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