I am so looking forward to my next Zambian project! We are planning to return to Zambia to record the native stories and fables of all 73 indigenous tribes. In the Summer of 2005, I took a Digital Storytelling Workshop in Sedona that convinced me that it was important to save indigenous tales. In the Spring of 2006, MCC Media Arts offered its first Digital Storytelling class. The value of capturing the individual memories and generational traditions of the elders of a culture is something that inspires me.
In our first Zambian visit, the Chair of the National Arts Council asked us to record five Zambian storytellers and commit the footage to DVD so it could be distributed to schools and universities throughout Zambia. It was an exciting and wonderful idea. We went to the Council headquarters with the assumption that we’d be recording in one of the buildings. They had other ideas.
They marched us into the bush and we recorded the native Zambian storytellers in a natural setting. We moved a big rock for the storytellers to sit on. We found mats for the children. We used the shoot as a learning experience. Each member of the crew had the opportunity to try different positions. Steadicam, glidecam, audio, handheld. Whatever they wanted to try. We had all six cameras running and every piece of hand-built equipment in action. It was a great day. Afterwards, the crew and I spent hours lecturing about filmmaking, demonstrating techniques and networking with aspiring Zambian filmmakers. It was an increible day. Here’s a clip of the day.
This afternoon, I got a crazy phone call from 99.9 KEZ. Initially, I thought it was someone calling for some sort of survey so I wasn’t really concentrating. In fact, I was thinking, “Why the heck did I answer this dang phone?!” But the young woman on the end of the line kept talking.
“I’m calling from KEZ, 99.9 FM, home of the Beth and Bill Show.” I’m still not focusing all that hard because I’m thinking it’s a promo call. “One of your former students nominated you for Beth McDonald’s WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD.” I’m paying a little more attention now. How kind of them to call and tell me. That’s the sort of thing that really brightens your day.
“Pamela Bowman sent a really nice letter about how you went to Zambia with those 14 students to make a film AND all about how you grew the Media Arts program at Mesa Community College. We just wanted to let you know that you are a FINALIST for this month’s Woman of the Year Award. Beth will make the announcement on the air tomorrow between 7 and 8 a.m. If you’re the winner, we’ll be calling you again.” To be honest, I was so stunned I hung up without saying a thing. A few minutes later I called back and apologized for being such a dolt on the phone. I confessed that I thought it was a survey or prank call so I wasn’t really listening at first.
Sarah, that was her name, was very gracious and laughed. She said she understood. She also said she’d read about the projects and she thought they were quite neat. It was a really nice moment. I’ll remember it for a long time. I told her that I was honored just to be nominated and that the FilmZambia crew deserved just as much credit as I for the success of the project. And, as everyone connected with the project would attest …. As the other producer, Pamela Bowman probably deserves the Woman of the Year Award far more than I do! She had to put up with me!
BY THE FILMZAMBIA CREW, ALL OVER THE U.S. — A year ago at this time, we were in Zambia, in the middle of our first week of production on BAD T!MING. It was exactly one year ago today that we had our first day on set and we discovered that our lights were toooooo powerful for the Zambian circuitry. Even with our adapters firmly in place, it was hopeless. The bulbs flickered and the filaments fizzled. The transformer in the building smoked. It was just sad.
Gaffer Shawn, Grip Jacob, Alec, Heath and I went all over town trying to find more bulbs. When we discovered there were no bulbs on the entire continent, we got all MacGuyver. We went to an electrical store and bought halogen yard lights. The guys fashioned our own 500W and 1000W lights with reostats and switches. Thank heaven Mike Montesa brought his photographic umbrellas and stands along to Africa. He saved our souls … or at least the films.
Crew member Jeniece Toranzo edited together a wonderful mini-doc on the FilmZambia Crew. You can see how they dealt with the challenges with the lights and many of the other difficulties faced during that shoot.
BY CYNDI GREENING, ARIZONA, USA — Did you ever look at your life and wonder how you ended up where you are? When I think back on my life, there are several of those moments (don’t know if that’s good or bad). I had one of those moments shortly after I moved to Phoenix in October of 1983. Life in Wisconsin was just not going the way I wanted, so I called everyone I knew in a different state and asked three questions. How much is rent? How hard is it to find a job? How much are utilities. I called Amy in Maine, Karen in California, Jason in Texas, Jenny in Arizona.
Jenny had the best answers so I rented a U-Haul Mini-Mover (one way). Three of us piled in. It took three days to get from Chippewa Falls to Phoenix. We got a slow start because we had to stop in Madison for some tearful good-byes. Then, we got lost in the Illinois/Iowa four corners area. (Did not bode well for the rest of the trip.) We had a serious U-Haul malfunction in Olathe, Kansas. By the time we hit Albuquerque, it was clear we weren’t in Kansas … or Wisconsin … any more. The enormity of the decision to move 2008 miles away was sinking in. As we descended from Flagstaff to Phoenix, the sun was setting and the saguaros made us all start talking about the Coyote and the Roadrunner. We were definitely strangers in a strange land.
It took all of the money we had to rent the U-Haul and buy a used 1968 Buick Wildcat (no A/C) to get around town. Within a week, we all had jobs. Even back then, Phoenix was shockingly huge. It was 75 miles from east to west. And, people weren’t as friendly as people in Wisconsin. A month or two passed. I was so homesick and lonely. The holidays approached and I wanted to move back home so badly but, alas, no money. And, since I’d left in a huff, I couldn’t really ask anyone to help me get back. Besides, I’d have had to eat a whole lot of crow. I remember sitting on the side of the Canal on 12th Street on New Year’s Eve wondering how my life ended up where it was.
That was 24 years ago. Little did I know how often I would have that thought in my lifetime! When I was 28, Alec was born. He certainly was a cute little guy. And, a BIG surprise. How did life end up there? Relationships began and ended. Guess I couldn’t really say much about my biological mother’s revolving-door idea on marriage, anymore. How the heck did my life go that way?
I’m in another one of those moments. Wondering how my life ended up here. Everything is shifting. I’ve been a teacher for 16 years. I love teaching. Love my students. Love my program. Love learning new software. Love digital filmmaking and animation. It’s all in a state of flux now. Most days, I feel like I’m walking on jello. Boiiiinnnng. Boiiing. Take one step in any direction and everything starts moving. See it wiggle. Watch it jiggle. It’s just my life.
