Ken in Haiti 4 a moovee

To My Anonymous Haitian Admirer

2005-03-10T13:17:00.000-08:00

This post is in reference to the following comment made to me by my anonymous Haitian admirer (all of this is sic):

Ken we can forgive you for your comment about filmmaking in Haiti if only you had taking all the things you said about the struggle of making a movie in the island but you did not consider anything on you comment, if someone had done the same thing to the people of America there would some consequences both you and sacha were not Haiti to help the Haitian cinema, the truth is that you two are in to exploite the Haitian cinema i did not any problem with that untill you start insulting the very people helping you making money with a film that was not making no money in the states for there is no appology and sacha should be out of the production of LA REBELLE all you two wanted just to take out as much money as you can out of Communication plus, you keep asking for more money we the filmmakers are building a market for Haitian film what you should of done was salut the effort of all who struggle to make a movie with almost no Budget when you come you ask for a Big Budget what do you bring to the table nothing no equipment what so ever.
if you want to help go get some production with money from the states and bring them to Haiti not take money out of the poorest country in the western hemisphere to richest country i want to that you be declare a "Persona non gratha" in Haiti both you and Sacha with out you and Sacha the production will continue you RACIS ANIMAL thank for your apology but no Thank you. stop stealing candy from the Baby the poor people of Haiti remember when we make movies in Haiti we don't have no one to ask for more money, Telephone, cars etc.we still make a movie.
******************************************************************************************************************************

You obviously have some inside information about the production of LA REBELLE. Unfortunately you do not have the true facts.

I worked for many weeks putting together equipment for Communication Plus, testing all of the items, and transporting them to Haiti from the US. This equipment has been used by Haitian filmmakers at Communication Plus since November. Furthermore, I've worked on production planning for LA REBELLE since last Fall, and have been full time since mid-December. Once I arrived in Haiti in late January I worked 7 days a week on LA REBELLE until my departure on 3 Mar 05.

During all of this time I did not receive one cent for my work on LA REBELLE. During this time, as well as the month I spent in October dubbing SKIN DEEP, I paid for my own lodging, meals and living expenses. I did not have a cell phone or a car. I've spent far more of my own money than I have received from any resources in Haiti. I am not complaining as I freely agreed to this arrangement. I knew it would cost me money to work on LA REBELLE but I was willing to do it for the experience. If you're accusing me of pissing away Haitian money, then you're looking at the wrong person. I've actually contributed to the Haitian economy, albeit in a small way.

The budget for LA REBELLE is far from being extravagant. The only difference between LA REBELLE and the budget for most other Haitian movies is we wanted to actually pay and feed people like the actors & crew. We were not asking for money to line our pockets, or to live a high lifestyle while in Haiti. You might want to talk with your former Presidents about that sort of arrangement, but that's not what we were doing. My goal was to manage the shoot such that a movie with high production values could be made for the money that was available to the Haitian production company. I was trying to get the most out of every dollar spent on LA REBELLE.

If you'd like to come out of the closet and identify yourself, we can discuss the facts of the case privately. I strongly suspect that we know each other, and I would not like to have the misinformation you're spouting run amok within the Haitian filmmaking community.

And one important issue before I close: if you remember the movie, SKIN DEEP, you'll recall that the character of Michael who felt every problem he had was caused by racism. The result of his attitude was the death of an innocent person and the loss of his own life.

Bottom line: it isn't always about race. In this case, it has nothing whatsoever to do with race. Your racism charge is a cop out because you don't want to take responsibility for your own problems. Instead of making me the white devil, you should be addressing the real issues in Haiti. The save the cry of racism for when it really applies. I'm not your problem. I did not take from Haiti and give nothing in return. There's a great deal you can learn about filmmaking from the LA REBELLE team if you choose to take advantage of it. Stop wallowing in self pity. Your attitude is a big part of the problem. Why don't you try to be part of the solution instead.

Peace - Ken

mea culpa

2005-03-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

It seems that Edner, our executive producer, was given the URL to this blog and read my comments in the last post, "Captain, we've hit an iceberg." The post was deleted to prevent further damage, because I certainly receive no joy from publicly humiliating someone. If I could take back the post I certainly would do so. I was here to support Sacha in his endeavor to create a work of Haitian cinema that can be enjoyed and respected in the international community. I am now an impediment to the making of the movie, so I'm on a flight back home.

My biggest regret is that the words I wrote hurt Edner, his collaborators at Communication Plus, and many members of the local Haitian filmmaking community. I did not mean for this to be the effect of my online diary. I hope this can be seen as a public apology for my inconsiderate behavior. Now that I have some first hand experience trying to make a movie in Haiti, I have a deep appreciation for the difficulties filmmakers experience in their endeavors here. The fact that they're still working hard to develop a national cinema is a testament to their fortitude and determination. Edner is taking a huge risk with LA REBELLE, and he must be saluted for trying to raise the bar for Haitian films and invest in the future of Haitian cinema. I hope those filmmakers I met while in Haiti--and even those I did not--will feel my sincerity and accept this heartfelt apology.

Some may say that the threat of bodily injury I received in the form of an anonymous e-mail was the primary reason I left Haiti. Let me assure you, this was not the case. Technically, it was not a death threat. The procedure promised in the missive, KAOCHOU NAN BOUDA-OU, is Creole for "shoving a tire up my ass." Depending on the size of the tire, this is potentially a survivable event.

In any case, it clearly shows how my comments stirred up a lot of emotion within the local community. I wrote the offending post in anger and frustration, and some reflection would have been useful. I definitely should have kept those words to myself, rather than putting them in a publicly accessible forum. To all of this I declare, mea culpa

This person, however, also accused me of saying negative things about the Haitian people. To this I declare myself 100% innocent. I have great affection and admiration for the people in this troubled but hopeful land. If anything was perceived as negative, it may have been the aspects of the Haitian personality that I was struggling to understand. Even those you love can drive you crazy every now and again. My most fond memories of Haiti are the people: those I met and those I witnessed every day struggling to survive in an environment where most of us in the US would throw in the towel. The people here give Haiti it's unique spirit, and I am richer for having the chance to live among them for a few months.

I can't help but feel like a complete idiot for being too candid on my posts. I was trying to capture my experiences here as unfiltered as I could present them. Unfortunately, I named names and that makes things personal. But even if I didn't name Edner by name, his adversaries here in Haiti would still have read between the lines and figured out who I was speaking about. Since the frustrations I expressed were such a huge part of my experience here, if I left it out I would have been defeating the entire purpose of this blog. Still, it was ill advised and I regret that part of this diary.

Unfortunately, this blog created a distraction that could disrupt the production of LA REBELLE. For filmmakers, the movie is everything and I've hurt the movie with my indiscretion. For that I am deeply sorry. I've learned a valuable lesson here and I sincerely hope that a terrific movie can be made of LA REBELLE. Too many people have worked too hard to see things fall apart so close to the start of production.

I'll be closely connected to LA REBELLE while safely back in San Jose, CA. (You won't see me anywhere near Big O Tires). The entire film production is in my computer, including the names and contact information for cast, crew, locations, sponsors and vendors. I also have the complete script breakdown and stripboards (more on these in a future post). I was just about to work with Sacha and Aitor on the schedule when all of this happened.

The bottom line is that the story of LA REBELLE is far from over. Even though I felt that things could not possibly come together in the time frame we were given, the rest of Team La Rebelle is working hard to pull it off. I'll give them all the support I can via e-mail and (thanks to LA REBELLE's sponsor HaiNet) a satellite phone link. You may regard me as a deserter, but eventually I will be able to disclose all the reasons I chose to leave the production ... and this time it won't be personal.

Until then I hope there's much more to document in the birth of a Haitian movie.

Thank you for your continued interest and support, and we'll talk soon - Ken

Slipping Down the Rabbit Hole

2005-02-21T14:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been a while since my last post, but after reading the account below you'll understand. Things have started to get strange here, and I haven't been able to wrap my brain around all of our current problems until now. Add to this my increasing frustration at getting reliable help and we have a recipe for creeping insanity.

We've yet to cast our leading lady (character of Lorraine, age 18). Several issues have arisen with Sacha's initial choices, and they are not easily resolved. We auditioned a number of additional Lorraines and had some terrific candidates. The main problem is that most of the young women vying for the part refuse to engage in scenes that involve kissing. The film (now entitled LA REBELLE) would take a severe reality hit if the teenage boys & girls did not touch and kiss. Remember, these aren't 13 year olds. These are about-to-be-adult-age teenagers--yet real girls/women ranging in age from 18-22 are squeamish about locking lips with another actor. For those who can remember being a teenager, did you think about anything other than sex?

CULTURAL NOTE: The cultural basis for the young ladies refusal to kiss on screen involves the notion that the actors on screen are actually playing themselves. We have 2 women kiss in SKIN DEEP and many Haitians have asked us where we found 2 lesbians to play the roles. We have yet to convince most Haitians that the actresses in SKIN DEEP were ACTING and not really homosexual.

For our potential leading ladies it came down to this: If I kiss someone on screen who isn't my boyfriend, then I'm cheating on my real boyfriend (or I'm a loose woman, or a whore, or some other person of questionable morals). One lovely and talented girl actually wanted to consider the kissing scenes, but she needed to ask her boyfriend about it. He flat out refused to "allow" her to be in our film if kissing was involved.

IRONY NOTE: Given the concerns about swapping spit on screen, one would think these "girls" are virginal pillars of virtue. The Haitian grapevine (the most rapid and reliable communication system in this part of the world) clearly indicates that none of these young ladies would ever be mistaken for Pollyanna. Another young woman, age 20 with a dancing career looming in her future, turned us down because of her concern about "what the Haitian public would think of me," if she's seen on screen kissing a man who is not her real-life husband/lover/boyfriend.

Maybe it's me, but isn't that pretty fucked up? We have a grand total of 2 women who are willing to enact the PG-rated intimate encounters required by the script. It looks like these will be our leading lady and her best friend. The bonus is that they're both among the best in terms of actual acting talent, even though none of our candidates have previous film or advanced theater experience.

Edner, our Haitian executive producer, gave us the names of people to do the hair, make-up and wardrobe for the film. He's worked with them before and we assumed he'd accounted for their services in the budget. Today, Edner refused to spend one gourde more than he spent on his last film for the same services, even though he wants LA REBELLE to have higher production values.

BUDGET NOTE: I still haven't been given a firm budget number for the production of this movie, and we're 10 days from the start of shooting. It is my feeling that Edner does not have all the money for the film and he's stalling. If we don't know how much money we have to make the movie, how can we secure the necessaryservices and personnel to actually pull this off? A meeting with Edner is scheduled for this evening.

I thought we'd have no problem attracting crew members. Not only have Haitian films paid little or nothing to their film crews, few people here have experience--even at the amateur level. That's why I was surprised when our candidate for First Assistant Director asked for $10,000 for the 24 day shoot (see below for more). Granted, 1st AD is a great deal of work, but that position hasn't even existed on most Haitian film shoots.

The fact that 2 Americans are making a movie here has led to the notion that we're offering Hollywood-style bucks. We have to constantly remind people that this is a Haitian movie and the budget (in Haitian dollars) is severely limited. No other Haitian film has reached any sort of an international audience, so the total revenue one can expect just from Haiti is finite and small. While we hope to attract an international audience for LA REBELLE, the money folks can't count on it.

MORE: We're offering a salary of $200 Haitian per day for the crew members. That's only about $27 US, but a decent percentage of our budget (whatever that is, but go with me on this). The 1st AD person was asking for $10,000 and I assumed that was Haitian. Since $200 x 24 = $4,800 Haitian for the entire shoot I thought we had some negotiating room. "No," he clarified, "10,000 US DOLLARS," or $74,000 Haitian. That, my friends, is non-negotiable.

Our next 1st AD candidate did talk us out of a bit more than $200 Haitian/day, even though he'd never been an assistant director and had only a vague idea about what the job entailed. A few days later he had to quit because he'd accepted a job to direct a Haitian feature film. I'm wondering who would hire someone to direct who's never made a film and didn't know the job of assistant director. We have officially exhausted the supply of potential AD's in Haiti. Now what?

This past weekend, Sacha had to go to Miami and pick up some equipment for the shoot. He was also meeting our Director of Photography, the famous Basque-man Aitor Mantxola, who will be lensing LA REBELLE. He's the same cinematographer we had for SKIN DEEP. The budget and equipment he'll be working with this time out is the smallest he's seen since film school. In fact, in film school we had more lights. As a result of Sacha's absence, I had my first 2 days alone in Haiti, complete with driving privileges and a cool Kia Sportage. I also had to negotiate downtown Port-au-Prince in order to renew my soon-to-expire passport.

IRONY NOTE: In the US it takes $85 US and at least 4-6 weeks to renew a passport. At the American Embassy in Port-au-Prince it takes 10-14 DAYS. So, if you ever need a passport fast, come to Haiti. It's also only $55 US here.

By far, the most difficult thing to get in Haiti is a straight answer. My experience in getting downtown to the US Embassy is a case in point.

Our production designer (a former Miss Haiti and the Miss Universe First Runner-Up) was to be my navigator on Ken's Excellent Downtown Adventure. I asked her to merely tell me, at least a few feet in advance, where I needed to make a turn and in which direction. After driving past the first 3-4 turns I realized that, unless I could read her mind, I was never going to find out about a turn until I'd passed it. I missed another turn because I was instructed to "go down here." Since we were on the side of a hill, and the road I was on was headed down that hill, I assumed I should go straight ahead. You know, down the road here.

I was told that, in Haiti, they refer to down and up as directions rather than the more traditional left and right. Since everybody knows which direction is up and which is down, there's no confusion. My point was that the road we were on was, geographically speaking, technically down so I did not realize I should have turned on a road that was MORE down that the road I was on. I repeated my requested for "left or right" as the exclusive answers my brain would accept under the stress of negotiating Port-au-Prince traffic. At the next turn I was instructed to go "Up."

When we arrived at the US Embassy I discovered an entire industry devoted to making passport photos. I was told we needed 3 photos, but every person on the street insisted we only needed 2. Since a cousin of Sacha (and an employee at the US Embassy) told us 3 pics, we went with that. The first vendor said he'd be pleased as punch to make me 3 photos for $50 Haitian (about $6.75 US), but my guide told me we could get a better deal elsewhere. She went to another vendor who was wiling to make 4 photos for $40 Haitian (even though, as he insisted, we only needed 2).

We had a deal and I sat in a tiny trailer for the photos, made using a circa 1950's Polaroid. Once the pics had self-developed, the vendor held out the 4 photos and demanded $80 Haitian. He pointed to a sign in his trailer, behind a jacket, that said 2 photos for $40 Haitian. I said that we had a deal, but he kept pointing to his sign. My guide came to the rescue. She and the vendor hammered away at each other in Creole (especially effective for cursing and arguing) for several minutes before she stormed out. The vendor made one last plea with me for $80 Haitian, but I just shook my head and said in fractured Creole, "We had a deal, man."

As we walked to still another vendor we were followed by a woman from the first vendor who insisted that we pay for the 4 photos. I was about to be seated for more pics in another cramped trailer when the woman finally relented and agreed to $40 Haitian for the 4 photos (which had begun to stick together). After I gave her the $40 she grabbed ahold of the photos in my hand and said she'd really feel a a great deal better about the transaction if I could include an additional 80 gourdes ($16 Haitian). I snatched the photos from her and made my way quickly to the embassy gate.

Along the way a number of people on the street had seen me reach into my wallet and remove some cash. Up until that point it could only be assumed that I had money on me (being a white American). Now it was confirmed and I had a bulls-eye drawn on my pocket. People wanted me to make change for them, buy their products, come and meet their sister, and every scam known to man--even a few the Devil himself doesn't know about. I did not breath easily until the huge, metal door of the embassy slammed shut behind me.

The passport process was painless and quick. When I left the embassy I ran as fast as I could into our car and locked the doors. I waited several minutes for my 2 female guides to make the same trip.

By the way, I only needed 2 photos to renew my passport.

Later the next day, I was tasked to pay a restaurant bill for our crew. The bill was 1440 gourdes, Since a tip on top of that would be a total of 1690 gourdes, I removed 4-500 gourde notes, gave them to our server and asked for the change. He never returned. I told everybody else to go to the car and I would take care of it. When I located our server I asked him for the change. He held out 60 gourdes and said, "Pou mwen?" ("For me?"). I said, "Mwen gen-u 2000 goud." He replied, "No, messu, u bam 1500 goud." He even showed me the cash register transaction that claimed I paid him 1500 gourdes.

We had a situation here.

We yammered back & forth for a few heated moments before I insisted on seeing the owner. She was seated at a table across the room. As I moved in her direction our server got to her first and insisted that I only paid him 1500 gourdes. She asked me if I was certain I gave him 2000, and I assured her that I was. I asked her to do a cash register count if she didn't believe me.

Suddenly, the server ran back to our table and reappeared with a 500 gourde note! He spoke with the owner but I could not follow their conversation. Then, she turned to me and said that the 500 note + the 60 gourdes was my change, and that the server was trying to give me the change but I refused to accept it. I told her that the server never showed me that 500 gourde bill when he was giving me the change, but I would be pleased to take it now. I handed the 500 g bill back to the server and asked for 2-250 g bills. He took it and disappeared into the back room.

Several tense minutes later he appeared without the change. I asked him. in a tone slightly less than threatening, to retrieve my change or I would do some crazy white person thing. He disappeared again for several minutes. This time, he brought me 2 crisp 250 g bills on a carved wooden turtle shell. I handed him one of the 250g bills and said, "Pa gen pwoblem, m-ami." He smiled, took the bill and gave me a pat on the back.

I'm still looking for a straight answer here in Haiti. My quest is ongoing, and I will endeavor to keep you posted.

Bonne chance et å bientot - Ken

The Vision Coming Into Focus

2005-02-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

The great director, Mike Nichols, once said that directing was 90% casting. If one casts the right actors for the various parts, most of the work of the director is done. But as Yogi Berra would say, if 90% of directing is the casting, the other 90% is hard work.

Our slate of actors is taking shape, and it's looking good so far. We have the one of the most respected dramatic actors (the Tom Hanks of Haiti) in the lead male role as Carl. He's the wealthy single parent of our teenage rebel, Lorraine. Carl meets Elizabeth, a self-made independent woman who is quickly becoming the first significant relationship for Carl since his wife died. Negotiations are still underway with the actress to play Elizabeth and we should know more by later today. Since our wage offer can't be increased much at all, she wants a piece of the back end. That isn't as obscene as it sounds: she's asking for a portion of the production company's share of the profits. Her request is a whopping 1%, but Edner hasn't budged from his offer of 0%.

When Carl and Elizabeth look to be getting serious, our heroine Lorraine doesn't like the fact that there's another woman in Daddy's life. She's been his center of attention and doesn't plan to be #2. She begins to act out (a euphemism for sex and drugs) and starts heaping tons of abuse on Elizabeth to discourage whatever designs she may have on Dad. Our lovely and talented 17 year old star-to-be has officially turned down the part. She has too much going on at school, she's in the home stretch of her senior year, and she doesn't want to miss her senior trip planned during the middle of our shoot. C'est dommage, que sera sera, c'est la vie-c'est la guerre, and all those other French sayings. It's on to option #2.

Option number 2 is a 21 year-old woman with very little acting experience. She's done a lot of modeling and is very attractive. She looks a bit older than 17-18 (Lorraine's age) but her face has some baby fat that helps sell the fact that her character is still a girl and not yet a woman. Like every other actor we've offered roles in the film, she complained about the money. But Sacha managed to convince her that this role would be well worth the time--if only just for the experience.

NOTE HERE: The given for all independent (read low budget) films is the producers must convince ALL cast & crew that their project is potentially life altering. You play the hand your dealt, and indie producers usually have no cards at all, so they must use the most useful tool in their bag: bullshit. I'm not saying 100% bullshit because indie filmmakers wouldn't be making films if they didn't have true passion for their work. But for most crew members and cast, any film gets down to one thing: damn hard work. If the pay is good, the hard work is less of a factor. If the pay is crap, the indie producer attempts to convince the potential cast/crew member the work will be so wonderful --it won't even seem like work! That's the part of the sales job that's bullshit. I gauge the percentage to be about 90%.

It's very important for all collaborators to feel that the casting decisions made by the director were all his #1 choice. Even if they know the truth, this should never affect their work on the film. I don't want to hear any, "See, I told you so-and-so would be better." That infects the attitude of the entire crew and undermines the confidence of the actor. Whomever is cast, they are our absolute best, tip-top, #1 choice for the role. Confidence is the actor's the actor's best friend. The lack of it is our worst nightmare, because no matter how great the rest of the film's elements are (picture quality, sound, music score, etc) the performances remain the most critical factor in any film's success or failure.

Last night we were very fortunate to reach agreement with the most popular comedian in all of Haiti to play the part of Carl's butler. Much of the action in PITIT MWEN takes place at Carl's home. The butler is constantly eavesdropping on the conversations and behavior of our characters and commenting on it. It's like a Greek chorus, and this thread will add considerable comic relief to a mostly dramatic story.

I'll be giving you the names of our cast once contracts are signed. You'll be able to find out about some of these individuals on the web through various sites. One where you can get started is

Tequila Minsky's Haitian Film Database at
http://www.haitiforever.com/fora/film/curvers.html

Also check out Windows On Haiti at
http://haitiforever.com/windowsonhaiti/welcome.html

and Haiti Global Village at
http://www.haitiglobalvillage.com/

Stay tuned for more pre-production updates as we get closer to our shoot start date on 4 March 2005.

Bonne chance et á bientot - Ken

Transformation: Words Into Images

2005-02-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in the life of every movie when the words of the script start to become the images the audience will ultimately experience. This is an incredibly exciting time for us. Up until now each person who's read the script has conjured up his/her own movie-in-the-mind. The most important of these preliminary visions is that of the director. It is his/her version of the script that the cast & crew will attempt to create. The director, with significant contributions from the movies-in-the-head of his collaborators, brings all of the elements of the film together into a cohesive and (hopefully) coherent piece of cinema.

PITIT MWEN has 101 scenes taking place in 29 different locations to be completed in 24 shooting days. Do the math and you'll see that we have what is basically an impossible task. Since one location will be the setting for 8 days of shooting, it means we'll have to move to 3-4 different places in one day on many occasions. Every film ever made goes through the process of seeming to be impossible at first. Those who are discouraged by this will never make a movie. Those who make movies see this as merely the start of a long, strange trip.

Let me go over the organization of personnel for our film so you can see how we've begun to push this enormous boulder up a steep hill. Sacha (our director) has been working with Marlie, a 24 yo Haitian woman who was the voice of Victoria in SKIN DEEP, Version Haitienne. They are translating Sacha's English rewrite of the script into French & Creole. Meanwhile, my production team (me, Regi, Paul-Henri and Carine) has been collecting information for cast & crew selection, attempting to secure sponsorships for our many production needs, and scouting potential locations. Once it has been established that a particular location is available to us, we show it to the director to see if it works for his "vision."

This is the point in the process when the real movie begins to come alive for those of us on the creative team. Each location and actor that we secure for the film adds another piece to the puzzle. Needless to say, this is a critical period in the filmmaking process. Time spent wandering the mountains and forests in Furcy (which we did on Mardi Gras) is, in fact, productive creative time. My job now is helping Sacha to "see" the movie. If a particular location doesn't work for him, it's back to the drawing board. Fortunately we're on a roll. As I write this we have over 1/2 of our locations decided upon.

Casting has been held up while our 17 year old leading lady decides if she can fit in PITIT MWEN while she is finishing her senior year of high school. The casting of many other roles depends on her decision. One potentially insurmountable problem is the fact that she has her senior trip during the Easter break--which is her character's big week for filming if she decides to get on board. Senior trip is a big deal for Haitians going to to private school. They head off to places like the Bahamas or Jamaica for a week with their classmates, and it's one of those cherished memories that define one's youth. The choice we are asking her to make is difficult and I certainly wouldn't blame her if she decided to pass. The film will take a significant hit if she does.

Our other lead female decided that the mega low budget wage we're willing to pay her is insufficient. This is a bit surprising, especially since this person has never appeared in a movie before and has no discernible fan base. I also believe she doesn't realize there's not much money to be made in making movies in Haiti, so there's really not much available to anybody working on PITIT MWEN. Our offer to her reflects a fair & equitable portion of the budget for a cast member. She doesn't love the script, so maybe her hesitation is a sign for us to reconsider her as well. When Sacha asked her what wage she would prefer to receive, this actress wanted a few days to think about it. On va voir.

Our lives here have been made even more difficult by the fact that Regi, one of the producers, crashed our car and rendered it inoperable. Unfortunately, he was not injured. Now, instead of the 2 cars we had last week, we now have none. Edner promises to do the best he can, but we're not able to do too much if we can't get around. It's not like public transportation is an option, even though tap-taps are only 5 gourdes per ride (see Haiti photos at
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos for a view of some tap-taps).

I'll check back in during the weekend and give you a pre-production update.

La Plage & Super Sunday

2005-02-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

La Plage
Well, kiddies, Ken finally made it to the beach--albeit at 4:30 PM just as the sun was setting behind some clouds on the horizon. I could have taken a dip, but my choice was to eat and have a beer after an incredibly arduous drive. The beach is about 50 kilometers away from our house. It took us 2 hours over bumpy, dusty roads to get there. This beach is north of Port-au-Prince along the cote des arcadins. The terrain there is dry and the beaches have rocks or a rough granular sand. More tropical-type beaches exist south of PAP along the southern coast of Haiti. The most famous are near Jacmel, and they're more suitable for our film. Problem is, it's a longer drive and will kill an entire day of our meager 24 day shoot. But such are the sacrifices one must make for art.

Being at the beach reinforced my feeling that the sea has a strong force over me. It was magical, peaceful, and I could have stayed there for many days. Unfortunately, driving after dark in the sections of PAP we had to pass through is dangerous, so we grabbed a quick bite, a few bottles of Prestige, and we were on our way home. Over the next 2 months at least I can look forward to ONE day at the beach, even if it will be for work.

Last eve we went to a Super Bowl party at Barak, our club/bar of choice. There were about 6-7 folks there because American football is not popular here. The game was pretty good, but the food & beverage was terrific: spicy grilled chicken wings, sausage with Creole sauce, and enormous burgers imported from Omaha, Neb. THis brings me to Haitian trait #4) Haitians are extremely gracious hosts. The food was gratis and the conviviality was also on the house. Afterwards we watched a live feed from the downtown carnaval celebrations. Suddenly several shots rang out and the crowd dispersed instantly. Almost immediately afterwards, the TV feed went to Haitian carnaval music videos. We went home to see the news and discovered that the carnaval was back in full swing. Even terrorism will not dampen the enthusiasm of carnaval.

Ken Steps Out, Carnaval, & The Movie is ALIVE

2005-02-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Ken Steps Out, Carnaval, &
The Movie Begins To Emerge

Sunday, 31 Jan 05, was a landmark day for me. It was the very first time I actually took to the streets and walked around Pétion-ville all by myself. I am usually in a car and only walking from the car to wherever we're going (restaurant, house, business, etc). Last Sunday I finally stepped outside our compound in Bois Moquette and strolled amongst real Haitians.

Pétion-ville is on a hillside above Port-au-Prince and the entire town is on a slope. We live near the upper edge of town, so the stroll to centre-ville was pretty easy--except for the massive craters dotting the streets. Sidewalks are rare, so one must negotiate the many tank traps while trying to avoid contact with a moving vehicle. Haitians drive as if they had a bumper sticker proclaiming: I Brake For No Man, Woman or Child. Given the perilous nature of walking the streets in Haiti I'm surprised there aren't piles of dead and injured pedestrians lining the roadways.

I began my trek around 3:30 in the afternoon. The streets are much more active than they were back in November. The chimeres have been inactive since then and people are starting to come outside and enjoy life a bit. On this Sunday before Carnaval people hit the streets to sing, dance and romp around town following various bands and waving flags of their favorite sponsor (Barbancourt Rhum, Comme il Faut cigarettes, or Prestige Beer). Along the parade path there were numerous vendors selling everything from home made rum (sold by the shot) to house plants. It was quite a sight.

Being the only light skinned person amongst thousands, I expected to feel strange--as if everybody was looking at me. Truth be told, they could have cared less who the hell the "blanc" was standing in the street with the curious expression. For the first time I really felt like I was in Haiti.

My second excursion into centre-ville was this past Saturday. I had the morning free and wanted to cash the reimbursement check I received for my air fare. The bank opened at 9:00 AM. I was there at 9:30 and the wait was about 50 long, in a serpentine path winding around the small lobby. I cozied up to the last person and began My Excellent Haitian Bank Adventure.

Many aspects of Haitian society can be observed in a bank, particularly when the wait is a minimum of 30 minutes at any time of day. After the metal detector search, one wanders into the bank and meets a helpful bank employee. If you know enough to slip this person some cash you'll be escorted to the next available teller. Since I am ignorant of the going rate for this type of service, I became one of the few white people in the history of Unibank Haiti to actually get in line.

The line only moves forward when the bank guard insists the customers get closer together so more people can get in line. It also moves when someone gets tired of waiting and bails. The tellers work at a pace slightly slower than the movement of a glacier. The only sound heard is the ringing of cell phones, which are specifically forbidden inside the bank. (The award for strangest ring tone went to a young man with Havah Nagilah). If a person of wealth, light skin, or a strong sense of entitlement entered the bank, they just walked up to the next available teller without paying the customary bribe. In a line that had become about 75 people long, not one person made a peep when a woman of privilege walked into the bank and up to a teller without so much as a hesitation. In my list of Haitian traits, this one goes down as #3) Most Haitians are extremely submissive. Not one person in the bank line complained about the wait. No person even exhibited impatient body language. Waiting is expected in Haiti, especially among the lower classes. In order to blend in, I also carried an air of eternal patience by resisting the temptation to let out a long, exasperated sigh, or to batter that line jumper with self righteous indignation.

It was 10:23 AM when the excitement of being fourth in line took over. I had my check, passport and pen ready to go. I'd even memorized everything I had to say in French en avance. Finally, at 10:36 AM the teller looked around to see if there were any "paying customers," then rang a little bell to call me forward. I suppressed the urge to run up to him with profuse exclamations of "Merci beaucoup!"

My transaction went without incident. I even managed to give my address, phone number, and ask for $200 US in Haitian gourdes--all in flawless French. I walked out of the Pétion-ville branch of Unibank at precisely 10:45 AM. I was giddy with the sense of having accomplished something truly significant. In fact, all I had done was wait...like every other Haitian does... tous les jours, toute la journée.

My 30 minute hike back up the hill to Chez Nous also went without incident. I walked right through the Saturday AM market, bustling with vendors and shoppers. I tried not to think about the fact that I had the equivalent of 3 times the annual income of the average Haitian in my wallet.

A Night Of Haitian Music
PITIT MWEN will spotlight 3 major musical talents from Haiti: a young Haitian hip-hop artist named Christopher La Roche (Freedom), pop singer Michael Benjamin, and singer and saxophonist Mamina. I had the chance to see Mamina at a place called Escale Bar Terrasse. This is a bar/restaurant on the roof of a gas station in the hills overlooking downtown Port-au-Prince. We were placed on the guest list by Gerthie, our production designer, who is a personal friend of Mamina. That saved us the $30 Haitian cover charge (about $4 US) and fed our sense of entitlement.

Mamina is originally from Guadeloupe, a French province in the Caribbean. She married a Haitian musician and started doing traditional Haitian compas. In addition to being a terrific singer with a strong voice (think Celine Dion or Whitney Houston), she also plays a mean saxophone. Her show features Haitian hits from the 60's through the 90's, and a few American pop tunes. She even does a set of Spanish language music, some traditional, some salsa. The show was fun and she got the mostly older crowd up and dancing right from the start. We left after a few hours and she never took a break. During her set, she mentioned that Sacha Parisot was in the house. It was met with a round of applause. No mention was made of his producer. I've decided to get a tee shirt here saying: I'm Sacha Parisot's bitch.

The Movie Begins To Emerge
As of Saturday, 5 Fev 05, we are officially 4 weeks away from our shoot start date. As the elements come together (locations, actors, etc) I'm beginning to visualize the film in my mind. It is finally becoming ALIVE.

Here's where we're at in the pre-production of PITIT MWEN:

• All of our 29 or so locations have been scouted. We're in the process of taking Sacha to each of them for his approval. After we get a signed release for use of the location from the owner, Sacha and Aitor Mantxola (our cinematographer from the Basque country in Spain) will visit to plan each shot.

• Our 2 lead male actors have been cast. Offers are out to our 2 lead females, one of whom is only 17 years old. She will be the star of the film and is the only actress we've seen in Haiti who is perfect for the part of Lorraine; our self-possessed, spoiled little rich girl. We're nervous that her parents will not allow her to be in the movie, which will conflict with her final year in high school. Being an actor is no big deal in Haiti and most parents see it as a useless path of endeavor. (An asute observation, I would say). More on this later, but PITIT MWEN will take a severe hit if she can't be our leading lady. Most of the smaller parts are either cast or close.

• Our potential crew members have been identified and we're in the process of interviewing them in order to make our final selections. Preliminary meetings with wardrobe and make-up are set for next week and we've brought on a production designer to help realize the look of the film with Sacha and (later) Aitor. Most of the film crew members in Haiti are used to working for no money. We have an extremely small budget for the crew, so each one may make the equivalent of $20-25 USD a day.

• Another film shoot is taking place in our area as we speak. The film is "la pluie d'espoir" (Rain Of Hope) directed by Jacques Roc. Jacques is a Haitian who lives and works in New York City. He's been shooting his Haitian epic for the past 2 years, and the end is finally in sight. His last scheduled shoot days are the early part of next week and he'll be loaning us several pieces of equipment--and his house for 3 of our foreign crew members to sleep. He also hooked us up with 6 of his crew, all in critical positions, who are willing to work on PITIT MWEN. His generosity will be a saving grace for our production, and it will enable us to use high end grip and lighting equipment without having to purchase it from the US. We hear he's running a few days behind schedule, but he's still due to be finished next week. Stay tuned as I'm sure there will be more on this issue as it gets closer to our Zero Day on 4 Mar 05.

Since this is Carnaval weekend, and all businesses are closed on Monday and Tuesday, getting something done will be a challenge. We hope to visit our beach location later today (Sat, 5 Feb 05). I am so excited about FINALLY going to the beach, but as I write this Sacha is still working on the translation of the script from English into French and Creole. If he stops before it gets too late, I will get to see the beach for the first time in over 2 months in Haiti. Stay tuned to see if it comes about.

A bientot - Ken

We're Up and Running

2005-01-31T09:31:00.000-08:00

It's official: we are now working full time to bring PITIT MWEN to the screen. I arrived last Sunday, 23 Jan 05, and this is the first time I've had the chance to write to y'all.

This past week, Sacha crafted a solid draft of the script, and we've gathered information for all of our locations, actors and crew. I am working with another producer, Regi Chevalier, who introduced Sacha to our Haitian executive producer. Regi knows the people and the language, I know what we're supposed to do, so we make a good team. We are currently working with another employee of Communication Plus (our Haitian production company) who helps us with contacting people and gathering information.

Getting in touch with people here in Haiti is a major undertaking. Most folks have cell phones, but the system is not reliable. In addition, many of the people we are trying to contact (cast & crew--mostly amateurs) live on a tight budget so their phones are often out of minutes (all cell phones in Haiti are pre-paid). We need detailed information about each cast & crew member's availability so we can make selections and develop a schedule for production. All of our actors and most of the crew have other (paying) jobs so availability is highly variable and not always flexible. We can't afford to pay them to give up their real jobs, so juggling the schedule to meet their availability is crucial.

As I continue to have interractions with more and more Haitians, some cultural idiosyncracies are starting to emerge. One may call these generalizations or stereotypes, but the pattern of behavior is constant among a diverse number of Haitians from various social classes. A thorough understanding of the culture in which I'm working is absolutely necessary if I expect to actually get something done.

I am certainly not saying, "All Haitians are like this," but some things are just too common. Herewith are some of the patterns of behavior I've noticed so far:

• Punctuality is not a high priority for most Haitians. Clocks should just show the hour of the day and a note saying, "a little after the hour." If one has an appointment at, say 10:00 AM, arriving at 10:59 AM is still considered to be on time in Haiti. Since film production lives or dies on schedule, this will be my biggest challenge.

• Haitians tend to be good natured and averse to conflict. For my purposes, this is a problem because it is near impossible to get really mad at a Haitian. Frustrated enough to pull out all of your hair, yes, but actually mad is hard. They seem to shrug off any attempt at reproach, and they never seem to disagree with what you have to tell them. As a result one cannot expect to achieve any sort of behavior modification with most Haitians. Expecting someone here to feel terribly guilty, or declare mea culpa about any particular incident, is completely fruitless. Most will smile, encourage you to do the same, and say, "That's the waay things are in Haiti." Bottom line: learn to deal with it because it ain't gonna change.

I noticed that I used "they" in my first 2 points above. This is a horrible pitfall that all visitors to a different land and culture must avoid... and I didn't. The problem is using "they" encourages one to regard those in the resident culture as "others," or those who are fundamentally different from us. The fact is that we have much more in common than we'd like to admit. The key is to dwell more on what is similar, and learn to adjust to the things we perceive as "foreign." I must remember that I'm here to work with the Haitians--they are not here to work for me.

Enough sociology for now. I'll expand on my list of Haitian cultural notes in my next post. Let's just say that I have a great deal to learn here and I'll try my best to stay open to this Haitian experience.

As far as the film is concerned.....the terror, that is inevitabily ellicited when one realizes the magnitude of a particular task, is starting to take hold of me. Just getting from one part of town to another can be an all day project. The time it takes to accomplish any task--even simple things that we take for granted in our society--cannot be predicted in advance. The guideline here is to triple how long it would take "normally", but be prepared to multiple that estimate by another factor of 3-4x. It is the only way to avoid death by frustration. There's a certain letting go that I'm learning in Haiti. Maybe I can apply it when I get back home.

Carnivale is just around the corner and pre-Carnivale celebrations have been taking place every weekend for the past month. The la grande fête begins next weekend and continues through Mardigras (Fat Tuesday) on 8 Feb 05. On Wednesday nobody works as they'll be recovering from the celebration. We hope to snag some B-roll during Carnivale, footage that we can add to our film, for the many transitions we have. I will not likely be a participant in the festivities because of my advanced age (that stuff is for the youngens) and my aversity to mosh pits of more than 10,000 people.

For those unfamiliar with film production, here's a snapshot of where are are as of 31 Jan 05. We are in pre-production whereby all the arrangements, schedules, manpower, and support systems are put into place. Our shoot start date is on or about 1 Mar 05, so we have one month to get our shit together. We're off to a good start with solid information on selecting cast & crew, as well as our equipment procurement and locations. I'll provide more detail as we attempt to accomplish each task throughout the process. Suffice it to say that we are at the very beginning and there's MUCH MORE in store for l'equipe Pitit Mwen

Ciao for now and stay tuned - Ken

HE'S BA-A-A-A-ACK!

2005-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

After a hectic 2-months in the First World I'm finally back in Haiti to make a movie. Things have changed a bit since I left in November. The temperature and humidity are much more agreeable. It even cools off in the evenings to the extent that one must actually have a blanket handy instead of just the top sheet to keep warm. My friends, the mosquitos, seem less voracious and the chimeres seem to be laying low at the moment. The streets are more active at night and Carnivale officially begins this weekend.

The strangest thing is that I had the feeling (somewhat) of home when I arrived at chez nous in Bois Moquette. I got that warm fuzzy you get upon returning to a familiar place. I seemed to have a subconscious checklist: persistent "helpers" at the airport - check...mosquitos - check...drivers on the wrong side of the road - check...fresh mangoes - check.

Finally, after many delays and false starts, PITIT MWEN is starting to become a real movie. Sacha returned from Miami with our camera: a Canon XL2. It's a real beauty and we can't wait to take it through its paces. He also snagged a boom pole, tripod, wireless microphones, Glide-cam, and numerous other goodies. We are almost fully equipped. The issue now is grip and lighting equipment. A local filmmaker, Jacques Roc, promised to loan us some of his gear (the only grip and lighting stuff on the island) but he never seems to give us a definite answer. Since we cannot depend on Jacques, our plan B calls for ordering some used equipment in Miami and having it shipped to us. I can't believe that Edner (our Haitian executive producer) keeps putting up the bucks. He must really be serious about creating his own mini-studio as he's already spent what would be the entire budget for a normal Haitian movie.

I'll fill you in a lot more later. Right now it's balls to the wall work to meet our deadline shoot start date of March 1.

Ciao for now and stay tuned - Ken

Back in the USSA

2004-12-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

You're probably wondering where I've been. Well, may be not, but here's the skinny anyway as I'd like to keep some continuity with this journal.

Sacha had to go back to the USA to take care of a number of things. It was decreed by Sacha and Edner that I could not remain in Haiti on my own. Therefore, on November 17 I returned to my home in San Jose, CA. The following is a brief explanation as to why I haven't been able to update this blog since that time:

Shortly after my arrival I perused my mail and discovered a recent notice from my bank. It seems a business account I haven't used in 2 1/2 years was overdrawn. This was impossible, as I have always maintained enough of a balance to offset any bank fees. My online statement showed an entire page of debit card transactions at service stations and mini-marts totaling almost $400. I scrambled through my desk drawer to the secret place, way at the bottom, where I hid all of the cards I didn't want to take to Haiti. Low and behold, that debit card was missing. Also missing was a Discover card. That online statement revealed over $850 in fraudulent charges!

The culprit was a certain carpenter person who was doing work in our home while I was gone. My wife had become irritated by his erratic behavior and poor performance, so she fired him. The timing of the charges corresponds to when she first issued him an ultimatum. He was the only person with access to the inside of our home (he was our house sitter while my wife and I were in New Orleans).

The person is William (Bill) Link. He lives in my neighborhood with his elderly, Alzheimer's afflicted mother.

After calling the bank and credit card company, I filed a police report naming Bill as the prime suspect. The San Jose PD took the report, but assured me that very little would be done on the case because of the small amount of money involved, the likelihood that the banks would remove the fraudulent charges, and the fact that they had more serious crimes to investigate.

I wanted to draw a bit more police attention to this crime and the perpetrator, so I decided to pay Mr. Link a visit. After 3 attempts to get him to answer the door, and knowing full well he was at home, I waited until my wife came home from work. I asked her to accompany me to see if we could get some sort of an explanation from Bill. Besides my wife, I brought along a baseball bat for protection.

After a few friendly knocks on the door, I decided to use the bat to see if it might attract his attention. It did get his Mom to answer, telling us that Bill was in the bathroom. I let the bat speak a few more words on the door and it was finally opened. Bill began to approach me, complaining about me knocking so hard on his door. I pointed out that he was lucky I didn't do the same to his head. He immediately demanded that I prove the allegations against him. Problem was, I'd made no allegations up to that point, so I asked him if he would explain why he thought I was standing outside his home with a baseball bat.

Bill then threatened to call the police. I said, "No problem," and I would wait right there on his doorstep until the police arrived. I WANTED him to call the police. That was my whole point in causing such a ruckus (see later for the slight error in judgment on my part). Loud threats were exchanged and my wife finally convinced me to go home and put this event behind us. I acquiesced and we returned to our violated abode.

About 30 minutes later the police arrived. They asked me if I went over to Bill's house with the intention of beating him with the baseball bat. I said my intention was to draw police attention to the situation, as well as for self defense. The police officer believed me, as men usually don't ask their wives to join them if they intend to beat the shit out of someone. She also pointed out that she believes Bill stole the cards and sold them for money or drugs. She had the occasion to arrest Bill in the past for drugs and other "minor" crimes. The irony that this SJPD officer pointed out is that Bill rips me off, but I am the most likely one to go to jail. You see, brandishing a weapon is a misdemeanor and I am subject to immediate arrest.

Bill, in a moment of good judgment, decided not to press charges against me. I agreed to not go near his house or to harass him in any way. The bottom line was that I was going to swallow real hard and be thankful that my losses are minimal in the larger scheme of things. "Besides, it's only money," said the officer with as much sympathy as she could muster. Point made, and my goal was to put the whole thing in the rear view mirror and get as far away as I could.

NOTE TO ASPIRING CRIMINALS: Credit card fraud is the career path of least resistance by the police. Not enough motivation or resources, so amounts under a few thousand usually go uninvestigated and seldom if ever prosecuted.

A few days later I was informed by the contractor doing the floors in my house that he wanted to start in 5 days. No problem: all I had to do was temporarily relocate every single item from inside my house, find a place to live for 2 weeks, and be prepared to clean up one hell of a mess when they were finished.

That was a little over a week ago. My family (wife and 2 dogs) is sleeping in a motor home parked in front of our house. The water hookup to the rig won't work because water leaks into the bathroom (despite being "fixed" at Camper World in Morgan Hill). A few days ago we received a warning that it was illegal to live in a motor home on the street, even if it is in front of our own house. I spoke with vehicle abatement and the officer agreed to not re-inspect my area until after our floor work is due to be completed. However, any passing patrolman could cite our rig or have it towed without further warning. One of the mitigating circumstances would be if we were actually IN the motor home when they came to tow it. I live in constant fear every time I leave the rig that it will not be there when I return. Fortunately, the floors should be done by Thursday (today is Monday). Then all we have to look forward to is removing the 3 inches of cement dust on the walls and ceiling, then repainting each room before we move the furniture back in. I should be done just before I have to go back to Haiti in early January.

Oh yeah, speaking of the movie in Haiti...it's a go! Sacha just secured the rest of the financing for PITIT MWEN and we will begin principal photography in late January.

Also, SKIN DEEP, Version Haitienne, is still kicking ass in theaters in Port-au-Prince. It is due to roll out to the provinces soon, and special theatrical screening engagements are planned for the Haitian community at theaters in Miami, Boston and New York sometime in January and February.

Check back in with me around January 6-7, when I'm due to return to Haiti. Until then, have a great holiday season. You know I will.

Peace and love - Ken

Photo update

2004-11-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

PHOTO UPDATE 11NOV 04
Here's the info on the most recent batch of photos. They may be seen at
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chilekwk/my_photos
Click on the Haiti album

SD posterHaiti - This is the Haitian poster for SKIN DEEP. I think it's pretty cool! Additional versions are posted all over town and I will get photos of them as soon as possible. I feel that this poster more closely matches the tone and content of the movie than our USA DVD cover. Let me know what you think.

Sacha/Bicha - Here is Sacha at the premiere on 4 Nov 04 at the Cinema Imperial in Port-au-Prince. Just to his left is Ton Ton Bicha, the Robin Williams of Haiti. The others are also famous haitian movie stars.

Sacha/Chicks - Here is Sacha with a small bevy of young women. He seems to attract them like flies, and all receive the customary kiss on both cheeks whenever he meets them.

Ken escapes and the power of language

2004-11-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

KEN ESCAPES TO NEW ORLEANS
Before I left for Miami and Haiti in September, I made arrangements with my wife, Sally, to meet in New Orleans over the Halloween weekend. We can only be apart for so long before I start to turn to jelly. She is my life force and I could not go one more day without laying my eyes on her lovely visage.

Unfortunately it was during crunch time on the SKIN DEEP dub, but Sacha assured me he could handle it on his own until I returned. As you can see by my last post, he did an admirable job.

New Orleans is one of my favorite cities in the US. It kicks San Francisco's ass, and I've never had less than a wonderful time there. We were staying at the Maison Dupuy in the French Quarter, a few blocks from Bourbon Street. Halloween is one of the busiest times in New Orleans, so hotel rates were way up and Rue Bourbon was jammed with drunk, overweight white people--a far cry from what I have been seeing in Haiti. The most alarming thing, other than being in the presence of hundreds of people inebriated beyond the ability to remain upright, was the fact that many of the most overweight people were in their 20's. I am not talking about having a beer belly here. A panel of impartial judges would agree unanimously that 97% of the people we encountered that evening were larger than the good Lord meant for them to be. I am not particularly lean myself (a beer belly would be an adequate description), but this Halloween eve I felt positively svelte amongst the young revelers.

The weather in New Orleans was beautiful; never getting too warm or humid. The mood was, as always, festive and friendly. The food was good, the music terrific, and we got to meet a real blues musician: E.L. of EL and the Electrified Experience. Between Jimi Hendrix covers he sang some kick ass blues on stage at the Funky Pirate. He also showed clearly that one does not need a full complement of teeth to sing the blues. In fact, many excellent blues singers have obvious missing teeth. Maybe it's a requirement. His bass player is Chile Cline. Since our monikers are the same (see my e-mail address) we bought one of his CD's.

Ken's being pretty catty on this post: overweight white people and blues singers with no teeth! I promise to elevate the level of discourse from henceforth.

For those out there looking for travel info about New Orleans, please let me know via e-mail as we have managed to find some of the best food and music spots in our visits there.

It was great to see my lovely wife, even if it was just for a few days. I cried when she boarded her plane in New Orleans headed for home. I cried again later that evening when I went to my hotel in Miami and watched the election returns. It was a different sort of cry then, but my mood returning to Haiti was decidedly sad.

THE POWER OF LANGUAGE
I used to be down on dubbing movies into other languages. I always felt that it destroyed the actor's original performance, and it was pandering to the audience (so they wouldn't have to read subtitles). This experience in Haiti taught me that such notions are misguided and just plain dumb. I personally prefer subtitles, but I am a graduate of the Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics Institute. My eyes can grab the subtitle in one gulp and still have plenty of time to soak up the visuals. This is not the case for the vast majority of movie audience members. In fact, here in Haiti a good number can't read, so subtitles are completely useless. Even those who speak English are missing something because it is not their native language.

However, when we dubbed SKIN DEEP into Kreyol, it opened up the movie to a whole new audience. Care was taken to translate the actor's lines such that it sounded like words actual Haitians would say to each other. We even incorporated numerous local-only expressions to make the language in the film feel even more comfortable to our Haitian audience. The final, and perhaps most important, aspect of the dubbing was the fact that Sacha was actually directing the voice actors. They had to mimic the performances on screen to a degree, but the vocal performances had to have their own life. It could not sound like the actors were merely reading the lines in sync. Sacha was able to match the voice actor's attitudes and mindsets with those of the original actors. This, I feel, is the most successful aspect of SKIN DEEP v. Haïtienne. It feels as if the voice actors and the on screen actors are one in the same.

Language is probably the single most potent force in unifying a culture and its people. If one wants to communicate effectively with any given culture, effective use of language is paramount. But is goes beyond just the words; i's the arrangement of those words, the specific accents and vocal expressions of each syllable, and the use of words that allow the listener to feel comfortable. These all contribute to "successful" communication. The people you are trying to reach may or may not like your message, but at least they can judge your work from their own perspective.

Sacha and I are currently fixing a few problems with SKIN DEEP, version Haïtienne that will improve the overall sound mix, correct 2 lines that use improper French grammar, and delete one shot from the opening sex scene that Edner feels will make the film more appropriate for a broader audience. We should have it ready by this weekend.

NEXT TIME: The power of white guilt, and "Will Ken be all by himself in Haiti for 2 weeks?"

SKIN DEEP premieres in Haiti

2004-11-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

SKIN DEEP, vHaïtienne OPENS IN PORT -AU-PRINCE
Friday, November 5, 2004 was a historic day for Haitian cinema. The very first film ever to be dubbed from English into Kreyol and French for the Haitian audience opened at the Cinema Imperial in Port-au-Prince. That's right, we made our deadline and SKIN DEEP vHaïtienne has been unleashed upon the locals.

Our deadline had been 11:00 AM on 5 Nov 04, but last Tuesday Edner (our Haitian distributor) informed us that there would be a gala premiere on Thursday, 4 Nov 04 at 5:00 PM. Due to the hard work of Sacha (while I was in New Orleans last weekend) we managed to finish at 4:00 PM, just in time to fight the traffic and deliver SKIN DEEP to the theater.

A few "Oh, by the way" 's: We only had time to do one volume leveling pass. For those who know what I'm talking about, you probably can't believe we were premiering a film with only one check of the track levels. C'est Haiti! Also, we didn't have time to lay it onto videotape, so we showed the film from our PowerBook. We would have a finished videotape for the public opening the following day, but we had to loan the theater our DVCAM deck as they only have DVD and Betacam players.

The good news about releasing a film in Haiti, and having a complete Studio In A Box, is that we can make improvements on the "finished" version and get them to the theater the next day. The preferred medium for theatrical release here is DVD, but we are still trying to figure out how to use DVD Studio Pro. I expect to have a DVD to them this week so we can get our tape deck back.

While watching the film at the premiere with a standing room only crowd, we took note of several places where the mix sound levels needed to be tweaked. Since our mix was done in the dining room at maison bois moquette (with and without headphones) we had no way of knowing how the sound would play in a theater. Now that we know we can fix it and get them a new and improved version. Again, the blessing of having only one theater and our Studio In A Box.

The premiere was the most rockin' screening ever of SKIN DEEP. There was almost 100% audience participation as they made comments and shouted advice to characters on the screen who were doomed to play out the destiny of the script. In case you haven't seen SKIN DEEP yet, our opening scene features a woman who has a rather satisfying (and loud) sexual experience. After she was done, several audience members gave her a rousing ovation. And that was in the first 5 minutes of the film!

Sacha was interviewed by most of the mass media outlets in Haiti, and I even did a short interview in French. Quelle surprise! Everybody who is anybody in Haiti had his/her picture taken with Sacha (many of them young women). If Ariside was not in exile, he would have been there as well.

The following day (Friday) the airwaves were filled with commentaries urging people to go see "the best and most accomplished film ever in the Kreyol language." One commentator on Planete Creole said that Sacha grew up in the USA, but he can tell by the film that he is 100% Haitian. Even though SKIN DEEP was made and financed in the USA, with American actors and in English, Haitians were taking ownership of the film because of Sacha's roots as a Haitian and the fact that we had the actors on the screen speaking their language.

Our opening weekend attendance at Salle 1 of the CInema Imperial was 2,250. That's more than twice as many paying customers than we had in our home town of San Jose, CA in a full week. Predictions are that SKIN DEEP may run through December, and even as early as Saturday people in the theater were shouting out the character's lines, indicating that this was not the first time they'd seen the movie.

Needless to say, both Sacha and I are thrilled. Who knew that the Haitian audience was so prime for our demented little film? By Haitian standards, SKIN DEEP is extremely risque, both in language and graphic visuals. Some interviewers have asked Sacha how he responds to accusations that the film is pornographic. Sacha points to the numerous Hollywood films that have screened in Haiti that are far more graphic and profane. The difference is, Haitians haven't seen this type of language or nudity in a film made by a Haitian. But that hasn't stopped people from jamming the Cinema Imperial to check it out.

One bit of controversy that will be addressed is the fact that SKIN DEEP has a self-imposed rating whereby nobody under 13 years old can see the film. In the USA it is rated R, and frankly as a parent I agree that 13 is a bit young. I certainly would not want to answer questions that my 13 year old had about what goes on in SKIN DEEP. At any rate, Edner wants to remove a portion of the opening sex scene in order to make the film more appropriate for a wider audience. Sacha and I agree, and thanks to our Studio In A Box we can make the changes and have the new (and final) version on the screen by this weekend. Edner plans to get as much as possible out of the theatrical release, but here and in the Haitian communities in the USA and Canada.

As soon as the changes are made, it's on to making PITIT MWEN!

NEXT TIME: Ken's escape to New Orleans and more on the power of language.

Dub update and "Can I borrow the car?"

2004-10-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

MORE DUBBING EPIPHANIES
We are about to complete our second week of dubbing. We thought we could complete the entire process in this amount of time, but several epiphanies (see below and in a past post) have enlightened us to the fact that the length of time it takes depends on how picky you are about the finished product. If most kung fu movies look fine to you, the process will go much more quickly. After all, the actors on the screen and the dubbing voices are speaking a completely different language. All films of the French New Wave and the Italian Neo-realist periods were post dubbed, and they have stood the test of time. Even the spaghetti westerns were dubbed because director Sergio Leone had each actor speak in his/her native tongue. Clint Eastwood was one of the few who actually spoke English, and he didn't say much.

Anyway, Sacha is an extremely picky person about his film work. He is on a mission to make our little film look just like a Hollywood-dubbed product. I am willingly following him into the abyss on this one, and it seems as if the process will never end. Enter our Haitian distributor, Edner Jean. Edner selected a release date for SKIN DEEP (Version Haitien) without actually consulting with us about how long the process wound take. He has us booked in theaters on November 5. We won't even be finished recording all the dialog (not counting retakes) by November 1. For those who work in Silicon Valley, you know how much trouble you're in when the marketing department starts calling all the shots. Most of you who worked for companies like that are either unemployed or working elsewhere.

Our most recent epiphanies: sometimes actors move their mouth even when no sound comes out. One of our SKIN DEEP actors does this constantly. Most of the time I'm glad he didn't emit audible sound during those moments in the movie, but now we must have our dubbing actors say something, otherwise it looks like a bad dub job. We're exhausting the entire French and Kreyol languages for miscellaneous transitional phrases and what I call "heefin' & eefin". H & E are those sounds that just sort of come out of your vocal system when you have nothing else to say. Imagine most of what Marlon Brando said in his films and you have some idea.

The other major enlightenment came when we were dealing with a line of dialog that is a play on words, or an idiomatic expression that has no translation outside of the native language. Try translating expressions like, "Fuck you and the house you rode in on!" into any other language.

French is constructed much more specifically than English as far as grammar and the use of articles, pronouns, etc. I'm sure the French did this just to piss us off, but their food sure is terrific. One particular trompe de mot in SKIN DEEP was an exchange where one person was describing an incident wherein another character comes to a bad end. Exactly how this happened is one of SKIN DEEP's central enigmas. The person remarks that whomever called the police didn't see how our character was killed. In response the dead character's husband, one of the prime suspects, yells defensively that she died, implying that the exact nature of her death has yet to be determined. In French, this play on words doesn't work because the usage and grammar is more pointed. It would never be a slip of the tongue. We had to change the original line to say that whomever called the police didn't see what happened (not how she was killed). Then, we could keep the husband's response the same and still gently imply that she may have been killed, and maybe her overly sensitive husband is showing his guilt.

Anyway, this is an arduous process if one wants to get it right. Our deadline remains November 5 so stay tuned to see if we make it.

DAD, CAN I BORROW THE CAR?
I wrote this topic heading using teenager-speak (note the incorrect use of the word "can") because I recently had a flashback to my youth.

The other morning we had some time to ourselves (for a change). We had a meeting at Noon, so I wanted to get out on my own and get to know our town a bit better. Until now I've been constantly with at least one other person, and I've seldom been outside of the car, the house or the office. We live about a mile or so from the main retail establishments in our ville so I asked Sacha if I could borrow the car.

Papa Sacha said that he felt responsible for me, and what would I do if something untoward happened and people started running up to me and speaking in a language I could not understand? Despite feeling that I could comprehend "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" in most any language, I can see where he's coming from. Not only are random violence and crime a problem, but I am literally a walking around with a sign that says, "foreigner." (All the white Haitians could probably fit in the same bar or restaurant.) Until things settle down here it is not a good idea for me to go roaming around by myself.

"But I just want to drive around Pétion-ville, check out some stores, go buy some coffee or something," I pleaded. "Besides," I added pointedly, " when is Haiti ever going to be safe in our lifetime" Like most parents, Sacha had no answers, but he felt that now was not the time for me to spread my wings. Needless to say, I am way pissed off and I feel strongly that Papa Sacha doesn't really understand me. Maybe I'll sneak off one day when he's at work, or late at night when he's asleep.... I am plotting my escape as you read this, so stay tuned kiddies.

MOUSE UPDATE
I arrived at the studio the other day to find our mouse friend lying still on the floor next to our surge protectors. It appeared that he/she died a peaceful death, one unsullied by pain and suffering. He/she was laid to rest in the dumpster next door, and a brief prayer was said on his/her behalf.

Apparently our dearly departed rodent did not live alone. Suddenly, there seemed to be another, LARGER mouse scurrying around the cabinet with urgency and panic. Please keep in mind that this cabinet is about 3 inches behind me, and when the door starts to rattle because the bereaved mouse is playing out his/her grief, it does not make for a comfortable work situation. It's not that I am afraid of mice, mind you. But try not freaking out while random noises are being made behind your work station by an animal with sharp teeth.

NEXT TIME: Ken escapes to New Orleans, and can the SKIN DEEP boyz meet the Haitian deadline???

Photo update

2004-10-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

PHOTOS UPDATE
Making photographs in Haiti has been difficult thus far. When we're in the car, both Regi and Sacha (my designated Haitian drivers) drive like they're training for NASCAR. Given the less than smooth road surfaces, I do all that I can to hang on and not bounce off the interior walls and roof. When we're in a traffic jam, which is most of the time, we tend to lurch forward to gain even the smallest space advantage over the other drivers. This situation is not conducive to good photography.

The other factor is that I am inhibited about leaning out of the car or walking around (something I've yet to do in 3 weeks here) with my camera ready to snap pics of the locals and their country. A more practical issue is the fact that being white AND carrying a digital camera immediately tells all those around me that I might have some money, and it may be worth knocking me over the head for my cash stash. That last item may be paranoia, but everybody I talk to about being here (Haitians) tells me to lay low and draw as little attention to myself as possible.

An American woman photographer for Associated Press routinely wears a kevlar flack jacket when she goes out to make photos. I don't want the pictures that badly.

Anyway, despite the limitations I've added some new snaps to My Photos on Yahoo.

The link is http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chilekwk/my_photos
Click on the Haiti album

Here's a brief description of the photos:

0057 - livingroom - our living room in maison bois moquette. Does this look like a bachelor pad? Where are all the empty Prestige bottles??

0059 - entryway - our entryway in maison bois moquette

0060 - click123 - This is the only cyber cafe that looks safe enough to enter. It is a hangout for tech-starved foreigners and it's run by a Haitian who went to university in the US. Most internet access in Haiti is via satellite dish. The phone system is much like the electricity: occasional and unreliable. The satellite isn't so reliable either.

0061 - Sacha/phone - Sacha in front of maison bois moquette doing what he does best...talk on the damn phone!

0063 - guardkitty - This is our feline friend whose mission in life is to get into our house. She settles for scratches and rubs when she corners us in the yard. This is her game face. She has 2 kittens who have eluded my camera thus far.

0068 - view - a view of Port-au-Prince from the El Rancho Hotel in Pétion-ville, the home to many UN peacekeepers. This view looks northwest. Gonaives, where the horrible flooding took place, is just over the mountains to the left side of the frame.

0071 - slums/hills - Amidst the beautiful green hills above Port-au-Prince you can see what is actually a pretty upper class slum. At least the buildings are mostly concrete and rebar, likely made from materials borrowed from a construction site. No building codes in this neighborhood.

0073 - sugar care - sugar cane vendors sell freshly cut cane. It's quite wonderful, with an almost honey-like flavor. Not like the shit you get in the US (even Hawaii). The large stalk, peeled by this young man, is 5 gourdes. It's a long and satisfying treat, as long as you have a place to spit out the pulp.

0076 - kittyonduty1 - her usual location, where she employs an assortment of methods--both vocal and physical--to gain entry into our home.

0077 - kittyonduty2 - making sure our door mat is properly fluffed

0078 - pothole/Borno - this is the same pothole intersection near our house where the water leak took place (see below). It used to be Grand Canyon-esque, and every car had to completely stop to negotiate the abyss. Before I could get a photo, we had a torrential downpour, which washed gravel and dirt into the pothole and filled it in somewhat. It's called Haitian public works. The street construction you see is a 1/2 completed drainage curb. I don't expect it will be completed during the 4-5 months I'm here in Haiti. Besides, the street surface all around the drainage curb is LOWER than the curb.

0079 - streetleak - This is an intersection near our home. One day a broken pipe was bleeding water into the pothole. The flow stopped when the water ran out. Public water in Haiti comes and goes. Most wealthy people have their own reservoirs and cisterns and don't depend on public water. This leak continued the next day when the water came back on.

0084 - Sacha in studio - Sacha in our makeshift studio, with the actors set-up in the background. The fashionable fabric print on the wall is covering up fiber insulation (probably carcinogenic) that was glued to the wallboard. Haitian soundproofing.In order to get an idea of the room's size, I am completely against the wall taking this picture. Total dimension is about 15' x 9'

0086 - mousefood - our studio mouse likes to eat our sound blankets each evening when we're away. The other day, he was making noises like he was humping something. I hope he's not breeding.

0088 - Ken in studio - Me at my station, ready to record and edit the dubbing on SKIN DEEP. I spend between 6-10 hours in this position each day. A hole in the ceiling drips water to the spot just to my right when it rains. I have to move the equipment when I hear thunder, and we put a large trash can under the spot to catch the water. We need to empty it every couple of days. The mouse lives immediately behind me in a supply cabinet just out of frame.

Movie premiere and bargaining

2004-10-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

HATIAN MOVIE PREMIERE
It was my first big social event since arriving in Haiti. We were invited to the premiere of a documentary by Arnold Antonin, a well known non-fiction filmmaker, educator, and organizer of the local Haitian filmmakers advocacy group. The title was GNB kont Atilla. GNB is an expression in Kreyol meaning that one has courage beyond reason. Literally it means one has "balls in the ass." I can't help you out with the "kont Atilla," part, but I know if I had balls in my ass, I'd be one bad muthaF--shut yo mouth!

Anyway, it was about the recent ouster of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February of 2004. The significant events leading up to the coup began in September of 2003, but things have not been calm here since Aristide was forcibly reinstated by the US government in 1994...after he had been forcibly removed in 1991. People in the US complain about "negative campaigning." but her in Haiti politicos are either assassinated or driven into exile. The process actually has it's up side, but please don't take this to mean I support political violence (as cathartic as it may be).

The film has stirring footage of the mass demonstrations by students at the state university, then by the people themselves. Aristide brought much pain and sorrow to Haiti, and there is not a level of Hell deep enough for him to be cast that would pay back the damage he has wrought. Nonetheless there are many people (mostly NOT in Haiti) who want his reinstatement.

When Aristide sought help from the US to keep him in power, President George W. Bush did the only good and decent thing he's done in 4 years: he told Aristide not to let the door hit him in the ass on the way out. Fear in Haiti is that a Democratic president will help bring Aristide back, as Clinton did in 1994. Honestly, do you think Kerry, or the American people for that matter, care enough about Haiti to risk American lives? Get real.

The story told in the film has tremendous immediacy, and seeing how an entire nation rose up to expel a corrupt leader is inspirational. It gives the outside world a glimpse into the horrible social and political problems in Haiti and forces us to see them as human beings. Despite such insurmountable problems, the Haitian people still have hope.

The film, unfortunately, has several flaws. First, it is about 2 hours long: ok if the material collected could support that length, but it doesn't. The filmmaker begins to repeat images and situations to the point that an outsider (someone not living in Haiti at the time) gets lost. A tight narrative structure, established in the first 20 minutes or so, is completely lost in the middle 2/3. And the ending, which should have been a rousing victory, loses it's steam and plays as anti-climactic.

A more thoroughly edited version of GNB could enjoy international distribution, but the current version should be considered a work in progress. But Arnold has already made several DVD's, and a planed release of the film in a theater in Jacmel (a southern beach resort town) is planned for this weekend. I told Arnold that I would be happy to talk about ways to make the film more accessible to the international audience, and he graciously accepted my offer. We'll see whether or not my input is seen as helpful or hurtful to him. I hope it's the former, but Sacha says that, from his experience with other Haitian filmmakers, Arnold may take my comments personally--which they are not meant to be. If I thought the film was a mess (or bad, or unworthy of being seen by a wide audience) I wouldn't even make the offer.

I was hoping to meet some new folks at this soirée, but I am still significantly inhibited by my limited abilities in French. People who know me would probably enjoy a quiet, more contemplative Ken, but I'm afraid I'm coming off as closed off and rude. Anyway, Sacha was too busy putting the Don Juan moves on a young Haitian woman, so he was not available to introduce me to very many folks. I did connect with the people I have already met here, and it did give me a social setting in which to get more comfortable being here. As the evening wore on, however, my opportunity was slipping away.

Afterwards we enjoyed free nibbles and wine, chatted in the beautiful courtyard of the new Karibe Convention Center, and made plans to meet up somewhere for drinks and chat later on. The chosen destination was the Presse Café, a local hangout in Pétion-ville jam packed with an incredibly varied mix of people. A local kompas band was playing and the place was jumping. Couples danced away despite the close quarters and everybody seemed to be having a good time. The crowd was surprisingly old for a dance club: many in their 40's and 50's. But several youngsters (early 20's) still made their presence felt. The color spectrum was decidedly lighter than what I have been seeing in most parts of Haiti (more on that in a separate post) but the folks with money to spend tend to be lighter skinned.

The boys pestering you to have them watch your car while you drink and dance are definitely poor and dark. "Protection and Security" is one of the really big entrepreneurial industries in Haiti, particularly in the night club and restaurant areas. You have to remember exactly who you agreed to watch your car because you don't want to pay the wrong person. Believe it not not, even after several hours, the street businessman will remember you and make sure he gets his fee. That doesn't stop 2-3 others from trying to sneak in before the true protector identifies himself. BTW, the fee is a staggering 10-25 gourdes (about 30-75 cents US). As I learn more Kreyol from Sacha I am enjoying the various sales pitches that each young man has to get your business.

After Presse Café we went to Barak, a large and crowded club with a long bar in an air conditioned section connected to an open air patio. The patrons here are most definitely younger, and I felt a lot like Gramps standing by the bar listening to the eclectic music and watching the free form dancing and mating rituals. Many foreigners (meaning non-Haitian white people) hang out here and the same folks tend to show up night after night. I heard that Barak shows some US sporting events, so I made a promise to stop by and check out some of the World Series games. They start here at around 7:00 PM, so the place is practically empty then. By 10-11:00 PM it's literally ass to ass. I was able to meet the handful of American regulars, as well as some upper class Haitians. The mood is festive and borderline crazy. We stayed until 1:30 AM and things were still in high gear.

This evening made it clear to me that, if I am going to really enjoy Haiti and get to know what it's like to really live here, I need to come out of my shell. I've never been in a situation where I felt like such an outsider. But that's all my own doing. Nobody here is deliberately trying to shun me or make me feel bad/guilty or whatever. At Presse Café, slumped up against a speaker with my Prestige beer, I started to feel very lonely. THen, I decided to just look at the setting and situation differently. I began to sway to the music (kompas is very danceable, even if you don't dance), smile at the other patrons--who smiled back, by the way-- and for the first time in 3 weeks I felt comfortable being me in Haiti.

CURRENCY, BARGAINING AND MATH
The Haitian currency system is needlessly confusing. It's especially cruel and unusual in a country with an illiteracy rate above 70%. The money is in gourdes. There are 5 gourds to a Haitian dollar, but an actual Haitian dollar doesn't exist--just gourdes in several denominations. Prices in stores and restaurants, however, are listed either in Haitian dollars or US dollars. The process going from gourdes to Haitian dollars requires complete memorization of the 5-times table. If you want to go to US dollars, it's 7.2 Haitian dollars per US dollar.

TEST: If an item costs 35.78 Dollars Haitian, how much is that in both gourdes and US dollars? See below for the answer.

Anyway, even the poorest, youngest, most illiterate people in Haiti can instantaneously convert gourdes to Haitian dollars and vice-versa. I thought they were supposed to be illiterate? I bet most elementary school children in the US can't snap off those calculations in their head, yet children here who never even go to school can easily do it. The reason, of course, is that money is a rare and cherished commodity in Haiti. Maybe if we don't give our kids all the money and things they want, they'll learn math better than they do now. At least it would teach them the value of money, which is a lost notion in our affluent society.

Enough sociology for now. On to bargaining and the fact that EVERYTHING in Haiti is negotiable. I am a typical naive foreigner (openly advertised by my pale skin) and I'm used to paying whatever the merchant says he/she wants for a particular item. I've been told in Haiti that I should NEVER pay the initially asked price for anything except in a store where prices are clearly marked. I haven't had too many bargaining encounters, but I've watched Sacha deal with market vendors on the street. He sees the entire experience as sport, so he gives each and every vendor a bad time about the price of their avocado, sugar cane, car-adapter cell phone chargers (a particularly hot item, which they sell in the middle of the streets), or whatever. He said that the vendors see my white skin and immediately double or triple the price because they know guilty, affluent white people will pay it.
A woman on the street was asking 24 gourdes for 2 huge avocados (quickly, convert that to US dollars!). Sacha offered 20. They yammered at each other in tones that bordered on angry until the woman finally gave in. She relented, even though her children would go without food and water for the next week (a common--and probably true--story from many street merchants).

I was in the car window nearest the woman and gave her 25 gourdes. Sacha just laughed and drove off. I felt like an idiot. This could be one thing I will never get used to in Haiti, but bargaining is a way of life here. It's part of the culture in a poor country where everything has a price but there isn't enough money to go around. I can afford 25 gourdes for 2 avocados, so why should I try to talk the vendor down? Just so I don't get "screwed" like some dumb foreigner? In the above situation, it's clear that the poor woman selling avocados on the street is, always has, and forever will be, the one who is screwed.

NEXT TIME: More dubbing epiphanies, "Don't eat the fresh fruits and vegetables!" and avocados the size of footballs.

ANSWERS: 35.78 dollars Haitian is 178.90 gourdes and $4.97 US It's the price of a bottle of Chilean wine. 25 gourdes is 69 cents US.

Things that crawl

2004-10-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

CHIMERES UPDATE
The idiot thugs in Haiti who want Aristide back in power showed off an impressive array of new weapons they have just received. The cache includes hand grenades, so it looks like the war in the streets is being kicked up a notch.

THINGS WITH MORE THAN 4 LEGS
Any excursion to a tropical place conjures in my mind only one thing: bugs. Living in San Jose, bugs are not really a huge factor in my life. I've fought (and won) many battles with ants, earwigs and the occasional cockroach. In Haiti, the insects are at the top of the food chain.

The flashy, attention grabber as far as multi-legged creatures are concerned is a large, hairy spider similar to a tarantula. It may even be a tarantula, but arachnid identification has not been one of my hobbies. One night we came into our hotel room at the Ibo Lele. When we first entered, I thought I heard someone say, "Turn the f*#&ing light off!" I didn't think too much of it at the time, until I went to the bathroom and encountered the fellow pictured in my Haiti photos (check him/her out at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chilekwk/my_photos
Click on the Haiti album
I didn't have another object close at hand to give the spider some size perspective in the photo, but imagine that a mid-sized car could have fit in the same frame. This is not the sort of thing you step on, especially since he/she was so pissed that I turned on the light. Besides, it would have taken me all night to clean up the remains. My best shot was to convince our 8 legged friend to go to another guest room, or back into the wild where he/she belongs. (NOTE HERE: hotel rooms seem to be their natural habitat.)

I opened the door to our room and performed a maneuver with my foot similar to a field goal kicker. The spider rolled out the door and slammed into a brick planter just outside. At first I thought about seeing if he/she was ok, but if turning on the light angered him, I didn't want to be around when he/she regained equilibrium. Later that night, Sacha went out for some ice and reported that our arachnid friend was happily making his/her way to terrorize another guest.

A GRUDGING RESPECT
I must admit that I have been quite impressed by the activities of one of God's little creatures: the mosquito. I thought there was only one breed of these winged emissaries of Satan: mosquitus annoyus, But in Haiti they have dozens of them. Each one has a different time when they like to bite you--that's right, the mosquitos work in shifts here in Haiti. They also carry different diseases, so if one doesn't get you the species still has other opportunities to make your days on Earth miserable. Among the gifts a mosquito can give are malaria and dengue fever. The only protection against mosquito bites is to cover every exposed area of your skin 24 hours a day. Since that is essentially impractical, health professionals advise you to slather all exposed, non-sensitive areas with DEET, the only effective mosquito repellant known to man. DEET was once thought to be completely harmless to humans, so some preparations had up to 90% DEET in them. At these concentrations, however, DEET can dissolve synthetic fabrics. After many people had their bathing suits permanently attached to their bodies after using such preparations, the mosquito repellant industry did some research. They found that DEET can be just as effective in lower concentrations. They also discovered that DEET is, surprise, absorbed by the skin. Remember, this shit can dissolve synthetic fabrics, so having it in your body must pose some sort of health hazard. Not surprisingly, the DEET manufacturers insist that DEET is completely safe.

Daily living with all your exposed skin slathered in DEET is not what I consider to be a high quality of life. But being bit by mosquitos is many times worse, so I slather myself up several times a day. I consider a good night one in which I only have a few bites when I awaken. Mosquito netting, also recommended by health officials, is impractical because it's also hot and humid here. The netting is so dense that it prevents air circulation, posing another difficult choice: death by heat or being a buffet for flying insects.

My respect for mosquitos comes from the fact that, despite the advances of modern chemistry and health awareness, those little bastards still manage to get to you. When I arrived in Haiti, I was determined to NEVER let a mosquitos lips touch my skin. (NOTE HERE: do mosquitos have lips?). My virginity was lost about an hour after landing. This solidified my resolve to at least keep the bites to a minimum. I have yet to determine what a "minimum" is in terms of insect bites, but I find that 3-4 per day do not seem to have a negative effect on my quality of life. Of course, that depends on where you are bitten, and that's where I really learned to respect mosquitos.

After a careful analysis of my daily life here in Haiti, I identified specific times each day when I was most vulnerable to encountering a hungry mosquito. My plan was to make that designated dangerous exposure time as short as possible. Here's an example: When I get up each morning to take my first pee, that is when I am the most vulnerable. I'm sleepy, most of my DEET has worn off, and I am about to expose some areas that have not been DEET slathered. I've got my peeing time down to a brisk 85 seconds on average, and the exposed areas are minimal. In the almost 3 weeks that I've been here, I've still managed to suffer about 10 bites while taking my morning pee. Since I must expose some sensitive areas during this activity, I can't really expect to put DEET on all of them. Well, low and behold, I have received two bites right in the small of my back (where I cannot reach to scratch) and an astounding THREE on the inside of my thigh! One area I cannot reach to get the DEET on, the other is way too close to parts of my body where I refuse to apply something to my skin that dissolves synthetic fabric. The bottom line: those goddamn creatures are resourceful and determined. No area is sacred to them. At night I often sleep 100% covered by the sheet. I can do this because I use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea, so it's kind of like scuba gear for staying under linens. One night, I apparently let one finger slip outside the sheet and I received a bite on the very tip of my finger. Another time I was bitten in the palm of my hand: the thickest and toughest part of the human skin. Do these little guys want my blood? You betcha!

I also have in my room a device made by a company called Fumakilla. It emits a vapor of pralethrin, known to destroy mosquitos under laboratory conditions. This has an effect on the mosquitos much like a big bong hit of some really excellent hashish. The mosquitos are sent into a stupor and slowly move away from my room. They then go into another room in the house and get the insect version of the munchies. OK for me, bad for my roommates. I'm still waiting to see if Fumakilla will melt any of my polyester pants

A human being can learn to live with many things, but mosquitos are not one of them. I honestly believe that Adam and Eve got their naked asses chewed off in the Garden Of Eden at the dawn of man, and the last living human on Earth will spend most of his/her day searching for DEET. Mosquitos run the planet. We're just here to feed them.

ONE LAST NUISANCE CREATURE
Today as I was preparing the PowerBook for our dubbing session, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye as it scurried across the floor. My curiosity got the best of me so I began to follow it. It was a mouse. He has been living in a cabinet in our "studio" because his nightly activities are noisy enough to ruin a couple of sound takes. His latest activity has been to begin eating our sound blankets. The room is now covered with the probably toxic material inside these blankets (they are much like the old U-Haul moving blankets). He/she spent most of the day running back and forth along a wall, scurrying amongst our many computer and sound cables. If I couldn't step on a big, hairy spider I sure as hell wasn't going to step on a fellow mammal. I tried to reason with him/her, but failed miserably. The owner of the building asked me if I wanted him to put out some traps. "No thanks," I replied. "We'll just try to get the work done before our sound blankets are gone." Live in harmony with nature, I always say.

NEXT TIME: A Haitian movie premiere

Birthdays and dubbing epiphanies

2004-10-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

I expect that, since very few people have been killed as a result of the activities of the chimeres, Haiti hasn't been in the US news lately. Besides, the election is near and for those who haven't heard what the candidates have to say for the 100th time, the US media is duty bound to continue giving you the same bullshit. I am so enjoying NOT hearing all of that. We should take a lesson from the British and only allow campaigning over a specific (and short) period of time just before the election. It is beyond me that someone out there could still be undecided. Bored-?? Yes. Cynical-?? You betcha. But not being able to decide between Bush and Kerry?? If you don't know by now you probably shouldn't be voting.

I hereby encourage ALL citizens to vote for the candidate of his/her choice. I even voted absentee, despite being here in Haiti, so you have no excuse.

The Haitians would gladly elect Satan for the role of benevolent dictator is he could stop the chimeres and fix the potholes in the roads. Remember when Jacque Chirac was elected Mayor of Paris because he promised to clean up all the doggie dodo? When one doesn't have even his/her basic needs fulfilled, who cares about politics. Many here are remembering, with some fondness, the days of the Duvaliers--Papa and Baby Doc--who ran Haiti with an iron fist. Hey, you could get killed for speaking out against the government, but at least the trash was picked up and you didn't live in fear of random criminal activity. I spoke with one woman who wanted to go to Great Britain, but to get a visa she needed to Fed-Ex her passport to an office in the US for 2-3 weeks. She was fearful of doing that in case she needed to leave Haiti quickly and her passport was not in her possession. Does anybody in the US care if they'd be passport-less for 2-3 weeks? I guess if you wanted to get a quickie divorce in the Dominican Republic you'd be out of luck.

The point of all this rambling is that I'm getting first hand experience in why a fascist form of dictatorship is appealing under certain circumstances. What good does it do to have the right to vote is you are likely to get killed taking your kid to school (as one man did last week). When fear runs rampant in the citizenry, tough guy despots seem like a viable option. Plato's notion of a Philosopher King was for other, more esoteric reasons... but any philosopher king worth his salt would kick some ass if criminals were terrorizing the people.

A HAITIAN BIRTHDAY
On Sunday I achieved the ripe old age of 52. Anaise, one of the owners of the company funding our work, was also celebrating her birthday, so she invited Sacha, Regi and me to her home for a family celebration. We brought her some American champagne (excuse me....sparkling wine) to show her that it wasn't only the French who could produce quality bubbly beverages. Edner gave me a bottle of Barbancourt Rhum, Speciale du Domaine: Haiti's finest rum that is aged for 15 years. I told him that it is the dream of many middle aged men to have a 15 year old for his birthday. I don't think he got the joke.

The gathering was festive and fun. I was touched that these complete strangers are making me feel so welcome. We had lots of good food, sang Happy Birthday in both French and English. Later, over rum cocktails, we talked about politics (in both French and English). Haitians are very passionate conversationalists and the house was filled with the sounds of people having a good time. In many cultures, raised voices usually mean an argument. Haitians are loud when they're having a good time.

Haitians have a terrific, self-effacing sense of humor. They enjoy telling stories and jokes about themselves that reveal painful truths about their culture. I'll recount more of these later, but a short one is: How do you get 3 Haitians to cooperate with each other? Kill 2 of them.

ELEMENTARY DUBBING
I always took dubbing as a cheap and easy way out. I've seen few dubbed movies (from one language into another) that are very convincing. The problem is, I'd never seen a Hollywood movie that was dubbed using state-of-the-art technology, and highly skilled translators and audio technicians. Now that I have, I realize that our primitive set-up and technique, as advanced as it is for a low budget movie, leaves something to be desired. We've nailed the timing of the lines. We're even getting convincing performances from our inexperienced actors. What fails the test are the movements of the lips. But how can the lip movements be convincing if they are speaking a completely different language? Get a DVD from any Hollywood movie and check out the foreign language audio version. The lip movements look pretty damn good.

We are only about 1/3 the way through the movie and there's still time to achieve better results than we've had so far. The close-ups are especially critical. Bottom line: we don't want to pull the audience out of the movie because it is painfully obvious that the actor is speaking a different language than they are hearing. Most of our close-up scenes are yet to come, so we will still be able to salvage our dubbing work.

Yesterday we began the process of tweaking the dialog with the actors such that the lip movements more closely match those in the movie. This requires running the translation already done, then brainstorming with the actors to see what works. One advantage we have is that we can use either French or Kreyol. The language that best fits is used, except in circumstances when our character would definitely use one or the other (French in more formal circumstances, Kreyol in familiar and profane conversation). This makes things especially stressful for Sacha. He speaks French and Kreyol, but they are not his native tongues. He has a finite knowledge of the different ways to say the same thing in those languages. And, the dubbing has to be convincing to a Haitian audience. Sacha hasn't lived in Haiti for 30 years, and then it was only during high school.

We did have about 60 hours of dubbing left. Now, in order to do it right, it almost doubles the studio time we'll need. Edner agrees that it is worth the extra time and effort to achieve a higher quality result. I knew this would not be an easy process, even if we weren't in a makeshift studio.

HOME SWEET HOME
I told you about the kitty that's been meowing at us since we moved in. Now it seems that she's a Mommy kitty as we saw 2 young kittens following her around the other day. The kittens are unbelievably adorable, as are most kittens, but we still can't let them in the house. Daddy cat also made an appearance, but he's not around much. Mommy keeps a constant vigil at one of our doors or windows, singing her song in hopes that we'll let her in. That will never happen, but we do spend the time to administer scratches behind the ears and back rubs outside. The kittens don't come anywhere near us yet. I guess we don't want them to go away too much because we slip them some food from time to time. We're typical, emotionally reserved men.... but cute is cute and we just can't force them to leave.

Our maid, May Loo, cooked a Haitian dinner for us last week. It was pretty good: corn meal with black beans, tu fait des legumes and boiled plantains. We are having her cook only 3 meals per week, so yesterday she wanted to cook again. The result: rice with black beans, tu fait des legumes and boiled plantains. It was fine, but our fear is that this is all she knows how to cook. I suggested to Sacha that we tell her to go nuts and cook something exotic and spicy--something foreigners never get to taste. We'll see what she comes up with then. I just hope we don't come home to a nice meal and find out one of the cats is missing.

NEXT TIME: more on dubbing, a Haitian movie premiere, and my upcoming weekend in New Orleans.

Weathering the storm

2004-10-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

I suppose my last post left you hanging a bit. Many apologies as typical Haitian events conspired to prevent me from getting to e-mail. At any rate, we are safe, if a bit more cautious than before. I am encouraged by the Haitians, who seem to manage to carry on their lives as "normally" as possible. However, more Haitians (friends of Sacha) are talking about leaving. Thing is, they've been talking like that before and they're still here.

Anyway, things are more calm in P�tion-ville. No gunshots the last few days and most of the trouble has been confined to the poorest areas of Port-au-Prince. Don't let that lead you to believe that this violence is an uprising of the desperately poor. It is a band of thugs who are taking advantage of the fact that law enforcement is almost non-existent. They want Aristide back because he was paying them--and probably still is from his exile haven in South Africa. Now that their income stream has been disrupted, they're pissed. However, on Friday, the nation took a special holiday declared by the people whereby they were not going to work in order to protest the violence. It was uniformly supported. Bottom line: Aristide will never be allowed to return to Haiti.

The power to our house is part government provided, part from a battery-driven inverter. We had weak power for about 3 days, then it went out completely. A transformer was broken and nobody knew when it would be fixed. Our water comes from Mother nature via a rooftop cistern. THe reservoir is in the basement, but a small tank is on the roof...in case the power goes out so you will have some gravity-powered water. With the electricity off for a couple of days, the water pressure became non-existent. It was also cold, but that was the least of our problems. We had just stocked up our refrigerator a few days earlier, so Sacha cooked up a feast from the fridge. It would have been a romantic dinner had I been with my wife. As it was, the bottle of wine and a few Barbancourts helped us ignore the heat and the mosquitos.

Just when we were going to buy an emergency generator, the power came back on. Our quartier is in a rather wealthy part of town and it includes a couple of embassies. Someone must have put some pressure on the utility company because there are reports of power being down for MONTHS. A generator is definitely in our plans now, but the power went out on a Thursday and the anti-violence holiday was on Friday and all stores were closed. We worked all day on Saturday, and when we arrived at home the power was back.

Our dubbing is continuing a bit slowly but generally on schedule. I'll give more technical details on our process in a future post. I am confident that we will remain here unless things get a lot worse. The embassy sent home all but essential employees and advised that all Americans who are not here for emergency activities return to the USA. While our movie isn't an emergency, I figure that thousands of Haitians live here every day, so why can't I? I'm nobody special, that's for sure, and carrying on as "normal" is an effective means to let the thugs know that they aren't going to mess up our lives. Besides, I get to miss all the campaign bullshit here. It's a compelling reason to stay, at least for the next couple of weeks.

Sound rooms and random violence

2004-10-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Because of recent events in Haiti, this post was written over 3 days.

CHECK for new photos at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chilekwk/my_photos
Click on the Haiti album
They include our house in Pétion-ville, a tap-tap, and a visitor to our hotel room.

It's Monday, October 11, 9:30 AM. We've been doing the dubbing of SKIN DEEP under less than ideal conditions for the past 3 days (more on that below). Today as we were about to leave our house for work, Edner Jean (our Haitian executive producer) called to tell us to remain in our town (Pétion-ville) and not go into work today. The mood on the streets is tense, and because we don't know the country he advised us to stay put until further notice. The following will be written over the rest of the day as I'm not sure when I'll be able to get to e-mail and upload this report.

One of our actors had been warning us about working late in the evening. On both Friday and Saturday we worked until 10-10:30 PM. He highly recommended that we not be out on the streets (even in a car) later than 7-8:00 PM. This, coming from a strong and formidable-looking young man, was advice to be heeded. But since we cannot use our makeshift studio during the day, our job is now made more difficult. Reginald Chevalier, my Haitian producing partner, worked out a deal with a local radio station to use their studio in the evenings after 7:00 and on weekends...but we still are looking at only a few hours a day. At our current pace we'll need about 90-100 hours of recording time just to get the dialog recorded. We'll need at least another week to cook the sound before laying down the final dubbed dialog track. Edner's planned release date of November 5 will have to be pushed out.

The makeshift sound studio has been just short of a complete disaster. It is a small room created by erecting a thin wallboard-only wall in the rear of a busy office. The new room contains a large air conditioning unit and an inverter. The inverter is a device made up of a number of auto batteries and a processing box. It supplies limited electricity when the main power goes down...which is several times a day and for long periods each night. It makes a supremely annoying electrical buzz every hour or so for several minutes, and it runs when the power goes off until the generator kicks in. By the way, the generator is just on the other side of the wall next to our room. It is about the size of a small house. Needless to say, our sound studio is about as quiet as an Italian wedding reception.

Our dubbing set-up creates numerous computer files and is very processor intensive (sorry for the geek speak, but it's necessary up to a point). Since power fluctuations are problematic for computer equipment, we constantly live in fear of losing our data. Despite regular saves and back-ups, we were fearful that our 2 250 GB external hard drives would not survive the numerous power-on, power-off scenarios. As a result, we are doing the work on the main drive of our PowerBook. This is not recommended by Pro Tools, or any other editing software, but our paranoia ruled the day. Capturing our dialog is so incredibly difficult, the thought of losing any of it is too painful to bear.

One typically "Haitian" moment came during Saturday's session. It was around 9:00 PM and we were trying to finish a scene before it was too late. Just when we were about to capture some lines, we had to stop because of thunder. It was raining much like it did during the days before Noah launched his ark. When the thunder ceased, we fired up our equipment and started to work. Then, I felt a few drops of water on my arm. Suddenly, water came streaming down from where the air conditioner meets the ceiling. Water began to hit the table and stream towards our precious 17 inch PowerBook G4 loaded with $4,000 of software. I immediately lifted the computer and tried to drag everything as far away from the inundation as I could, while at the same time trying to NOT disconnect any of the cables and power supplies. (Of course this was all after I hit command-save). After a vigorous toweling off, our hard drives seemed to be in operational condition and we finished the session as water continued to flow into a trash can.

Monday, October 11 - 6:00 PM: Today we spent driving around what we once thought was a safe area. As long as the trouble stayed down in Port-au-Prince we felt secure. About an hour after we cruised past Place St. Pierre in peaceful Pétion-ville we heard reports of shootings and other terrorist-style activity from that very same spot. We immediately came back to our house and drank a few Prestige Silvers to calm the nerves. And it's barely even dark out On the way home we noticed several cars filled with young men, seemingly looking for a fight. There seemed to be more people out than usual and the air was thick with tension. Regi wished we had our camera so we could capture footage of the impending war. Sacha and I said that, if shit is happening, we don't want to be close enough to film it.

A note about the UN mission in Haiti: the 3000 UN troops in Haiti have the vague task of "keeping the peace." Unfortunately there is no peace to keep. Violence by gangs of thugs goes unchecked and the perpetrators make sure they do their deeds in full view of the "peacekeepers" because they will do nothing to stop them. The general public in Haiti, and acting Prime Minister Gerard Latortue are outraged that the UN refuses to make a stand against this small but well armed group of Aristide sympathizers. The UN presence here is a bad joke, and every nation member should be embarrassed by the uselessness of their body to help a country that is at the brink of destruction.

9:00 PM: About an hour ago we heard 7 rounds of gunfire from a semi-automatic weapon. About 10 minutes later we heard 2 more shots. Both came from within blocks of our house in a section of Haiti that heretofore was regarded as safe. I have no idea what is going to happen. Sacha and I talked about an exit strategy because things are not looking too good at the moment. We are not war correspondents. We are not heroes. We didn't sign on for this. We're filmmakers. I'm glad our landlady has a round the clock armed guard at her gate. I can see him from my bedroom window. His antennae are up and functioning as a result of the gunshots. I've always been an advocate of gun control, but honestly I'd feel better now if I was packing some heat. I don't mean to sound like a cowboy, but it's terrifying to hear gunfire knowing there's not a goddamn thing you can do about it. The best news I could hear in the morning is a report that a bunch of these criminals were gunned down in full view of their comrades. At least then I'd know that the police (and maybe even the UN) actually cared about the people of Haiti. More in the morning.

Tuesday, October 12, 11:00 AM: Sacha is extremely concerned about our safety here and is considering going back to the US until things calm down. The violence is random and not the product of an organized group. Since there is no real police or military force that is controlled by the government, they have few resources to quell such uprisings. The UN troops are, as noted above, useless. Sacha is speaking with Edner now to decide how to proceed. Our mission here is not to deliver humanitarian aide, or solve any particular problems in this strife-torn nation. Is making entertainment worth risking one's life?

Landing in Haiti

2004-10-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this after my 5th day in Haiti. I hardly know where to begin...

I am sure as hell not in Kansas anymore. Nor am I any place I've ever been before. It would be too easy (and probably boring) to just recount the culture shock moments. Besides, those are too numerous to mention here. Suffice it to say that I am in a land where everything I see is new. My perspective as to what is normal has been radically altered. That I see hundreds of people acting "normally" every day is amazing, and the fact that I will be one of those "normal" people is totally beyond my comprehension.

Enough with the esoteric and borderline-pretentious observations! Let's get down to specifics: Our Haitian adventure began on October 2 in the customs office at the Port-au-Prince airport. The customs agent saw 2 men from the USA with 7 suitcases and 4 carry-on bags. If we were women it would not have attracted as much attention, but guys just don't carry around that much crap when we travel. The agent was certain that our bags contained goods purchased in the USA that we intended to sell in Haiti. As such, it would be necessary to pay duties on those goods.

Since I don't speak Kreyol, and my French is only functional, it was at this point that Sacha took over. He explained that we were filmmakers coming to Haiti to make a movie. The equipment represented our tools of the trade. We opened most of our suitcases and explained the use of each film-related item. The agent found all of this fascinating, but he still doubted that we would be leaving Haiti with the goods in question (refer to the photos for exactly what we brought). He asked us to pay a cash bond on the equipment that would be promptly returned when we left Haiti with the stuff.

Yeah, right.

We saw this for what it was: a not-so-subtle solicitation for a bribe. We acted in the only way we knew how: stupidly. When bullshit fails you can always fall back on acting like a complete idiot. It worked and after some tense moments we were on our way.

Our first order of business is to dub SKIN DEEP into Kreyol and French for the Haitian movie audience. It's now October 6 and our Haitian distributor, Communications Plus, wants the film in theaters by the end of the month (November 5 at the latest). A room adequate for recording the sound was supposed to be built by the time we arrived. As I write this it is still not completed. There is no other suitable space in the entire country to do clean dialog recording--not even at the radio or television stations. The area we will use has louvered windows running the entire length of the room and houses the air conditioner for our part of the building. Not an ideal set-up but we will make it work somehow (plywood and sound blankets over the windows, turn off the air conditioner while recording, work when the office is empty).

Our days are spent mostly trying to get from place to place. Driving in Haiti is like no-place else on the planet. If you think you've seen crazy driving conditions, I guarantee that they pale in comparison to this place. Roads are minimally paved and getting from point A to point B is like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. There are no traffic lights in our area, and damn few exist at all in Haiti. The 2 we passed coming in from the airport were both out. The main street, Delmas, has a 12 inch cement divider running down the middle. Other than that the lane markings are non existent and traffic laws are ignored and not enforced (see a later report about the police). Unless you are ultra-aggressive, you will remain in your driveway all day. One must fight for every inch of road space while constantly trying to avoid collisions with other cars and pedestrians. Every drive is a series of near misses and thunderous bounces over cavernous potholes. Driving is definitely not for the squeamish.

But if you can't drive there's no other way to get around. One can take taxi, but they will pick up additional passengers as they drive and you may never get to your destination. The local transportation is called a tap-tap: a brightly painted pick-up truck with a covered bed. They drive around and people lust jump aboard. When you want to get off you tap-tap on the drivers window and pay him 5 gourds (36 gourds to the US dollar). Look for photos of tap-taps on my next report.

Food has been a real highlight of the adventure so far. Rice and plantains are a big part of the diet, and I haven't had a bad meal yet. Some things I've enjoyed so far include goat creole style, oxtail, griot, and a local hot pepper delicacy called picklees. Wash it down with a cola fruit champagne or a Prestige beer and life is good. Even better is a 5-star Barbancourt rum on the rocks at the end of the day, when it cools down and a gentle breeze sets in after the early evening rain showers.

We've been staying at the Hotel Ibo Lele in Petion-ville in the hills above Port-au-Prince. Beautiful view but this once-great hotel has fallen into neglect. We just rented a 2br house not far away in the Bois Moquette section of Petion-ville. We're told it's one of the best (and safest) neighborhoods in our area. Our landlady has 2 24-hour armed guards and we have access to her swimming pool. The house has air conditioning only in the bedrooms, and the air goes out at night if the power goes off (a regular occurrence). An inverter manages to provide basic electricity, but not enough for the air conditioner or the refrigerator. SInce the power routinely goes out for several hours at night it means we can't keep anything in the fridge that could spoil...or melt. We can get a supplemental generator, but that uses lots of fuel and makes a lot of noise. Not a trade off I'm willing to make just to keep the beer cold and ice for cocktails. The house is unusual for Haiti in that it has screens on the windows...except for a huge sliding glass door in the center of the house, which is usually kept open to allow air circulation. I plan to put up a "No mosquitos allowed inside" sign by the door, but I'll just have to get used to the fragrance of DEET. We move in on Saturday.

Once the dubbing starts later today it will be nothing but work 24/7 until the end of the month. Next time: photos from Haiti and our home sweet home.

Ciao for now - Ken

Victory over software! On to Haiti

2004-09-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

I've been in Florida for almost 2 weeks and have spent most of the time wearing the same boxer shorts and tee shirt that I sleep in. Sunlight has barely touched my skin and I can't seem to get to sleep before 2:00 AM. I'm also drinking too much wine, coffee, and Haitian rum (Barbancourt, by the way, which is VERY good).

After lengthy discussions with the tech people at Avid we decided to give up trying to get Avid Xpress Pro to work on our PowerBook with Pro Tools LE installed. We never had the applications open at the same time, but some sort of conflict exists and it was never uncovered despite a Herculean effort on the part of Sacha and various techies. Avid and Pro Tools share some files and we believe that the conflict lies in that area. It will likely remain a mystery for the duration of our time on this planet.

Avid generously allowed us to return the software for a full refund. This took a tremendous load off of our backs ( a $1,600 load, to be exact) and we decided to take another plunge and buy Final Cut Pro (a measly $1,300 for the full production suite including DVD Studio Pro). Yesterday we loaded it up and put it through its paces. No conflicts that created a system crash, but we still get numerous non-fatal error messages. It's also going to take some adjusting to the Final Cut Pro interface, which I find less friendly than Avid. It also has a number of annoying quirks that Avid doesn't have...but it works on the same computer with Pro Tools so it's a keeper.

In order to accomplish our dubbing of SKIN DEEP into Creole and French we must load the movie up in FInal Cut Pro, transfer it to Pro Tools for the dubbing and other sound manipulations, then go back to Final Cut Pro for output to tape or DVD. A basic test of this set-up indicates that we can accomplish it. Now, with SKIN DEEP digitized on our hard drive, we're ready to head to Haiti!

In case you know something about film editing on a computer system, you are probably saying that we don't need Final Cut Pro or any other video editing system to just manipulate the sound. That's true, but we will be needing it for the movie later this season and it makes output to tape or DVD much smoother if you use it. Besides, we need the video editing and DVD production tools for the Haitian movie later this year.

At the last minute we decided to order a production sound mixer for delivery today (we get on the plane for Haiti tomorrow). It's in our production budget and we wanted to test it out before using it on an actual movie, so it's a good idea (albeit a bit of a close call). What we don't need is something else to pack that is fragile. I hope all this fits in our 6 suitcases.

For photos of our editing set-up (studio-in-a-box) go to
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chilekwk/my_photos
Click on the Haiti album

Sacha and I celebrated last eve with a few beers at a local brew pub. The first place we went to had the Bush-Kerry debate on most of the televisions in the bar, so we bailed. It's because of those idiots that we find occasion to drink more than a few beers from time to time, so we didn't want them to taint our celebration. Besides, even in a completely full bar one could hear the voice of George Dubya piercing through the noise. It was more than we could take.

NEXT TIME: Arrival in Haiti-!!

A bientot - Ken

Hurricane Jeanne and software

2004-09-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

We just had a close brush with Hurricane Jeanne (see photos at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chilekwk/my_photos and click on the Haiti album). After putting up the storm shutters we missed the main storm bands by just a few miles. We're in Southern Broward County and Northern Broward (West Palm Beach area) and parts of the coast north were blasted. Fortunately folks here were well prepared so loss of life was minimal, but damage for the 4 hurricanes this season is in the multi-billions for Floridians.

Today, after reinstalling our PowerBook system software 4 times AND performing reinstalls of Pro Tools LE and Avid Xpress Pro FIVE times, we have concluded that these 2 programs--although from the same company--are incompatable on our computer. We've exhausted all tech support and we give up! Tomorrow, our last day in the USA, we will get Final Cut Pro and forget trying to get Avid Xpress Pro to work. We'll have ONE DAY to see if Final Cut Pro will work with our set-up.

Why didn't we get a turnkey system??

Tomorrow, stay tuned for more software woes and a photo of our equipment. Our departure for Haiti is Wednesday AM.

Ciao for now - Ken

Hurricanes, floods, shopping, and computer crashes

2004-09-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Weather update: We had planned to leave for Haiti on Saturday, Sept. 25. Now it's Tuesday because of a system conflict with our new software (see below) and the fact that a hurricane (or tropical storm, depending on it's rating when it arrives) will be hitting Florida's Atlantic coast right about the time we were scheduled to depart. We'll need to put up hurricane shutters, taking valuable time from our crash course in audio/video editing. It's also a really bad idea to fly during hurricanes. Bottom line: Haiti must wait a few days.

Current situation in Haiti: Tropical storm Jeanne decided to stall over northern Haiti and dump several feet of rain on some mountainous areas that have been largely deforested. The result was massive flooding in an area of shantytowns and extreme poverty. So far there have been close to 2,000 confirmed dead and 1,200 still missing. Deprived for food and water for close to a week, riots broke out when UN relief supplies arrived. The United States and current president George W. Bush finally decided to send some aid: $60,000. The richest country on the planet can only come up with pocket change when innocent Haitians are dying from the flood damage and a daily diet of starvation and poverty. It is appalling! Yet our government goes into huge deficits while spending several BILLION dollars killing more citizens of Iraq. How would you prefer to have your tax dollars spent: bombs or humanitarian aid? Think about that when you vote on November 2.

Shopping and system conflicts

Our shopping spree finally ended as we managed to purchase over $8,500 worth of goodies for the movie studio-to-go. Here's a list of what we must carry (or check) onto the plane:

Apple 17" PowerBook (2 GB RAM, 1.5 GHtz G4) loaded with Avid Xpress Pro and Pro Tools LE)
Two 250 GB FireWire hard drives
Powered 4 port USB hub
Two monitor speakers (30 lbs each)
Sony DVCAM video tape recorder
Digidesign MBox interface for Pro Tools
4 output headphone amplifier
Set of professional headphones
Three Audio Technica condenser microphones (2 small and 1 short shotgun)
Microphone shock mount
Microphone stand (floor standing) with boom arm
Two desktop microphone stands
A music stand (for script pages when recording ADR or dubbing)
Five thick user manuals
Two Samsonite hard shell suitcases - the most difficult item to decide upon
Two 9 input surge protectors
A boatload of cables and power cords
An iLok Smart Key and a dongle*

* - I never travel without my dongle.

Check back on Wednesday to see if we managed to get everything to Haiti undamaged (and without suffering from hernias).

On Thursday, after we had our entire system set up, we discovered that Pro Tools LE kept crashing. After a thorough diagnostic evaluation and help from the Digidesign support team, it was determined that we needed to uninstall all of the software, reinstall Avid Xpress Pro 4.3.1, download an update to 4.5.1, install that, then reinstall Pro Tools LE. It took us an entire day to install everything the first time, what with registrations, installer authentications, and iLok Smart Key and dongle authorization. The re-do only took a few hours--AND IT WORKED. We were so giddy with the sense of accomplishment that we played around with the Pro Tools audio editing software (recording and aligning dialogue) until 3:00 AM.

Our tasks now are to digitize a portion of SKIN DEEP and practice doing replacement dialogue recording and editing. This should get us through the weekend. Save Monday for any support questions (calling from Haiti ain't cheap!) and we will somehow be ready to fly off on Tuesday morning...provided another hurricane doesn't interrupt our plans again.

Old fart note: Most of us old timers tend to complain about young people: no respect, no ambition, wear clothes that don't fit properly, and so on. In my 6 days in southern Florida I've encountered numerous youngsters (age range 17 - 22) working in the many stores I've been in to shop for our equipment and supplies. In all of my encounters I've found these "kids" to be friendly, engaging, knowledgible about their products and willing to answer questions for hours (a special feature of my director/compadre Sacha). It's not that I'd lost faith in our youth, but this was an encouraging sign that those about to take over our society are on the right path.

NEXT TIME: Howdy from Haiti...or more delays. Also, photos of our equipment.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Photos of our equipment will not be pornographic in nature.

Stay tuned and ciao for now - Ken

More Hurricanes, more delays

2004-09-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Mother Nature has been a flaming bitch these days. People living in the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast are being pummeled mercilessly by the recent rash of storms--and the hurricane season is only half over. I wish for the residents in those areas affected a speedy recovery.

But this blog is really all about me, so let's talk about how these weather-related events have affected MY life.

Sacha, our director, is driving from Los Angeles to Miami via interstate 10. He had to stop in Texas to let Ivan pass by and will resume his trek to Southeastern Florida later today. His driving goal for today is Mobile, Alabama--the point of landfall for Ivan early this AM. He hopes to be able to pick me up at Miami airport when I land at 5:00 PM on Saturday, but I may be sitting around at a suitable airport cocktail lounge for a few hours or days.

Furthermore, we 've been trying to order (and have delivered by Monday) a laptop computer system. We need a 17 inch PowerBook G4 fully loaded with 2GB of RAM and 2 portable hard drives. Sacha needs to pay for the equipment on his credit card and he's on the road. After placing the order with one company, the order was cancelled the next day because he was calling from a cell phone. Their company policy dictates that one must order items over $2,000 from a verifiable land line at the shipping address--which also must match the mailing address for the credit card. After trying a few companies we finally made friends with the good people at the Mac Warehouse.

BTW, we put off ordering this equipment because we weren't 100% positive that the financiers in Haiti would pay for it. Yesterday, we decided that we could keep the equipment if they change their mind, so we went full speed ahead. We need the computer in order to test the software and hardware to be sure it will do the dubbing planned in Haiti for SKIN DEEP. Once we're there, we're on our own so all the kinks need to be worked out next week while still on US soil. Also, we've never used the software program before and it's incredibly complex.

Probably the most dramatic news came from our director of photography, Aitor Mantxola. He was due to complete a TV movie in Spain in October, then join us in Haiti in November for PITIT MWEN. He took the job in Spain (his native country) because things have been so up-in-the-air with the project in Haiti. Now, the Spain shoot has been pushed out to the end of October. Bottom line: we aren't shooting PITIT MWEN in November as planned.

Film producers are experts at making lemonade out of lemons. From an earlier post I covered the whole uncertainty surrounding movie shoots, and this one is taking that well worn path. I once declared that postponing this shoot beyond November would be the kiss of death. Now that it has come to pass, I am busy reorganizing my mindset. One must be skilled at letting go in the moovee business so here's my process for this "apparent" setback:

I would not think of doing this movie without Aitor. His contribution will be significant to the eventual success of the finished film. Technically we could find another DP, but Aitor is a vital part of the creative team and the film would not be the same without him. Also, we know we can work well with Aitor. As it is we'll be bringing in a number of folks we don't know to help out, and the more people in key positions we KNOW the better things will go on the shoot.

Fortunately, there are a number of benefits to pushing our shoot out until January. We can do all of the pre-production prep now and be ready to rock & roll next year. It will give us a longer pre-production period, hence the shoot will run much more smoothly (in theory). The less money you have to do a movie, the more prep time you need to make sure things go as close to plan as possible. Now we will have that prep time. We will also know a great deal more about working in Haiti, be able to find all of our essential resources, and generally be wiser and more experienced.

This is all in theory, or course.

The chief downside is cost. We have to live in Haiti longer and that means lodging, meals, and everything else associated with being away from home. The downside is offset by the fact that the movie will be better and the logistics of the shoot will be more efficient. The caveat is that we must make good use of our prep time. Sometimes things get done more quickly with a gun to your head (as the November start date was), but having a gun to your head is severely overrated in the fun department.

NEXT TIME: Ken arrives in Florida, and learning to use complex audio editing software (Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit) in 5 days.

Delays and hurricanes

2004-09-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

Just when my flights were finalized (for the 2nd time) a series of hurricanes began to wreak havoc on the Caribbean and Florida--my near future destinations. Living in California I am seldom affected by Mother Nature. Despite the notion that California lives in fear of earthquakes (one of Mother's least predictable activities), nature does not often intrude on my life here. Florida and the Caribbean must deal with the threat of hurricanes on an annual basis. This year has been especially cruel as Charlie, Frances and the soon-to-arrive Ivan have all taken place in less than a month. As I write this, Ivan is tearing a swath of destruction across the Caribbean with Jamaica due up next. It is set to hit Southern Florida on Sunday or Monday as a category 4 (or maybe even 5) out of 5 storm.

I am set to fly to Miami on Saturday, September 18. Sacha, the director, is now in Miami and set to go to California on Sunday to get his car and drive it back to Florida for storage. We hope to rendezvous in Florida and secure the necessary editing equipment for the movie. We're also setting up the equipment to dub movies into French and Creole for the Haitian and Haitian-American markets. Our first film will be SKIN DEEP, our very own little baby that screened in Port au Prince recently in a subtitled version at a local film festival. The response was positive, so we're hoping to expand the audience through the dubbed version.

Our problems are thus: we need to order all the equipment and have it shipped to Sacha's house near Miami so that we can set it up and make sure it will do the jobs we need. We also have to learn how to use 2 complex software programs: Pro Tools for audio editing and AVID Xpress Pro. Then, we need to take it (and ourselves) to Haiti on September 25 and do the dubbing.

What happens after that is still up in the air. The executive producers in Haiti have still not given us the green light. The concern is the fact that they will be spending much more on this movie than any other movie ever produced in Haiti. It is dirt cheap compared to even the lowest budgeted movies in the rest of the world, but to the Haitians it's twice as much as they've ever spent before. Our pitch is that this will raise the level of filmmaking in Haiti and be a huge step up from what has been done there in the past. Still, their reluctance is understandable and there's not much we can do but wait and see how things develop.

Sacha (with a little help from me) has given the Haitian screenwriter notes for making the script ready to shoot. The basic story is solid, but several structural and character elements need work, and some additions need to be made if the film expects to compete in the international film market. The writer will be working on this while we do the dubbing of SKIN DEEP. Hopefully, by the time we're done things will be ready to roll.

Speaking of the story... here's a brief rundown about the movie in question:

The title is PITIT MWEN, which is Creole. The French title is (tentatively) LA FILLE PRODIGUE which translated into English is the "Prodigal Daughter." It was written by a Haitian writer named Dominique Jean. It concerns a young girl in Haiti who is about to turn 18 years old. She lives with her single father, who is a successful businessman in Port au Prince. When Dad finally meets a new woman and wants to remarry, the daughter disapproves and begins to act out. It's part coming of age, part domestic drama set in Haiti's middle and upper middle class. It is the type of story that will be well received in a land where they don't get to see their society depicted on screen. It is a classical tale in many ways, but the setting is most definitely unique.

I hope that Hurricane Ivan loses it's steam and peters out sometime before it gets to Jamaica... but that looks slim at the moment. Hopefully the people there will be prepared and damage is kept to a minimum. I'll check in again with any updates to the schedule, but for sure once I land in Florida next Saturday.

Ciao for now - Ken

Delays and immunizations

2004-08-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today I learned that my scheduled departure for Haiti on Septmeber 2 was going to be delayed for 2-3 weeks. This is incredibly frustrating as I am chomping at the bit to get there and start making the movie. Unfortunately, things have conspired to push our shoot dates out a month later. Our Haitian executive producer has committed to a minimal level of funding, but he promises that more money will be forthcoming. The minimal level is that below which we cannot make the movie at an acceptable level of quality. The "more" money will put things at our already lean target budget. Fortunately, the Haitian producer wants to make the movie as much as we do. Unfortunately, he's used to making cheesy movies with very low production values.

A bigger problem is that the grip and lighting equipment we were going to borrow -- from the only person in Haiti who HAS grip and lighting equipment -- will be in use for a movie that this particular Haitian filmmaker has been working on for 2 years. We cannot seem to convince him to delay his shoot until after ours. In any case, we will need to wait until the equipment is available, or we need extra time to make arrangements to bring in equipment from another country (more money that we don't have). Bottom line: we must move the start of principal photography from October 1 untill November 5.

Despite the disappointment and frustration, the delay is probably a blessing. The director, Sacha, needs more time to fine tune the script and develop his visual plan (story boards, shot lists, etc). It gives the executive producer more time to wrangle up some more cash, and it gives me more time to help Sacha with some of the creative issues as well as plan the logistics for the shoot. The bottom line: it's gonna be fine.

Maybe...

Delays in film production are almost routine. They can help everybody involved be more prepared...but there is also a down side. Movies, particularly low budget independent films, are pulled off by the sheer will of the participants. You cannot let anything start to drag you and your team into the mud, or the movie will never get made. Delays are almost too easy: a few more weeks and we'll be fine. The fact is, you're NEVER fine on a movie shoot. It's chaos and crisis management at its most absurd. The key is to tell the difference between a delay is absolutely imperative (will help the resultant movie be much better) and one that is just whistling past the graveyard. If the movie is going to fall apart, further delays will not help. A delay can be a blessing (like I believe it is in this case) or the beginning of the end (denial of the inevitable). As a producer, the key for me is to make sure the restart date is feasible and realistic, then stick hard and fast to that date. If we cannot meet that new date, we should probably suspend production indefinitely.

Since I was planning to be in Haiti by September 3, last week I paid a visit to the travel clinic of Kaiser Permanente (my HMO). I currently possess a myriad of health problems. I'm on 6 different daily medications, and I require regular monitoring via blood work for a few of them. I was vaguely aware of the potential health issues in Haiti and I wanted to be sure I didn't return to the USA in a pine box or a medical evacuation transport. The nurse gave me an in-depth portrait of Haiti's supremely sub-standard health care system, and more than I wanted to know about mosquito-borne diseases. My most likely potential medical malady would be from contaminated food or water, but stuff you could get from bug bites seemed way worse. I was immediately administered subcutaneous immuniations for typhoid, polio and hepatitis A. I was also given oral anti-malaria medication, and recommendadtions for the best DEET containing insect repellants to be used 24/7 on any and all exposed skin.

I was hoping to have most of my exposed skin available to cool me off in the tropical heat and humidity of Haiti. But DEET and long sleeves weren't enough. Permanone is strongly recommended for use on clothing, shoes, and bed nets. Permethrin is highly effective as an insecticide and as a repellent. Permethrin-treated clothing repels and kills ticks, mosquitoes, and other arthropods and retains this effect after repeated laundering.

Bed nets? What "other" arthropods?

The final coup d'etat for the arthropods, who will be craving to munch on my body, is a light spray of the insecticide pyrethrin on the walls, ceiling, baseboards, corners, behind pictures, inside closets, under the bed AND under the sink in the sealed room where I was supposed to get a peaceful nights sleep,

You know...I believe this delay -- to quote Martha Stewart -- is a good thing.

NEXT TIME: What the hell is this movie about, anyway?

Welcome to my Haitian blog

2004-08-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

A gracious and hearty welcome to you all. I hope, through this blog, to capture and share my experiences making a movie in Haiti. If you've read my profile, you know that I'm a former dentist turned filmmaker. My first feature film as producer and co-writer was SKIN DEEP, a racially charged thriller set in the affluent foothills of Silicon Valley, CA. It is now available at your favorite DVD retail or rental establishment. For more information on SKIN DEEP please visit the website at www.skindeepthemovie.com.

Sacha Parisot, the director and co-writer for SKIN DEEP, was born in Haiti. He has spent most of his life in the USA, but after SKIN DEEP was released he was offered the chance to direct a film in his nation of origin. He decided to drag me along, and it was a challenge I couldn't resist. Through this blog I will attempt to put my experiences on this endeavor into writing. Haiti is a mysterious and misunderstood country. Most images of Haiti involve overpopulation, poverty, governmental corruption and voodoo. By sharing my experiences, I hope to shed some light on a land and people the world knows very little about. I have never been to Haiti, so we will be learning together.

Your comments, thoughts and questions are encouraged, so feel free to talk back to me.

NEXT UP: Background on the movie, and Ken gets his immunizations