7/21/11
Deschepelles, Haiti
We have arrived at our main base of operations for the True Forgiveness film! Deschepelles is a beautifull small town in the Artibonite Valley region of Haiti, about 60 miles north-west of Port-au-Prince. It is home to Hospital Albert Schweitzer Haiti, which is the primary medical facility for central Haiti. Traveling up out of Port-au, across the central plateau and down into the Artibonite Valley yesterday was a great experience, with James Arbaugh at the wheel of his new all terrain, land cruiser/troop carrier/ambulance. We passed busy villages, lush bananna plantations, rice fields, and many happy Haitians. We honked our horn at goat herds, lazy cattle, and many cats and dogs, who are valued members of almost every Haitian family. Upon arrival at HAS we were happy to find James's sturdy cottage filled with many comorts of home, such as real beds, fans, and a 5 star movie collection! The living area has been converted into an editing suite, with decent tower units, backup power, and dual monitors for all. Today, Thursday we launched into editing of the first scenes shot in the capital. It is quite a challenge to edit as we can understand very little Creole, but with a little common sense and assistance from James where that fails, we push forward.
Yesterday, Wednesday was a very full day for our 4 student video crew. We arose at 7am to drive up Boutilier, a 4500ft mountaintop overlooking the Port-au-Prince bay. Along with us was Kerby - a Haitian nursing student who is applying to continue her studies at EMU. She grew up a peasants daughter, and has been through much hardship in her life. However she is tenacious and has been able to achieve a great deal including English fluency - the best English we have heard from a Haitian.
Our first week here was amazing. Not comfortable, clean, quiet, or relaxing, but awesome none the less. We stayed at a house near the airport that Joe Arbaugh uses through Allied Recovery International. It is in an area near the main UN logistics base, so is comparitively safe. Many of the Haitian actors also stayed with us there, since most of them traveled into Port-au for the film. Day 1 through 6 were all fully scheduled shoot days, mainly at the "True Security" house (where the prequel was filmed) but also at other locations in the Port-au-Prince area. Getting around town first seemed like a daunting venture, but after the first days we became quite comfortable with James's driving skills, and his brother Joe's, at the wheel of a little white Terrios (Haitian jeep) that is prominent in the Film. With our acors and equipment we traveled not only around the city, but across the Port-au bay to a misson one day, and up the coast to shoot a beach scene another. Our "Haitiwood" convoy was not limited to video work however. We stopped one day in heavy afternoon traffic to pull a broken down SUV off a street, the abmbulance has a winch and 4wd, and on another day we jumped a disabled nissan, during which one of our actors professed love to Kelby (the one girl on our crew).
Yes, Kelby is having fun dealing with many suitors, at least one knew one a day.
Each night we take turns, both whites and Haitians, leading a devotional time, and I was impressed by understanding and connection this built between us. Religion in Haiti seems to be divided mainly between Christians and Voodoists, with the latter beign more predominant. There seems to be a large grey area however, where some Christians still practice voodo on different levels, and this is something we are combating in the film. Although I have not seen evidence of it, there are apparently a significant number of muslims in Port-au as well, with mosques being funded by a flow of money from arab countries.
I haven't yet told of the most intense experience we have had - attempting to film a rara. Raras are wild Haitian voodo dances that our main character is involved in untill he realizes they are wrong. Basically a rara is a cross between Marti-Gras and a tribal spirit dance. At least that is my understanding - luckily I have not experienced one - they get wild and apparently it would not be good for a white to attend one. Anyway, to film this we took our actors, plus ~10 Haitian friends and headed out to a busy intersection under a hot sun with litle shade at the entrance to a cement plant with slums all around. Brilliant.
Then I tried to set up the Stedicam. =X
I used to think working with union people crowding me was annoying. Try 3-5 random Haitians trying to help you balance a stedicam.
By the minute, more and more locals began showing up, which we needed for the scene but at the same time wanted not to get out of control. Actually control was not at all part of the equasion. While our main charater fretted about his costume, multiple members of our group tried to talk to the crowd and explain to them what we were trying to do, and that there was no pay because it was for Jesus. However some of the locals were not happy, and wanted us to pay because we were on a road they had built. Bottom line is that we did get something of a rara going, although not at all like the script called for, and it all went down in mass confusion in the most pure sense of the word. Amidst the arguing and music and yelling us cameramen tried to communicate and film in a correct way, while cement trucks pounded past and small children ran everywhere.
Then all of a sudden, with the scene half shot, Joe and James yelled for us to load into the ambulance before it "went sour" - we were warned ahead of time that this might happen. so we elbowed our way to the back of the ambulance, loaded in, and drove a minute up the road to a Christian mission, where we organised and properly packed out equipment for the hour ride back to the house.
Intensity.
Jokes were shared that we were lucky to be alive, half true.
Today we did relax, in a nice pool, under the tropical sun, in between edits.
Five more weeks in this truly beautiful country.
Justin, Steve, Kelby, I
First day of shooting, at the "True Security" house
The ambulance on the move in rugged terrain
Breakfast with some of the actors
On the beach, day 4. James is second from right, and Edner, the script writer, is at center in the orange shirt.
Above Port-au-Prince
