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

A Week of Shooting Complete

I am back at my blog after a long week of shooting.  Getting 12 pages a day with decent coverage means for long days.  I usually get up at 5:45 sometimes 4:45 and get back the house I am staying at between 7:30 and 8:30 at night.  And I have quickly found out that I am a director that sits for about 10 minutes a day with lunch breaks that are about as long as that too.

Tracking shot being set up.

But, I love it!  Even though the responsibility is huge, the freedom to create is incomparable.  Having coached actors for well over 16 years and having edited film for 6 years and then done my share of acting as well, I can honestly say that directing this series is a culmination of a 22 year apprenticeship.  It’s actually longer but who’s counting?

This series is called “Higher Learning” and it’s all about campus life at a fictitious university called Kilimanjaro University.  It’s a half-hour drama series that follows 6 students as they make their way to graduation.  And, of course, there’s plenty of trouble along the way.  The whole series is being shot on location at the Nairobi University right in downtown Nairobi.

Here in Kenya, directors are hired by the season not by the episode.  I have been hired to direct 13 half-hour episodes in 26 days.  That’s 6.5 hours of story.  With that kind of a schedule I am effectively cutting my teeth as a director.  And I am learning more than I ever imagined. 

My team has been doing very well given what we are working with.  The cast is exceptional and, if I do say so myself, make a great ensemble.  They work hard and are very professional.  The crew are amazing and come up with creative ideas on an hourly basis.  We have had to dodge a few bullets along the way and managed to make better of the situations that have come up.  For instance, we were shooting outside yesterday doing a major political rally/riot scene.  Later in the day we were scheduled to go inside to an office on the campus and shoot 3 scenes with full coverage.  Around 2 p.m. I was informed that that office was not going to be available!  We scrambled and managed to find a better office than the one we had.  We had to pony up some extra dough but it was completely worth it.  We got our shots a bit later than expected but we finished what we set out to do. 

Kenyan people are so very kind.  It is a most welcoming country that has an amazing potential.  You name it grows here and they have every other imaginable resource as well.  The film industry is really still in it's fledgling stages but growing at a very rapid rate.  And it's no wonder.  With mild temperatures year-round and the most willing crews I have ever been around, who wouldn't want to shoot here!

I am just relaxing on this fine Sunday of 27 degrees celsius (around 80 something for those of you who are from the USA).  Next weekend I am going to go for a hike up the Ngong hills which is not too far from the city.  I am only going to hike part way up.  If you go all the way you have to be escorted by security guards with rifles due to roaming lions! 

Below are some photos of what we have been doing this past week.  I say “we” since this is a collaborative affair.

Please comment on my blog.  I will try to check in now and then when I have a spare minute or two - literally!

Neil

 

Opening shot of the series - crane shot of the political rally/riot.

 

Nairobi University grounds with downtown Nairobi in the background.

 

Getting ready to shoot a classroom scene.

 

Executive Producer Dorothy Ghettuba, DoP Marius Van Graan from South Africa and Key Grip Richi.  I met Dorothy at one of my acting classes in, of all places, Edmonton.  We kept the connection and that's how all this has come to pass.

 

Cramming into a dorm room.  Tomorrow we spend all day in one!  Marius on the camera, Laura doing continuity, Milo director trainee and Kabash sound recordist.

First day of shooting - the James Bond shot 007!  That's Judy with the board.

 

 

Milo - director trainee - and Ledama, my very reliable 1st A.D.

 

 

A butterfly I saw on the side of the road today coming back from the coffee shop.  Beautiful!