Last week, Alec and I went to California to visit with Jason and talk post-production shop. It was a Friday evening and the three of us were sitting in Jason’s editing studio talking about things like multi-angle editing and color grading. Jason generally has a rant about how much better AVID is than FCP because that’s what he uses at work. At home, he uses FCP like the rest of us financially-challenged filmmakers. He was showing us what he’d learned at an Apple presentation about multi-angle editing. They’ve been touting multi-angle editing for a while but I’d never seen it used. He stepped through it and I was excited. He said (and I agreed) that there wasn’t all that much need for it in his type of work.
However, while we were in Zambia, the National Arts Council brought five (5) Native Storytellers in from other regions in the country. All five spoke a different language. There were about 25 children making up the audience. This was definitely NOT a highly-controlled nor highly-choreographed recording session. On top of that, this was the second weekend in Zambia so the student crew were all continuing to build their skills in all of the different pieces of equipment. To maximize our odds, we ran four (4) cameras during the shoot. Two cinematographers were on the storyteller, one was on the audience and one was handheld. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on a different continent. So, next week, I’ll be cutting the Zambian Storytellers using this method. I can hardly wait. If you want to check it out, you will want to read Steve Martin’s well-illustrated and very clear tutorial on Final Cut Pro Multi-Angle editing.
We’re experiencing a bit of “good timing” with the film Zambian BAD TIMING. The film is now listed in the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). So far, only the title is in … they say the actual names / credits take another week to ten days to get updated. It’s so exciting to finally see everything coming together and the people in the film getting acknowledged for their work. Everyone involved with this project gave a solid month of their life in Zambia to get this film made. The crew also spent six months before the project in training and preparing for the project. Following the shoot in Zambia, the crew spent another couple of months helping with the rough cut … and several more continued another year with the revised cuts.
We’ve been test screening the film with small groups and the response has been really terrific. When you edit a film, you watch it thousands of times and lose all perspective on it. You think it keeps getting better but it’s so subjective. The really exciting thing is that people who know nothing about the film, know nothing about Zambia, know nothing about the production challenges are understanding and liking the film. They’re liking the good people, disliking the bad people and are getting really involved in the story. It’s a very satisfying feeling having people watch the film and enjoy it. I can hardly wait for the Zambians to see it.
Last evening, (Thursday, March 6, 2008) Beth McDonald, Schumacher Mercedes and the folks at KEZ threw a celebratory dinner for the twelve Woman of the Year nominees. It was held at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch in North Scottsdale. The Hyatt is always wonderful. Great ambiance, great food, great service. The only thing that could make it better is if they held it in the mineral pool at Spa Avania. Just kidding, of course. I kept telling the other nominees that there would be a swimsuit competition later in the evening. Now, mind you, some of these women established orphanages in Afghanistan, escaped violence in Bosnia and faced personal danger on streets serving the homeless. But, mention a public viewing in a bathing suit and they tremble with (mock) fear. It was funny.
Nominees were allowed to bring three of their friends to the event. Most everyone seemed to have invited the person who nominated them for the honor (I, of course, invited my nominator, Pamela Jo). Each table had two nominees and their pals (MCC Media Arts professor Jeanette Roe and FilmZambia-supporter Tammy Fannin rounded out my party) AND two representatives of KEZ. We were joined by the delightful Smokey Rivers (former on-air personality and current programming director) and the gracious, gregarious Kevin Gossett. We ended up in a fun conversation about KILTS (yes, he used to wear a kilt) and the winds that whip off the Great Lakes. He grew up in Indiana, so I got more insight into Purdue University.
The event is sponsored by 99.9 FM and Schumacher Mercedes Benz. We received an evening and dinner at the Hyatt, a day at Spa Avania and (Alec’s and my favorite) a great Mercedes Benz model car built to 1/18 scale with working doors, hood and trunk. The model is a very durable and accurate metal Benz and, as it is no doubt intended, motivates me yearn for one of my very own. The Schumacher folks were at the table beside us. Mr. and Mrs. Werner Schumacher were in attendance and generously presented winner, Zema Kovac, with an oversize check for $2500. Everyone was teasing about wanting to go with her when she went to the ATM. Young Michael Schumacher was there with the folks. The other nominees were given (in addition to all of the other prizes), a crisp Ben Franklin. I was being silly and saying, “Look what I got for the night.” Michael teased back and said, “No, that’s for the whole year.” Funny. Nothing I love more than a great sense of humor. (In my internet search, I discovered there’s a Formula One driver by the name of Michael Schumacher who is considered the greatest driver alive. Not the same fellow, but interesting just the same.)
We had a great evening. Arizona Supreme Court Justice Ruth McGregor spoke about her path from entering college to get her teaching certificate to her current position on the Arizona Court. She shared funny stories about her college days and early days as a female attorney. I was fascinated with her story and thought, “Heck, someone should nominate her for woman of the year.” So, if you know a courageous woman that you think deserves the honor, go to KEZ to Nominate for the Beth McDonald Woman of the Year.
President Bush is currently on a five-nation trip to Africa. He is visiting Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia. There is some criticism for avoiding the hotspots (Darfur, Kenya, DRC). According to the official press, the US will increase total assistance to Africa to $8.7 billion by 2010, double the level of assistance in 2004. We’re aiming for a new kind of partnership, they say.
Prior to leaving, Bush previewed a movie trailer for a 15-minute documentary produced in partnership between Warner Bros and PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). The trailer, which will appear in movie theaters later this year, will direct viewers to visit the website to view the full documentary entitled SAVING LIVES, CREATING HOPE. It is, of course, a PR piece to paint a bright spot on the Bush legacy for his (albeit eleventh-hour) efforts in this area.
I find myself wondering if they watched the Tanzanian documentary, INTO THE LIGHT, that Paul Hepker scored. That film was about the AIDs crisis in that country. Probably doesn’t have the same gloss as the Hollywood film told from the administration’s point of view. Probably. I won’t be able to say until I see them both. Why does all of this bring the 1997 film WAG THE DOG to mind (Dustin Hoffman as producer who manufactures cinema events to camouflage the failings of the president)? I don’t if there’s another president who has had a more scandal-plagued administration than George Bush (43) so a feel good film can’t be all bad.
Speaking of can’t be all bad, the other thought I’m having is about the $8.7 billion in aid to Africa (DOUBLE the 2004 level). Current estimates are that the war in Iraq is costing the US over $195 million per day. At that rate, the entire African aid package is spent by the US in Iraq in just 45 days. Forty-five days of war in the Middle East equals the aid to an entire continent of Africa for one year.
Now, granted $8.7 billion isn’t chump change. But, forgive me if I don’t get all happy-clappy, link arms and sing Kumbaya around the campfire.
Seven days until the 2008 Sundance Film Festival begins. A couple hundred films will be screened in the shadow of the Wasatch range and many of them will acquire distribution during the festival. Distribution is the “holy grail” of independent filmmaking. Elusive and extremely difficult to secure, selection in the Sundance Film Festival often anoints indie product as viable. In little over a week, we will be covering the distribution deals that thrust the new indie filmmakers into the industry.
As we complete the Zambian feature and documentary, we too are looking at distribution. According to RISKY BUSINESS, the book by Mark Litwak on indie financing and distribution, the three things that make a film more appealing to a distributor are…
STAR POWER … participation by recognized industry creatives
FESTIVAL FEVER … selection in a key festival
GREAT REVIEWS … recognition by film critics
According to Litwak, there are between 800 and 1000 indie films available for sale at any given moment. So your film is competing with a glut of product. Presenting the strong selling points of your films is the key to distribution. Oh sure, there are tons of panels, books and articles on the many potential distribution avenues … including the web, DVD, tape and international markets. So, I spent most of the day, recalling our Zambian production adventures and trying to think of why that might be interesting to a potential audience (and therefore a distributor).
Because of the scenes she was editing, Pamela Jo kept reminding me how grumpy I had been on certain shooting days … oh the hours and hours and hours we waited … and while the clock ticked, I kept wondering if we’d ever get the film done. Knowing our return flights had already been booked, the clock reverberated like a prescient death knell. To this day, it amazes me that we finished shooting both films. The next few months will reveal if the story is of interest to an audience. We will document the process for you indie filmmakers.
Ah the envy … Shawn Downs has finished his thesis film THE HUNTER and it’s a beautiful, well-edited, well-acted, satisfying piece of cinema. I enjoyed it tremendously.
A graduate of Arcadia High School (in Phoenix) and FilmZambia Gaffer, Shawn is a visual filmmaker. Of course, I was eager to know the production details. He said the movie was filmed on 16mm Kodak 250 daylight film on an Arriflex SR2 camera. The film was transferred to HDCAM in telecine. He was able to work with everything from XL2s to high-end Sony HDCAM cameras to 16mm and 35mm Arriflex and Panavision cameras. Shawn says, “HD can produce some amazing images under good light and great production design, but there is nothing like film.” I have to agree. It is gorgeous.
He’s heading into industry now … it should be a fun career to follow.
Well, today was a relatively unpleasant day. First, I discovered that Edmond Kabwe of the Post of Zambia did a story entitled It’s Bad Timing Again about the MCC hearing and copyright dispute over the film. Overall, a pretty good article (although no follow-up on the Positive Results of the Hearing).
Then, Jeniece pointed out that there was a new comment on the original Tribune article and it wasn’t too dang good. You know, they say no good deed goes unpunished and I’ve been spanked silly by this one. The newest comment from “Zambian Girl,” said, “I hate to tell you guys how this woman stole this film from Jabbes Mvula. How she trying to make money off this film without involving him. This is his film and she needs to stop what she is doing. God doesn’t like ugly. Good things don’t happen to bad people. Ms Cyndi God will deal with you. People stop using people. I hope Zambia knows that you are not a good woman and they don’t work with you any more.”
Here’s the real irony. I met with an investor this weekend who was willing to help fund the finishing of the films (score, some b-roll shots, sound sweetening) AND pay the actors with interest so we could, maybe, finally get these films out. Of course, they copyright agreements would have to be handled first. The frustration for me is that even though the director and his Zambian connections had agreed to pay the actors, it never came through. We were told several times that the actors had been paid but our most recent email with the National Arts Council says that the actors hadn’t been compensated.
I had another conversation with a friend this weekend who told me to shelve both of the projects and forget about them forever. She said it had already cost me too much. “Stop the bleeding,” she said. “Move on to something new. Forget about this.”
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.
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 — I am really happy to report that almost everyone on the crew is doing GREAT. I am so happy and proud of them. They really took their experience in Zambia and turned into great opportunities for themselves. Let’s play catch-up with the crew …
SHAWN DOWNS went straight from being the Gaffer in Zambia to attending the LA Film School. He’s been working on tons of films and is highly-regarded by his classmates and professional actors whom he directs. He recently shot his thesis film and I am really excited to see how it all comes together. I’ll be blogging about his film in the next couple of days. I’ve got stills (no footage yet) that have me enthused. With Shawn, I have no doubt that it will be excellent. It was easy to see that the guy was going places.
JARED MOSCHCAU surprised me all to heck. Jared was the Unit Photographer for the doc and one of the youngest crew members. Since he’s been back, he has DIRECTED TWO SHORT FILMS and is in pre-production on his third. His newest project is based on a song by the son of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN’s Larry McMurtry. With twin brother, JUSTIN, (who is a sound editor and composer), Jared is actively continuing to hone his filmmaking skills. I’ll be blogging about his earlier films this week.
Cinematographer CARLOS ESPINOSA and Line Producer M.K. RACINE have continued in their Film Zambia roles by assisting Jared with his projects. The triumvirate have an excellent working relationship that serves them with these projects. Film Zambia storyboarder ERIC AGUIRRE is also on the team of the newest project.
Last month, I blogged about our two New Yorkers. ALEC HART and JACOB FELIX went from members of the documentary crew to full-time positions in the Big Apple. Alec is editing at Subvoyant (a post-production house that often assists with Sundance features). Jacob is the personal assistant to SILENCE OF THE LAMBS director, Jonathan Demme. The guys say that life in NYC is expensive but worth the extra effort for the experience they’re gaining.
JENIECE TORANZO had been assisting on the editing of the Film Zambia project but recently accepted a position with MORR FILMS as a post-production editor. She’s adding AVID editing to her skill set and really likes her new position. The owner of the company told Jeniece that he was pleasantly surprised how skilled she was and how much she knew as an editor. He said that graduates of other community college programs had been a disappointment. Thus far, Jeniece is doing well and making us proud.
Producer/Writer PAMELA BOWMAN is completing a screenplay that is set on the Reservation that she plans to shoot in late November. She has also been editing the Film Zambia project. Pamela recently went to LA to meet with producers about other projects and took a meeting in New York with HBO.
ROBBY BROWN was doing production work in the Valley. He fell in love and moved to Oklahoma. Robby does freelance editing and shooting. He tells us that there isn’t a lot of produciton in OK but he looks for as much work as he can to keep his skills up.
HEATH McKINNEY recently moved to Utah where he works with troubled teens. He ended up rooming with a couple of guys who own their own editing firm. They do a lot of commercial work. Heath is now doing a lot more editing.
MICHAEL MONTESA has been traveling the globe. He’s been to San Francisco and NYC. Soon, he’ll be going to Europe for five weeks. He recently interviewed to be a crew member on a film project in Ecuador. Looks like Mike’s next film project will also be in the southern hemisphere. The film is shooting early next year. We’ll keep you informed.
NICK MARSHALL is working on a horror screenplay.
EDGAR RIDER graduated from ASU with a degree in Theater Arts / Acting upon his return to the U.S. He produced the Potato Confrontation.
JABBES MVULA reports that he is talking with European producers in the hopes of raising funds to shoot another film in Zambia within the next year. I’m anxious to see what he’s able to put together.
Finally, there are often questions about the status of the films. A rough cut was complete for Sundance but it was just toooooo rough. So, they’re being re-cut and should be done soon. As soon as they’re ready, you’all will be the first to know!
BY CYNDI GREENING, ARIZONA, USA – Today, we finished editing the Trailer for BAD TIMING, the Zambian feature film. We finished the Documentary Trailer early in the week. Sometimes, it seems like we’ve been working on these films forever. Yesterday, I started thinking about when and how this all got started. Of course, it all started with Jabbes Mvula. The conversation started in January with a request for camera but by mid-March, we were searching for the means to take a small production crew. I was going through old email and found that it was a year ago almost to the day that I applied for an Innovative Project Grant to fund the flights for a six-person crew to Zambia.
Jabbes wanted to return to his home country to shoot the FIRST full-length, dramatic narrative feature film ever. He wanted to strengthen the film industry in Zambia. We all hoped to share our skills and experience with aspiring Zambian filmmakers. And, most importantly, we wanted to get an authentic, contemporary Zambian story into the global cinema. So, a year ago at this time, I was hoping to go to Zambia, making plans to maybe go to Zambia, but it sure seemed like one heckuva long shot. I was reading everything I could find on Zambia, just in case.
Further research in my email archive revealed that the grants announcment was made on May 2nd. Holy cow, May 2nd. With that announcement, we knew that a six-person crew could go but, by that point, we had 18 students who wanted to spend an unpaid month in Africa helping to shoot the feature (and companion documentary). We pushed out shoot date back to give ourselves more time for fundraising. To be honest, last summer was just a blur. And yet, the pace of the summer seems GLACIAL in comparison to how quickly the time passed in Zambia. That month simply evaporated.
When we got back, time played a gruesome trick. It slowed down to a crawl and then seemed to stop altogether. It seemed to take Herculean effort to move things the tiniest amount. I guess it took a bit to bounce back. Now, I’m happy to report, time is moving forward again at a normal pace. There are times I can’t believe we ever went to Zambia. Then I look at the footage and I go flying back in time, Jeniece says the same thing happens to her. I’m hoping that we can create that sense of immediacy for the audience. That they can have half the fun we did and laugh as easily (and as often.) Stay tuned! Soon you’ll be able to decide for yourself.
BY CYNDI GREENING, PHOENIX, USA — We spent last week working on the trailer for the documentary and three guesses as to what we’re working on this week. Yep, the trailer for the feature. We passed the initial cut to Keith Heffner, the Sound Editor and Music Director. He layered sound, effects and vocals into an appealing and effective mix. It was exciting and inspiring to see everything coming into shape.
Ultimately, we had 88 hours of footage that were shaped into the approximately 90-minute documentary. We had another 34 hours of footage that were crafted into the 90-minute feature. When you’re shooting a feature, there is a primary story line that is being followed and there just isn’t much other footage to spare. The documentary is a whole different story. With 88 hours of footage, you can imagine there were many, many stories that could be found in that mass of material. The students were required to make demo reels after they returned from Zambia so some of the footage was used there. But much of it will remain unseen, many of the more subtle stories will remain untold, parts of what we discovered will remain unknown. We got to talking about it and decided that some of the stories might be suitable in a short format.
Producer Pamela Bowman has created a short based on the poem she wrote while we were traveling to Victoria Falls in southern Zambia. (The original blog entry of the poem can be found on the FilmZambia site.) In addition to working on the documentary trailer, she’s been working this short. I think this piece captures the gentle soul of the people of Zambia. We met so many kind and wonderful Zambians. Check it out.
BY CYNDI GREENING, PHOENIX, USA — Working on the film trailers has us revisting all of the shooting days and recalling the terrific, dedicated work of our amazing FilmZambia crew. Their dedication and determination were unparalleled. So, a reminder to take a look at their reels if you’re looking for a crew member who will do whatever it takes to get your film done!
BY CYNDI GREENING & PAMELA BOWMAN, PHOENIX, USA – The FilmZambia project has been a life-altering, monumental experience for all who participated. It is because of the Zambian project that we (the producers) have come to realize and refine our life mission. We experienced such satisfaction and joy at helping to bring a new voice to the global cinema, in educating filmmaking students in Zambia, in watching our MCC students expand their skills and have profound cultural experiences. The goal of educating, developing and supporting new voices in global cinema continues to be one of our primary concerns.
However, after attending the Sundance Film Festival in January, we realized that we were overlooking the voices of U.S. filmmakers. We were inspired to expand our commitment to include finding and nurturing the voices of new filmmakers in the U.S. Attending the festival, we found our voice and are stating our desire to help storytellers and filmmakers find their unique voice and get their story into the national market.
So, we are pleased to announce the launch of Greening Productions / Angel&Wings Productions, a site devoted to supporting independent filmmakers worldwide. (You will have to read the story of how the company name was bestowed upon us in Zambia! Whle we don’t make religious films, we are committed to doing good work.) On the site, you will find the dates and times for classes and seminars that will be offered in the Phoenix metroarea. These classes will also be available in different national locations in the near future. In addition, we are making DVDs available to assist in your digital film development.
Wherever we traveled, people interested in film would pepper us with questions. Due to limited time, we felt we could not give adequate answers or explanations. Through these classes and products, we are now able to provide information and assistance to future filmmakers.
So enjoy the site and let us know what you think! If you have thoughts on other products and classes we could offer that would be of support. We will continue our global projects (we are currently working on a FilmEcuador project and a FilmSenegal project), also. We appreciate your feedback and thoughts!
Last evening, (Thursday, March 6, 2008) Beth McDonald, Schumacher Mercedes and the folks at KEZ threw a celebratory dinner for the twelve 
Nominees were allowed to bring three of their friends to the event. Most everyone seemed to have invited the person who nominated them for the honor (I, of course, invited my nominator, Pamela Jo). Each table had two nominees and their pals (MCC Media Arts professor Jeanette Roe and FilmZambia-supporter Tammy Fannin rounded out my party) AND two representatives of KEZ. 
We were joined by the delightful Smokey Rivers (former on-air personality and current programming director) and the gracious, gregarious Kevin Gossett. We ended up in a fun conversation about KILTS (yes, he used to wear a kilt) and the winds that whip off the Great Lakes. He grew up in Indiana, so I got more insight into Purdue University.
The Schumacher folks were at the table beside us. Mr. and Mrs. Werner Schumacher were in attendance and generously presented winner, Zema Kovac, with an oversize check for $2500. Everyone was teasing about wanting to go with her when she went to the ATM. Young Michael Schumacher was there with the folks. The other nominees were given (in addition to all of the other prizes), a crisp Ben Franklin. I was being silly and saying, “Look what I got for the night.” Michael teased back and said, “No, that’s for the whole year.” Funny. Nothing I love more than a great sense of humor. (In my internet search, I discovered there’s a Formula One driver by the name of Michael Schumacher who is considered the greatest driver alive. Not the same fellow, but interesting just the same.)
I find myself wondering if they watched the Tanzanian documentary, INTO THE LIGHT, that Paul Hepker scored. That film was about the AIDs crisis in that country. Probably doesn’t have the same gloss as the Hollywood film told from the administration’s point of view. Probably. I won’t be able to say until I see them both. Why does all of this bring the 1997 film WAG THE DOG to mind (Dustin Hoffman as producer who manufactures cinema events to camouflage the failings of the president)? I don’t if there’s another president who has had a more scandal-plagued administration than George Bush (43) so a feel good film can’t be all bad.
Ah the envy … Shawn Downs has finished his thesis film 
His newest project is based on a song by the son of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN’s Larry McMurtry. With twin brother, JUSTIN, (who is a sound editor and composer), Jared is actively continuing to hone his filmmaking skills. I’ll be blogging about his earlier films this week.
Further research in my email archive revealed that the grants announcment was made on May 2nd. Holy cow, May 2nd. With that announcement, we knew that a six-person crew could go but, by that point, we had 18 students who wanted to spend an unpaid month in Africa helping to shoot the feature (and companion documentary). We pushed out shoot date back to give ourselves more time for fundraising. To be honest, last summer was just a blur. And yet, the pace of the summer seems GLACIAL in comparison to how quickly the time passed in Zambia. That month simply evaporated.
Ultimately, we had 88 hours of footage that were shaped into the approximately 90-minute documentary. We had another 34 hours of footage that were crafted into the 90-minute feature. When you’re shooting a feature, there is a primary story line that is being followed and there just isn’t much other footage to spare. The documentary is a whole different story. With 88 hours of footage, you can imagine there were many, many stories that could be found in that mass of material. The students were required to make demo reels after they returned from Zambia so some of the footage was used there. But much of it will remain unseen, many of the more subtle stories will remain untold, parts of what we discovered will remain unknown. We got to talking about it and decided that some of the stories might be suitable in a short format.
