To travel is to take a journey into yourself. – Danny Kaye
Monday, July 30, 2012 (DAYS 148 & 149)
6:30am and I am walking with Marc to an early morning production shoot down near the beach. This morning we are gathering the last two shots for his documentary for Project Filmbox, whose goal is to make a truly international film about the new spirit among young people. Over the past several months Marc has collected footage from various children’s organizations and orphanages from Mexico to Nicaragua, with the end result being Peru, and the subject for his submission deals with his own personal journey and adventures through Central America. I admit to him that it has been nice to reenter my roots from the career that I had for almost 12 years in television production, even in spite of the early morning wake up call. Directing him from behind the camera, I tell him that I cannot promise cinematic genius since we have limited resources to work with, primarily hinting with his overall physical appearance that tends to be a horrific and grotesque sight, but this is what we have to work with and evidently it is not getting any better even with the brown paper bag covering his face. The morning is successful even fighting the strong morning wind as I attempt to block the small microphone on the side of the GoPro, which is what all of the video material must be shot on. I can hear the wails from editors and camera operators back home using such elementary equipment, but I am confident that I can clean up much of the material in post-production, since I took many lessons from the best editors I know, Kelly Porter and Ray Volkema, the veterans of Colorado Studios, HDNet, and are currently now with AXS.tv. I always figured that at some point the skills that I have gained through a very wonderful career in almost every aspect of broadcast production would be utilized, and I am thankful for the opportunities that has even lead me to this morning’s shoot.
6:30am and I am walking with Marc to an early morning production shoot down near the beach. This morning we are gathering the last two shots for his documentary for Project Filmbox, whose goal is to make a truly international film about the new spirit among young people. Over the past several months Marc has collected footage from various children’s organizations and orphanages from Mexico to Nicaragua, with the end result being Peru, and the subject for his submission deals with his own personal journey and adventures through Central America. I admit to him that it has been nice to reenter my roots from the career that I had for almost 12 years in television production, even in spite of the early morning wake up call. Directing him from behind the camera, I tell him that I cannot promise cinematic genius since we have limited resources to work with, primarily hinting with his overall physical appearance that tends to be a horrific and grotesque sight, but this is what we have to work with and evidently it is not getting any better even with the brown paper bag covering his face. The morning is successful even fighting the strong morning wind as I attempt to block the small microphone on the side of the GoPro, which is what all of the video material must be shot on. I can hear the wails from editors and camera operators back home using such elementary equipment, but I am confident that I can clean up much of the material in post-production, since I took many lessons from the best editors I know, Kelly Porter and Ray Volkema, the veterans of Colorado Studios, HDNet, and are currently now with AXS.tv. I always figured that at some point the skills that I have gained through a very wonderful career in almost every aspect of broadcast production would be utilized, and I am thankful for the opportunities that has even lead me to this morning’s shoot.
Tuesday night, and once again the power grid has failed, causing us all to scramble for candles and flashlights amid the enormous family dinner that Marc is preparing for the seven of us. While this can be considered a nuisance, I have learned that they arrive without warning, but can often be a welcome circumstance as it forces us to lay down our iPhones and laptops to enjoy the moments with those that are in our current company in the hostel. Thankful for the propane powered gas stove top and the concrete BBQ pit, our chief continues to prepare the seafood before we have both cooking stations sending out intoxicating aromas in the courtyard of the Surfing Donkey. Tonight’s menu; shrimp with veggies and rice, two enormous avocados sliced up to the size of small bananas, steam grilled Mahi-mahi in lime juice and a special mixture of herbs and spices that would make Colonel Sanders jealous, and to top off the feast, garlic jumbo shrimp. Devouring our meal with precision, Stephen who is also from the States, is sitting across from me as we discuss how much healthier we have been eating in the lack of processed foods that are chalked full of hormones, covered in pesticides, injected with preservatives, and the other numerous additives that seem to be more of a chemical experiment than real organic food that is full of flavor. Even after gorging ourselves, there is no feeling of being bloated like you would normally feel from a meal of this proportion back home, but because it is all made with fresh produce from the Mercado and the day’s catch from the local fishermen, the fullness of our stomachs is a moment of bliss. Just another amazing night in Central America.
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