Worthy Docs

People are People

2011-12-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

I started my day by watching this video recounting Forbes reporter Helen Coster's travels to Pakistan with Acumen Fund Founder and CEO Jacqueline Novogratz. Coster's article is the cover story of the magazine's current issue.

Thinking about why the video resonates with me, I realized it speaks to one of my core convictions that has shaped my outlook on life.

We should not stereotype entire cultures, countries and continents.

People are people everywhere - good and bad. But we often make the mistake of defining individuals by their governments and/or religions.

When I was a teenager, President Ronald Regan described the Soviet Union as "the Evil Empire" during a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals. A few years later, at age 16, I was on my way to the USSR to discover for myself what it was like. I found exactly what I expected - the young Soviets I met wanted peace, freedom and the chance to follow their dreams. Just like me and my friends.

And despite the constant media coverage of Pakistan as a failed state run rampant with terrorists, ordinary Pakistanis simply want the chance to pursue a better life. Much like most Americans.

I'm struck by Helen Coster's observation in the Forbes video:

"The people that I met were so hungry for attention from the outside world that was positive..."

One of my main motivations as a documentary filmmaker is to make connections between people who are worlds apart and to illuminate individual stories that are in contrast to the negative narratives about their cultures that we hear more often. I only wish I had more opportunities to do just that!

BTW - If you aren't familiar with Acumen Fund, follow the links at the top to watch the video and visit their website! The fund invests "patient capital" in entrepreneurs in the developing world.

Mobile Message

2010-12-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

The past five or so months have been a non-stop whirlwind of activity. Between ongoing renovations on our house, freelance commercial production work, and consulting gigs with Ushahidi and FrontlineSMS, this is the first chance I've had to catch my breath. Which is fitting cuz it's (rather perversely) my favorite day of the year: the day after the Winter Solstice, the first in a long succession of days that will be just a little bit lighter than the last.

Of the various projects, I'm most proud to share the "Mobile Message", a guest series that FrontlineSMS is contributing to the National Geographic blog. I'm supervising the project as part of my role as a communications advisor for FrontlineSMS. It feels like a circle completed as I first discovered FrontlineSMS while researching a documentary series I wanted to produce about the impact of mobile phones in the developing world. It's really exciting to be reaching a wide audience through the National Geographic website with inspiring posts like this one that evolved from an email interview that I conducted with one of the founders of Kubatana in Zimbabwe:

"Mobile Technology Gives Zimbabweans a Voice"

I'm also thrilled about the progress we've made with the house but that's more a personal triumph that I'll celebrate privately.

Meanwhile, today is also the tailend of one of the most remarkable rainstorms in my memory. Here in the San Bernardino Mountains the "Pacific Plume" brought unrelenting rain day after day in tropical profusion. 18" in 7 days. Our creek turned from trickle to flood...

The Dangers of Story Overload

2010-08-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that I believe in the power of a good story...to transcend culture, to spark imagination, to create connections, to engage strangers, to empower the voiceless, to provoke change, to inspire ideas, to nurture understanding, and on and on. But as I witness the proliferation and dominance of story - corporations, politicians, activists, evangelists all out there busking - I'm becoming concerned about the impact on our real lives.

Stories are simple. Stories are constructs that take complex and often messy realities and craft them into a narrative with a beginning middle and end. Just the act of choosing a beginning is artificial. Our daily lives are not linear, orderly progressions. An encounter that holds the promise of future romance or a business partnership can fizzle into nothing at all. Unless you create a life together or launch a product or make a film or a baby or whatever - that storyline just ends. We all have countless dead-ends in our lives. The same is true for history and biology. My concern is that if we constantly see everything in the form of a story, we may lose our capacity to confront - and even embrace - the very real complexities of life, love, politics, business, and nature.

But it's not only the simplification, it's also heightened drama that is a concern. In a recent Wall Street Journal Article about the "stars" of the award-winning documentary STARTUP.COM, both entrepreneurs talk about the difference between their actual experience and the dramatized version that was depicted on screen. One of them eloquently explains:

"They had to sell the story, and they had to pick the pieces that made everything larger than life. And that's part of the brilliance in the work that they did. It's not part of the reflection of reality - it's the reflection of the artistic license to tell a story - an exciting story." - Tom Herman

I'm starting to better understand why innovator and entrepreneur Iqbal Quadir resisted becoming a "character" in the documentary film I wanted to make about him...we were calling it 'Startup.com with a global twist.'

I can give another example. My documentary CATCHING OUT features several contemporary hobos who dissent against mainstream American consumer culture by traveling for free on freight trains. The film has received criticism for not being more dramatic - no encounters with railroad police, not enough actual trainhopping footage. Sure, it's far from a perfect film, but even with hindsight I would not amp up the action. True, you can get a big adrenaline kick when you are scrambling around a train yard, but more often riding the rails is about endlessly waiting and watching. You go nowhere fast. It's boring stuff that involves a lot of napping, reading books, and philosophizing with fellow travelers. The exhilarating part of hopping a train is the existential journey of abandoning social convention and cultural expectation - a more complex and nuanced experience than encountering a bull or a catching a train on the fly.

Or consider my more recent filmmaking adventure: when I went to Kenya to document the making of the feature film TOGETHERNESS SUPREME, I thought I would capture a straightforward story about the trials and tribulations of producing a film in a slum on the outskirts of Nairobi with a local cast and a crew of local youth trainees. But as I started shooting, that story felt shallow, contrived. A more complex and more compelling story presented itself about the interplay between the fictional narrative of the film and the real lives of the cast and crew. There's no question that the more complex story would have been harder to tell and part of the reason that I recently pronounced the project a "Fail" is because I couldn't figure out how to bring it to fruition. But I'd rather not make a film at all then craft a contrived story.

Of course, I want passionate and talented storytellers to continue to create stories that offer us the chance to dream and imagine and visit worlds we would otherwise never know. I particularly want storytellers from distant and diverse places to challenge our standard western narratives. But I also want to encourage the storytellers of our time to experiment with deconstructing stories, breaking them down, pulling them apart, and exposing their simplicity and artifice.

Producing a #Fail

2010-07-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

There's a movement afoot to embrace failure as a way to collectively learn from mistakes. A good example is Failfaire which looks at failures in the realm of tech (internet, mobile, communication) for development. And the #Fail hashtag is perennially popular on Twitter. So it's in that spirit that I'm announcing that Producing Pamoja is a #Fail...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking this lightly. I've always prided myself on perseverance and creative problem-solving. And it goes against my sense of integrity to give up. My heart is heavy knowing that many supporters believed in me and that my friends in Kibera were counting on me. It was only a couple months ago that I was pronouncing I would finish the film "Somehow, Someway." So, what changed? I've come to believe that the challenges are insurmountable.

These are my lessons:

1) Perfect Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. In the case of Producing Pamoja, I threw caution to the wind and spontaneously embarked on an adventure to capture the making of Togetherness Supreme with less than three weeks to prepare. The truth is that I didn't really know much about the project - only that the story focused on the Post Election Violence that had erupted in Kenya and that the production would employ local youth as cast and crew. When I arrived in Kenya I discovered that many of my assumptions and expectations were false. Do your homework before you start shooting!

2) Money matters. Despite seed funding from Shine Global and the generosity of supporters who contributed via The Point I struggled to capture the footage I needed. I embarked on a wing and a prayer but the project stalled due to lack of resources once I returned from Kenya. While I believe in taking leaps of faith, it helps to have a safety net. Lack of a sound financial foundation can undermine a project.

3) Don't go it alone. Perhaps the biggest challenge I've faced in this endeavor has been not finding a creative partner / team to help sustain the project. Collaboration is a key to success.

To my friends in Kibera: I'm humbled and grateful that you shared your stories with me. I believe in you and your capacity to create a better future in Kenya. Bahati njema!

Insider / Outsider

2010-06-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

A recent tweet from @whiteafrican aka Erik Hersman, one of the co-founders of Ushahidi, triggered a dialog that sparked my thoughts about insiders vs outsiders in development and documentary. The dichotomy is central to choices I've made in my life so I thought I'd share.

Way back when, I was working as the interim director of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania, a local NGO that used a profoundly "insider" approach. Rather than go into communities and tell them how to improve environmental sustainability, we launched a campaign to publicize our grant program. We encouraged local communities to apply for funding for their own projects. The only real criteria were 1) demonstrate broad community support and 2) improve sustainability. I was blown away by the creativity and ingenuity of the projects that were proposed, and I was also struck by the contrast between our work and the work that international NGOs were doing. I loved our "insider" approach.

Later in my life, I made a documentary about modern-day hobos. The journey of making the film became another unexpected lesson in insider vs outsider dichotomy. I started out with grand plans and ambitions only to learn that many trainhoppers had very legitimate concerns about how their pastime was portrayed. For example, I was careful not include any specific information about how to hop a freight train in the final film (much to the dismay of many critics and viewers). I believe that CATCHING OUT reflects an "insider" perspective.

The insider approach is a grassroots, bottom-up approach, but are the terms synonymous? When we speak of insiders, we speak of their knowledge. Insiders know the local landscape -- social and environmental -- and how to navigate it. They recognize boundaries established by history and culture. They understand hearts and minds. They know secrets and superstitions, habits and traditions. They can anticipate what people will protect and what they are willing to expose.

In my experience, these common pitfalls are true for both documentary and development:

Outsiders fail to listen to / solicit insight from local stakeholders / subjects
Outsiders come w/ assumptions (ambitions) that cloud their perceptions of local realities
Outsiders aim to do something (make a movie; start a project) FOR rather than WITH the local people. Better to consider how the process can engage and empower the local people.

This isn't to say that outsiders have no role! I was an outsider in Tanzania and in the hobo community. Outsiders can bring fresh eyes to a problem or a story. They can provide a broader context and bring a wider scope of experience. Outsiders may have access to expertise and resources that are locally scarce. So, I think the question is: how can outsiders and insiders work together?

The concept of "creative coopportunity" that I'm currently exploring and developing is very much focused on transcending the insider / outsider dichotomy by infusing local inspiration and creativity with the diverse resources of a crowd of collaborators!

Creative Co-Opportunity

2010-06-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago I started thinking about developing an initiative for delivering creative opportunities to aspiring and emerging filmmakers, photographers, musicians, writers, and other artists in places like Kibera, a slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya.

I spent several weeks in Kibera last year, documenting the making of the feature film TOGETHERNESS SUPREME (see prior posts about the doc Producing Pamoja), and I heard a constant refrain from the local youth: we don't lack talent; we lack opportunity. The idea for "Creative Co-Opportunity" is an outgrowth of this experience, but it's not limited to Kibera.

At first, I thought of an online platform like Kiva where people would provide micro-loans to artists and their projects. But creative projects are not always income-generating so these loans would not necessarily be repaid. Instead, contributions could be structured as micro-grants and -- unlike a cow or other micro-enterprise -- the final product could be shared with the community online and/or in the form of a book, print or DVD.

But as the concept evolved, I realized that the biggest incentive would be the opportunity to engage. I imagine Creative Co-Opportunity as a network that connects artists and creators w/ patrons and others who can provide needed resources both locally and globally. Not only to support the making of the work, but also ensuring that it is seen and enjoyed. This means more than simple fundraising. Ideally, the network will promote the exchange of ideas, suggestions, contacts, feedback, expertise, moral support and other essentials for success other than just plain money. It could potentially evolve into something like the Unreasonable Institute or the Sundance Institute Lab programs.

Also, the concept of co-opportunity would mean that each artist that receives support would agree to "reciprocate" (a concept I borrowed from Butterflyworks). After completing their own projects, artists become talent scouts and mentors for the next round of artists.

I'm very much inspired by Butterflyworks and also by the mission of the Prince Claus Fund in The Netherlands which views culture as a basic need. My other sources of inspiration include:

And I found new inspiration this week. CNN profiled award-winning Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu and NPR produced a story about Kenyan writer Stanley Gazemba who won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for literature. Both struggle to find the support they need in Kenya.

Now I feel like it's time to get to work.

Luckily, I don't need to design the online platform from scratch. On my recent visit to Holland, I met with the 1% Club and discussed posting a handful of pilot projects to their existing online platform. They also suggested that I could use the iLab as a base to work from in Nairobi. But still, there's a lot of pieces to put together to make the concept work....

Please, share your thoughts and suggestions. I specifically welcome any insights and recommendations for:

- an organizational structure in Kenya
- advisors and partners both locally and globally
- organizations and individuals to act as talent scouts, identifying emerging talent
- funding!!!

Home from Holland

2010-05-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Home after a month spent in Holland soaking up good, quality time with family and friends. I also had fun networking with some awesome folks doing inspiring stuff: unexpectedly attended Media For Heroes conference where I had the pleasure to meet both Hapee (Hivos) and Wendy (Oxfam Novib), enjoyed lunch with the team behind 1% Club, visited Press Now to discuss their potential Ushahidi implementation, and connected with Emer, one of the amazing founders of Butterflyworks, (our meeting turned into a caffeine-fueled totally non-linear marathon conversation about a bunch of different projects).

It's no accident that so many cool people and projects are based in Holland with its cosmopolitan culture of innovation and outward engagement. Plus the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides significant financial support. I'm envious: most of my tax dollars spent overseas are going to hi-tech weaponry and soldiers.

Anyway, I'm back in beautiful (but insular) Blue Jay and wondering what now? Practically speaking, I need to find work. But more than anything I'd love to immerse myself in the three creative projects that I've got in the works: Producing Pamoja, Trading Faces and an initiative for crowdsourcing creative expression in developing countries. Hoping the universe will intervene...

Meanwhile, I'm a huge fan of the photo blog Africa Knows and I want to share this stunning image of a graffiti mural in Muthare, one of several slums in and around Nairobi.

One last clip!

2010-04-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days I've shared a few video clips that offer a glimpse into the talent and spirit of the young Kenyans who worked as cast / crew on TOGETHERNESS SUPREME and will appear in PRODUCING PAMOJA. I posted one last clip of behind-the-scenes crowd control below...

I still need to edit clips of Geoffrey, the actor who plays the role of Otieno, and Owino, the aspiring politician who plays the role of a political organizer in the film. I also want to share colorful clips of a local musician and a group of dancers, but I'm out of time for editing, and I need a little technical help with some of the footage!

In other news, I've reapplied to Chicken & Egg Pictures for funding that would allow me to spend some crucial time with my editor - to craft a real fundraising sample and create a rough outline of footage / scenes for the film. I'm also actively exploring the outreach strategy for the film and during my upcoming trip to Holland I will meet with the amazing organization Butterfly Works to discuss!

Introducing Chemaiah

2010-04-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Wrapping up the introductions (for now) with Chemaiah. (Please see this post for background)

In this clip, the star of TOGETHERNESS SUPREME is feeling down after shooting a scene where an anti-Kikuyu mob burns down the home of his character, Kamau. The scene reminds Chemaiah of the actual events that took place in Kibera when his grandmother was threatened and forced to flee her home permanently. We also have an interview (in Kikuyu) with his aging grandmother.

Introducing Chris

2010-04-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

As I explained in my previous post, I'm posting a series of short video clips to introduce several of the young Kenyans who will appear in PRODUCING PAMOJA.

Today I'm introducing Chris, who plays the role of Masher in TOGETHERNESS SUPREME. Masher is a Luo thug who hates Kikuyus and leads a mob to burn the house of the main character, Kamau, at the end of the film. In this clip, Chris talks about how he is similar to the character he plays, and he shares a story about an event that changed his life. We also have footage of him reenacting the event near his childhood home.

Kibera Rap!

2010-04-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Taking a break from introductions today...

While filming in Kibera, these local kids wanted to perform this rap on camera. It's a little overexposed, but I hope you enjoy!

Introducing Faith

2010-04-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Continuing the series of video clips that I announced here...meet Faith!

Working as a trainee in the DIT department, Faith impressed everyone with her determination and dedication. She is a shining example of what can be achieved by the youth of Kibera when opportunity is offered. In this clip, she describes how a mob scene in the movie feels very real to her and reminds her of her own experience during the post-election violence.

Introducing Jahill

2010-04-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

As I explained my last post here's the next video, introducing Jahill!

A sound trainee during production of TOGETHERNESS SUPREME, Jahill is also a DJ on the community radio station Pamoja FM and an aspiring musician. In this clip he takes us on a journey through the winding, narrow passageways of Kibera while he shares his thoughts on the film and life in Kibera.

Introducing....

2010-04-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Over the next week, in a series of short video clips, I'm going to introduce several of the young Kenyans who will appear in PRODUCING PAMOJA. The clips also offer a glimpse into production of the feature film TOGETHERNESS SUPREME which was filmed entirely in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa, located on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. (Click here to visit TOGETHERNESS SUPREME blog)

“Pamoja” means "together" in Swahili, and in PRODUCING PAMOJA, we follow local youth – from different ethnic backgrounds – as they work together to produce the film and give Kenya a brighter future.

Please watch these clips with the understanding that they are intended as character sketches and should not be viewed as trailers for the film. I have very limited editing skills so these clips reflect what is easiest for me to cut together and not necessarily the best material in terms of content. They also do not represent what the completed film will look like, and I don't even have clips of everyone who will appear in the film!

First up is Martha who is the lead actress in TOGETHERNESS SUPREME (and recently nominated for an African Academy Award). She plays a volunteer nurse and the love interest of both the film's main character, Kamau, and his friend, Otieno. Martha is very dedicated to community empowerment, and her quiet passion is apparent in this clip. We also have footage of her rehearsing a poetry performance with a community theater group.

Somehow, Someway

2010-03-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

I made a promise to myself that I would complete PRODUCING PAMOJA somehow, someway. The path forward is still not clear to me but I'm very gingerly, cautiously returning my attention to the project. I say gingerly and cautiously because the obstacles seem so huge that I can't face the challenge head on. Instead, I'm tiptoeing around and hoping to sneak up on it.

First, I've hammered out a rough outline of the film and figured out how I want to approach the story stylistically. Of course it's subject to change, but at the moment I envision a series of vignettes each focused on a youth trainee who worked as either cast or crew on the production of TOGETHERNESS SUPREME. I imagine each vignette as a separate chapter, strung together like beads on a necklace. Together they will tell a story about the blur between fact and fiction: how the fiction of TOGETHERNESS SUPREME reflects the real lives of youth in Kenya aspiring to a brighter future.

This graphic (designed by Julie Betters) is a good illustration:

I've also been thinking about an outreach strategy for the completed film and how to take audiences from passively watching to actively engaging. Suddenly it struck me: the number one message echoed by every one of the youth trainees in my footage is that what they lack is opportunity -- not talent -- but the resources to exercise their talent. And I think I've come up with a way to deliver opportunity to the youth of Kibera. Strangely, it's possible that the outreach project is my true calling. Certainly something I could happily devote the rest of my life to. When I think about it, I feel the fluttering of butterfly wings...

But, like the film itself, I'm easily overwhelmed by the challenge and I'm trying to figure out how to transcend Mistake #1 on this intriguing list of common blunders:

8 Mistakes that Filmmakers Make

Haiti

2010-01-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, shockwaves of pain spread around the globe, and like millions of others, I felt the need to the help. I texted HAITI to 90999 and gave $10 to Red Cross Relief -- a campaign that has since raise millions of dollars. But I made my real contribution by helping to spread the word about http://haiti.ushahidi.com.

Ushahidi, which is Swahili for “testimony,” is an innovative platform that crowd-sources crisis information and was initially developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election fallout at the beginning of 2008. Since then, the United Nations OCHA/Colombia branch has used Ushahidi for coordinating humanitarian response during the Bogota earthquake simulation. Other notable deployments of the free crowd-sourcing platform are election monitoring in India, Lebanon, Mexico and Afghanistan among others. And now Haiti -- where the tool is already having an impact on the ground!

2010

2010-01-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

Since we have crossed the threshold of a brand new year, I thought it would be an appropriate time for me to write.

For me, 2009 was not easy to characterize. It held so much promise early on when I embarked on my adventure in Kibera. But I encountered some unexpected obstacles during production and then the project seemed to lose it's momentum and awkwardly stall. I'm deeply indebted to my family, friends, and other angels for providing early support to get me to Kenya, and I want to provide more than a karmic return for this outpouring of generosity. I also feel a strong sense of responsibility to the cast and crew of TOGETHERNESS SUPREME who shared their stories with me. I want to make sure their voices are heard. So, I'm determined that 2010 will see the fruition of PRODUCING PAMOJA. Somehow, someway.

I'm also determined to launch a documentary project called MOBILIZING THE MASSES. Not yet sure what form it will take but I want to share stories about the amazing mobile innovations springing up at the grassroots level around the developing world. And meanwhile, I've been thrilled to transition from being a big fan of Ushahidi to playing a (very minor but super rewarding) role on the team.

2009 was also consumed by renovations on our house (a couple photos posted below). We lived at times without exterior walls, without a roof, without heat as winter descended and managed five months without a faucet or a drain in the kitchen! We made significant progress and learned many lessons along the way. Dare I hope to finish the work in 2010???

Fingers firmly crossed.

Kitchen demo and more

2009-07-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being such an infrequent blogger...

Here's a quick rundown of what I've been doing and thinking about.

1) Home renovations continue. See photos (below) of empty kitchen ready for demolition. Even though I'm not actually swinging the hammer, it is almost a full time job planning, researching and negotiating with contractors. Next up: find the perfect low flow toilet within our budget.

2) Working a freelance gig at Comic Con - a massive gathering of comic book fans and the industry that caters to them. Paid work is good.

3) Wishing I could be working on PRODUCING PAMOJA. Still have not had the chance to look at my footage since returning from Kenya. But even if I found the time, I'd also like to find some money so that I can hire my editor, Pallas Weber, to work with me. Meanwhile, the Financial Times recently published Stirrings in Kenya's Slums an article that describes sentiments similar to those of the cast and crew that I captured during production.

4) While trying to figure out how to move forward with PRODUCING PAMOJA, I'm applying for a grant to make the 3 minute pilot episode for the TRADING FACES series. Also a stand alone mini documentary, the story would follow a soccer ball from the Pakistani woman who stitches it, to the Seattle couple who sells it online, to the striker on a youth soccer team who uses it to score a goal!

5) Thinking about applying to Pixel Pitch at POWER TO THE PIXEL. I'd like to explore the possibility of using the Ushahidi platform to make TRADING FACES into an online, interactive, and participatory project that connects producers and consumers around the world....

6) And, finally, feeling frustrated at American apathy. We will not get the health care overhaul we need if the masses stay silent. We need to manufacture the political will.

Back to Blogging

2009-06-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

This is a long overdue update: I apologize for the long stint of silence.

The truth is that nothing much has transpired since my return from Kenya...except that major renovations on my house are in full swing (see photo of missing wall below) and the house has diverted much of my energy and attention. The other major diversion is our precarious financial position and my focus on bringing in some immediate and needed income. Which leaves me with little time to devote to PRODUCING PAMOJA...

I have submitted applications to both Cinereach and Chicken & Egg Pictures for funding to cover initial editing costs. Fingers crossed!

UPDATE: Cinereach received over 600 letters of inquiry and, sadly, PRODUCING PAMOJA is not one of the lucky projects that they will support...

Kwa Heri means Goodbye

2009-04-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

I still have one day left in Nairobi but today was my last on the set of TOGETHERNESS SUPREME. I underestimated how hard it would be to say goodbye to my new friends in Kibera.

Shoot Schedule

2009-04-22T02:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the shoot schedule for my last two days in Nairobi:

WED

1pm Shoot Scene at ODM office (downtown) and grab quick interview with actor playing the role of Raila Odinga and other behind the scenes footage

2pm Taxi to Kibera to reshoot an interview with Geofrey (Otieno) and a woman who lives in "Mwangi's Compound" where many scenes were filmed on the set that was built there

3:30pm Shoot an interview with the Pastor and Elder of a church that was nearly burned to the ground during the post-election violence and was a location for the film

4:30pm Shoot behind the scenes of the final scene in the film!

5:30pm Shoot Collins, a set runner, showing us a development project in Kibera sponsored by his youth group and interivew his mother about her salon being burned during the post election violence

7:00pm Wrap

THURS

1pm Meet Martha, who plays Alice, the love interest of Otieno and Kamau, at her home in Kibera then document her youth group rehearsing an "edu-tainment" performance about the issue of HIV / AIDS

WRAP!!!!

(Then digitize footage for translation here in Kenya, pack bags, leave for airport at 6am on Friday morning. Layover in London with fab filmmaker Minou and home with hubby on Sat!!!)

Working Hard

2009-04-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

Some highlights from the past few days:

Shooting the sunrise in Kibera - the opening shot of the doc? Faith, a Kibera trainee, visiting her former home and getting swarmed by neighborhood children. Jahill, another trainee, winding us thru a maze of dirt pathways in Kibera on his way home. Hanging out with Geofrey -- who plays Luo lead Otieno -- and his friends near Dandora. Chris -- who plays a thug named Masher -- reenacting the scene when he was shot by the police years ago. Finally getting an interview with Wilson who plays the Kikuyu star Kamau. Documenting a scene at a church that was nearly burned down during the post-election violence.

And some photos (top to bottom):

Silliness on the set, Wilson (Kamau) at home in Embakasi, Chris (Masher) near the scene where he was shot, Geofrey (Otieno) in front of his childhood home, Jahill at the start of the maze of footpaths in Kibera

No Blogger Support

2009-04-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

i wanted to share a clip of music i recorded in kibera but keep getting an error message from blogger when i try to upload the quicktime file that says:

contact blogger support and reference
Blog Id:1061129650221052587
Video Id:e5fb0e0384132f32

but then it turns out there is no way to contact blogger support! i've spent hours in a vicious circle trying to figure it out to no avail. will try to post a video clip of the musician when i'm back in the states...

Catching my breath

2009-04-15T00:37:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind the past several weeks have been. From the moment I decided to document production of the feature film TOGETHERNESS SUPREME my life has been turbocharged. With only two weeks to prepare I had to make a leap of faith and hope I would hit the ground in Kenya running.

And I did. Tripped a couple times but I somehow managed to stay on my feet despite lack of funds to hire a fulltime cameraman, bringing the wrong tapestock, my phone getting stolen, exposure problems, scheduling unknowns and all the usual challenges of life in Africa. There's no way that I could have done it without the generous support of friends, family and even complete strangers. Thanks again and again.

Happily, the past several days I've actually had the chance to catch my breath and get some much needed rest. I've logged and digitized most of the footage we've shot so far, and I have a much better sense of the story we've been able to capture. I'm even starting to visualize the film from beginning to end. And one of the biggest benefits is that I can now anticipate what I need to shoot in my last week here. It's gonna be a challenge to get it all done but with a little luck I should leave here with the footage I need.

And then as soon as I get home I'll need to start looking for enough funding to edit a short fundraising sample. If you meant to contribute previously via but missed your chance via The Point, please consider making a donation via PayPal (link above right). Up to now I've been producing this project on the thread of a shoestring and not paying myself anything. But I can't sustain myself or the film without securing completion funds to cover future costs. My goal is to complete a rough cut by the time of the world premiere of TOGETHERNESS SUPREME in Kibera next January. Ideally, I'd like to return to document the event and discover what has transpired in the lives of the cast and crew.

But for now I'm focused on the week ahead. I depart in 8 days, 21 hrs, 24 mins!

PS: There's only a few hours left to vote on which product makes the best story (see previous post)

short and sweet

2009-04-10T10:38:00.001-07:00

Very quick update - since it's been a week.

Last Sunday we went far behind the scenes to meet the families of the three main characters in the film. We met the wife and three adorable kids of Chris, Geofrey's street family of lifelong friends, and Wilson's aging grandmother.

Early this week I digitized all the footage I've shot so far (over 20 hours). Now I have a better idea of the structure of the story I'm hoping to tell and what footage I need in order to complete the film. I've decided to extend my stay so that I can capture the rest of the story.

I must admit that making this film has been much much tougher than I imagined. I'm facing all the usual challenges of making a documentary plus an extremely limited budget and a schedule that I can't define because it is dependent on the feature film. The feature itself has double the normal challenges of an indie film because over half the crew are trainees that have never worked on a film before and they are the first Kenyan crew to shoot on the RED camera. So they've had lots of surprises and troubles with scheduling as well. But somehow both the feature and doc are getting made...and I think both films will be a success.

Finally, I have not mentioned my role as mentor yet and just wanted to say that I've been enjoying working with the feature film's "behind-the-scenes" crew who are three youth from Kibera: Wilfred and Victor on camera and Julius editing.

I promise a longer post soon.

Derailed

2009-04-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned getting back on track, but today the production was totally derailed. The shoot was called off, and a meeting was held with all the department heads. Nobody said it would be easy. The good news is that the spirit of "togetherness" has prevailed, and we will resume shooting on Monday.

Meanwhile, I've been able to a capture more incredible footage:

A local musician playing an improvised hybrid drum and guitar shared a song he wrote called "Tushirikiane" which means Together We Unite. I'm hoping to rerecord it and use it in the doc. (will post an audio clip and photo soon)

During the climatic scene of the film that recreates the post-election violence in Kibera we captured raw emotions from both Luo and Kikuyu actors. Chris, a Luo playing a youth campaigner who incites a riot, was so in character as he brandished his panga (machete) in front of our camera that I felt a tremor of real fear. Witnessing the scene, Wilson, the lead Kikuyu actor, sank into deep sadness as he was reminded of his painful past.

The last scene of the day they shot the set catching fire (with mostly controlled special effects)!

The next day we were able to shoot a ton of establishing and slice of life shots of Kibera. Plus a young kid named Felix performed a rap about Kibera on camera.

Today we arrived early to capture the behind-the-scenes set up for the opening scene of the film when a fat businessman hits a street kid with his Mercedes. One of the crew members compared the scene to Kenyan politics saying that -- just like the fat businessman -- politicians in this country do not want to take responsibility for their actions unless they are forced to do the right thing.

We're off tomorrow and then Sunday is a big day where we are following the lead actors home and meeting their family and friends.

Tipped!!!

2009-03-31T01:49:00.000-07:00

I'm so thrilled to report that my fundraising campaign tipped today - meaning that I reached my goal of $2000 and the funds will be dispersed. This means I can continue to capture the stories of the youth of Kibera and their efforts to make the film TOGETHERNESS SUPREME! My sincere gratitude to all who have supported this project so far.

But the fundraising is not over. I still need to raise additional funds to edit a short sample from the footage. So, for anyone who considered making a contribution but did not have the chance, you can still donate on the point for a few more days, or you can use the paypal link below.

Otherwise, I'm busy with challenges like getting my phone number active again after my Blackberry was stolen two days ago. (Nothing to do with the shoot - was by myself in a shared taxi and several people were working together to take it). You would never believe how valuable a tool my Blackberry was and how much more challenging everything is without it.

Connectivity = Productivity
Disconnection = Disabled

Meanwhile in Kibera, they have had to reshoot some scenes yesterday and today. Hoping we are all be back on track tomorrow!

Rain and other challenges

2009-03-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

The rain woke me this morning, and it has continued off and on today. On one hand it is a relief from the unusually hot weather here, but if the rainy season settles in it may make the shoot just that much more challenging. And there certainly are some challenges! TOGETHERNESS SUPREME is shooting on the RED camera, and it is only the second time the camera has been used in Kenya. Not surprisingly, they are experiencing some technical difficulties, and we have the day off today. We will resume shooting on Monday.

Meanwhile, I've changed the working title of the documentary to PRODUCING PAMOJA. Pamoja means "together" in Swahili and the title is inspired by the local cast and crew -- from different ethnic and economic backgrounds -- who have shown a deep dedication toward working together not only to produce of the film but also to give Kenya a brighter future. They have made a huge impression on me, and today I want to share some of their stories.

Collins is a set runner (production assistant) who is from Kibera, and this is his first time working on a film. My first few days, he went everywhere with me. One day in search of a cold Coca-Cola (I NEVER drink soda except in Africa where I crave it for inexplicable reasons) we passed a salon where he introduced me to his mother, Beatrice. Together, they explained to me that this part of Kibera was burned to the ground in the post-election violence. She lost everything. One year later she has managed to rebuild, but the new salon is smaller and she cannot afford equipment like hair dryers.

Nick is the 2nd Assistant Director and also a trainee from Kibera. When asked why he is working on the film he described the opening scene where a fat businessman hits a street kid with his car. The businessman refuses to pay for the child's medical expenses until Otieno pushes him to the ground and forces him to pay. Nick says that all the politicians in Kenya are the same: they won't take responsibility for their actions and they must be forced to do the right thing. He thinks the films sends an important message.

Wilson plays the film’s Kikuyu star, Kamau. A Kikuyu himself, he was raised by his grandmother in Kibera. Like his father, Mwangi, in the film, Wilson's grandmother was a landlord in Kibera. Like Mwangi, her life was threatened during the riots. She was forced out of Kibera permanently, but Wilson, like his character Kamau, believes that tribal conflict must end in order to create equal opportunities for future generations in Kenya.

Chris is a Luo who plays the role of Masher, an ODM campaigner. The characters of Masher and Otieno are friends just as the actors Chris and Geofrey are friends who know each from Dandora, another slum outside Nairobi. In the script, Masher is an anti-Kikuyu thug, and he incites the mob that burns Kamau's father's home. In real life, Chris admits to robbing people as part of a gang in Dandora, but he changed his life after an incident when he was shot by police. He turned his life around, and now, in addition to acting, he thinks he would make a good politician!

One final challenge for today: in order to continue filming I need to raise an additional $2000 immediately. I'm grateful for all my friends, family and strangers who have donated already, but I need another $679 pledges in order to tip the campaign. Please consider making a contribution here and help spread the word.

2009-03-25T03:30:00.000-07:00

From dawn to dusk - photos above from the shoot in Kibera yesterday.

Actually, my day started way before dawn as we needed to leave for the shoot at 5:30am. When we arrived on location the first stop was the caterer for breakfast and a sweet cup of chai tea. As the crew set up for the first scene, I introduced myself to Geofrey, one of the lead actors who plays the part of Otieno.

Talking with Geofrey reaffirmed all of my reasons for being here. He shared his personal story and how he relates to the character he plays: they both had absent mothers, irresponsible fathers, and they both want a better life. Otieno uses politics while Geofrey feels that acting is his path. He also described the violence that he personally witnessed during the post election rioting here and he voiced his anger at the political leaders of Kenya who he blames for inciting tribal tension. Geofrey (and the rest of the cast and crew working on TOGETHERNESS SUPREME) feels that Kenyan youth can overcome tribal divisions and change their country in the future. In fact, he says that is why he is doing this film.

I waited out the heat of the day -- it's unusually hot here for this time of year -- talking politics with several members of the cast and crew while chasing the shifting shade under a lonely tree. My cameraman, Shravan, arrived in the late afternoon. I'm so grateful that Shravan is lending his talents to the documentary. He showed me that he has a trained eye and a solid sense of story. I thought we made a great team, and I'm looking forward to working with him over the next few weeks.

After shooting an on-camera interview with Geofrey (Otieno) we were setting up for another shot when we were interrupted by a piercing squeal. Turns out the pigs for the next scene had just arrived in the back of a pickup. This is Africa, so there's no such thing as an animal trainer on set and these pigs were protesting loudly. Now I understand the phrase "scream like a pig." But once they found their way to the fresh heap of food scraps set out for them, they were grunting happily and twitching their curly pink tails.

We ended our day documenting the scene where Otieno cooks a special meal for his younger brother Peter over a charcoal stove (see the photos above). As the sun dipped toward the horizon, and the crew worked to set lights, it felt like a dream to be shooting on a set in the middle of Kibera at magic hour...

2009-03-23T02:12:00.000-07:00

Photos from top to bottom: Meeting with camera department trainees and professionals, Mercy delegating to trainees at Hot Sun offices , Evans on Mwangi set, Otiento set exterior, Mwangi set exterior,

2009-03-23T02:02:00.000-07:00

Faith and Jahill at Hot Sun Offices in Kibera

Halfway There

2009-03-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

I'm at Heathrow airport in the UK, halfway to Nairobi. It has been such a whirlwind getting to this point - just one week ago I decided to throw caution to the wind and embrace this amazing opportunity. A little over two weeks ago, I had never even heard of the Kibera Kids short film or the Hot Sun Foundation, and certainly I had not heard about TOGETHERNESS SUPREME, the feature film I will be documenting.

So why am I doing it? Since I first embraced the medium of documentary film, my mission was to tell stories that are otherwise not shared. Particularly, I wanted to share stories that -- in stark contrast to mainstream media depictions of famine, disease, ethnic war, poverty and endangered wildlife -- showed the creativity, ingenuity, generosity, resourcefulness and proud spirit of the Africans I had encountered during my time on the continent. But I felt an awkwardness about reaping their stories for Western consumption and wanted to find a way to nurture indigenous voices as well. I imagined a hybrid production of a feature film and a documentary shot simultaneously. And somehow, almost two decades later, this vision has become manifest. I hope that this documentary will amplify the voices of the kids and youth of Kibera and help to bring their stories to audiences around the world.

Also, I'm grateful for Shravan Vidyarthi a talented Kenyan filmmaker who is generously helping me to capture this story. We start shooting Monday.

Finally, in addition to being halfway to Nairobi, I'm also halfway toward reaching my fundraising goal of $2K matching funds. These funds are crucial for me to be able to continue working with Shravan, purchase additional tape stock, and cut the footage into a trailer. Please, consider contributing using the link in the previous post.

AND HUGE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED SO FAR!!!!

Kibera Kids documentary

2009-03-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Nairobi to document the making of a fictional feature film being produced in the slums outside Nairobi, Kenya, with a cast of local kids and a crew of local youth. The doc will stand alone from the fictional film and tell the real stories of the kids from Kibera involved in the production.

The feature was born out of a short film called Kibera Kid. Kibera Kid is a 2006 award winning fictional short film set in the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya, one of the largest slums in Africa. It was written, directed and co-produced by Nathan Collett in collaboration with the youth of Kibera. This twelve minute film features Kibera actors in all the principle roles. It has played at film festivals worldwide including the Berlin Film Festival and it won a Student EMMY from Hollywood. It has been profiled by BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera English and many others.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibera_Kid)

After the success of Kibera Kid, the Kibera Youth wanted more, and the Kibera Kid Feature Film was born. They are currently in Pre-Prod, and they start filming on 23rd March. The cast is from Kibera, with with little or no screen exprience. Apart from the Heads of Departments, the rest of the crew are youth from Kibera. Most of them have never worked in production before, double the challenge!

The documentary will follow the kids from Kibera, working as cast and crew, both on and off the set to see how the fictional story and their real lives are intertwined. I want to show their aspirations for making the film against the background of the real life challenges they face. I think the doc has the potential to transcend the fictional film in terms of it's emotional power and resonance.

I just found out about the story within the past week, so we're scrambling to make it happen. Shine Global, the producers of the Oscar-nominated documentary WAR / DANCE are providing small seed funding to help us get the project off the ground, but we are seeking to match their contribution to double our chances for success...please consider contributing here:

Setback or Solution?

2009-03-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

Today I'm reminded that sometimes a setback is just what is needed to move forward.

...and don't forget to vote for your fave product from the post below in the poll on the right (or add your own product suggestion in the comments section. i've been thinking a surfboard would make a great story)

Trading Faces

2009-03-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Today I want to share an idea I've had for ages and ages. It has morphed many times over the years: originally it was conceived as a feature documentary interweaving four stories about coffee growers and coffee drinkers and in it's current incarnation it is a series of stylized mini-docs called TRADING FACES. Here's how it goes:

TRADING FACES mirrors the lives of producers and consumers in order to suggest the human relationships behind the complex system of global trade. Each 3 minute episode is a visual palindrome: one character reflects the other’s actions on a split screen. Music fuses their worlds together. We are aware of both the distance between them and their common bonds, their separate lives and their inherent connection through global trade.

With countless products produced and consumed daily around the world, the possibilities are truly endless, but potential episodes include:

- Coffee harvested in Nicaragua fuels a poet’s reading in Savannah
- Sneakers made in Pakistan are sported by a hipster teen in Boston
- Cocoa gathered in Ghana becomes a sweet treat for a Belgian boy
- A tree logged in Brazil is crafted into eco-flooring for a Seattle couple
- Spices grown in India flavor a chef's soul food dish in New Orleans
- Cotton from Mali is manufactured into a toy for a tiny tot in Paris
- Diamonds mined in Canada glitter as a lucky girl in London says I do!

So the question is, if I can only produce one, which one would you watch? Or share your suggetions about people connected by other products!

Beginning

2009-03-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

Every story has a beginning, middle and end. It is so simple when the story unfolds as you are living it, but when you want to share the story with others, it is trickier. If you want to engage your audience, you sometimes need to reconstruct the story, choose where to begin, which twists and how many turns to follow. The ending is easy if the story happened in the past. But if you stand at the beginning of a story as yet untold, conjuring the ending requires imagination.

This story begins here: immersed in the view from an open boxcar on a freight train carving itself through a monumental landscape somewhere in the American West. Here, drenched in an intoxicating freedom, absorbing the iconic experience of hopping freight trains, I am inspired to make my first feature length documentary, CATCHING OUT .

And now many years later I find myself facing the challenge of finding a new subject and making a new film. The story of my search for ideas, my efforts to find funding, and eventually shoot and edit will unfold here in this blog.

The ending that I imagine is simple: bringing a new film to fruition.