Sensory Ethnography Summer Journal

Tilt-Shifting Saigon

2009-08-12T02:34:00.005-04:00

Just had to share this lil piece. I snatched it fr an acquaintance's blog.

Here's what he had to say abt it:
"It was only recently that I stumbled upon tilt-shift photography. While the process requires a special lens, you can create this effect in the post-production stage with digital photographs using Photoshop. The mesmerizing aspect of tilt-shift formats is that it distorts the focus and scale of the subject, making them appear to be miniature figurines.

Using a Canon A540, "Evil Penguin" created a time-lapse video of Saigon applying a tilt-shift aspect -- the short reel was posted on You Tube..."

2 months of peace and music (and filmmaking)

2009-08-07T10:51:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!

So I've emailed some of you individually, but realized it's been a long time since I've done a post and given all that has happened in the last month I figured it's time to report. It turns out that the guy that I met at the end of June, Masa Mukasa, one of the rare breed of Japanese combo hippie-musician-activists, has become an incredible subject but more importantly, friend. From the beginning I got along very well with him (and his girlfriend, Nobue, more commonly Non-Chan, who is almost always with him), and despite the language barrier (his English is basic), we were able to mostly bond over shared music taste and a karaoke session that convinced him that I am a very talented rapper and singer (and a night out at a club that made him think I'm a very talented dancer haha). I've been going to the bookstore that he rents out on Mondays (largely to help out the owner, as the bookstore's regular business is not doing very well) as well as the home that his union opened up to provide cheap housing for disadvantaged youth. A few weeks ago I hit a bit of a wall, feeling that a lot of my footage was too similar (granted I I can't understand conversations, but a lot of it was in the same few rooms), and not knowing how to proceed in an interesting and productive way. Luckily the answer came quite easily as Masa started inviting me to more and more of his activities, and I ended up shooting a lot of stuff that is both visually interesting and has good content. Firstly, a protest/musical performance in Miyashta Park, which the government has sold to Nike so they can make it a pay to enter skate and theme park despite the fact that the park is home to about 30 otherwise homeless people and has a very important history as the center of protest and counterculture in Japan. I also filmed a few meetings regarding the future of the protesting there that Masa organized. One of Masa's bands recorded a few songs in a studio and then performed them in a club outside of Tokyo in Urawa, all of which I shot. He also performed with another group at Never Never Land, the owner of which is the head of the Save Shimokitazawa movement to protect the neighborhood from government redevelopment and gentrification (an organization of which Masa is a member). Masa invited me to rap during this performance (he told everyone I was a famous rapper from Cali), and his friend who is a video journalist shot me while I was on stage "performing"--Masa also has an MP3 of what he thinks is a beautiful performance and I think is a bit of a fiasco. My sister actually visited Tokyo for a week and helped me out a bit during the show. Her presence turned out to be very productive, not only because she helped to reinvigorate my perspective (I'm an outsider, but she REALLY was an outsider, and pointed out some things about Masa that she thought were really interesting that I had gotten used to), but also because Masa thought she was cool (she's dating a world-famous DJ and traveling a bunch) which helped add to my cred. Last weekend, I went to a hippie Music and art festival with Masa, Non-Chan and some of their friends I had met before for two days in a mountain town called Fujino, at which Masa performed (with Adachi and Ralph, two guys who I've filmed performing at the bookstore before). These two days were probably the highlight of my summer, since it was basically like living Monterey Pop. I'd been hanging out with Japanese alternative people for over a month and I still couldn't believe what I saw. Sitar players, tie-dye, fire dancing, live painting, overtone singing, pot smoking (albeit hidden in darkness), didgeridoo, flower dresses, crack of dawn dance parties, jam sessions, it really had it all, and I got a lot of really cool footage. Finally, I went on a beach trip this week with Masa and Non-Chan and some of the 'friends' of his union (called Indy Union PS) for three days, and got some beautiful sunset over the ocean stuff etc. This week I'm going to his home for the first time--apparently it's very small and messy--but he finally invited me to hang out for a bit on Tuesday.

Sorry that was so long, but I wanted to give you an idea of what I've been keeping myself busy with. I feel really really really lucky that I was able to access these people and culture so quickly and got such good access to what they do, not only based on the language barrier and time constraints, but also because of what I've heard of difficulties many people have had and do have making films in Japan and especially Tokyo. I've been spending so much time with them that it's going to be really weird coming back to the hippie-less land of Harvard, I'll really miss them.

I have about 10 days left in Tokyo, and in addition to the stuff at Masa's house, I plan on shooting interviews of Masa and Non-chan (not sure if I will use it, but I think it will be good to have in case), as well as some more establishing tripod stuff around Tokyo and Shibuya, again just to have in case I want something like it.

The only thing I would ask of you is if you have any suggestions of things I should do or try to shoot before I leave. In terms of my presence in the film, I do want to include something that acknowledges my foreign perspective just because it seems silly not to (especially since I did this whole thing with very little knowledge of Japanese language and culture). I also think it could be interesting to acknowledge the reasons why I was able to get such good and quick access. I've filmed some conversations I've had with Masa about music, as well as some of the introductions he's given of me to new people, but these things are pretty hard to do properly in a way that looks good. I also have my appearance ('rap') in one of his performances, which could say a lot haha. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing really well and good luck in wrapping things up if you haven't already. Excited to see you in a few weeks!!

--Lucas

PS Thanks to my internship at Yamagata Documentary Film Festival (which again, is a very, very low time commitment, chill deal), I just had dinner with Kidlat Tahimik (director of Perfumed Nightmare) and a group of Filipino tribespeople that he brought to Japan for an installation project in the rice fields of a small village about 5 hours from Tokyo.

Peace and Love!!

When It Rains, It Pours

2009-07-31T06:10:00.003-04:00

I know I’ve only just written, and I’m sorry to take over your RSS feeds, but I humbly and last-minutely seek your advice… I’ll do my best to keep it concise this time.

Just when I thought things were beginning to wrap up, my subjects started dropping bombshells, Sumit in particular. Over the course of several days, I’ve been filming him repeatedly cheating on the weeklong exam they’ve been taking. (Many of the boys have cheated to some extent, but Sumit has been the only one who’s been open to me filming it.) Then, on Tuesday morning, he got into a fist fight with an older student over an allegedly stolen bag. I missed the fight—the whole thing went down in a split second—but he was unbelievably kind in letting me film his meeting with the principal. I’ve got all the footage I’d ever need if I wanted to paint him as your stereotypical teenage rebel, but here’s the problem: he’s so much more than that. I can see through the thick walls he’s built around himself; we’ve shared tender moments off camera, and I sometimes find him sitting in rooms by himself, staring out of windows and thinking. A two-dimensional portrayal would be an incredible disservice to him. Every time I try to film any indication of these inner workings, though, he’s quick to leave the frame and withdraws from me further, bumping up his “tough guy” image another notch. To echo Elisa’s thoughts, how much can you really ask someone to show a side of himself he wants to keep hidden?

My mantra this summer has been to let things play out on their own, to resist controlling and interfering, but time is running out. With Hindu holiday season is in full swing, I only have six days left to shoot, barring strikes and bus accidents (or another 6 AM solar eclipse… I still can’t believe the government declared a full-day public holiday for that). My search for a conclusion continues, and using the final scene to add something unexpected to the audience’s knowledge of his character could be very productive. I’ve got my big translation sesh with the interpreter tomorrow, which I hope will bear some fruit, and there’s always the hope that subtle moments will reveal themselves in the coming months. Blind hope in exiting footage aside, is there anything I can do in the coming days to bring out another side to Sumit? I’m afraid I already know the answer to this (and not an answer I like), but I’m still hoping your combined wisdom can provide me with some much-needed insight.

Calling for Back Up!

2009-07-30T11:49:00.002-04:00

After a 40-min convo with an American prof with extensive research experience in VN, I am now sufficiently worried that my miniDVs might not make their way out of the country. He warned me about the hassles of Vietnamese censorship with the example that a previous collection of his audiotapes (10 hrs of recorded interviews) was totally rejected because a segment of his material included farmers going off on rants abt 'f'ing Americans' in the ol' war days and their effects on cropping methods. Anything tiptoe-ing towards the realm of the political would trigger alarm. He advised that I should make digital file copies of all my footage.

Basically I think he's right. When I leave VN, airport security/immigration will require that I have a certificate of permission fr a local official in order for me to depart with the tapes. I could cross my fingers and hope no one notices the tapes during the scanning. Or I could send off my tapes to be reviewed by the local Foreign Affairs Office to get the right paperwork, risking their disapproval if they deem anything 'sensitive.' I don't think I have anything that would raise eyebrows but who knows. My researcher contact thinks, "better safe than sorry." That means I should make backups but I'm not sure how to proceed. All I have is my camera pack and my MacBook (with no external hard drive, no blank DVDs, etc). I hear that I can take my tapes to a place that does wedding videos and just pay to have them convert the material to digital files and then I can mix the discs in with random entertainment CDs and DVDs, which no one is likely to notice. Will that work? If I somehow lose my original tapes, will I be able to work with the digital files upon return? How does that affect the image/sound quality? I'm basically clueless abt this technical talk.

The other option is to send the tapes back early with my bf, who leaves town in two days. Because he is a 'backpacking' Westerner the airport officials will probably pay less attention. The only problem with that is that I am not done recording (abt 5 more hours to go) and would like to have the footage to review in order to draft my script for the next week and a half left of work here. I'm not sure this is the best option.

Sorry for the long-winded explanation; if anyone has suggestions/clarifications, I'd appreciate it. Also, how come no one else seems to have encountered this bureaucratic mess? Surely I'm not the only one shooting under the watchful eye of a touchy political regime?

A Successful Failure

2009-07-27T19:17:00.003-04:00

Given that I was supposed to be arriving at my hostel in Venice around now, this post seems like slightly bitter irony since I had planned not to check email for the remainder of the week. But no, I arrived at the Paris-Orly airport this evening only to be informed that the airline myair.com for all effective purposes, no longer existed (this from a representative of alyzia, as myair has no representative, or counter for that matter) No flights had arrived from Venice to Paris since last Wednesday.

I had decided to leave the camera behind, given a certain ambiguity about my accommodation at "Bangkok House" ( a mixed dorm, I think--They never answered my emails and from our phone conversation, seemed to speak minimal English-- I was worried for Baby's safety.). I was nonetheless stoked to focus my efforts on sound, bringing along my entire bag of goodies. I planned to be wearing headphones throughout my sojourn.

And so I'm online again, debating whether to take this as a sign to stay in Paris, consigning myself to the dungeon of the Mitterand bibliotheque (the "pine trees" in the inaccessible garden are actually chained) or as an opportunity to try yet again another budget airline and different accommodation for a visit in mid-August.

And should I bring Baby along this time round?

GAIN?

2009-07-25T05:54:00.002-04:00

Quick question--what is the status on gain? If I am shooting in HD and am in low light and there is nothing I can do to raise it, will 3db or 6db of gain ruin the picture? I've experimented with it and can tell it is a bit grainier but I don't think it ruins it, but if it is on a big screen will it look awful? Thoughts, suggestions? Thanks! I will post more soon, everything is going well, just semi-concerned about the low light thing since I've been shooting some concerts in bars, etc.

Thanks!

Reflections on "Race" and Returning Home

2009-07-24T11:32:00.002-04:00

First of all, let me apologize for this lengthy diatribe, but I have a bit more time on my hands now.

Just returned (again) to Cambridge, to the news of the arrest of Harvard Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. If you haven’t heard yet, he was arrested in his own home by police who were responding to a 911 call of a break-in. After Gates showed ID proving that he lived there the Cambridge City police arrested him for disorderly conduct and said that he was shouting and resisting them. This story has caused people and the media to re-question the injunction shortly after Obama’s election of the ushering in of a new “post-racial” era, and rightfully so.
At the end of Obama’s press conference a few nights ago he was asked what he thought of this arrest, and stated that the Cambridge police “acted stupidly,” citing the long history in our country of the disproportionate arrests of Blacks and Latinos. The dialogue on blogs, radio, TV, etc has proliferated as people take sides with Skip Gates or the police (who were doing their job??!!).

No need for me to explain my own opinion on this matter as you all know me well enough to guess… but it does raise interesting questions that actually relate to the developments of my project(s) over the last 3 weeks.

“Race” in Kerala
My last night in Kerala, was a stark reminder of the “taking sides-ness” of human nature. Jamie, the Catholic foreman of the fishermen we had been filming with (after a bit too much rum) started lashing out against his Muslim co-fishermen; people who, mind you, he is normally friendly with, works with everyday, and was even holding hands with on the way to the bar. As soon as the Muslim members of his fishing team were out of earshot, he started telling Ben and I that they were bad people, that they kill people, and “all they want is money, money, money.” Needless to say we were a bit surprised by his vehemence, and a bit disappointed that our last night, meant to be a farewell, had turned into a match of hurling insults (primarily one way; from Jamie towards the Muslims). Of course none of this was recorded and so now I struggle with how to address this religious tension in my film. The concept of what we call “race” is intricately bound up with ethnic, religious, and caste issues in Kerala; a complex web that I have yet to even begin to understand.

“Race” in Flint
While in MI over the past two weeks, I spoke to friends and family about the Genesee Land Bank, and heard a variety of responses to it. The Genesee County Land Bank, which is a proposal to shrink the city of Flint and raze several wards. Flint is in the process of electing a new Mayor and the Land Bank issue is hotly debated. However, most people I’ve spoken to about this have said that nothing is happening on the ground and its all just talk at the moment. I am really interested in following this story, but I would prefer to find a good subject “on the ground” to follow and film with over the next several years as things develop there. So far, I’ve found many people to talk to about this, but no one who actually lives in the wards likely to be scheduled for demolition. Not sure how to pursue this at this point?
A good friend of mine who grew up in Flint, but left decades ago said that his childhood friends had quite racist comments to the proposal of razing parts of town. Saying things like: “Good riddens” and “who needs those neighborhoods.” My friend found this shocking and racially motivated but also recalled a violent and troublesome childhood in racially segregated wards.

One thing traveling is always good for is a little perspective. Although I find it (probably too) easy to get worked up over racist or sexist comments/treatment abroad, returning to the States has been a bit of a wake-up call in the sense that what we consider ourselves to be is oftentimes a thin patina for more deeply rooted prejudices. If Skip Gates can get arrested in his own home in one of the countries “most liberal” towns, what’s happening in Flint needs attention as its unemployment rates nears 30% and new politicians vie for controlled change, and what happens in Kerala needs to be balanced by a little well-informed perspective as well.

Growing Pains

2009-07-24T06:51:00.003-04:00

While Sarah’s been chasing childhood across Southeast Asia, I’ve been chasing children in the same subcontinent. After a week-long translation fest, I’m beginning to see how all these puzzle pieces will fit together to make a film, which now resembles more of a sandwich than a braid. The first half of the film will focus on the kindergarten worlds of Sarita, Rabinda, and Neha (the former two pictured above); the second half will center on two teenaged friends, Shyam and Sumit. When I started to follow these three little girls, I expected a real life Alice in Wonderland, but I’ve found that beneath their angelic smiles, these girls can be just as cruel as they are kind; even the dynamics of nap time can be surprisingly complex. My goal is to flesh out the friend-triangle, capturing them working and playing with one another, against one another, and under the guidance of a guru. Though there may be one or two scenes that include a teacher (a meditation lesson and an outdoor game resembling “duck duck goose”), this section had been shot primarily Peanuts-style—from the perspective of the five-year olds with the teacher “waaa-waaa-waaa”ing somewhere overhead.

Like Adam, there are so many times, especially during personal interactions, that I wish I had a hidden camera rolling, as so much seems to reveal itself only after the camera’s off. During a recent English lesson, for example, one of the boys asked me the American sign for “S-?-E.” He fingerspelled it over and over, but I insisted that “?” wasn’t part of the Latin alphabet. He whipped out his notebook and wrote something resembling: “S )( E”. Again, I told him I didn’t understand the second letter. He tried again, this time producing a legible “SXE.” I informed the exasperated boy that “sxe” was not an English word. With unfailing tenacity, he slammed his notebook shut and boldly fingerspelled, in front of the entire waiting class, “F-U-C-K”. Well! It had never occurred to me that in the deaf community of suburban Nepal (where arranged marriages are still common and dating is not), these guys are every bit as adolescent as their American counterparts. Though the teenaged boys are more calculated in front of the camera than the first-grade girls, I’ve retrospectively found key scenes rife with allusions to pubescent thoughts of girls, male dominance, and competition. The footage culminates in a 400m race between two close friends, Shyam and Sumit, whose desire to win overwhelms their desire to support each other: Shyam wants to win the heart of a girl by winning the race but doesn’t even cross the finish line, and the more confident, competetive Sumit runs his heart out (literally) to bring home the silver. In my most serendipitious moment (and I’ve been relying heavily on serendipity), linking our two cultures and incorporating an unexpected bit of pop culture, Shyam picks up a Nepali newspaper and calls over a few friends to report the death of Michael Jackson. I, of course, had no clue what they were talking about at the time, and didn’t find out myself for another week!

The golden thread is, very broadly, the “emotionality” of childhood and puberty within this deaf community. The peanut butter gluing together these two halves—the critical tent pole—is the school’s only deaf teacher, Sharmila, who will lead us from an outdoor game in the courtyard (an intentional departure from the first grade classroom) to the fifth grade classroom, after which point, the focus will shift primarily to Shyam. The film will be much more of a conventional documentary than originally planned, but it’s not entirely ethnographic, per se.

I’m open to surprises and expecting the unexpected in my final three weeks. I’m now shooting and reshooting the opening scene (the national anthem, signed on sporadic mornings), spending long days observing the girls, and searching for some way to close the film. (I want to return to the deaf school after the race, but what could possibly serve as a good resolution after the climactic race? And should I stick to the Shyam-Sumit thread or find some way to incorporate the whole school again?)

I’m sending you guys lots of positive energy, and wishing you many serendipitious moments over your finals weeks and days. As always, I’m stoked to read your updates and looking forward to finally matching names with faces in a few short weeks!

chasing childhoods across SE asia

2009-07-22T06:53:00.004-04:00

Dearest sensory ethnographers...

Finally, I sit down for a moment. It's been wonderful to follow your posts at various internet cafes across SE asia. I absolutely cannot wait to see the final films, as I'll miss out on seeing the footage and the editing process. But it sounds like you've all been on incredible journeys. Just thought I'd say hello and fill you in on what's been happening in my film world.

I went to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia to complete filming for a film entitled 'Worlds' that myself and my partner have been working on for 3 years... The film involves returning to the places of our childhoods and filming them as they are today. The film is attempting to capture that devastating feeling of falling in love, and never being able to know the past of your lover, forever grasping at blurry images of the stories they tell you. We've been travelling across Southern Africa and SE asia filming landscapes that have changed so much in our lifetimes - two lives which have had utterly different trajectories through history, Jean having grown up as a person of colour under apartheid, and me having grown up the privileged daughter of a diplomat.

We returned to places where I spent much of my childhood, Indonesia in particular. It was haunting to return to the beach resorts which had been simply jungle when I was a child. In the interveneing 20 years, mile-long resorts were built and have become completely derelict. Now, Indonesian tourists still flock there at weekends, but staying in isolated rooms around which other rooms decay. It was incredible to stand on the beach I played on as a child, watching banana boats and jet-skis whizz past, in front of Krakatoa on the horizon. Jakarta, choking even when I lived there, is now an apocalyptic gothem city of mile after mile of skyscrapers and black, oil-slick rivers. We made a friend who worked as a Salsa teacher at the Ritz, and can only hope he's alright after the recent bombings.

Now I'm back in the UK editing another project, about mothers and daughters (of which you saw a hint in one of my pieces) which is completely draining, but going well. In September I will return to Cape Town to edit 'Worlds' with Jean. Editing is always excruciating, those camera jerks, the missed words and funny angles, but all these perceived errors aside, the 'moment' usually finds its way of shining through. Watching hours of footage in the last two weeks, I've realised it's when I stopped trying to control the situation that the most magic moments followed, yet I was focused enough to follow them.

As for 'Blindness', once I'm in South Africa again I'll be applying for money to make it with the national broadcaster - fingers crossed! Good luck to you all in the last stages of filming, and I hope I make it out to the US for the screenings!

lots of love,
Sarah

concerns on visual (mis)representation

2009-07-22T05:56:00.004-04:00

Dear ones,

I beseech your advice and food for thought and will try to leave my post as succinct as possible.

I've gotten some 'typical' anthro footage of the girls: doing washing, cooking, their 'lived experience'. But ultimately it doesn't say anything about these girls: They are orphans, their families were murdered in a genocide, and they have little hope for a successful future because of it. There is no one to talk to about their problems, so they carry on as if nothing has happened.

The tourist reaction to Rwanda is "Wow the country has totally rebuilt itself, Rwanda has really healed from the genocide." It frustrates me so much because it suggests that people have low expectations for the country, as if the progress from mud homes to cement homes is good enough. There is proverb here that loosely translates, 'what is the point of a good house with no food inside?" Ultimately, such attitudes about economic and structural growth don't leave room to consider the ripple effects of genocide.

So when I film the girls, you don't see what is really going on "below the surface", beyond visual representation. I was thinking of contrasting voice over from interviews over the 'lived experience' footage I shot, but the interviews are so difficult for them I can't help but feel guilty asking such intrusive questions that have already caused them to break into tears.

I also tried lending them journals, but claudene, the very sensitive one shown in the above picture, is illiterate. So I'm thinking of asking her to draw some things for me, but I don't think it will get around the fundamental moral and cinematic problems here:

The girls' footage and work is conveying the same things as mine: playing with friends, going to school, doing chores. How much can you ask a person to demonstrate and share things if she wants to leave them unspoken?

Hope the filming is going well, I can't wait to see what y'all have done!

Sincerely yours,
Elisa

Golden Hours

2009-07-17T10:26:00.003-04:00

Here's hoping everyone is doing well! I have gotten some great footage recently and I have more on the horizon. In short: I got up at 5am the other day to film the sunrise and then follow one of the local characters into the countryside so that he could pick mulberries to make gelato with. He is a very interesting individual. That evening, Elvira (my Sicilian mom, as I like to call her) took me to see how they separate the wheat from the chaff: by throwing the wheat into the air with pitchforks, and letting the wind carry the chaff away while the wheat falls to the ground. The only problem was, there was no wind. So I filmed the local farmers playing briscola (a card game), and Elvira doing somersaults in the hay. She is turning out to be a really outstanding subject. I also went on an excursion to climb Mt. Etna. I got some really interesting shots... of course I somehow managed to turn on the !@#$%ing gain switch at some point, so some of the shots are a bit grainy. Not entirely ruined, fortunately, since I had the gain on quite low. I have since admonished my HVX and told it never to do that again (or in other words, I set it so that the gain never goes above 0dB, no matter what I do with the switch). The Etna footage probably won't be part of my documentary, but I think it has some excellent possibilities for a lyrical piece. On Sunday I have an appointment to film a guy who makes and repairs zampogne, or Sicilian bagpipes! This evening I will probably film Elvira taking care of her elderly mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer's. Elvira has to be one of the best "nurses" in the world.

I'm running out of room on my hard drives... only about 100GB left. I think I need to go out and buy two more, what with a month left to shoot!

It is 97 degrees here today and I can barely bring myself to type. But I stumbled upon (through Lifehacker, one of my favorite blogs) a steadicam design that I think we could really sink our teeth into when we get back. Check it out here!

two (2) questions and one (1) photo

2009-07-12T06:28:00.003-04:00

1.) what are your postal addresses? or rather, the addresses of where you'll be in 3-4 weeks from now. i have a little something (a very little something... or very little something...) i'd like to send you! edit: of course, it never occurred to me that you probably shouldn't post your snail mail addresses to the world wide web. if you wouldn't mind e-mailing me, that would be awesome!

2.) can you recommend any reading/watching/listening material of any kind related to filmmaking/ethnography/documentary/anthropology/etc. available for download/upload/e-mail/copy&paste? essays, stories, novels, videos, guides, assigned reading from last semester, assigned reading from next semester, ANYTHING! totally devoid of technological distractions (including electricity, at times), i'm finding myself with quite a bit of free time, and i'd like to put that time towards thinking and rethinking the project. at this point, i'll take anything i can get (which has included buying every 100 Rs documentary on children or disabilities or southeast asia i can get my hands on)!

3.) a friend recently sent me this photograph. so wonderful!

...

2009-07-07T07:22:00.002-04:00

Hi all,
So here is a quick recap of where I'm at.

I arrived back in Beirut on June 16th after a festive graduation for George (my partner) and a trip back to MT to see family and my brother's wedding. Not two days after returning back to Lebanon I went on a research trip with a tourist group to Syria for 5 days – was fruitful. After returning back to Beirut and getting settled in I've been getting into shooting...albeit, slowly.

It is hard being back in a place where I know so many people – and feel like I have another life – and then buckling down to do these shoots within these short 8 weeks. Perhaps this is the blessing and the curse. As far as my project I have started shooting in a few gyms but the footage just isn't that interesting so far. I've done lots of sound recording with the Tascam in cinemas and am starting to capture some city scapes and seeing what will inspire me further.

Technically I've been blessed with George's new camera which he just got for commerial work. It turns out that it can shoot HD footage at a much better quality than the DV tapes I brought. (5616x3744 and 21 mp for those that are technically inclined). The camera looks like a normal 35mm – which is the real blessing. There hasn't been much political turmoil this year but Lebanon is still a sensitive place to capture images. I've already been stopped numerous times with the small camera and many public spaces would be out of the question with the larger camera here. Beyond the stealth qualities of the camera I've been enjoying how it producing excellent controls with depth of field and also its ability to capture in lowlight – (which for some “cinema” shooting might payoff). I also cherish the ability to upload the footage to the computer and see exactly what I have – and more than anything, my mistakes and missteps which are foundational in how I then reapproach the next day's shooting. I will post some stills of shots in afew days when I go through and organize everything. Headed up north to the village for some family obligations right now. Oh yeah, the size of the camera also will allow for easy shooting in Syria too. Headed over next week and will play around -- although I don't want to get taken too off track.

I also must apologize as I have responded to few postings thus far. I've gotten them all and read them but haven't had much time to get back to you. It is crazy to think how quickly time is passing.

j

2009-07-06T19:02:00.004-04:00

Chers amis,

I finally arrived! I think I might have been the last to leave, just missing Julia in transit. My mom visited over the weekend, so we suffered through jet lag and hot spell over the weekend. From the first step off the plane, I have been thinking nothing but images--it's dreadful! She encouraged me, though, to lug the camera to Versailles. But kept asking why I didn't just shoot photography if I only going to film the sky (I made her stay up to midnight the second night while I filmed the clouds)

"Cynthia, what about the action?"

The guard finally put a stop to my antics, though--"Interdit, interdit"--so I switched over to sound. I think Mutter's having second thoughts about my ambitions to become "une realisateur", however, when I began to nag her about keeping the proper distance from "Baby."

"Mutter, please stand away from Baby while you eat that orange. Baby hates fruit. Citrus spray upsets Baby."

I left Baby at home yesterday, though, (my back needed a break) and instead did reconnaisaance for Daniel Buren's in situ work at the Picasso Museum. He was at one of Broodthaers's early expositions and in my dreams, would make a good interview. Again, Mutter assisted as I stage directed(I did this at Versailles, but perhaps you need to see the footage to appreciate....).

"No Mutter, turn to your right, perpendicular to the mirror, PERPENDICULAR I say. Now left leg slightly left, closer to the mirroir, closer. There! Now lift up the right leg. Hold....keeping holding, keep holding. Perfect!

But back to the project, as for other interviews, I have numbers for some folks in Brussels but am currently reconsidering whether I will need to try to keep my room in Paris as a base and just go for long weekends (oh dear!). I have quickly learned that Baby makes me much less mobile and very dependent on elevators. Venice had no plans to build escaleteurs last time I checked. Would ruin that historical ambience of decay.

Such are my logistical worries...

Assemblage

2009-07-05T07:34:00.003-04:00

I threw together an assemblage of the field burning footage and uploaded it to vimeo. Please let me know what you think! I'm finding myself wondering if it would be better to concentrate on this one family. It seems like the footage I have of them (though currently sparse) is the best and most interesting I have shot. At any rate, here is the video. Just FYI, in order to see it in full resolution you will need to follow the link to the video on Vimeo, but I have embedded it here for convenience's sake.

Castelmola Field Burning Assemblage from Adam Muri-Rosenthal on Vimeo.

2009-07-02T11:43:00.001-04:00

Simplify, simplify.

A Hodgepodge of Updates and Questions

2009-07-02T06:20:00.008-04:00

First of all, I want to thank Ty for poking me into finally posting! Thanks Ty! There’s so much to tell, but the urgency I felt to post was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task. Not to mention the fact that it’s been hard to keep up with you guys! It’s great to see this thing taking off!

Let me begin by telling you that I am doing really well. When I am not shooting, Castelmola can be a pretty lonely place. Although I know a lot of people, they are pretty much always working, since their livelihoods all depend on summer tourism. That said, I have been shooting a lot. Still, I can’t say that I am entirely convinced of the footage I have. I have been feeling like I am still missing the pieces I need to make a really powerful documentary.

I decided it was time for a break.

As luck would have it, a friend from Rome invited me to go with her to the Pesaro Film Festival (in Northern Italy), and I happily accepted. The film festival was interesting. Israeli cinema was one of its themes. One, in particular, was quite moving, and I highly recommend it: Year Zero (Shnat Effes, in Hebrew). I also saw a documentary called Rachel, about an American girl (Rachel Corrie) killed in Palestine while attempting to stop Israeli tanks from demolishing Palestinian houses. It was quite powerful, thorough, and well-done, I thought. They even showed Sweetgrass, though the showing occurred before I had arrived.

But I suppose all of this is neither here nor there. Getting out of Castelmola gave me a really good opportunity to reflect on my film. I realized that so far, the footage I have shot and that I plan to shoot includes primarily three families: the Turrisis (owner of the infamous bar), the Caristis (who I already shot burning weeds in their fields), and the Sterrantinos (the musical family who own the pizzeria in town). I’m also very interested in filming a family of North African immigrants (there are several living in town). If these families become the tentpoles around which I build my film, I will definitely need more footage of each. On the other hand, building my film around this sort of logic strikes me as stifling. I worry that concentrating too heavily on these families will necessitate the exclusion of other characters whose presence could contribute a lot. I would certainly appreciate input on this. How are the rest of you thinking of organizing your films?

My plan thus far has been to do a primarily observational piece, but I have also been considering adding a poetic element to it, a la The Nuer, if anyone has seen that (and assuming I am remembering it correctly). It's an observational film about a tribe in Africa. Towards the end, it breaks from the observational style and goes into a montage of shots set to the music of the tribe. I can see how this could be done poorly, but in The Nuer it is done beautifully. The poetic section is at once a break from and crescendo of the observational style. I'd very much like to do something similar. Music is clearly a fundamental part of Sicilian culture, and there's so much I wish I could include!

The landscape is also an important potential metaphor, and I have been getting a lot of interesting shots of Mt. Etna. Last week I hiked up Monte Venere, a mountain that rises up above Castelmola, and the landscape was incredible striking. It was as if I had landed in purgatory. It is very rugged. There are a number of abandoned houses (probably hundreds of years old). I saw plants blackened from fires, and other plants with purple flowers and enormous, imposing thorns. It is very quiet at the top, but for the light breeze and a few random sounds in the distance: sheeps braying, bells ringing. A truly interesting place. I definitely plan on returning with my camera.

On another note, there is an idea I have been toying with for awhile that I would really like to make happen, although I’m certain it won’t be easy. I was thinking about how to lend more of an air of authenticity to my subtitles (since I do plan on subtitling this film). I came up with one idea that I really like. Once I have finished translating the content, I would like to have each of my subjects handwrite the translations, in such a way that each character’s dialogue will be subtitled in his or her own handwriting. On the technical side of things, I have a pretty good idea about how this will work. It’s the logistical side that I am worried about: sending the translations to the people involved and getting them to send them back to me with enough time to put them in the finished piece. Any ideas?

Sometimes I find myself wishing I had some sort of bionic camera installed in my head, so I didn’t miss some of the more interesting interactions I have, or some that would be impossible without the camera. I am loving my new place. I have told a few people who I am renting from, and have quickly learned that my eighty-something-year-old landlord has quite a reputation as the town pain-in-the-ass. Thankfully, he has been nothing but nice to me so far.

Last week, a few minutes into my hike up Monte Venere, a woman came out of her house and offered me a glass of lemonade. I gladly accepted. She also gave me one of the freshest, juiciest oranges I have ever eaten. I made a bit of small talk, told her I was American, what I was doing in town, and so on. She asked me if I wanted a bottle of homemade wine. Sure! She brought out the bottle of wine, and it was at this point that the conversation changed. Ten euros for the bottle, she said. Suddenly suspicious, I asked her to let me try it. I did. It was terrible (to say nothing of the fact that it was in a recycled two-liter water bottle). I told her I wasn’t interested in the bottle, that I didn’t want to carry it up the mountain with me. She told me I could buy it then and pick it up on the way back. Stalling, I decided I would introduce myself, and told her my name and shook her hand. Strangely, she did not respond in kind, so after another minute of small talk, I asked her her name.
She shrugged.
- You don’t want to tell me your name, Signora?
- It’s not important.
- Why don’t you want to tell me your name?
- It doesn’t really matter...
I waited.
- Ok, my name is Anna.
At this point I was more than ready to extricate myself from the situation, but decided to make more small talk. So I told “Anna” that I was renting a place in Castelmola and would be here for a couple more months (hoping she would stop giving me the tourist treatment). She asked where I was renting, and I told her the name of my landlord.
- You’re renting from him?
- Yes.
She made a face. - Well, maybe you shouldn’t mention to him that you met me.
- Oh really?
- Yes, please don’t say anything.
- Well, I don’t really talk to him that much. At any rate, Signora, I need to get going so I can hike up the mountain before it gets dark.
- Take the bottle of wine.
- No thanks, I don’t need it.
- It’s good wine.
- No thanks. But I’d be happy to offer you something for the delicious lemonade and the orange. How much would you like?
She shrugged.
- Ok, how about one euro?
She paused, thinking. - Two euros.
- Ok, fine.

Of course as soon as I got a chance, I told my landlord about the whole thing (I didn’t feel I owed anything to a woman who was clearly trying to rip me off). He was quite amused by the whole story. He said her name was Angela, not Anna, and that she pulls that act with just about everyone who walks up the mountain. I have since told the story to a few people, and they’ve all said the same.

It’s unusual for people here to be anything but generous, so this was certainly an exception, not the rule. But God, how I wish I had the whole thing on camera somehow!

The Sensory Ethno Mixed Tape v.1.0

2009-07-02T00:58:00.004-04:00

Would it be really lame if I made a mixed tape for our class? Yes? Oops! The connections to your projects aren't especially profound, but hopefully this will provide you with a little inspiration… and dancing!

DOWNLOAD HERE (from Megaupload)

Or listen to it streaming (from Project Playlist)

I Turn My Camera On [it's about filming! ...maybe]
Video Tapez [you've gotz 20!]
Summertime Clothes [summer ballad #1]
Summertime [summer ballad #2]
Made It Fine [inspiration to blog often!]

Lucas [sorry, I couldn't resist!] - Turning Japanese
Julia [a little Bollywood fusion] - Jogi (Main Mix)
Sarah [this is how I imagine South Africa] - Lion in a Coma
Cynthia [your project, to a T] - Walking with a Ghost
Jared [allusions to gender identity...? this one's a stretch] - Grace Kelly
Grace [from another great film set in Africa [and don't let your NGO get you down!]] - Hakuna Matata
Anh-Thu [H20 + Asia!] - Rains in Asia
Elisa ["the necessarily intersubjective," to quote Anh-Thu] - I am the Walrus
Adam [I now equate this song with your project] - Postcards from Italy

2009-07-01T15:32:00.002-04:00

Hi all -- greetings from Beirut.

My apologies for being absent in the discussion. I have read all your posts from the road but haven't replied nor really gotten around to posting my own.

Things are going well and I should have a proper post by week's end....just wanted to send a quick byte so you know I'm alive.

J

And the main points of the essay are...!?!

2009-07-01T09:33:00.003-04:00

Last night I had a long discussion about my project with one of the young artists I'm following (off-camera; my bumbling Vietnamese when it comes to semi-in-depth, -intellectual conversations is too much of an embarrassment for me to be reflexive on-screen). I'd never intended for my video to be plot-driven but since keeping up with everyone's posts and remembering the lessons from class, I feel a strange need to find the story or narrative arc typical of classic docs. From Jeff and Julia and others I have an idea of the types of shots needed to build this kind of work. For an essayistic piece, I have no clue! The young artist (whose opinion I respect) responded with his reservations about my drive to follow a person or people "at their heels" to get a deeper sense of their world. He explained that it was extremely difficult and inconvenient for artists and poets because they don't have a regular work routine and wouldn't work from the heart if there is a stranger following them with a camera. Also, life here is leisurely, often full of uneventfulness. The thought of me trailing someone to their morning coffee or taking siesta or having a meal (there's a saying that even when the gods strike, they avoid mealtime; meaning, no business at this precious hour!) makes many people raise an eyebrow or just plain chuckle dismissively. The artist said it'd be a different situation if I were to follow a craftsman, like a weaver or someone like that, who had regular, sustained work. He said he used to do a kind of fieldwork for his art pieces too, sometimes, traveling among the hilltribe people and eating and sleeping and living with them to observe their routines. So, he understood what I meant. But it was different with city people. Agh. I started to think of how very much like anthropology his description was. And I thought about how messed up the pursuits of anthropology and its bedfellows were. Here was another example of a 'developed' urbanite following some more 'pristine' or 'traditional' ethnic groups to further his/her own worldview or understanding. Nothing inherently bad in that I guess but it makes me cringe because of histories of domination and subjugation that are easily erased when one moves from the level of society to the individual.

Anyway, I don't want to do a cinema verite type doc. But I feel compelled to look for the elements of that genre because that's what's discussed most often with regard to documentaries.
So, what are the basic/essential building blocks for an essay piece?

Thus far, I've gotten images of the landscapes and sites around Hue that catch my attention. I've also filmed artists at work and then interview-style. I intend to use the interview sound clips as voiceover in conjunction with interesting visual images. But I guess I'm waiting for the focus or 'golden thread' to emerge out of review of the footage. I had a vague idea for a structure: start off with the 3 artists I'm following by establishing their ties through the gallery owner I met, then move to my reflections of their commentary/work and incorporate my own poetry on related themes, then move to the 2 Hue poets. It's not clicking just yet. And I have only about 3 work weeks left!

But on a more positive note (despite my comment to Ty's latest entry), I think I've been won over finally! Jeff was concerned during the semester that I didn't like what I was doing or that I didn't feel like I was making progress. Now I can say that somehow I've gotten over my repulsion at the tech aspects of the camera and I feel much more comfortable using it. Also, I am slowly beginning to understand what Jeff means about being in a different state of mind or element when behind the camera. I no longer feel it's a huge obstacle to being in the world and instead feel that it's just a different way of being. Perhaps that's because I do have another body with me when working many times.

Overall, I keep pulling on Julia's directive to "have fun!," which really helps with the sanity.

But any thoughts on elements of the 'essay' will really be appreciated!

Good Developments

2009-07-01T05:35:00.002-04:00

After a relaxing, head-clearing trip out of the concrete jungles of Tokyo and into the green jungles Hakone for a one day/night stay at a hot springs resort (chocolate hot springs! green tea! wine!!) and traditional Japanese hotel, I have made some encouraging developments. While on the trip, I pressed my Tokyo University friends about Shimokitazawa and if they knew anyone who lived there/hung out there. One member of the program (Harvard College in Asia Program) where I met these students in February lives and frequents the area (he wasn't on the Hakone trip though). They said they would contact him for me but warned that he is 'difficult'. Unsure of what that means, I went ahead and contacted him via Facebook on my own as well.

Anyway, the real windfall came on Monday, when my grad student friend that I met through someone at the film festival, Colin, took me to a small alternative/countercultural bookstore that opens its doors as a cafe once a week. The walls were lined with posters of protest events and festivals and the people seemed interesting, but it was when one of them pulled out a jew's harp and started jamming and putting every one in various states of trance that I knew I was in a special place. Tuesday night, I went to a house that Masa has opened up as a cheap living space for people left home and or jobless due to the economy. The room we were in was sort of a communal space, with different art projects by members lining the walls and ceiling. I met Adachi, a man who works as a caretaker for the elderly by day and a didgeridoo performer and activist (some say communist!) by night and weekends. Together him and Masa are organizing a 'peace and freedom' music and art festival outside of Tokyo in an abandoned elementary school in early August. Masa is also a key player in the Save Shimokitazawa movement against the proposed redevelopment of parts of the city. They do 'sound demonstrations' in front of government buildings in protest! So I've told them all about my project and they are enthusiastically interested and want to be a part of it. I've already gotten go ahead to come to people's homes. I basically can't believe how quickly I found this group of very interesting people who are so friendly and so willing to help me (then I think about the disaster that was the last three weeks and I get over it). Masa speaks some English, but luckily my friend Shiho, who does speak English, has taken a strong interest in the project and people as well and wants to help me as much as possible. It seems as though pieces are coming together in a way that I did not expect AT ALL, and with people/a place that is completely different than what I had planned on, but nonetheless much more interesting and exciting to me. Between all of the protests and performances they have told me about it seems like there will be a lot that I can film, and the major challenge at this point will be figuring out how to focus and pull the different threads and people together into a story, which like Ty, I want. I am thinking that the Monday night cafe can be a central scene, since it is where a lot of these people come and go, talk and perform. I just have to figure out who, in addition to Masa, I will want to go more in depth with. Based on where I've come from and what I've said, does anyone have feedback regarding this group of people or any ideas with how to proceed? I'm very excited about it, especially since they are all so friendly and inviting (and chill!), but just need to figure out how to proceed with shooting and focusing in on what matters. I have 7 full weeks left in Tokyo. I perceive the language barrier continuing to be frustrating, but I have some help so I am confident I will be able to work through it.

So far all the feedback I've received has been really helpful, so please keep it coming--thanks!

Special Olympics and Olympic-Sized Trials

2009-07-01T02:09:00.013-04:00

Back in Kathmandu, again unexpectedly, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned so far, it’s that you’ve just gotta roll with the punches… especially if you’re operating on Nepali time. Either I find out what’s happening at the last minute, miss it altogether, or find out way in advance and everything falls through. The bad news: to my total dismay, the students just started a two week summer vacation smack in the middle of my ten-week stay. The good news: within that summer break, three days have been filled with the Nepali version of the Special Olympics, and this Saturday there will be a district-wide, day-long deaf picnic in a nearby village. (On the Fourth of July, no less! Same idea, different cause of celebration.) In the remaining vacation days, I’ll catch up on logging (ay caramba), get establishing shots around Banepa, and film at the hostel where ten students live. For the next 72 hours, however, I am unabashedly vegging out in Kathmandu. Three straight dawn-to-dusk shooting days in an chaotic, unpredictable environment 28 long, long kilometers from the familiarity and control of the deaf school has left me exhausted. On the flip side, I survived a wild ride on top of a bus (as pictured; halfway regretting not bringing the camera up there) and got some killer footage at the games (Sumit, the school’s star athlete, passed out promptly after crossing the finish line to bring home the silver medal in the 400m race… it was Kerri-Strugg-in-the ’96-Olympics epic!).

Like everyone else’s projects, this film has been an ever-morphing entity and an exciting, all-consuming rollercoaster. The “golden thread” is proving to be an elusive one… I had a brief panic attack after reading MacDougal’s “Social Aesthetics” (better late than never…!) and his methodology for selecting student subjects in order narrow the focus of his study. My plan (and, in fact, execution) had been to follow all the teachers and students, intending to pick and choose the interesting bits in the editing room—since the school has a mere forty students, I intended to create a “portrait of a place” by piecing together disparate elements (people, classrooms, conversations) in and around the school. Now, I’m not convinced this could maintain the interest of an audience for twenty minutes (even given the novelty of sign language), nor would it provide a solid structure for a film. Still, hope is not lost; though I realize MacDougal’s method is one of many ways to focus a film, I am finding certain relationships to be emerging as particularly captivating—a recent graduate spends afternoons teaching sign language to a twelfth grader who recently lost his hearing, the first graders learn as much from one another as they do from the teachers, a group of young women spend their final days crafting together before parting ways for the real world, the school’s sole deaf teacher is passionate, expressive, and the students’ unanimous favorite... With my remaining time, I plan to focus on five relationships (though I’ll probably narrow it down to the most compelling three in the end)—I’ll braid the three stories together, possibly through location and character overlaps, though I’m not entirely sure how best to go about braiding (with a golden thread, perhaps?). I am so open to advice, constructive criticism, and gaping holes (no matter how obvious you think they might be).

Besides the treasure hunt for a golden thread, I’ve run into three serious obstacles. Sorry to burden you with a mountain of questions, but I’m really at a loss. Any advice/tips/insights on even one of these hurdles (and/or feedback on the basic structure) would be super-helpful!

1.) CONVERSATION: The deaf sign over one another—interrupting one another, starting before the other finishes, and constantly breaking off into smaller sub-conversations and rejoining the main conversation. And, oh my goodness, are they fast. This leaves me with two choices: (1) I can shoot in close-ups and medium-close ups (a la my final project at the ASL table), and sacrifice crucial parts of the conversation and keys to post-production translation, or (2) I can fit all the subjects into the frame (a la Stephanie Spray’s piece), an aesthetic break from my typical filming style (the dreaded “long take”), and make it difficult to cut ins and outs. With method 1, it’s difficult to keep up with a conversation of two people, and impossible with four or more. Picking up overlapped conversation and piecing conversations together with L-cuts won’t be possible with a visual language. With method 2, is it okay to cut into close-ups—faces of people watching, etc.—or is it too obviously faked, since the majority of the scene would be shot with a static frame? How can I deal with this dilemma? I’m also finding that while the girls and women naturally form arrangements conducive to framing (sitting in semi-circles, holding still, etc.), most of the boys have ants in their pants—they constantly shift around, step in front of the person signing, and form tight circles that are hard to break into. Even when they’re sitting, a boy will always sit down smack in front of the camera like it’s not even there, or he will scoot forward or backward to block or be blocked. Should I avoid conversations with more than two people, conversations with boys, etc.? Any tips on how I might best film a visual language?

2.) TRANSLATION: I’ve been clinging to the naïve fantasy that by the end of three months, I’ll be totally fluent in NSL and can come home to effortlessly tranlate 20+ hours of conversation. However, when I asked Krishna (the head teacher) the content of what I thought was a pretty simple, straightforward conversation between two boys, she had no idea what they were talking about… and this is after fifteen years of signing daily in a deaf school. In other words, YIKES. One possible solution is going all Forests of Bliss on you and not translating at all. From the beginning, I’ve made an effort to film events accessible to a Western audience: math lessons, the sign language lessons between the two boys, the recent grads’ crafting circle, sports and games, etc. In theory, it'd be possible to build a film that doesn’t need translation. However, I think that translated conversation is crucial to really understanding this rich culture, creating story lines (which I want!), revealing personalities and relationships, and maintaining the audience’s interest. I don’t think every scene and every gesture need to be translated, but I do think a few scenes of conversation will be critical. What’s a girl to do? I’ve been in brainstorming mode… I could show potentially key conversations to the people who originally had them, and work through the nitty gritty of the conversation. This is especially feasible with Sharmila and Krishna, with whom communication has been more advanced. The main problem is that more often than I’d like to admit, I have no idea what my subjects are talking about. I’m so focused on cinematography that I often don’t know what I’m getting—even when my frame is static, there’s something about watching a conversation in two dimensions that makes it more difficult to understand. So with this growing Mt. Everest of footage, I don’t know which conversations have the most important content—just which conversations have the best lighting, framing, etc. Waiting until I return to Harvard will cut me off from my subjects (few have e-mail, and the internet in Banepa works sluggishly, if at all), but there are a handful of people in America fluent in NSL that I could potentially rope into the project. I’m taking steps in the right direction… Any time there’s a written component of a scene (blackboards, lesson books, passed notes), I’ve gotten close-ups of the Nepali, which I hope will later help decode anything I don’t understand. More and more often, I try to get a debrief from the subjects post-conversation, but this is tough when a conversation is 10-15 minutes long, or when the conversation ends naturally because people must leave. How are those of you who don’t know the language fluently dealing filmically (Lucas and Julia, are you the only two?)? Do the rest of you have any suggestions?

3.) ETHICS OF FILMING: This is perhaps the toughest yet, since there are never such clear-cut lines when it comes to moral reasoning. Nevertheless, I’ve been totally floored by the heavy issues I’ve been dealing with, and thought you anthro folk might be more experiences in the area. I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, “Which matters more, getting this shot or the feelings of the person this will affect?” It all seems like such a precarious balance—building a strong, three-dimensional film requires that you get shots that might not always be emotionally easy and forces you to get closer when you’d rather pull away, but at the same time, building trusting relationships is an important part of the process too, and I often don’t know when it’s better to turn off the camera and forfeit a scene. Shooting at the Special Olympics was really tough for me—I was constantly on edge about shooting handicapped strangers, especially without their explicit permission. The footage was mostly just unincriminating establishing shots—people chatting, spectating, and participating—but I was very worried about how I would be percieved. Are there any guidelines to filming the physically/mentally handicapped? Also, the night before last, the grandmother of my host family had what seemed to be a stroke (after a night of high blood pressure and total paralysis, she’s lost the use of her right face and arm, can’t hear, and can’t speak), and I’m currently facing the very real, sobering possibility that she might be dead when I return to Banepa. If she survives, she will undoubtedly be in a precarious state, and the vibe in the house is bound to be different. I feel so selfish to even have this on my mind, but I am wondering how this will affect filming. I’ve been shooting Krishna and her family in the house as part of the project, and there are several shots I haven’t gotten yet that are important to the opening sequence as planned. I would feel really uncomfortable incorporating the grandmother’s illness or death into the film, but I also don’t know: is it okay to shoot at all? How are y’all grappling with the ethics of filming? How far can you push til you’ve pushed too far?

I can’t wait for your feedback and continued posts… In the meantime, thinking warmly of y’all and sending all the good karma I’ve gained circumambulating stupas!

Making friends and making films take time

2009-06-26T08:17:00.002-04:00

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!!

Take...1

2009-06-26T05:02:00.006-04:00

I am ashamed to say that I have not picked up my camera since my last post. I think I've built up a huge mental block since my last shoot. I'm worried about messing up a precious moment with sloppy camera work and so the pressure of shooting something 'good' has prevented me from continuing. That and I haven't really been able to resolve some of the issues that have come up.

I am meeting with the girls today because I figure they are probably the people who can best help me troubleshoot. I hope for their advice on what the focus of my film should be: what is important to them and how I should try to understand those things. I'm also thinking that maybe I should just be more explicit in my questions for them, and how I hope for them to help me answer them. I feel at this point that there is an understated feeling of respect and trust, and I shouldn't feel guilty or abusive to capitalize on it.

I also realized my story isn't about connect and disconnect. It's more about how a language barrier can really change ones self perception and identity. So I'm wondering if perhaps I should also try to capture how my identity has transformed in front of them too. My parents are coming for a few days soon, and I'm hoping to film their interactions. Maybe I'll use it, maybe I won't.

I'm also going to try several shooting styles. At first I was afraid to do this in case two important clips lacked stylistic synchronicity and I would have to sacrifice one, or maybe even both. This is why I will probably end up shooting the same things over and over again, just in many ways. I'm also thinking of passing the camera around when we are sitting together. As Ty mentioned in a comment to my last post (thanks for responding!), we often used filming style to distinguish 'shot ownership', and I want to blur those lines. I want to do this because when we speak to each other it is often impossible to claim 'identity'. When one person speaks, their thoughts cater to what the other can understand. So does that statement really belong to the speaker if the receiver of the statement controls what is being said?

Wish me luck. I am thinking of you all and it is very exciting. Because I cannot imagine the places you are in, I see you as exhilarated camera people happily trotting along an ambiguous dirt road with ginormous camera bags strapped to your backs.

AHH

2009-06-25T12:39:00.002-04:00

So I've been in Tokyo about 2.5 weeks now, and as I was journaling tonight (which I started doing, thanks guys for the suggestion, I think it's really important) I realized that for the first time in my life, I'm completely separated from both my physical and personal world. I am in this place on the other side of the world where I don't speak the language and I have no one from my personal life (including all of you guys!) anywhere near me. I'm being very social and meeting a lot of new people and friends, and wouldn't say that I'm lonely, but there is this (maybe) inevitable sense of 'blah'. It would be different if I was anywhere in the States or in an English-speaking country or doing some sort of program. However, I'm not, and that's okay, but wow it's taking me a long time to get used to all of this. Of course, I'm mostly having a great time, and learning so much every day, but it is still hard sometimes.

Additionally, what's happening with my project is not helping with the 'hard' factor. I have talked with people from the street/bars (usually they don't speak much English, not surprisingly), people that I know here, young people that DO speak English and I have started to become friends with, academics who are studying Tokyo/Japan, and documentary film people, and done a lot of thinking/writing but I am still sort of in a weird, unsatisfied place where it hasn't 'hit' me yet. I came in with the approach of using people I know to help me meet people so that I could find some sort of an 'in' and find some people to focus on. These youth subcultures are (to varying degrees) sort of very guarded and exclusive, so it is naturally very hard to get access to them in such a short period of time. In terms of Lolitas, I am feeling more and more like I DON'T want to do a film just about them since it has been 'done to death' and I don't want to that foreigner who goes and films them. Like I said, I'm much more interested in their interaction with the outside world in terms of the tourists than with them themselves. Also complicating is the facts that a) a lot of them don't live in Tokyo and only come in for the fashion show of sorts that happens on Sunday in Harajuku, and b) many of them, surprisingly, do not like their picture to be taken.

Last week I was told about Shimokitazawa, which is sort of the bohemian area of Tokyo that more or less shuns the commercialism and shallowness of Shibuya/Harajuku. It's a very visually interesting neighborhood--it lies on both sides of the intersection of two elevated train lines, has colorful rainbow bridges and murals on window shutters, there aren't many chains but mostly independent boutiques, record stores, bars, cafes, or some crazy combination of the above. It is deeply musical, with street performers (of varying ability) constantly dotting the landscape. The youth that hang out there are not at all like the lolitas and cosplayers--they shun the labels and consumerism and fickle trendiness that drives that culture. Many are artists, musicians, and struggling part-time workers (as opposed to having signed up to work for a major company for life). I met with guy doing his post-doc at University of Tokyo who studies the part-time workers in the area. He showed me the area, introduced me to the main neighborhood bar, and answered a lot of my questions. I am going to meet a musician who utilizes some sort of anarchist or hippie or some alternative type bookstore as a music venue on Mondays. I'm actually very excited and interested in this neighborhood and whenever I go I'm always thinking of what I see in terms of shots (well I'm kind of always doing that, which can be annoying, but here there's just a lot of potential). On another note, I'm also meeting with my new friend Shiho, who is a young Tokyoite (25) who is in-between jobs and spends a lot of time partying 'amongst the youth' and is very dynamic/speaks great English, so I'm going to pick her brain and she who/what she knows.

In terms of filming I have been getting more used to carrying my camera and filming strangers (which is sometimes hundreds at one time, this being Tokyo and all). I had forgotten how much just carrying the camera around changes my interaction with the world. I instantly go from 'invisible foreigner' to 'GUY WITH A HUGE CAMERA!!!' so naturally people notice me more and make eye contact and smile at me more often, making it possible to sort of talk to and record random (sometimes crazily dressed) people. This is definitely a good thing. I have some interesting street scenes mostly in Shibuya and Harajuku, but I do not know how I will use them. I am still interested in utilizing my foreignness as a 'pivot point' (to quote Anh-Thu) in a piece that is more personal and essayistic/lyrical. Basically I'm veering more and more away from thinking of this in terms of a traditional observational ethnographic piece partly because I don't know how feasible that is and partly because I don't feel like I have the right to do that and partly because I think I could do a lot more with/am more interested in doing something else. I've also been thinking about the western stereotypes we have of the Japanese--conformists, copy-cats, rigid/serious and thinking of ways that I can use these to my advantage and present them in a fresh way. In terms of fashion, it seems like there are a lot of people that do follow trends to the T, but to say that Americans don't do the same thing would be absurd, it's just that Japanese put a lot more effort into getting every detail right--there is a precision in the presentation and attention to detail (and there are so many of them) that is just unparalleled.

The great thing about Tokyo is that no matter what, if I bring my camera anywhere, I'm almost guaranteed to catch some sort of 'oh my God' moment, since they happen all the time. The bad thing is that there's always SO much going on it's incredibly hard to focus. I'm hanging in there and definitely have hope, but if any of you have ANY insights or advice or see something that I don't please please let me know!

--Lucas

What's an artist s'posed to do?

2009-06-25T04:30:00.003-04:00

OK, I'm sufficiently stuck to warrant another posting. This time, an outright appeal for feedback.

After the bureaucratic hassle, I found out I could have been working the whole time on the streets. All I really needed permission for was shooting in a specified area, the Citadel (and Imperial Palace) -- coincidentally, modeled after Beijing's Forbidden City. Still waiting to hear about that paperwork although I should get approval soon.

Since my last news, I've broken the seal and started shooting several sites around the city that have caught my attention. One is a few intriguing and highly spiritual spots where shrines have been nestled into what seem to be huge banyan trees. I don't know what I'll do with the footage yet but I am starting to collect a series of images where man-made and "natural" things come together in funky ways. These shots will be part of the largely tripod-based "landscape" footage of Hue.

Then I have reconnected with an acquaintance from my former long stay in VN, a cousin's cousin about my age. She's a Hue native and has great contacts. She introduced me to a friend of hers who used to write poetry but has now stopped since she got married and her husband objected to such activity. She owns a gallery and has important artist and poet connections. She's been gracious enough to introduce me to a few. So, the plan is to make a video about the dialogue among (about 5) select contemporary Hue poets and artists and myself (and later on, my own poetry, perhaps).

[So memory and militarization, especially the later, have largely fallen to the wayside in my thinking. Mostly, overtly or even not-so-overtly political commentary will be problematic. Some authorities will review my footage before I leave. Also, I want to potentially screen for a VN audience here in my future trips back. So, I have to avoid political statements. But hopefully I can still dig deeper past the veneer that Hue is VN's capital of culture, art, and poetry. Or exploit it.]

The problem is, I don't know how to think about the way I'd like to shoot the people. Interviews will be boring. I was thinking of having people take me to the spots around Hue that inspire them and talk about those places. Or, of having two of the poets ride with me on a lil boat down the Perfume River while they give commentary on various aspects of the land, culture, and poetry here. Also, I hope to get some artists at work in their studios. I think I'll do handheld shots for most of the footage with people but then I can't yet envision how that will fit in with the tripod shots of landscapes that so far have appealed to me. Also, I'm not sure how to make shooting these artists/poets interesting. They seem to think I should direct their interactions / get-togethers but I am not that comfortable with heavy-handed prompting... But I don't see how else they would have imperative to bring up these things which are so woven into the fabric of their everyday lives.

Lots to decide!

How do you film "power," again?

2009-06-22T05:04:00.002-04:00

Hey all,

Sorry it's been so long! The internet has been off and on for the past week in Abelenkpe, and I don't get home from my NGO's office until around 4:30-- too late to be braving the Accra traffic in search of a working cyber cafe! I got in on a Thursday, spent Friday trying to track down my lost baggage, and couldn't get into the office until last Monday. Funny, nobody from the office came looking for me, even though apparently they'd sent a driver to the airport to pick me up (without telling me first). Nobody seemed alarmed that it had been four days since we were last in contact with eachother. It reminded me just how alone you really are when traveling, no matter how many friendly-faced people on the street offer you a bite of their fufuo!

I spent the first week being shuttled off to various meetings and interviews; the mental health community is in crisis-mode right now, trying to get a Mental Health Bill pushed through Parliament while the NDC government is still paying attention to their campaign promises. It's given me amazing access, since all the major figures in the movement have been convening regularly, and BasicNeeds has funded a GhanaTV documentary to incite public outrage at the state of the country's mental health care. Originally, they wanted me to make it, but I really wasn't comfortable with the aggressive stance they have to take in order to get any attention. They are hunting down prayer camps that use chaining, bursting in to film, painting very real protagonists and antagonists in a way that I just can't do. My hesitation would show, I'm sure, and the final product would inevitably disappoint.

As far as the health care system itself, I expected dirt, despair, overcrowding, undermedicating, abuse... I was prepared, I thought, to look past all of that and try to meet patients on their own terms. But after sitting in on some sessions between psychiatrists and their patients, I just can't bring myself to film them. It just isn't ethical, pure and simple. One of the psychiatrists I met in particular was almost emotionally abusive, verbally punishing patients, it seemed to me, instead of trying to win their trust and bring them slowly back to reality. I don't think I can rightfully explain what happened over the Internet, but suffice it to say, I was pretty disturbed. There's no way I can approach that man with a consent form on behalf of his patients and then feel like I've really gained access in an ethical way. I might try developing a relationship with a different psychiatrist and his patients, and spend time with them regularly next month, but the only other one I've met so far seems pretty suspicious of my project (and rightfully so).

I'm trying to take the position I've been handed as a gift-- even in a locus of action and power, where administrative and political decisions are constantly being made, there are some interesting characters. Much to their amusement, I filmed the documentary filmmakers filming a doctor last Friday, and although the footage wasn't great, I'm hoping to weave it together with footage from their final project, and use it as a way of showing the dissemination of the bill's propoganda through Accra. This is a very different film from the one I'd planned on shooting. Less intimate, I'm afraid, more discursive, more action-oriented. But since BasicNeeds wants me to repay them for their assistance with an additional, low-budget documentary on their work in the country (instead of the expose), I have too limited a supply of tapes and time to remain rigid about my earlier concept.

For now, I'm just trying to be brave, to haul the camera around as much as possible, and to get over this systematic process I once envisioned: the introduction, the interview, the foundling friendship, then the camera. My schedule's been planned out ahead for me by the NGO through July 1st. It's so jam-packed that there's no time for regular, sustained contact. At least not now. And meanwhile, I've missed out on some amazing moments, all out of shyness. I'm trying to tell myself that it's only one week, that there will inevitably be more and better footage over the next seven, but even if the film suffers as a result, I'm glad I learned the hard way the lessons of filming. This "can-do," "be brave" front will be valuable in the long-run, I'm sure.

Nante yie-o, m'adamfoo,
(Walk well, friends,)

Grace

Tackling the Great Wooly Mammoth

2009-06-20T02:20:00.005-04:00

I am slooooooowly sipping a cup of overpriced masala chai for the luxury of wireless internet on my own laptop. It’s such a joy not to pound away on the sticky keys of primitive PCs at the only reasonably priced internet cafes around Kathmandu. Oh, the things I take for granted in America. Why back so soon, you ask? Or maybe you didn’t, but I’ll tell you anyway—on the day of my sign language lesson, a protest-cum-riot brought the whole city to a standstill, and my famed instructor couldn’t cross town to make the meeting. We had our make-up session early this morning, which worked to my benefit, because we didn’t waste any time with signs I could (and did) pick up on my own. I’ve been picking up Nepali Sign Language much more easily than anticipated—a third of the signs are similar to ASL, another third are similar to Tamil signs, and the final third are brand new to me, but logical enough (I suppose). I lucked out with three especially helpful teachers—the head teacher/my host mother (who speaks decent English and signs well, but is extraordinarily busy), a deaf teacher named Sharmila (who has a large English vocabulary and the patience of the Buddha), and another deaf teacher named Thulo (who knows very little English, but knows more ASL than I do!). After only a few days, I can follow along classroom lectures quite easily, even in a few of the upper level classes. I just hope by the end, I’ll be able to follow the complex, breakneck conversations among the teens and adults!

I’ve got sound and silence on the brain after my first few days at the deaf school, and already, I’ve stumbled upon a marvelous gem—my host family’s home sits smack next to a very noisy boarding school. From the balcony of my fourth story penthouse (if only!), I can overlook (ermm, overhear… but you’ll see what I mean) the national anthem sung each morning four floors below, and even peek into the open-windowed classrooms at eye-level. I hope to use this dynamic as an insider at a deaf school and an outsider at a hearing school to build a productive tension between sound and silence, as y’all suggested early on in the semester. When a group of children accidentally tossed a ball on my balcony, I carried it back down to safety and made nice with one of the teachers, explaining my project and intentions. I’m crossing my fingers that word will spread, and that public knowledge will be the unspoken permission I need to be a bit of a voyeur at this school. I also love the way the path to the deaf school—from the throbbing heart of Banepa through back roads to the countryside—gradually shifts from a trafficky, metropolitan sonic overload to a tranquil, earthy soundscape. I’m not sure entirely what I’ll do with these diamonds in the rough, but I have a few ideas. I’ve envisioned an entirely new structure, and I’ve been considering sending you a revised treatment, but who has the time? I know you’ve got your own film projects to worry about, and you’re too kind for making it this far in my long-winded entry. (Ten extra brownie points if you can make it to the end! Jistkeko! (That’s Nepali for “just kidding.” Isn’t that awesome?)) I may take Jeff up on his offer to read our “unblogworthy… frantic pleas for help” (Silva 2). ;-) If you wouldn’t mind taking the time to look over a super-informal revised treatment sometime in the coming month, let me know in the comments! I don’t want to burden you with extra work, but I really value your feedback.

For every blessing, there’ve been just as many barriers… I promised myself I’d spend the first week observing classes in order to let the children get to know me, to learn sign language and sign names, and to put serious thought into how I’m going to film this baby before I dive in the deep end. However, I broke down when I found out the recent graduates (who spend their days sewing and crafting together in the school’s office) would be selling their handmade crafts at a youth conference. I spent the whole morning shooting the lengthy preparation process—packing up, loading, unloading, and setting up—only to spend the whole afternoon waiting for them to make a sale. I got plenty of shots of them not making sales, but I don’t think it will be able to hold its own. It was frustrating to lose a whole day and a valuable mini-DV, but it did make for a good warm-up exercise (I would have lost a few shots anyway to that clumsy-and-forgetful stage after you’ve spent some time apart from the camera… like forgetting about focus for a solid ten minutes!), and it gave me a chance to see how the women reacted to the camera. The result? They act naturally when I’m rolling (yay!), but go out of their way to be in the shot (boo!). It turns out I’m not the first person to come to Banepa with a film project—many years ago, an American photographer named Kristen lived for some time in the deaf school, teaching English and taking pictures. She returned to Banepa three years later with the photo book she published and copies of the photos for all the children… Apparently some students made the cut and some didn’t. Whenever Kristen comes up in conversation (which is more often than you’d think, and never by my prompting), the older girls are quick to point out which students were the lucky few to be in the book, and which were left on the cutting room floor. It seems to me that this time around, the jilted students are looking for their fifteen minutes of fame (in my little student film, go figure!). For now, it doesn’t seem to be a problem, so I’m just going with the flow.

Another frustrating moment was when, in one fell swoop, I discovered that I lost my steadywings and broke my headphones. I was (and still am) so mad at myself for screwing up, but I’m trying to quit beating myself up over it. Fortunately, I “borrowed indefinitely” about seven pairs of earbuds from my trans-Atlantic flights (hey, free ear buds!), and I hope to get a high quality, reasonably priced (is that oxymoronic?) pair of headsets in Kathmandu today. As for the steadywings, I’m waiting to hear back from the hotel and original taxi driver who have promised to double and triple check their respective facilities (believe it or not and lucky for me, my volunteer organization uses one regular, reliable taxi guy)… Keep your fingers crossed for me!

My apologies for the lack of photos and comments. The battery for my still camera bit the dust (a permanent and untimely death), and I’m working on getting a replacement. After some slick haggling at a Kathmandu camera shop, I got an infoLITHIUM battery identical to my original, but the label was attached upside down, and when I put it in my camera, I got the error message: “This camera uses infoLITHIUM batteries only.” Needless to say, I wish I was having the same bargaining problems that Adam is having! It seems like every tourist-tout in Nepal is trying to pull a fast one on the Westerners here! For now, here’s a Photo Booth snapshot of the log book I made, in hopes that it would inspire me to be diligent with my logging. Unfortunately for me, it’s already begun to fall apart, so let this serve to preserve my good intentions. As for the comments, I didn’t even realize that people were leaving comments until last night! Reading through them was super fun, and I’ll be certain to add my own two cents quite soon… There’s such an overwhelming sense of support and comraderie when I remember that, even though I’m out here on my own trying to tackle this mammoth of a project, all of you are going through the same thing. It’s awesome to have this blog as a bouncing board and as a way to keep track of y’all, and it’s pretty spectacular that we’ve built this supportive network. And I saw while the page was slooooowly loading (just as slowly as I’ve been sipping this tea) that Adam added Google Analytics. It will be so much fun to look at the visitor map at the start of next semester!

Speaking of tea and mammoths, I’ve nearly finished my second pot of the stuff, and this entry has become quite the wooly giant itself! During my day off next week (the kids go to school SIX days a week here… the horror!), my other host mother is running a free screening for breast and cervical cancer (between founding deaf schools and heading NGOs and providing free health care, is there anything these magnificent sisters don’t do?) and I’ve agreed to lend a hand, so it will be at least a fortnight until you hear from me again. In the meantime, have a crazy. crazy time filming, and write some big, fat blog entries so I can savor them on my next journey to Kathmandu!

Peace, love, and mini-DVs,
Ty

Quotidian Life

2009-06-19T05:30:00.002-04:00

It's definitely great to hear from everyone! Things are going well here. For the past few nights there have been demonstrations of traditional Sicilian music and dancing in the main square in town. I have gotten some pretty good footage of it. It's great as spectacle, but I am definitely feeling that I need to get (a lot) more footage of day-to-day life here. I am constantly getting new ideas, so I'm not worried. I still have another two months here, which feels at once like more than enough and not nearly enough! I am also beginning to worry that the 500GB I have for storage won't be enough, considering I have already used around 80GB and have only been here 10 days.

I finally managed to work out a place to live. The first one fell through, but this turned out to be a stroke of luck, as I ended up with a much nicer place for a much lower price! I have an incredible view of the ocean and Mt. Etna, and not only do I have a terrace, but from the terrace there is a staircase to the roof, where there is another terrace with even better views.

I think that is about all the news I have for now. I hope to hear from you all soon!

Net working!

2009-06-18T07:48:00.001-04:00

I left NYC by midnight flight on Sunday 7th and landed in Sai Gon Tuesday morning, via Anchorage and Taipei. The next day I was on a plane to see a couple of friends in Singapore, as encapsulated in **Singapore Live**. There's a whole lot to think about there, but that's someone else's project. After the Great S'pore Adventure I returned to Sai Gon to welcome my partner-in-crime, a.k.a. Amanda, the ol' college roomie. I roped her into being my sound gal for a month. A quick round of family introductions and then we were on a flight out to Da Nang on Sunday 14th.

With just about a day and a half in Da Nang I felt I, too, was chasing my childhood (as per Sarah -- what a phrase!). Though I was born there, all that's recognizable from the recesses of memory are yellow mandevilla clinging to gates that line the walk to the beach from my paternal grandfather's house and the green-and-white checkered tile floor that remains despite the home's renovation over the past few years. On a previous trip back to Da Nang I had noticed billboards advertising a new Korean development along the shore, complete with skyscraper condos, office spaces, and entertainment complexes. I didn't realize it was still in the works. This time a relative of mine whizzed me on his motorbike past the construction site, where they've cordoned off the coast as a temporary parking lot for backhoes, dumping tons of sand into the ocean to create an extended beach. I have a distinct image of my father tossing me as a toddler into these very waters, and for that moment, I was terrified that he'd left me to the will o' the waves. Now no one has access to Thanh Binh (which translates as "peaceful") Beach. Right before this drive-by sighting I'd made a visit to my sick great-aunt (Grandpa's sister), who'd just been discharged from the hospital for a cancer treatment. Needless to say, the ride gave me lots to contemplate.

More than anything, two themes follow me in my thoughts: paranoia and networks. My time in VN so far has been cushioned by the incredible support of my extended family and their networks. Simultaneously, everyone (family in both the States and VN) has warned me time and again about theft and the dangers of unknown evils. I haven't fully unpacked the rationale behind these persistent exhortations to be careful yet but am slowly developing ideas. In these new urban spaces, where everyone is physically proximate and crammed!, the network of the extended family has a strong presence at the same time that a wall of mistrust is erected surrounding casual social interactions in the physical space of the city.

Ostensibly, Hue would offer me relief then. It's considered a more quiet, gentle city than Ha Noi, Sai Gon or even Da Nang. I luckily found a lovely 3-BR house with gardens, tucked in a little alley, for rent for 2 months, at a rate comparable to hotel stay. It's right next door to a big market, pictures of which I'll post sometime. My uncle (Mom's younger bro) and his wife have been extremely attentive and helpful in getting Amanda and me settled. He helped us get a bicycle for everyday errands and then negotiated a motorbike hire service with two men to help us get around the city with our equipment and to "protect" us. Even here people seem to think a bodyguard is necessary.

I could protest. I could refuse the coddling. But I decided instead to accept the family's gestures of concern. This way, the network continues to function. For example, I have had to rely on an aunt (Mom's cousin) here whose recently-deceased husband was in the police force. Through their connections, I had a meeting with the VP of Hue's External Affairs Office to ask for his help in acquiring a work permit for filming. One of my first work-related encounters with bureaucracy, I quickly became (internally) irritated at the show of procedural sternness. He yapped on at first about how I had to be affiliated with an umbrella organization, then after some explaining on my uncle's part that this project was not yet my dissertation work, he urged me to draw up a document explaining my exact itinerary and contacts and the thrust of the research and filming I was doing, including details about my place of residence, identification, etc. All this red tape is to be expected but I was a bit unsettled and frustrated when he said the footage would have to be reviewed and the office would have to issue me a certificate of permit before I leave the country. I am just not used to this surveillance. Overall I think it was good practice to establish myself as a researcher here, and ultimately I don't think there will be too much of a problem in terms of materials that would be liable to censorship. Still, just last weekend one of the most prominent pro-democracy lawyers here was just arrested in Sai Gon on charges of "colluding with foreign reactionaries to sabotage the Vietnamese State." He has defended a number of dissidents and advocates for a multi-party gov't. Reacting I may be, but a dissident I am not -- yet.

So I haven't started shooting yet. Settling in to the house and taking care of paperwork has taken a couple of days. Amanda and I plan to walk around tomorrow and get our bearings. Grandma's sister here is involved with the Hue Poets Society. Her deceased husband was Chairman of the Society at one point. She'll dig through their old publications for me and put me in touch with some writers soon.

Now, off in search of more delicious meals...

digital aliens

2009-06-16T12:41:00.003-04:00

Today we lost one precious day to a defunct cable. Trying to not let it get us down, we aim to go back again and reshoot it all soon. We were following the fish as they were caught, straight up to the fish market, auctioned and bought (in total a process that unfolds in a matter of minutes) and got some pretty good character-building stuff with our fishermen friends, but alas... unless this is a silent project, it’ll probably end up on the cutting-room floor. We were using the external mixer, and everything sounded fine through the headphones and looked good on the levels, but when we played it back it sounded like digital aliens. So, tonight we’ll do some troubleshooting and hopefully resolve the problem.
Since my last post, Ben and I had the opportunity to go to a “retreat” centre north of here with a crowded bus-load of charismatics. They sang, prayed, clapped and made music the whole 2 hours there and back. It was phenomenal! Nothing like church-music I’ve heard before (for which I am eternally grateful). We recorded as much of it as we could… but man, trying to assemble the whole shebang with external mixer, zeppelin, camera, etc on a bus so crowded you can’t bend your knees is a feat that one can never really prepare for!
Keep the posts coming! And hope everything’s going well for you all!

Minor Technical Issues and My First Big Shoot

2009-06-15T06:01:00.002-04:00

Buon giorno a tutti!

Things have been going great here, except a few minor technical problems. I'll start with those:

1. I forgot the Firewire cable to transfer data from the camera to my computer. Dunce. Hopefully I can find one here. (I'm sure I can, one way or another.)
2. Every time I turn off my camera, it reverts from "Video Cam" mode to "Film Cam" mode, which apparently doesn't take sound input. It's really annoying. It's just a matter of switching it back, but that takes valuable time when I should be rolling. Anyone else have this problem?
3. I was filming fire the other day, and the pops from the fire, though they didn't seem loud, sent the microphone input into the red. I'm guessing this doesn't matter since they are sharp, instantaneous sounds, but I'm not totally sure. Suggestions?

I had my first big shoot a couple days ago. As I mentioned earlier, I shot my friend's mother burning the weeds in her fields to prevent the brush fires that will no doubt arrive later in the summer from destroying her crops. It went really well and I got some really beautiful and interesting footage.

Other than that, I have been wandering around and getting lots of ideas. The Taormina Film Festival is this week and I have been to see a few films (I highly recommend Crossing Over, by the way). Thirteen euros gets students into every film and event for the whole week!

That's it for now! Happy shooting, everyone!

Tokyo

2009-06-15T01:11:00.002-04:00

After a recent influx of posts (that I have very much enjoyed reading), I realized I really need to post an update myself. I am safe and sound in Tokyo, having arrived here about one week ago. I am still very jetlagged--I haven't actually gotten a full nights sleep since arriving--16 hour time jump is not something to be messed with. I have spent most of my time so far trying to see as much as possible, and taking a lot of notes along the way, as well as meeting with my contacts here and asking questions, seeing who they know, meeting new random people, etc.

When I first arrived I was somewhat dumbfounded by how pervasive language is here, and how hard it would be to adjust without being able to speak any Japanese, but I have since come to realize that there is no way that I can properly adjust to living here in such a short period of time, it's more a matter of just accepting things for how they are and rolling with it. Sure it's really hard to get around, order food, and buy toothpaste, but somehow its just going to have to be alright. At first I was scared to go outside, because there aren't really street signs, there is nothing even close to a grid, maps are really hard to read, and my sense of direction is inconceivably bad. However, I got over it and just plunged in, spending a lot of time in the major areas, especially Harajuku and Shibuya, where most of the Lolita hang out and shop. Right next to Harajuku Station there is a bridge next to a large park where cosplayers and lolita often hang out. Sundays are the busiest day, when a lot come out to sit down, drink tea or wine, and pose for pictures with each other, with tourists that ask, and by themselves. There are also these older men (some of whom are there almost every day), who will walk up to random girls, start talking to them, then take their picture (asking them to pose in certain ways), and give them the photographs for free (it's some kind of polaroid). I asked two girls what happened right after I saw this, but they didn't speak English and I was alone, but I did get that it was free. Yesterday I met two American women who were dressed in lolita and they told me all about what they know about mostly 'western lolita', which is much different. Some of the other costumed Japanese people were asking to take pictures with them, along with random tourists. They were just a part of the show. I have also seen two men dressed like lolita girls. Overall there is always a lot going on, and a lot of it makes me really uncomfortable, but in a productive way. Its hard to watch all of these foreigners who are being so overtly foreign by ogling at these Japanese people who are for the most part acting like they are just apathetic to the whole thing even though their intricately chosen outfits and makeup denotes anything but apathy to the situation. They are thrusting their foreignness onto these Japanese people in such a conspicuous way, making me uncomfortable because I am always just so conscious of my own foreignness that it seems ludicrous that they can comfortably and self-consciously do this. The language barrier is definitely an aid--one time, this small group of four Japanese cosplayers were taking pictures with each other when these two American girls turned the corner and were caught completely offguard by what they saw, they literally stopped mid-sentence and started gawking. They proceeded to start taking pictures as if they were at a zoo or something--be careful not to disturb the animals, don't get too close, but it's okay to take pictures because they don't really know what you are doing--it's crazy!

Like I just mentioned, I've been struggling with/thinking a lot about how pervasive and constant my own feeling of 'foreignness' is. I've never felt so constantly out of place and like I don't belong. It's not that the people have been unfriendly, it's just that I feel as though there is a certain level of apathy towards me. On the other hand I have met some people that were way overly fascinated by me so I think it depends. But the cultural divide is so strong and so inescapable that in general, its hard not to feel isolated and even invisible. I'm existing in a world that feels very carefully designed and engineered, but not at all for me or anyone with my background. It can be somewhat eerie. From what I understand, that just never goes away, no matter how long you are here or how good at Japanese you become. And I think that whatever I film will be so influenced by that outsiderness, by my physical presence and outsider perspective that it seems hard to try to document reality without acknowledging that somehow.

Oh also worth mentioning is that two of the students I know from Tokyo University know have friends who sometimes dress in lolita at school, and I am meeting them this week. Wow wrote way more than I expected, and will probably write more soon, but I want to go find a shinto shrine or something where I can just have a pen and paper and think about all of this.

Glad everyone else seems to be having such great times, I hope to talk to you all soon!

-Lucas

On Cows, Kids, and Cameras*

2009-06-14T23:04:00.002-04:00

My Classmates and World Adventurers,

Namaste! I’ve arrived safely and soundly in Kathmandu, and I’m already quite taken by Nepal--all the hustle and bustle of India, but with a distintintly East Asian vibe. After experiencing my fair share of cows and near traffic fatalities, I have to say: Julia, you’re stark raving mad! From now on, every time I have second thoughts about getting a difficult shot, I’ll just picture you standing in the middle of these crazy, crazy streets filming that cow!

I was super hesitant about coming through a middleman organization, but I somehow happened upon the one volunteer program that actually cares more about humanitarianism than money--100% good luck on my part. I’ve spent my first few days learning Nepali, exploring the city, and meeting my fellow volunteers, and this evening I have a sign language lesson with the interpreter for Nepali national television! I leave tomorrow morning for the Banepa Deaf School, and I couldn’t be more excited! I’m psyched to meet the chidlren and my host family (I’ll be living with the head teacher), and I’m eager to get out of the noise, chaos, and pollution of the city.

My biggest worry so far is on how the children will react to the camera. Not a new concern by any means, but it feels far more imminent now that I’m finally here and getting a taste for the locals’ reactions (or rather, overreactions) to tourists’ digital cameras. I fear the novelty of the camera will be difficult to overcome, and I also wonder how the kids will react to my divergent roles—first, as a highly interactive English teacher, and second, as a silent**, disengaged*** filmmaker. I’ve gotten loads of good advice from Stephanie and a documentarian I met through the volunteer program, and my plan is this: strictly use the viewfinder (so there’s no temptation for the kids to watch the LCD screen, and no way they can know of the camera’s playback feature), film exclusively in classrooms at first (where paying attention in mandatory), and make a clear designation that I’m in “work mode” when the camera is with me. If you have any advice, please let me know! And Elisa, I’m interested on hearing how you end up solving your similar dilemma.

I love, love, LOVE reading your adventures from around the globe—I save them to my USB so I can read them multiple times on my laptop. :) I’m looking forward to all the escapades you crazy kids are up to next! Keep on postin’ on!

* Oh no! I came up with the title before I got here, but I'm not quick enough on my feet to come up with an alternative. Sorry to rip off your "C" alliteration, Julia!
** You know what I mean!
*** or differently engaged, rather

Take 1

2009-06-13T06:20:00.001-04:00

My Dearest Class,

After about a month of being here, my project is finally in the thick of it. Two big issues have come up. The first issue is that there is absolutely no place for me to meet with Claudene and Sclovia without having loads of people peering over our shoulders. I've tried the stadium, the road, a restaurant...and those are pretty much the only places to go. My shots thus far include lots of others and I'm wondering if instead of resisting this, if I should just embrace the fact that my project will also involve many others. At the same time, Claudene is pretty shy and doesn't have much confidence, I don't know if she would feel as comfortable talking to me in front of others as when it is just the three of us. Any thoughts??

Second, I'm having such a difficult time simultaneously shooting, talking to the girls, and drawing/talking to them. I'm wondering if I should set the camera up on an tripod to manage it but am also worried about removing the feeling of interacting. My camera work is really suffering because I can't pay attention to composition or audio quality.

The stuff the girls have been filming is great- really performative and playful. And its really interesting seeing what each girl has decided to film. For example, Sclovia is always with many friends and has shots of her family. Claudene hasn't shot anything with her family and usually is by herself or with one other person. Both tend to shoot clips that are between 20-60 seconds and I'm wondering if I should tell them to take longer shots, or if I should allow those short clips to represent how they explore their worlds. I wanted to upload some clips but its impossible from here.

Going to the Rwanda Film Festival tonight! They are showing films on blow up screens in the most remote parts of Rwanda, and lucky for me, tonight's film is just 30 minutes away!

xxx

Sicilian hospitality

2009-06-13T05:03:00.004-04:00

Every day I come to the Bar Turrisi first thing in the morning (ok, well this has been more like 10 or 10:30 since they have been keeping me up late at night) and have a brioche with a granita siciliana. This is something like a sorbet crossed with ice cream. I'm not entirely sure how to explain it, except to say that it is the most delicious thing this side of Sicily (and that is saying a lot!). Also, it's a pretty typical Sicilian breakfast. My favorite flavor is almond, which they top off with a bit of coffee-flavored granita.

And every day, I try to pay for my breakfast, and am flat out refused. The Turrisis have been incredibly good to me. Yesterday I asked to buy a "subscription" to granitas with brioche, and Rosetta, the mom of the family, agreed. Whether she lets me pay for this at the end of the month is another question!

Last night I had a glass of the wonderful almond wine here at the bar, and at the end of the evening found myself haggling with Salvo Turrisi (one of the sons) over the price. In other words, I offered two euros, he countered with one. I gave him one, and he decided it was too much, so he asked for 30 cents. I took out all my change and put it on the counter, and slid him a twenty-cent pieces, a two-cent piece and a couple of pennies (I didn't have a ten). He gave me back the pennies, suggesting I might need them for the market, and finally accepted the 20-cents.

I'm not used to this sort of bargaining! But I am extremely grateful. And don't worry, I will be doing my utmost to smuggle a bottle of almond wine back to the class for everyone to try! :-)

I almost forgot—today begins the week-long Taormina (Taormina is just down the mountainfilm festival. I will definitely be checking it out. It's a big one.

This afternoon I am taking to the hills to film some friends do controlled burnings of their fields—this is how they prevent the brush fires that are sure to begin soon from reaching their crops and houses. In my treatment, some of you may remember I spoke of a woman farming and explaining her crops. This is the same woman I had in mind. It should be exciting!

SINGAPORE LIVE

2009-06-12T22:52:00.002-04:00

14:35 Singapore Time, 11th June 2009
AT: Saaaarraaaaah!
SJ: Anh-tooooot!!
AT: Whoa. What are you doing here at Sleepy Sam's Hostel in Singapore!?! Aren't you supposed to be in S. Africa?
SJ: What am I doing here? Thought you were supposed to be in Vietnam? I just got in from Jakarta, chasing my childhood...visiting family in Singapore...you?
AT: Came to visit a certain loveable gal whom I won't see for a while... It's just a short hop skip and jump away fr VN. Plus gotta dig the shopping malls and their AIRCON. This heat is killing me...
SJ: Indeed. Why don't we go find some now actually? Find an antiseptic foodcourt to munch some yummy food in? octupus balls?
AT: MmmmMmm. And I'd loves me some durian ice cream too. Then we can head to Ann Siang Hill in Chinatown to check out one my fave bookstores in the world, Books Actually!
SJ: Then maybe a boatride along the Singapore River, watching the many malls & restaurants fly by without actually having to trudge through them...
AT: Yippeee. Then dinner at an overpriced Thai joint right on the water? I need a pint of ice cold beer right about now.
SJ: burp! uh oh. feeilng kind of funny. oh no....
AT: Aww. Better hold it in. Let's chill by the river munching on our rambutan and lonbon until you feel more steady. Maybe we can just call it a night til tomorrow.
SJ: uuuhhhh...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

....

AT: Rise and shine!
SJ: FOOD!
AT: Where?
SJ: Marine Parade hawker centre?
AT: Sounds good to me. But now my stomach is feeling a bit off so for lunch I'll just have some Hainanese chicken with noodles. Keeping it safe.
SJ: munch munch. gees, it's sooooo hot. i'm dying over here.
AT: How 'bout some SUGAR CANE JUICE for refreshment?
SJ: AAAAAAHHHHH! hit the spot. ready to hit East Coast Park? sand, sea, ships and a lovely long promenade under coconut trees...
AT: Yea, I didn't get to see it on my last trip here. Twould be nice.
SJ: I've been coming here for 20 years, but usually on my own so it'll be lovely to go with you and jean.
AT: Jean? Who's Jean? Is that the guy who's been trailing you this whole time looking shady in his short jean shorts?
SJ: that's him! maybe his hot legs can take the pressure off us on a three-person tandem bike? I swear I've seen them around...
AT: Oh! Bike ride under the shade of palm trees. Precious. Let's!
SJ: darn. they don't have the three person ones. 2 and 1?
AT: Sure. Then we can do a switcheroo half-way through so you get a lil QT with your boycrush.
SJ: awesome. sh*t but my bum's really hurting here. what to do?
AT: Well, we'll get thru the ride, then relax on an AC double-decker bus with a view of the city on the way back. That way you can de-stress your bum on the plush leather seats.
SJ: why thank you. then i think we should have cold cold showers and lie comatose on the beds under the fans for a while til the heat of the day dies down a bit.
AT: Yep yep. But don't get too comfy cuz we have a dinner date for Egyptian food with a college acquaintance o' mine, Kiran. She's doing the NYU-sponsored film program here. Would be good to chat w/ her to hear her thoughts on the scene.
SJ: sounds good. hey - have you noticed there's a lot of arabs around here? hookah everywhere...and a giant mosque at the end of the street.
AT: Well, we ARE right off of Arab Street. S'pore amazes me. Once you dig a bit deeper past the veneer of well-oiled, clean and modern shopping centers and high rises, there's such a fascinating assemblage of people here: Chinese, Indian, Arabic, Malay. And with all their different religious practices, all co-existing in peaceful, functional manner.
SJ: all in their neat little segregated categories- did you notice at the (WONDERFUL) bar we went to later that each group was totally homogeneous? apart from the sleazy white men hitting on the locals?
AT: Hmm yea, interesting. I didn't realize there was such segregation even though everyone occupies the same spaces. Well we can have an endless convo abt the racial politics and power dynamics here... But let's take in the scene at this hotspot: BluJaz Cafe.
SJ: too right!! it's amazing in here... totally un-singapore (to me!).. incredible brightly coloured children-story-book aztec...uhhh....
AT: You mean that big yellow painting over there? With the fantastic comic cat drawings? That's pretty cool. But I dig these crazy lamps with mannequin legs and sprawling wrought-iron chandeliers with trinkets dangling from them. What a scene.
SJ: shame we can't afford any of the drinks : (
AT: And the music's getting lame. C'mon. YMCA and the Macarena? What say you we get out while we're still feeling good?
SJ: yeah.... I'm beat. What a trip.
AT: Yea, gotta get up for my flight out tomorrow. Will miss you toooooons. Safe travels with Jean the rest of the time you're here!
SJ: Thanks luv, you too... I hope you withstand the weight of the camera ok in VN. red bull?
AT: I don't know if it's entered the market yet. But I've got yummy VN coffee with condensed milk to keep me going. Uh oh... time's up. Huuuuuuuuuuuugggs.
SJ: sniff sniff... have a wonderful time with tom... byyeeeeee!!!!

monitoring tip

2009-06-11T15:01:00.002-04:00

Instead of the over-ear headphones in your kit, another way to monitor audio is by using in-ear isolation headphones, the ones that mold to the shape of your ear canal like earplugs. These are preferable to regular (non-isolation) earbud headphones because it's easier to differentiate between what the mics are picking up and what you're hearing through the air.

Setting up tentpoles

2009-06-11T05:30:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Castelmola a couple days ago. My journey wasn't nearly as impressive as Ty's (I had three flights—Boston-Paris, Paris-Rome, Rome-Catania—and from there took a 90 minute bus from Catania-Taormina and then a 30 minute bus from Taormina to Castelmola). Naturally, the airline lost my luggage. No surprise there! Alitalia isn't exactly famous for it's first-class service. Fortunately they did get my suitcase to me 24 hours later, and everything—well, almost everything—appears to be intact. My tripod suffered a small casualty: the knob that tightens the plate against the tripod head snapped off. How this managed to happen while it was in my (fairly rigid) suitcase, I can't guess. I've informed the appropriate authorities (Ernst) and await his response.

Naturally, my first stop after arriving was the Bar Turrisi (where I now sit writing this—see the picture I just took and behind me, the typical decorations). The Turrisi's have been incredibly welcoming! At the bar I learned of another setback: the two-bedroom apartment I had planned to rent isn't ready yet. For some reason, as yet TBD, the woman who owns the apartment thought I was arriving in July and so took this opportunity to renovate the kitchen. Luckily, my friends here are putting me up in a little room in the center of town. It isn't much—basically there is a bed and a bathroom—fortunately my needs are simple! Hopefully I can move to the other place soon, where there is (or will be) a kitchen.

Everyone here has been extraordinarily kind and welcoming. My close friend Francesco, who introduced me to this wondrous place, is not here (he'll visit in July), but I ran into his parents within five minutes of arriving and they took me back to their place for a lovely pasta dinner. It was really great to see them. They have always been extremely kind to me. I also got a chance to chat with Cristina, Francesco's younger sister (I met her when she was 11, and now she is 21!), and Roberto, his brother.

Last night I ate pizza at Ciccino's Pizzeria while Mimì's father sang traditional Sicilian folk songs. Later in the night I returned and there was a whole group singing together—a common end to the evening.

At any rate, I have mostly been relaxing up to this point, trying to set up my "tentpoles": both in the sense of getting situated here (though not knowing where I will be living permanently, this has proven a bit tough), and also in the sense of trying to determine what my film tentpoles (to paraphrase Alfred) will be. I'm still working this out, but I have been exploring, introducing myself to people and brainstorming ideas. More on this later. Has anyone else been thinking about this? I really like the metaphor of tentpoles—I think the hard part is figuring out what, concretely, these might be.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

2009-06-10T13:04:00.007-04:00

...don't know when I'll be back again! In a few short, short hours, I'll be off on the longest possible (and therefore cheapest possible) trip around the world: from Boston to New York (check!), New York to Newark, Newark to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Delhi, Delhi to Kathmandu, and Kathmandu to my summer destination: the Banepa Deaf School in Kavre, Nepal. PHEW!

I'm due to arrive in Kathmandu two days from now, and I'll hopefully send another quick message once I've landed unscathed in Nepal. Has everyone made it safely to their respective countries yet? And are you getting stoked? :)

I'm sure I'll be grateful for them if I go trekking in the Himalayas or backpacking around Nepal, but for now, I'm going to look a lot like a pack mule schlepping these packs around New York City!

Catholic, Charismatic and Communist

2009-06-10T01:45:00.011-04:00

June 10th:
This is my first act of blogging ever. I'm sitting at the airport in Bangalore, about to descend the Deccan plateau into Kerala. Ben and I spent the last week tromping around Bombay with our friend Namita (anth G1), going to Pune, and then down to Bangalore to talk to some profs and see our friend Anand (anth G2). Bombay was a amazing but so hot I thought my cigarette might light itself through spontaneous combustion. (I tried, it didn't work).

I haven't started shooting yet, but I must say that thus far my biggest regret is turning down an offer to be an extra in a Bollywood film. If that remains my biggest regret, I think I'll be OK.

***later that day, in Kochi, Kerala***
Upon arriving at the homestay where we'll be staying, I began chatting with the owner, and come to find out that he is, and I quote: "Catholic, charismatic, and Communist." Looks like I have my work cut out for me!

June 13th:
We've been making some real progress. And we have to because I only have two more weeks to shoot! Ben and I have been shooting with some fishermen who operate these amazing Chinese fishing nets! They are great, super interesting and speak (a little) english, and they're Catholic. I'm now searching for the golden thread to tie everything together. We're leaving in a fwe minutes to go on a bus to a Charismatic night vigil service somewhere north of here. The Catholics and Charismatics are in abundance, but I'm not sure how they'll take to being filmed... it is a bit of a sensitive issue. I've been making LOADS of contacts for my future research here. I met the mayor and the former mayor (both who happen to be social scientists) and they're very supportive of my plans (as ill defined as they are at the moment).
As far as the structure of the film, I am thinking about following the fish: from the catch (all the fishermen are apparently christian) to the fish market (apparently operated by only Muslims) to the table and (possibly) using this as metaphor for the spread of religion here. not sure, just an infantile idea.
well, I've got to go, I've been enjoying hearing from everyone, and wish you all the best!
Julia and Ben

Muraho ku Rwanda!

2009-05-22T02:46:00.002-04:00

Greetings from Rwanda! After a grueling 35 hour journey, I have finally arrived back in Rwinkwavu.

Lucien and Jeff were right, people really are stunned to see me back here. Am going down to see the girls for their soccer match this weekend and we'll go from there. I ended up getting two second hand HD flip camcorders which I'll bring along and teach them how to use them. As soon as we record some clips, I'll upload a few. Has anyone else left yet? Can't wait to hear from y'all. x

Diving in to...

2009-05-15T17:56:00.004-04:00

Photo by Gypsy P. Ray

After I shared my SE final project with a mentor, he directed me to Adrienne Rich's "Diving Into the Wreck," which seems apropos, if we read her diver metaphor as wry commentary on the search for stories, for meaning, for conquest of the unknown/other (be this concept or person or...). It applies because we move into a space altogether new, armed with our personal / professional "book of myths," and still "it is easy to forget / what [we] came for / among so many who have always / lived here."

The poem has been subject to myriad interpretations, some seemingly inconsonant with one another. That's precisely the point; her consistence and precision of metaphor paradoxically afford breathing room so that we can make of it what we will. And so, consider it a send-off greeting, our very own productive coming-of-age initiation.

Coupled with Jeff's recommendation for Shallow Water Dictionary, I'm suh-wimmin' in inspiration! [Insert boos and hisses for bad pun.]

ATN

cintas, テープ, kasetas, bandes, टेप, nastri, băng, الأشرطة

2009-05-15T15:10:00.008-04:00

Hi Sensory peeps,

First doodling and now blogging I just can't handle all the new vocab and technological innovations that are taking over my life! I'm really excited about this journal (blog) as judging from the first few entries it already promises to be really insightful and fun.

Some of you haven't picked up tapes from us yet for the summer and their is a strong possibility that you might need them for your project. So since it might be difficult to coordinate with Lucien or I in the coming weeks I've left them at your edit stations (4 boxes each) all personalized with your names on the box.

Now just be sure to fill them up with provocative, tender, thoughtful and stunning moving images and sounds!

If you need to buy more tapes we recommend ordering them online from Tape Resources for $5.85/tape. Here is a direct link to the AY-DVM63AMQ http://www.taperesources.com/DV63XX-P.html

Remember to only use PANASONIC tapes with your camera. No Sony, Maxell, Fuji, etc. Panasonic's tapes are "dry" and it is common practice that once you choose a tape brand you stick with it. It is not advisable to use other types of tapes that might have different types of lubricant and clog your record and play heads of the camera. The cheaper Panasonic tapes are also acceptable if that is all you can find but they might be more prone to dropout. ~ JDS

"The Miraculous One was Raging and Flaming. Those are the Standards for Art."

2009-05-12T20:05:00.004-04:00

"...Oddly enough Brakhage had spoken about the relationship between sound, silence and the cinema. Silence, he said, is never silent. If I don’t put a soundtrack on my films, he said, this allows the film to exist in the sound-space of the room. He mentioned John Cage. He talked about the rhythmic sound of a running projector and its connection to the visual rhythm of his images. Then he told us to move when we were uncomfortable, to cough when we needed to, that sound was not a disruption during a screening..."

...In reading about the "scandal" that was EXPRMNTL3 in the Casino of Knokke-le-Zoute, a seaside town in Belguim...

...because Broodthaers screened a film there in 1958, when it was held in conjunction with the World Exposition in Brussels....

...I came across this recollection by a Brian Crane...

...next to the article...

....about dark-cellar-films in a ghost town...

I liked the articles.

If only I might be so lucky to find such venues...again..in Belgium......this summer......

Some Thoughts on Talking to Film Subjects

2009-05-12T16:57:00.000-04:00

I was listening to the BBC World Service this morning on NPR and they were interviewing people of various castes in a village somewhere in India. First they interviewed the proprietor of a tea shop of one caste. On the street outside the shop, they then spoke to a man of another caste. When asked if he would ever buy tea in the tea shop, he responded that he would not. The interviewer asked in inquisitive tones, "Why not? Can you explain this to me? I don't understand."

I thought the interviewer's manner in asking this question was productive. Stopping short of the incredulity he may very well have felt, he responded with the very universal human experience of curiosity. Even if he felt it absurd that his subject wouldn't buy tea from the tea shop, by withholding judgment, he gained insight. I was particularly impressed by this because I imagine that, in the heat of the moment, it can be difficult to conceal one's prejudices in the face of cultural differences. For me, this interviewer's curiosity proved a productive strategy.

On the other hand, what makes for a successful film can vary greatly from person to person. Many documentary filmmakers rely on the provocation of their subjects (Michael Moore, who personally I can't stand, comes to mind). Certainly, a defensive subject is no less authentic than a didactic or bemused one. Each portrays a different sort of reality. For myself, though, I have no desire to burn bridges before they are even built (or after, for that matter).

The NPR interview got me to thinking a bit about the way in which we ask questions. For three years, I have been working with a peer counseling hotline. One of the first things we teach staffers is never to ask "why" questions. They tend generally to put people on the defensive regardless of the spirit in which they are asked, since asking "why" often leads people to believe that you are invalidating their point of view.

In general I am really interested in the question of how to approach potential film subjects. No doubt, it varies from subject to subject, but it is something I think we will all be thinking a lot about this summer and I look forward to hearing about people's experiences and insights.

Steady Wings

2009-05-11T19:40:00.000-04:00

Today, we made steady wings! After deciding our dimensions (long live the Half Inch Revolution!), we cut, drilled, screwed, and glued until we had our final products (see beautiful steady wings and beautiful people above and below). Thanks to Jeff for showing us how it's done!

--Lucas

Bye Boston

2009-05-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

I awoke with a formidable task.
The sun began to light the gray/blue horizon.

Before me extended rolling plains. Spring had arrived and transformed them into waves of pale amber.

In the distant they loomed.....
It seemed I had two choices: Shepard's peak, or the more dangerous crags of Santigo (also known as the Sixpence-Slayer). At her base remained a full seasons snow --- slid straight to the base like sweat from her brow. The wrinkles of her face unable to support but more than a dusting snow.

Given this view, what would it be like to look up to her summit from the snowy pedestal from which she emerged? Would the task at hand become more daunting the closer I became? Or, that much more palpable the longer I stared at her ever crevasse?

"Worry not," said the bird!
"Lest you tarry," cried the worm.
"Day by day!" shouted the squirrel.
"First you have to get there" buzzed the bee....so close to my ear that her own little wing tickled my earlobe.

And not yet knowing where or how......i set off in this general direction.