Pablo Escobar documentary

Tomorrow I will be shooting (camera!) for an English documentary about Pablo Escobar. Not my favorite subject, but I've taken the job. If anything, people can learn from a tragic part of the history of Medellin. We will do B-roll footage, which in this case means shots of the city and places related to him. We are starting at 5.00 a.m sharp tomorrow, and it's almost midnight, so I'd better go to bed.

A safe place to go

Yesterday one of our local school leaders in YWAM Medellin died due to a brain damage. He was in his fifties. It is sad for everyone who knew him and worked with him. He was a mild, quiet, hardworking and supportive person, and did a fantastic job in paving the way for young people to go out and do missions.

As we mourn, we also need to remember, that this man now has reached his goal, he is secure with God, in the place where he wanted more people to go when they finish the earthly journey.

Do you have a safe place to go when you end this life? Jesus said:

"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24).

Note how Jesus always turns things upside down. You can cross from death to life, not from life to death. And you are invited too!

On our way to milk and honey

Have you ever thought about why Jesus chose to give his last supper specifically on the Easter night? He did it because Easter was the celebration of the liberation of slavery. To remember the Israelites from that moment were a free people, on their way to a "country of milk and honey".

The symbol is pretty clear. From the moment we accept Jesus, we are free from bondage and start our way to the place of milk and honey, heaven.

Bloody scene

This week we shot a scene for our short film No Return. We filmed the bulk of this film back in 2013 but never managed to finish it, because we weren't satisfied with a key scene. So now I had done audition and found a new actress, and I put together a team of eight people, all paid, and we went in a mini-buss to the village Cocorna, where the bank anew let us film.

Everything actually went great, and people even came on time! Having people come on time in Colombia is a miracle if we are talking about more than five people! So I was very glad for that. We had some special effects in this scene (blood) so it was nice to learn about that. The last take is the one that was "printed". The take had a small part that was not in focus, but in general it was great, much thanks to a great actor.

When things go against you

Sometimes we experience that things go against us and they are not like we expected. When the Israelites were lead into the desert, described in the book of Exodus, it was a completely new world for them, different, wild and dry. Their previous, ordinary, comfortable life wasn't there anymore. Is God really with us still? they started to ask themselves.

The same happened to the disciples of Jesus, when he sent them off in a boat by themselves, described in Matthew 14. It is told that the wind "was against them." In both these situations, the people started to despair and doubt that that God was with them.  That is what it seems like when things go against us.

But what God wanted to show them, is that He is with us regardless of the circumstances. He rebuked the Israelites, and he rebuked the disciples. Why? Not because they were trusting in God foolishly, but the opposite. They didn't trust him enough to think that things would be solved.

When Peter approached God walking on water, he started to doubt because of the hard wind. "Will this really work:?" But Jesus said "Your faith is so small! Why did you doubt?"
God invites us to have a Big Faith. That means keep believing in God when things go against us.

The art and challenge of auditioning actors

Today I did a first audition and location scouting for the short film about an art workshop for young girls in a poor neighborhood in Medellin that I mentioned in an earlier post. The idea is to first work with actors and locations from that very place, since the film is based on, and is supposed to promote, an existing art workshop.

We had about 20 young girls from the neighborhood who wanted to be in the film. I shot and watched at the same time. I split them into three groups, and did a scene looking at both the protagonist and some girls what will be part of the workshop member, as well as the workshop leader. So, many to watch at the same time! But the girls all collaborated with lots of will.

I also looked at several possible locations. Except the actual workshop, there is a scene in a street corner, in front of a house, in a bedroom and some others. I looked at about three or four house interiors and decided on one that had a little more space but still had the style I was looking for. Many of the houses in this neighborhood are made of wood, and all the streets are dirt roads (see picture).

Doing audition is an art. What I look for most is presence and authenticity. I can mostly tell when somebody is too aware of the camera, or are not "in character". The other thing I look for is their capacity to improvise. I almost never work with a script in an audition, I always have the actors improvise. That is because I like to see if they can invent their own lines and actions. At the end, that is what acting is, inventing things. An actor can have a line to deliver, but he or she has to invent how to do it. A person who is good at improvising, creates a space around themselves that is bigger than their physical body. They create drama. And I'm not talking about theatrical gestures and raising their voice, but rather creating a person that is alive.

The other thing I look out for is overacting. That mostly alert red lights in me. Also, I prefer to like the face I see. It doesn't necessarily have to be someone "beautiful", but the face should read well on the camera. Because needless to say, the face is the most important part of a film actor's body.

Then, of course, if I feel something when they act, that is also a factor. Today we had a girl that was great at improvising. She had a face that was alive, and she seemed to be present. But she did show off a little too much. It felt overacted in some parts. But she did create feelings in me, I almost cried when she acted. That is a good sign of course. And the overacting might be workable. Only a second audition could tell.

Another girl had a great face, very authentic and ready to express all kinds of feelings, but when it came to improvising, she wasn't very creative. Her persona didn't expand at acting and moving. Then again, since she is totally untrained, she might be able to develop that skill. Again, in a second round we might be able to work with that.

Finally, I need to watch the auditions "on tape" as well. Because sometimes a face looks good in reality, but not in camera. Or vice versa.

Recently I heard the Swedish film director Drazen Kuljanin say that there are two things you should put 90% of your efforts into: the script and the casting. I think there's great truth in that statement. Even if this will be a small film, I will invest some time and effort into finding good actors.

Writing synopsis

Writing stories is really a process. Today I was working on the synopsis for an upcoming short film we will do together with the Swedish foundation Ankarstiftelsen. It is a film about an art workshop in a poor neighborhood in Medellin.

I have found that it is worth investing time in the idea. And I mean the idea, not the screenplay. To work on synopsis level. And work again. And work again. But today I had a little breakthrough and I hope we can reach an agreement with the foundation.

Tomorrow I will visit the art workshop to scout locations and maybe do some first auditions.