It's a WRAP!

It’s a wrap!  We did it.  26 episodes, 52 days of shooting, close to 700 pages of script, over 1600 camera set ups and over 10 hours of television content.  The days were long, the weeks were long, the nights were short and the freedom to create was abundant.  Working here in Kenya has been a life changing experience for me.  The crew worked hard, the cast gave it their all and the producers made sure we finished on time.  

I was lucky to have a top-notch and very talented DoP, Marius Van Graan, by my side the whole way through.  Together we managed to make this extremely low budget TV series look good.  And the crew and cast backed us up all the way.  Dedication and professionalism from the majority of those involved help make it happen.  And I am proud to have been a part of it.  The first 13 episodes have their pictures locked and the rough cuts of the last 13 episodes are being done as I write.  I am planning on bringing home at least the first 4 episodes on DVD that are finished products with sound design and titles.

Our last shot was last night at around midnight.  We started shooting at 8 a.m. and pushed on through to the end.  We had an interesting night scene where one of the characters gets hit by a car and run over.  Talk about testing one’s ability to think filmicly - wow.  Earlier in the week we had to shoot a character falling down some stairs.  Sounds okay right.  Well, there aren’t any stunt people here or stunt coordinators and suddenly I became the stunt coordinator and the actor became the stunt person.  Welcome to shooting in Kenya.  

All of these experiences have brought me to the forefront of getting the job done.  Having to make things go right regardless of the level of resources is quite demanding and enlightening.  For instance, directing action sequences requires the skill of an editor, the vision of a dance choreographer, the safety-awareness of a stunt coordinator and the mind-strength and people skills of a team coach.  All of that in addition to working with the DOP and the actors.  And to top it all off, it’s a blast!

I am very much looking forward to returning home.  Back to my world of coaching actors, acting and directing.   Kenya is a wonderful part of the world and even though I know I will return here, home will always be home.

Thanks for following my blog.  I apologize for having to miss last week.  I had to shoot all day for a new series they are starting up here.  We shot 8 pages for a short edit that introduces the characters and the style of the show.  

See you all when I get back.

Neil 

The TV series, "Higher Learning", is being sponsored by Coca Cola and, more specifically, Sprite.  As part of the promotion, they refinished this basketball court and painted it.  We, of course, were obliged to shoot several scenes there.

Here are the grips setting up the crane on a track.  We got some really great shots here.

This is the camera we used.  Believe it or not it is a stills camera with a video function.  These Canon cameras are revolutionizing the film and TV industries.  This model is the 7D which can shoot in PAL (the format they use here in Africa and in Europe).  The 5D Mark II is for North America using the NTSC format.  Because of the size and weight of these high quality, high definition cameras the speed at which you can change a set up is phenomenal.  It's one of the reasons we were able to get so many pages done in a day.  Even the American Cinematographer magazine has done a 4 or 5 page write up on these babies.  And the cost?  With lenses, only around 6-10 G's.  Far from the days of spending 100 G's!

Kabash (sound) and Marius (DOP) getting waiting for lighting.  This was the location for the Dean of Students Office.  

Signing off from Nairobi, Kenya, Africa.

Neil 

40 Days of Shooting

Hello Everyone,

It’s that time of the week again.  Many new events this week.  Not least of which was we reached our 40th day of shooting.  And to top it off we have managed to shoot 45.5 pages of script in the last three days.  

To all you actors out there, I have to say that when it comes to casting all I want as a director is someone who works well, understands the dialogue and has the essence of the character.  You see I had to cast a fairly large role this past week - the character appears in several episodes.  And although the actor was good and somewhat suited the role, he did not know his lines very well.  But more importantly, he was not working on his lines in between set ups.  This was quite frustrating and very unprofessional.  To see an actor playing around and joking while the crew is working very hard and then not know his lines when the camera roles is something that every crew members notices.  Not the least of who are the director and producer.  

After having to audition actors in-between set ups and during my lunch breaks, I can tell you with great assurance you absolutely must suit the character above all else.  You could be the best actor ever and not be cast in a role without a doubt.  Because if you don’t have that character essence the director cannot “see” you playing the role.  It’s that simple.  But, if the director can “see” you playing the role, and you have a modicum of professionalism that you can demonstrate to him or her, you will most certainly get the part.  

Enough about acting.

I am writing you on my laptop while I sit outside in the shade.  There’s a breeze and the bright blue African sky is blotted here and there with puffy white clouds that quickly pass.  There was a thunder storm last night and with it heavy rains.  The air today is moist and fresh.  Nairobi does have beauty.  It’s raw.  But teaming with life. Lush foliage and birds of the most intriguing character.  And the people.  Moving, living, forever smiling.  Every North American need come here to experience this part of the world.  Somehow it balances me.  

And even though there are fascinating differences here in Kenya compared to our part of the world, many things are as true here as they are at home.  The desire to improve, to work hard, to do something worthwhile all exists here.  Similarities abound.  

Okay, enough on the “travel to Kenya” commercial.  

With less than three weeks left to my visit and only 12 more shooting days to go, I am very excited to return home and share some amazing stories.

Until next week!

Neil

My 1st AD showing off his T-shirt.  And I thought I would be unique wearing my CANADA T-shirts!  You can buy T-shirts like this at almost every market here...

  

Baby papayas growing outside my front door.

This is the exact view from where I am sitting right now while I type on my computer.  I just took this photo 3 minutes ago.

Moon flowers in a tree.  They are a climbing plant that use trees to reach the sunlight.

Moon flower in my hand.  They're huge!

Simba.  Our guard dog!

There it is.  Hope you have enjoyed this week's blog.  Should be a very interesting week!

From Africa....

Neil

The Most Pages Shot

Now that Season 1 is complete, we are well into Season 2.  Due to actor availability and location availability, we will sometimes shoot scenes from 4 or 5 different episodes at a time.  Very out of sequence.  So paying attention to continuity is critical - what just happened before this scene to that character and so on.  

As the crew tightens up and the actors get more and more familiar with their characters, we are shooting more pages in a day.  Yesterday we made our all-time high of 16.5 pages!  Yes.  It took from 7:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. but we did it.  And that was with 3 different locations - one of which we had to travel to (not far mind you).

All of the first season (13 episodes) have been rough cut.  I have gone through all the edits and written my notes to the editors.  As you know, I used to edit back in the day of splicers and tape not all this high-speed computer age editing.  But the art of editing is still the art of editing regardless of the mechanics or electronics, so giving notes is something that comes naturally.  

Tomorrow and Monday we are not shooting but I am going to be working with the editors to get our first 4 episodes to a fine cut and lock the pictures.  We will have the opening titles and final credits as well as some music.  They won’t be the final, final, all polished versions but they will be very close.  These have to be delivered to the network on Monday before the end of the day.  The first episode will broadcast from NTV (Nation Television) here in Nairobi on Friday, April 2nd at 8:30 p.m.  

I have been told by the Executive Producer that the NTV execs and the sponsor of the series, Coca Cola, are extremely impressed with the quality of the shooting and have decided to do an all out 7-week campaign to promote the show with commercials, print ads and parties.  And that is after seeing just one rough cut episode!  What happened was they were all set to watch a 2 minute section of one of the episodes so they could get a feel for the show and therefore properly promote it.  Well when the DVD was stopped after a couple of minutes, everyone there demanded that it be turned back on so they could see the rest.  Because of that viewing, they decided to do this extensive promotional campaign which is something they don’t normally do.  And, to top it off, they are all pumped about making the actors celebrities here in Kenya and in the 6 other countries this series will be airing in.  

I must say, I find how people react to our work in this industry very interesting.  When I really look at what we are doing and then see the reactions that people have, it astounds me.  Not that our work doesn’t deserve a reaction. It’s just that I am amazed at how people in general react to TV and film.  

Okay.  I have a few pictures this time.  Not as many as usual.  I have not been carrying around my camera as much as I was before.  But I will start doing it again so you can see more of what I am experiencing every day.

Until next week!

Neil

This is one of our young grips.  I've forgotten his name.  He is a very hard working young man who wants to be a film maker.  He handed me a DVD of a documentary he and his friends shot.  I haven't had a chance to watch it yet but I will most certainly will.  Although I don't have any experience with documentaries, I can most certainly give him some pointers.   This photo isn't the greatest but I just had to take his picture.  He has such great face and is a very nice kid.

This a house we used for a location this week.  We used the dining room and the entry way.  Beautiful place.  I found out that the owner's daughter is going to University in Prince George!  Can you believe it?

The backyard of the house.  Lovely grounds where we got to eat our breakfast.  

So there's a bit more of Africa for you.  I will keep you posted!

Neil

  

Season 1 COMPLETE

Hello Everyone.  Now that the Winter Olympics are over and I missed Canada doing something no other country has ever done, I am happy to report that we have completed the shooting of Season 1!  

Here’s even better news.  I have been asked by the Executive Producer to direct Season 2.  I obliged and we have already been shooting Season 2 for the last two days.  

I would call this a directing boot camp of magnitude.  I don’t have all the statistics but I am pretty sure that it normally takes directors several years to chalk up directing 26 episodes.  Not only is the schedule grueling but the challenges of working with an extremely low budget are many that creates a necessity level like none other.  And you know what is said about necessity, it is the mother of invention.  

Here’s a challenge that most directors doing a North American TV series wouldn’t run into that I had to work with last week.  We had to shoot what were three different locations in the script - a hotel room for a weekend stay, a photo exhibition at a gallery or museum and a marketing release at a ballroom.  I was given one location that I had to turn into these three.  And, to top it off, I had not seen it at all until I walked in the door to shoot at 6 a.m.  We had 14 pages to shoot that day.  Most TV series shoot around 8 pages a day back home.  I had such a fun day!  Truly!  

The first challenge I had asked of me was, “Where do you want to shoot the marketing scenes?”  Now do get me right, I am not complaining in the least.  Because, I can tell you, half the fun I am having is coming up with what I call “instant locations.” And this one was particularly challenging.  So, where to shoot this big scene?  I looked around with the DOP, who had not seen the location beforehand either, and we knew that the only place to shoot it would be on the outside patio.  But the problem with that was that it happened to be raining that morning.  Yeesh!  And, get this, it was also supposed to be a night scene!  So looking at what was in front of us, the DOP spotted three tents out on the lawn.  He suggested we bring them right up to the building and onto the patio and then black out around them and shoot toward the building.  I gave the okay and we started to move.  We managed to make it all work.  We shot night for day when outside on a patio while it was raining at a location we had not scene beforehand.  That truly is a feat.  

Then, we had to shoot a bedroom.  But this location didn’t have a bedroom.  So I scouted around quickly and decided on a room for a bedroom.  The budget, being as it is, required that the Executive Producer donate her bed for the scene.  So in it was loaded.  And, you guessed it, it worked.  

That was not the end of the problems that were solved but you get the flavor.  It was a day of being completely alert and on our toes and everyone contributing to their utmost ability.  

Now if that isn’t a director’s bootcamp, I don’t know what is.  

I have attached some more photos.  This week I had very little time to much other than shoot and write notes for the editors.  And, I must say, some of the footage we are getting for the later episodes is fabulous.  I am happy to put my name to it.

My return date is April 9th.  Looking forward to seeing you all when I get back.

Neil

Here is a Kenyan apartment.  This is William's.  He's a doctor.

Shooting at the drug dealer's warehouse.  That's his stolen car!

World's smallest slug.  I've never seen one so small.  Just had to take a shot of it.

Dennis the boom operator.  This time he's awake.

Setting up to shoot in a designer dress shop.

Very early morning shooting.  

Our Executive Producer Dorothy Ghettuba.

Small bird with a hooked beak.  Kenya has more than 1400 different bird species.  

The joy of waiting!

Gigantic wind turbines just outside of Nairobi.  

Nearing the End of Season 1

Hello Everyone,

It’s time to blog!  We had a great week shooting.  Some very intense scenes for the actors and very rewarding to see their work.  

The first cuts of the episodes are starting to land in my lap and I am busy making notes on them after we are done shooting for the day.  So my work load has increased.  I used to edit for years so I am enjoying guiding the editors to delivering top-notch professional episodes.  Very rewarding.

Today I did something very different, I finally got to go on the hike into the Ngong Hills - you know, the ones with the lions.  Well I didn’t see any lions but I did make it up the hike.  And it was a very strenuous, long hike.  I was definitely challenged.  You will see some photos of the the two guys I went with.  One of them is the accountant for the series and the other is a medical doctor.  We had a great time.  I found out that Ngong is a Masai word that means “knuckles” and these hills are called that because when you see them from the valley they look like your knuckles when your fist is closed.  They start low and with each new hill they get higher. 

I have more photos as well.  Thought you might like to see them.  

For all the actors who are following, I can tell you that I have learned a great deal about directing an actor in a very short period of time.  It’s a skill like none other and I have complete certainty on what directors look for in actors.  And, seeing how I am getting a Producer credit as well on this series, I can also tell you with certainty what Producers want from actors.  I have many stories to tell that are completely relevant to your professionalism and career advancement.  Incredible stuff!

Well I am off to bed shortly as I have my regular 6:15 a.m. pick-up time.

Have a great week everyone!  Thanks for reading my blog - asanti sana (thank you very much in Swahili)

Neil 

The University Ambulance.  We have done several scenes in their sick bay area located just behind the ambulance in this picture.

Using the crane in a warehouse.  This scene was where these corrupt dudes starting beating on one of their clients who couldn't pay them off.  Very cool shots here.  Lots of action and I can't wait to see the edit!  Action is definitely harder to shoot in some ways and takes longer.  It's more like choreographing a dance but in filmic terms.  Very cool.

Hiking in the Ngong Hills.  These guys are 20 years younger than me so you can imagine how I felt!

Shooting in the Nairobi heat.  The grips built a little shelter for the DoP to keep the sun off of him and his focus puller.  This is right in the middle of the campus.  The students are starting to get used to us know so very few of them stop and watch like they used to.

At the summit of our hike in the Ngong Hills.  Believe it or not I kept up with these guys!

Flowers at the top waiting to great me so they could be photographed and viewed in North America!

These birds are large - almost the size of a Canada goose.  They are all over Nairobi and make the loudest noise I have ever heard from a bird.  This one was near the warehouse we were shooting.

9 Days in a Row

Hello,

It’s good to be back at my blog.  Why?  Because I know I have time enough to do an entry. 

We have worked 9 days straight.  Most days have been 12 hours with 3 being around 14 hours.  We got every scene in the can that we were scheduled to get except one.  And that was due to unexpected loud-speaker noise blasting through the glass of the office we were shooting in. 

I got to see the rough cut of several scenes from the first episode.  It’s looking really good.  Quite the sight.  The actors are doing very well and camera is superb.  All departments are coming to the plate with only the occasional delay or mishap.  I gave my notes to the editors last night and they are now onto completing those notes and giving me the rough cut of the remaining scenes in the episode. 

To date we have completed shooting the first 6 episodes minus one scene from episode 5.  By the end of next week we should have the majority of the first 12 episodes complete. 

Working in Nairobi with the people who live here is a very interesting experience.  I have been discovering what the locals are like and what they like to do.  For instance, one of the staple foods is called Ugali.  It’s a white, dough-like food that is made of a grain.  To me it has no real taste.  It’s bland.  But to most everyone here, it is a staple that they love to eat.  They knead it with their fingers and then dip it in the gravy of the main meat dish which is usually goat.  Goat has a taste similar to lamb.  I like it.  And it is served often. 

One great thing about Kenya is they grow coffee.  Now to those who really know me, you know I love coffee.  Well I can buy 500 grams (just over a pound) of coffee here for about $8.50.  At home, I pay $19 for a pound of coffee.  So, it’s half the price here.  And is it ever good.  Especially at the locally owned and operated Java House locations where I can get a double shot latte for a mere $2.60 or 200 shillings.  Very upscale places to not only get good coffee but delicious food.  They have a nice website.  Check it out at http://www.nairobijavahouse.com.  If you click on the “Java Junction” location, that’s the one I go to when I can.  It’s not far from where I am staying.

But I must say, since most people here earn around $1 a day on average they do not frequent places like Java House.  They will stop at roadside vendors who are cooking corn or maize on open fires or selling fruit like mangos and bananas.  And because there is such an extremely high level of unemployment, there are many, many jobs for people to come to your house and cook for you, clean for you and do your laundry by hand.  Very few people, including middle and upper class, have washing machines.  That would take away a job for someone. 

The other day Cosmos, my cook, told me he had a friend who went to the USA and told him that most people there do all their own work like cooking and cleaning and laundry.  When I told him it was the same in Canada he couldn’t believe it.  He could not fathom the idea that I had to cook my own food and clean my own house.  When I told him that most people couldn’t afford to hire someone to do that type of work he was astonished.  He really could not believe it.  He could not believe that we did all our own work and he could not believe how much money a house cook or cleaner got paid in North America. 

Cosmos is in incredible cook.  Everything he makes is so delicious and he is so very kind and considerate.  He cooks the DoP and me dinner every night.  What a treat.  He told me he makes 15,000 shillings a month because he has the valuable skills of a chef.  That is approximately $200 which is 6 times more than what the average person earns.  That affords him enough money to live well here and support his family of a wife and two children who live on the West side of the country near Uganda.  He has managed to save money to open a store that his wife runs and he plans on opening up a hotel for her in the summer.  The hotel would be more like a bed and breakfast or maybe even just a restaurant.  I must say that Cosmos is one of the most precious human beings I have ever met.  No question.

Here’s a photo of him.  It's not the best photo.  I will get a better one.

 

Cosmos working his magic!

Some crew and cast having lunch under the nearest shade tree.  

 

Two characters from the series - Masta, played by Sam, and Zuma, played by Norbert.

 

Sam the Locations Manager.  I also cast him in the role of the Bartender.  Very funny guy.

 

Getting ready to shoot a bar scene.  Today we shot a big fight in the bar.  That was interesting!

 

We worked with a two week old baby this week.  He was very good and really made some of the shots.

 

Simon the camera trainee.  We call him "Speedy."

 

Cramming into one of the dorm rooms we shoot in.  We sometimes shoot over 12 pages in one of these rooms in a day!  It gets to be a bit claustrophobic!

 

Shooting in a small office.  

 

A moody scene where this character makes the decision to use the black market to make money and help his sister get the medical treatment she needs.

 

The band I talked about in my last blog, Sauti Sol, and a couple of the crew (they have the tags around their necks).  Sauti Sol is writing and recording the theme song for the series.

 

Some wild looking glasses on one of Kenya's well known actors OJ.  OJ is playing Dr. Kingoinga in our series.  I just had to take a photo of these glasses.  

There you go, a bevy of photos from Kenya.  Hope you enjoyed them.  Until my next blog!

Neil

First Night Shoot

 Things have been progressing nicely with “Higher Learning.”  We just completed our first night shoot of a party sequence.  Started blocking our shots around 5 p.m. and finished up at 5:45 a.m.  We got 13.5 pages in the can with about an hour of work filming the hottest band in Kenya - Sauti Sol - that was not scripted but will be a very important part of our scenes.  So I would say we shot around 14.5 pages really.  That is a lot of work, especially when you do it mid-stream of a normal shooting week. 

The crew and cast are such hard-working and dedicated people.  They obviously love the industry and love being a part of the creation.  Most of the crew were up early in the day as they had to get prepped for the shoot.  As was I.  So we plowed on through and got it all done.  And the scenes are literally beautiful.  Marius’s work on camera is absolutely top notch.  I am a very lucky director.

I must say when the band played and the background artists started dancing and cheering to their music, it brought tears to my eyes.  I was so moved by the emotions and the privilege of being able to witness such a unique Kenyan cultural event right before my eyes.  Their music is just beautiful and the young people of Kenya adore them.  Rightfully so. 

We shot several exterior scenes and several interior scenes.  It is so mild here that I only needed to wear a light jacket to keep warm and my CANADA hat. 

Unfortunately I didn’t get any still photos of the band but I did get lots of great footage on my camcorder.  I have the director trainee grabbing footage of behind the scenes work so I can compile a little documentary of my trip to Kenya and my work here.  She will also be interviewing various crew members and cast members as we progress.  Should make for a very interesting documentary. 

Well, I have to prep for tomorrow’s shoot.  Meanwhile you can have a look at some of our cast.  All of them are wonderful actors.

 

This is the character Sanjiv played by Melvin and the character O.O. played by Tash.

 

This is the character Linah played by Marion.

 

 These are the characters Reba and Felix played by Wanja and Junae.

This is the character King played by Nick.  Nick is also a radio personality in Nairobi.

 

This is the character Jessica played by Janet.

 

This is the character Aida played by Veronica.

You will see more characters on my next blog.

Neil