Lost in the jungle?

In my last post, I said that I was getting off the boat, stepping onto the shore, and heading into the brush to find the gems in my story so that I could finish this film. Now, almost two years later and with the film not yet done, I think it is fair to ask if I’m lost in the jungle. The answer – maybe I was, for awhile, but not anymore.

Independent documentary. The first word says so much more than the second. Independent means you as a filmmaker are beholden to no one other than your film. There’s a lot of integrity in that. It also (usually) means that you’re on your own financially. And being on your own financially means having to do the work largely by yourself – which, on a film like this can be overwhelming at times. That’s what happened on Block 57. Sean put up most of the cash. I put in most of the sweat. And while that was enough to take four trips to South America, shoot an awful lot of tape, and get a lot of great stuff (along with a few bug bites), it wasn’t enough to speed the post-production process along as fast as we would have liked.

Then there were the occasions when I had to take time off to earn a paycheck as an editor on television shows – many thanks to my friends Kevin and Mechelle at Intuitive Entertainment for their willingness to hire me whenever I was available and, more recently, to Elise at World of Wonder, where I spent four months this spring editing a series called “Finding Sarah” for Oprah’s new network. Ideally, I would have only been working on Block 57 until it was completed, but my landlord has a thing about actually getting a rent check from me. It’s the basic economic reality of a lot of indie docs, including mine. [As a perfect example, since starting this blog entry, I took a week+ off to edit a pilot at World of Wonder…]

The other thing that slowed the completion of this film was just the sheer amount of footage we had. Block 57 could go any number of ways and I found it difficult to start down any single path. I guess that’s true with any film, but it seemed worse on this one. Maybe it was because of the scope of the story and the number of different themes and topics covered in the shoots. It definitely wasn’t as limited or as defined as other documentaries when it was shot – and the blame for that lies primarily with me as the film’s director – and that clarity would have to come during the editing process. I had a wall covered with notes, and I can confess I sometimes couldn’t see the rain forest for all the words. Add to that a film that is almost entirely in Spanish – with some indigenous languages thrown in – and you have a recipe for a slow edit.

The good news (and you were waiting for that, I know) is that we have emerged from the darkness of indecision and economically mandated breaks into the light of a plan, and of progress. The biggest change came when I realized I had to flip the normal editing process on its head to get this film done. Usually you’ll go through your footage, write a script, and cut your film to that script. With Block 57, my biggest challenge was writing a script when I had 100 or so interviews to choose from. So I decided to ignore them. Rather than writing a script from the interviews and using the scenes shot in country to illustrate them, I would cut stand alone scenes without supporting interviews (for instance, an indigenous man showing us a God awful clinic paid for by an oil company) and then go back and add interview bites to support and connect those scenes. I wouldn’t write an 80 minute film, I would be cutting a lot of stand alone 1-10 minute scenes. I would then see which scenes – and themes – resonated the most and use those to make the film. It was a way to winnow down the interview footage to a more manageable size. And by cutting all the scenes – not just the ones that would have been necessary had I written a script – I know that the strongest material will work its way into the film.

The downside to this approach is that it takes more time. The upside is that I am able to bring in outside help. With the conventional method, I could never get other editors to help me because I was never sure what material I could give them. With a more modular approach, I could break off short scenes and have other editors take a first pass. Although I would have to go through those scenes and do my fixes, their work did save me a lot of time. Many thanks to the editors who donated their time for his project – Carissa, Luis, John, Jim and Kyle. It’s been a real help.

I guess the light bulb flashed on for me one day when I was thinking about what one remembers from a film, especially a documentary.  A few scenes and characters, a couple of beautiful images, a few facts and/or arguments, and a certain emotion you felt watching the film – that’s about it. Viewers don’t know the material in a film like the filmmakers do. They’re only going to remember a few things, so it is best not to overload them with too much information. Find out what stuff really resonates and make your film around that. Pretty obvious, probably, but not always easy to get to.

The other thing I realized is that if a native in the jungle standing outside a dilapidated clinic says the same thing about health problems as a lawyer from an NGO in a Lima office, the former is the one that is going to stick with people. The person in scene is a character, and people in an audience will have a stronger emotional connection to that person. And documentaries don’t only connect on an intellectual level, they connect on an emotional level. Therefore, interviews need to be minimized, and when they are used, they have to be stellar. By cutting the scenes first and then adding the interviews later, I think we’ll get where we want to go with this film.

All told, we’ve got close to 50 scenes. Close to 40 are done with a current running time of over three hours. Right now, I’m hoping to be done with these scenes – the backbone of our film – by the end of October. We’ll then have to figure out which scenes/themes are the strongest and find the interviews that work with them. That’s a lot of work, to be sure, but with the scenes cut, the heavy lifting will be over. If all goes well (and what hasn’t gone well with this film so far?) I could get a very rough cut done in a month of editing, which means we’ll have our first cut before the Christmas holidays and should be on track to finish the film in the first quarter of next year.

Basic math tells you that we’ll have a lot of stuff left on the virtual cutting room floor. That just means more scenes to add to the website. We’ll find ways to get this other material out – it deserves an audience, too.

So there you have my editing process to date. Still a ways to go, but things seem to go better when you have a plan. Stay tuned…

Never get out of the boat.

Absolutely goddamn right.  Unless you were goin’ all the way.  (Apocalypse Now)

One of my favorite movie quotes, and my motto once I left for the jungle to finish filming Block 57. I did get off the boat and I did everything I could to go all the way.

Now I’m back, what, seven weeks later, writing this in my office in Beverly Hills, about a million miles removed from the Peruvian jungle, looking back on those crazy days and weeks that made up my fourth and final trip to South America to film this documentary. To say that it didn’t go according to plan would be an understatement, from heading out two weeks ahead of schedule to film an indian revolution that didn’t happen, to having my producing partner split two days before we were to head into the jungle, to dealing with more rain on this trip than on my previous three trips combined, to getting pancreatitis (apparently) a few days before I was to leave Lima for the United States.

And now comes the hard part – finding the throughline, the story, in the 120 tapes I brought back from this trip, seeing how they fit in with all the other tapes I shot on the previous three trips, and making a coherent, gripping, and worthwhile documentary. Easy enough, huh? Of course, before that, I’ve got to get all these tapes translated and transcribed – and believe me, it ain’t easy to find a Machiguenga translator in Los Angeles!

Of course, it seemed like a good idea at the time we started this project…

Thing is, I know there’s good stuff in those tapes, and a lot of it. When it’s finally cut down, it’ll work.

Only not as I first hoped.

The primary reason I took this trip was to go back to the communities of Shivankoreni and Porotobango. I visited them two years ago, and I wanted to see how they had developed since then, how they had responded to the challenges of this massive energy project growing in their backyards. I wanted to go back to back for a longer time and with a smaller footprint, hoping that some of the barriers between us might go down so that I’d be able to connect to these folks on a more basic, more emotional level. I wanted to get the human stories, the vérité moments, that make a documentary sing. So I spent about 10 days in Shivankoreni and four days in Porotobango.

Turns out it was enough time to get some good stuff but maybe not enough time to get great stuff. I never felt I got much below the surface with these people. Maybe if you added a zero at the end of the number of days I was in each community, I might have been there long enough to get to that point. Add to that the language barriers (it was hard to get a rapport with someone I was filming when I had to wait for the Machiguenga to be translated to Spanish and for the Spanish to be translated to English), and you’ve set yourself some significant obstacles to overcome.

But once I was in it, I was in it to win it, and I did whatever I could to make it work. Guillermo wound up being a solid addition to the crew. We had the normal problems any two people would have spending 19 straight days together, especially in an environment like this, but the bottom line is that I wouldn’t have been able to get it done without him. And the guy could cook, too! That also helped to keep me alive – I don’t know how Kelly and I wouldn’t have gotten by in this area on our own. I doubt either of us could make a pot of rice.

Once I was done filming in the jungle, I made it back to Cusco after a harrowing five hour drive from Quillabamba on the day of a national strike, which meant the roads were closed and any vehicles on them were subject to violent actions by protesters (the van I rented had a large rock thrown through the back window before it picked me up). First day in Cusco I went to Jack’s Cafe, an ex-pat place, for some of the best French toast I’ve ever had, and took an overnight trip to Machu Picchu. I hiked the Inca Trail back in 2004 with a college buddy and loved MP. I didn’t get to see it all the first time, so I was really glad to have the opportunity go back again (how many people get to see it even one time?!). I had an awesome trip. Weather was great. Ruins were inspiring. Body was recharged.

After MP, it was off to Lima for twelve days. As always, I stayed at the Miraflores House, a terrific hostel in one of the best parts of the city, run by a great guy named Francis. Extremely helpful and friendly, and he makes sure that his hostel is the most secure and relaxing in Lima (if you’re ever in that city on a budget, look him up!). Lot of running around, lot of interviews, lot of time with these kids from the community of Shivankoreni who are in a school in a suburb north of Lima. Hired a local producer named Analia to help me out. Not an easy task to come in so late, but she did an admirable job and was a real asset to the production. It was tough for me to go on without Kelly, but Guillermo and Analia both made it possible.

Finally left the end of July, about a month after I expected to get home. Had to cash in another 60K miles to get out of there, but at least I was flying first class all the way back to LA, and I was able to arrange a two day stopover in Houston to visit my folks. I have a feeling they were more worried about this trip than I was!

It took me a few weeks to get my feet under me when I did return. I went to the Hamptons for a week to visit a college buddy of mine (thanks for the invite Art!). I had a really awesome time. Talk about being 180 degrees removed from those jungle communities! Took a weekend in Santa Barbara (thanks for the invite Sean!). Am open to offers to visit any other luxury spots across the US 😉 I’ve been working as a producer on Voices Unveiled, a feature length documentary directed by my friend Binnur, about three women who challenge the conservative social norms in Turkey, and we did all the mixing and color correction in August. Turned out great – keep your eyes open for it!

Now it’s time to hit the edit hard, and I’m finally mentally ready for it. Sean and I have our work cut out for us, and we’ll have to rely on each other to see it through to the end.

Like I said in the beginning, never get off the boat. Absolutely goddamn right. Unless you were ready to go all the way. I’ve been in the boat for the past few weeks, slowly navigating my way up the post-production river, clearing my plate. Now it’s time to get off the boat, hit the beaches, and get this film done, trusting that my years of editing experience will lead me to the gems deep in the brush.

The boat’s on the shore. I’m stepping out now…

And then there was one…

I´m on my own now in Quillabamba. Kelly is on his way back to the United States because of a family emergency. Not a death, thankfully, but important enough for him that he felt he had to leave the documentary production, 2.5 years since we began and about 2 weeks from completion, and also leave his producing partner (me) in Peru. 

Without getting into too many details, I´ll only say that it was a tough decision for him and that I wish Kelly and his family well.  I will be following the upcoming jungle shoot with a week in Lima, and Kelly will be able to use his reporting skills from his home to help set up my shoots there, working with a local fixer we will have to hire.  I am counting on him for that, and I know it will be a big help.

The bottom line is that is not good news for me, of course, and not good new for the doc.  Still, even though we´ve been together on all four shoots in Peru and Ecuador, I never considered turning back once Kelly pulled the rip cord.  He is doing what he has to do, and I am doing what I have to do, namely, heading into the Bajo Urubamba to film what I can of the day-to-day life of the indigenous people who are being affected by the Camisea Gas Project.  I have enough talking heads in Lima describing their situation from my first shoot, and new footage shot over the past couple of weeks of the recent protests over new laws that would further strip away indigenous rights, but I don´t have enough of the Machiguenga themselves.  They´re the main reason I came down to film again, so I can´t turn back now.

With my limited Spanish skills, I cannot go in alone.  At the very least, I need a English-Spanish translator with me to help me through the interviews and shoots.  There was a mad scramble, working the connections throughout Peru, looking for that person.  Thanks to the efforts of our partner back in LA, we now have a replacement for Kelly.  Sean contacted a film production company in Cusco and secured the services of Guillermo, a 28-year-old Peruvian who has worked as a guide on tours of the Peruvian Amazon for the past nine years.  He sounds very enthusiastic, looks to have the proper credentials, and has really good English language skills.  He just got back from three months in Australia, which could only help, though I´ll have to get used to hearing ¨mate¨a lot, I suppose.  I feel confident that he´ll do well, and I don´t think we could have done much better in the short time we´ve had to deal with this.  I welcome him aboard the Block 57 express, and I´m looking forward to him helping me to get some really great stuff in the next two weeks.

Funny thing about this trip is that I feel we´ve been a bit snake bitten from the beginning.  The night I arrived in Lima, Kelly was in terrible shape from food poisoning, which resurfaced with a vengeance for a few days in Quillabamba.  We changed our schedule and chased a story that didn´t pan out quite like we hoped.  I lost a colleague, a producing partner, and a confidante two days before I was to go with him into the jungle and had to find a replacement or go home. 

I told Kelly at one point in this trip that I am not the person who says that the glass is 95% full, I´m the one who says it is 5% empty.  But, if I try to go Vulcan on this and look logically, I can say that, despite these setbacks, we´ve gotten some new, interesting and dramatic material that I can add to our doc (once I figure out how!), that I am about to embark on another exciting adventure, one that could – and should (why not?) –  lead to some great new footage, and I can still finish up strong in Lima.

I think I said this in another post, but it bears repeating.  This isn´t scripted.  Things don´t always work as planned.  But if you keep at it, you can still finish with something good, maybe even great, if you´re lucky.

So, Kelly, if you´re reading this post, safe travels and peaceful days ahead.  And to the rest of you, keep fingers crossed for me as I head out!

BTW, thanks to all who have contributed questions and thoughts for the shoot.  They are very helpful.

The jungle beckons…

I know I´ve written about the need for patience while filming here – mostly to remind myself that things don´t always work out according to our schedule. Still, it would be nice if they did every once in awhile.
Example. Yesterday (Sunday) we had an interview set up with the local mayor for 930. Get there. He´s not there. Told to return in two hours. Return in two hours. He´s gone for the day. Go back this morning to reschedule interview. Told that he just left for Cusco for a week.
But at least we could get this interview with a local activist I´ve been wanting to sit down with for awhile. Interview scheduled for 300 this afternoon. Find a note from Kelly telling me it is rescheduled for 900 tomorrow. He had a meeting to go to, had to postpone.
Oh, and yeah, the big postponement. Last Thursday, we drive five hours over this horrendous pista (a local ¨road¨ seemingly made only of bone-jarring rocks) to attend a secret meeting of indigenous communities from the Bajo Urubamba.  They vote to take an action to respond to the killings up north.  Pretty dramatic stuff.  Wondering what it will be.  Supposed to happen today.  Word is that they´re going to take over a ¨gas valve¨.  Even more dramatic stuff.  Head over to the local HQ at 600am.  Packed only the camera gear I knew I absolutely needed, another small bag with my tent and a toothbrush.  Know it will be a hard day´s drive and a rough night camping.  Don´t expect any violence here – different natives than the north – but still prepared for anything. 

Then anything happens – the event is cancelled.  Word from Lima.  Apparently, the government is no longer talking to AIDESEP, the umbrella organization for indigenous groups in Peru, and wants to speak directly to the regional councils.  Apparently, this is promising enough to encourage the federation to call off the protest today. 

Mixed feelings.  Obviously, I want a peaceful and quick solution to this problem.  Also would have liked getting some protest footage, beyond the couple of thousand people we saw marching in Quillabamba last Thursday (decent stuff there).  This was to be the climax to the story we´ve been shooting since we got here.  Now we have an anti-climax. 

Of course, this is real life.  It isn´t a script.  And the main thing is for these different groups to resolve their differences.  I´ll figure out a way to make this footage work.  Don´t want to sound down.  We´ve gotten a lot of really interesting, unexpected things since we´ve been here, and you have to expect the occasional day like this, where things don´t work according to plan.

That said, we´ll try to wrap things up in the next day or two, finishing some interviews here, prep our gear for the trip to the jungle, and head down river on Thursday.  Eager to get some stuff down there.  Hoping that we are able to connect, at least a little, to the indigenous people in these communities.  After all, they represent the people that are the focus of this recent discord.   For our documentary to have any resonance, we can´t just have intellectuals talking about them from their offices in Lima, and we can´t have news footage of the protests up north or our footage of the protests down south.  We need to get a little understanding of the Machiguenga as people.  That is my great hope as we head into the jungle.

Quillabamba. Shit. I´m still in Quillabamba.

Quillabamba, Peru, is supposed to be our jumping off point for our trip up to the native communities on the Urubamba River. Instead, we have been in a holding pattern for the past few days.
After the excitement of last Thursday, when we went to the protest camp for some local Machiguenga natives, things have been in a state of flux, owing to the violence up north, where more than 40 people were killed after police broke up a road block being held by a group of indigenous for the past month. There is tension throughout the Amazon, though the southeast where we are based seems less likely to explode than the rest of the country. Given the developments, we pushed heading upriver for a few days to see what shakes up.

One thing you learn when you´re here is the value of patience. When you try to make the locals fit your schedule, you run into problems. That´s why I think that we´ll get something good out of staying here.

Speaking of patience, it is absolutely necessary when you are trying to use the Internet. And the key word here is ¨try¨. There are cyber cafes everywhere in this town, each one slower than the next. This is how I spent 20 minutes tonight. Type in ¨www.cnn.com¨ and wait for the page to load. Click on the ¨World¨link. Wait for that to load. Click on the ¨Latin America¨link. Wait for that to load. Type in ¨www.nytimes.com¨and wait for that to load. Give up after five minutes. Check my gmail. System crashes before actually loading the page. 20 minutes, no articles actually read (or even opened). It is like being in 28.8 land. That´s why we´ve been slow with the updates. But, then again, who am I to complain? We have the Internet at times in the middle of a freakin´jungle town and I have a room with a shower with hot water and clean sheets for $19 a night for me and Kelly and decent pastries. Things could be worse. Just ask me in a week or so when we´re heading into the jungle…

From Kelly in Quilla

6/9/09

cool. dm is def open to idea too.

 all attempts at humor aside, we will get good stuff even if we stay the course. we already have good material from this trip and i´m confident that we can grab what we need from BUrubamba – alcides is on board to help us make sure we get visual evidence of native claims about enviro-health damage.  we were clear about the need to have him at our side all the time to ensure we get as far into people´s lives as possible.

  we can pull off a strong trip even if we cant go get this action.

 at four i am meeting with a COMARU representiave to scope out the logistics for covering the clashes story. i will have better idea of how feasible this is given our budget. as duncan has pointed out before, my enthusiam sometimes overextends the possible (budget, etc). i will report later.

 glad you see things this way

Email From Kelly from Quillabamba Peru

6/9/09

duncan and sean

i havent mentioned this because i thought you two guys werent even considering covering the deadly clashes down here because it would require us traveling back up north.

 

i bit my tongue. but now my boy duncan – after having gotten back from the whorehouse this morning — seems to be a bit open to considering it after reading NYTIMES, and he said you mentioned it.

 

I love that.

 

well, there are, by the way, five more policeman dead this morning.

And my two cent question to the both of you, my esteemed friends and colleagues, is this (oh sorry im distrcted with tyipng but the noise of the third military helicopter that´s passed today has me confused)_ is What The Fuck?

 

 

 

 

 

here is a bit of dialogue that i can see happening

 

Friend of Kelly_ hey man, how was peru? what did you film?

 

KH¨: who, us? well, we went to this place called Shivonkoreni and Porotobango and got cool stuff. Like this old woman weaving a basket and telling how she used to do it another way before the oil companies came. and this one old dude, a fisherman, showed us how he throws a net in the water and told us how it used to be before the oil companies!! and then we got some shots of this pipeline and the nice rainforest. oh yeah, we did manage to interview the head native leader who´s wanted for sedition and rebellion for steering a deadly native uprising. but that was before we did the real shit down in Porotobango where we watched this old chief drink this masato and tell us hes mad about the tin roofs leaking.

 

Friend: Thats cool. So what took you so long?

 

KH: Well after we spent a few thousand dollars to get into those villages to have those old people and kids mubble stuff to the camera about the old ways, we tried to leave the country but couldnt.

 

Friend: oh yeah, why is that?

 

KH: Well all the roads were blocked because of the deadly native uprising that´s being reported all over the world! Its funny when you thik about it, since all of our filming over two years has been about how these natives were mad about development and how some had actually SHOT at police, and others were threatening to die for their cause! they told us that! and then, go figure, it was happening in Peru at the same time we were there! Im sure glad we missed it because there is some hot shit coming out of those huts in Porotobango (we learned the word for White Friend in Machiguenda!!!) anyway, I was aggravated that our trip was slowed up by that international news story of drama and intrigue.

 

Friend_ But you guys werent in the same place in Peru and probably by the time you got there the action would be over.

 

KH_ Yeah we thought of that and then we said to ourselves that, even though we might miss the shootings, there are probably family members who are still crying over their murdered relatives and, yeah sure, they would give us some really emotional and historic testimony. But then we were like, fuck that, have you ever seen a native pound beers and talk about how booze is hurting their culture!!!

 

Friend_ sounds like you guys were smart by ignoring the historic and deadly actions that were predicted in all your previous interviews , especially since you had that exclusive interview with the head of that uprising, and since you got that killer footage of the indians holding spears and pledging to fighht to the death after they dug up the camisea line and threatened to blow it up.  When can I see that basket woman?

 

🙂

Email from Duncan to Sean from Quillabamba Peru.

6/5/09

In Quillabamba.  Things have been moving fast here.  This is the first time I have been able to get on a computer since Monday night.

Reader´s Digest…

Tuesday filmed AIDESEP Prez on way to sedition charge at ministry of justice.  That morning got a call about protest in Cusco region.

Police came to respond to local indians cutting fiber optic line that runs parallel to gas line.  We were told a COMARU rep was going out there on Wednesday, so we made the call to drop everything in Lima and get to Quilla.  Hoping for something dramatic, seemed like it was our chance.

Mixed bag.

Hell getting out of LIma but we were able to pull it off (and for about $180 one way with bags, not bad).  Arrive Cusco.  Get ride to Quilla.  Scary.  More on that later.  Arrive 1100 to find our reservations at Don Carlos not there.  Find another place.  Grab a bite.  Pass out.

At COMARU at 630 the next morning.  Discover that this facility near Quilla is not so near Quilla after all.  Need to pack for an overnight camping situation.  Pull our gear together, grab breakfast, grab supplies, head out in van with COMARU rep and driver.  Free ride.

Only need to pay for food.  10 hours later arrive at end of new road being constructed between Quilla and Lima.  Some of the worst roads I´ve been on.  More later.  Meet four Machiguenga who are waiting for Plenio, one of the COMARU leaders, the guy who was riding with us.  He goes off to the indigenous encampment, where they launched their attack from.  We stay in the jobsite of the construction crew.

Up next morning at 630.  Two young Machiguenga are there to lead us on a very arduous 2 hour hike thorugh the jungle to this community.  When we´re there, we find forty or fifty Machiguenga with bows, arrows and cushmas.  Chant.  Protest.  Denunciations.  Good, visual stuff.  Head off with Indians to see site of vandalism.  Stopped by police.  Unable to proceed.  Stuff here is good, a few problems though, but we´ll have some usable stuff.  Interview with Plenio.  Head back to Quilla at 130.  Flat tire, out of gas, arrive in Quilla at 230.

Made decision to go with Alcides on boat.  Gov´t boat doesn´t seem like a sure thing.  Can get us to one place, maybe, but not sure beyond that.  Also need a five hour drive to meet with gov´t official to lock it down.  Not sure about outcome.  Found out that Alcides could do it, could rework deal, bring on Freddy as pilot.  Feel better about going in with those two than some other folks we don´t know.

Met with Alcides before leaving.  Got him down for $$$$$ for everything except the peki peki pilots and food.  Less than $$$$$ for boat, fuel, him, pilot seemed like a good deal.  Kelly was meeting with him this morning.  Told him to confirm with Alcides that $$$$$ was indeed everything.  He then tells Kelly that it is indeed everything, except his guide fee of $40 a day, which would bring the total for the 16 days to $$$$$$.  You know, the old gringo bait and switch.  This did not put me in a good mood.  Of course, I said to him over breakfast, this $$$$$ is for everything, right?  Now he comes back with these extra charges.  Makes me wonder what we are going to encounter on rest of trip.

Then Kelly goes to COMARU to try to set up some interviews while we are here.  I was planning on leaving for Ivachote on Monday with some shooting in Kiteni.  Comes to meet me eating lunch and tells me that Plenio, the leader we went with to this site, today asked him for 800 soles for the ride.  This was after we were told that the only thing we would have to pay for was food, that he was going there anyway.

Guy asks that we come up with half, then, and here is the topper.  He said he was going to go on Friday and that he went early because of us!  Now, going there on Wednesday was the last thing we wanted to do.

 We had interviews set up with the indigenous leaders set up on Tuesday after the court hearing, three interviews set up on Wednesday, and we needed to plan out our trip from Lima.  We busted our ass because we were told he was going on Wednedsay (ironically, we were first told Friday, which pleased me because it fit my sched, then we are told Wednesday and killed ourselves to get there).  Really is leaving a sour taste in my mouth.  You know the routine.  Trying to do something worthwhile while we´re here, and getting the gringo squeeze wherever we go.  Trying now to figure out how to proceed.  Kelly making calls to set things up around here.  Will try toi call and discuss.

duncan

First Day in Lima

This is my first entry in our web-log or “blog.”   I am writing it from the Miraflores House in Lima, my home for the next few days.  Times have certainly changed from our first trip, when I stayed in a 4 star hotel.  But, you know, I like this place.  It has a funky vibe, it is centrally located, and it reminds me that we are here to work.  And it is run by a great guy named Francis, a friend to his guests as much as an innkeeper.  If you are ever in Lima and on a budget, check it out!

Getting out of Los Angeles was a bit of a nightmare.  So much to do, so little time to do it.  And this is no ordinary trip.  I am heading into the Lower Urubamba with Kelly, a guide, and everything in my backpack and in a couple of waterproof bags.  Two video cameras, a tripod, a monopod, sound equipment.  Camping gear.  Accessories.  (For instance, we had to research, buy and test a solar charger that I now have with me.  (Thanks for your help on that, John!)  It consists of a fold-up solar panel, inverter and 12V motorcycle battery.  It is for those days in the remote jungle communities where we may not have power and I need to charge a camera battery just to keep the production going.  You know, your normal trip stuff.)  Oh, yeah, don’t forget a little space for my few personal items.  Hopefully Kelly will not get tired of seeing me in the same clothes, because I was not able to bring much variety!

 

We are under no illusions that this will be an easy trip.  It certainly will not be comfortable once we leave Lima.  But our experience will in some ways mirror how the people we are going to film live.  I hope that our small footprint and the extra time we are spending in these communities will help us to bring down some barriers, to get to know and better capture something of the people whose lives are being affected – for better and worse – by this natural gas project.

 

There is tension in Peru over indigenous protests that have been happening throughout the Amazon over the past month.  They are occurring because the native people want a greater say in how their lands our developed.  Right now, they are consulted before projects happen, but their opinions really do not carry any weight.  The government declared a state of emergency after the indigenous blocked some of the rivers used for transport by the energy companies.  Most of the violence associated with these protests has occurred in the north.  We are heading to the south, but we still hope to see some kind of protests while we are there (and not too much violence!).  We do not expect to have any problems, but you can keep your fingers crossed for us just in case.

Today we had a few interviews lined up which fell through.  That happens sometimes.  You cannot get too locked into your schedules.  Flexibility is key.  Not always easy for me!

The good news is that there are a lot of indigenous leaders meeting tomorrow and we will be able to film them.  Even better, the leader of AIDESEP, one of the largest indigenous federations, is going to be arrested for sedition and we are hoping to film it. (BTW, he is aware of this charge and is in fact driving somewhere to be processed.  We have an interview scheduled with him after it.)  We are hoping to get some compelling stuff.

Well, off to bed to rest up for the first of many big shoot days while we are here.  Glad that the ball is finally moving forward.  Look forward to some interesting times and, hopefully, some awesome material for our doc.  We are also looking forward to getting it out there!

(BTW, I hope to figure out how to make an apostrophe before my next entry – will not be so proper with my English then!)

Feeling Left Out

I sent Duncan off to Lima today – who am I kidding, he did it almost all himself. All I have is his apartment keys and his last will and testament!

This is not a good feeling. Let behind. Not used to it. I guess someone has to mind the store. It might as well be the one with the two daughters and the business driving the meager funding of this expedition.

It is needed that I point out to my two partners (in potential crimes) and to anyone reading this blog, that the LUR (lower Urumbamba) is a VERY tough place to exist. When we all went to LUR a couple of years ago, we had our own bus, boat, cook, porter, a guide (Pepe!!) and all the balance bars I could carry. This time, the dynamic-duo travel with the people. From the hostel to the chicken-bus to hitching a ride down the Pongo De Manique into the forest. Seriously difficult, dangerous and ballsy travel and work plans.

So I raise a toast (of iced chai) to you boys. Safe travels, good hunting and my the force be with you both.

Via Con Dios!

The Grounded Eagle