Things are moving!

Hello all,

It’s been a while since the last blog and the good news is that things are moving with the documentary.  There is definite progress but it is also definitely one step at time. This is, as always, due to lack of funds and we have been scrapping for every single penny to get this movie finished.  Like throughout this entire process we’ve had to beg, borrow, charm and schmooze our way for every thing. We managed to scrape a little bit of money together for the next step, which is the picture edit. This is huge because without a locked off picture you can’t start on anything else. As always if you know anyone that might be interested in helping us complete the film please get them in contact with us.

So that’s brought me to where I am now. Brasil! You’re probably wondering why I’m doing the edit in Sao Paulo… Brasil! No, I’m not here for the weather (in fact its rained almost every day since I arrived). As most of you now Diego (the DOP and Producer) is Brazilian and he worked out a deal with Indigo Productions for them to provide us with the post-production facilities and the editor free of charge. Diego and, his wife, Sylvia have been amazing and have hosted me in their apartment so my accommodation has been free and the food very cheap. So even though it did cost a bit of money to fly me over it has saved us, without exaggeration, thousands of dollars.

I’ve been here almost three weeks and every day but two have been spent in the editing suite. Despite this I have managed to learn a few things about Brazilian culture. First, when you come into the office in the morning you absolutely have to greet everyone with a handshake (guys) or a kiss (girls) then ask them how they are. Second, there is no such thing as a short conversation in Brasil. Asking the most simple of questions will result in a 10 minute conversation. There is also the difference between Brazilian time and Canadian/ British time. Let’s just say that Brazilian time is a little looser and relaxed. But I’ve adapted and now fully understand the nuances of Brazilian culture (well no not really at all in fact)!

I have to say I was a bit apprehensive about the edit. There is over 28 hours of footage and I always knew the hard part was trying to get that down to a manageable size. Plus there are so many good stories that I know will not make it into the final cut. It is a lot of work and I was only able to come over for under four weeks because of other commitments. Also I had no idea what the editor was going to be like! I could have been locked in an edit suite with a stubborn and difficult editor that could have made my life hell. It was a pretty huge risk but I’m happy to say it has worked out amazingly well. Anna Lucchese is the editor and she is an incredible editor. She really gets what we are trying to achieve with this film and is unbelievably focused. Anna has done a fantastic job in putting together all this footage into a strong story. So any of you fellow filmmakers are looking for an editor in Brasil I can definitely hook you up.

I am just about to leave and I had hoped we would have a “rough cut” completed and while we haven’t gotten as far as I would have liked but we have taken an huge step forward in finishing the picture lock. The story is powerfully moving and entertaining. It is more then I could have expected and I think when its all finished we will have a fantastic film on our hands.

I just wanted to mention some of the other people involved in the project (check out “THE TEAM” page). Indigo Productions have been very supportive since I arrived. Even though there is the language barrier all the staff have been extremely friendly and done a great job to make me feel welcome. They are fully behind the project and are doing what they can to make this film a success.

Dan Elliot, the composer, has been involved in the project from very early on (he did the music for the first trailer) and now that we are close to the picture lock he can finally start composing. We’ve  discussed this the past few months and we have some general ideas about what we want but now the real challenge begins. I’m just starting to realise how important the music will be to the finished film and I think there is a real chance to do something powerful and unique.

While we were filming in Kenya we met a Kenyan expat named Michael Duckworth who introduced us to his son Alexander. Alexander is based in New York City and owns a marketing company, Point One Percent. Alexander has been very supportive and his company will be creating the marketing material (Posters, DVD covers, etc) for the film.

We are hoping to have the film finished by the end of the year but there is still sooo much work to do. Once we have the picture locked off there is still the music, the credits, the grade, the subtitles, the sound mix, the marketing material to do…the list goes on! But now that we’ve seen actually seen the potential of this movie there is no way we are not going to complete it.

Thanks as always for your support.

Riyad, Diego & Christian