Actually, I don’t think its possible to shoot “ethnographic” film (whatever that means) with any kind of intention of building rapport and respect for the people you’re filming with less than 2 people, especially if you are pressed for time. I just can’t imagine being able to shoot cutaways, conversations, spaces, etc, all while truly being present with the people around me. I think that filmmaking really allows one to focus in on their surroundings (both human and the natural environment) in ways that most people just don’t see in their everyday existence. However, while intensely looking can really make you feel “there,” it doesn’t always allow you to be “here” (meaning being present to the people around you). While one of us is shooting, if the other isn’t doing sound, he/she is maintaining conversation, and building valuable friendships with people, and is able to reciprocate socially in a way that is hard if you’re composing a shot, checking sound levels, setting the iris, focusing, etc. In this regard, and in many others, Ben has been an indispensable help to me.

I was just thinking recently how amazing it is that neither of us had gotten the infamous “Delhi Belly” or what in Nepal we called the “Kathmanpoo.” I suppose that when you have those thoughts it is inevitably taken as a challenge by the fates that rule such happenings. Sure enough, with three precious days left and counting, Ben has come down with a sick belly. We have a pretty packed shoot schedule today, so I will be heading out on my own.

Thematically, my project has rapidly morphed so many times, I can’t really remember all the permutations. I still am a bit unsure about how (if) it will all fit together, but the newly devised concept goes something like this: There will be three parts (each dealing with the three storylines we’ve shot): (1) the fishermen (this by far makes up the majority of the footage), (2) our eccentric Swiss neighbor in our homestay who is a 75 yr old painter and has been living in South and Southeast Asia for the last several decades, (3) the Catholic Charismatic community. This last storyline, despite it being my main interst in coming here has been given the least amount of filmic development and I’m worried about it not holding it own as an element of the film. The golden thread, or tentpole, or whtever that I am hoping to use to tie all these seemingly disparate stories together is the idea/notion/conception of the (holy) spirit.
The fishermen are not very explicitly religious, although we have shot on of them at a mass and one at his home with an elaborate shrine to Jesus and Mary. The other two are Muslim, and we’ve filmed with on of their families, but it isn’t apparent from the footage that they are Muslim… so not sure what to do with that if anything. However, I think that the fishermen perhaps can operate metaphorically (hopefully without reducing their subjectivity as individuals).
The eccentric painter moved out about a week ago, and so we only had a few days to shoot with him, but I think it was enough—as I said he is quite eccentric. He told us all of his own ideas about “the spirit” and nature and colors and god, oh, yes, and about aliens.
The charismatics I have some great footage of the retreat centre, but no character as of yet to walk the viewer through that. I am leaving in a few minutes to go film with a woman who is charismatic and knows what the film is about and is willing to let me film her as a part of it. Somehow I managed to invite myself over to her house for lunch (I’ve learned you have to be very forward and direct when time is tickin). So hopefully something good will come of that.
Anyways, I realize that I’m asking for your help at a very late stage in the game, but nonetheless, any feedback would be appreciated. My biggest concerns right now are that there is no “conflict” or contestation in the film and so it risks presenting one-sided characters, and as such I’m worried that it might be a bit foofy, if you know what I mean. Also, I’m trying to think of ways to connect it and the people’s concerns to the larger more global picture of today, so as not to present them as somehow isolated, or “picturesque.” Any suggestions??
Thanks so much all of you and happy shooting!!