Finished with production! (mostly)

done-with-production-mostly-38We spent three weeks in February shooting the rest of the documentary we are working on, Eating Up Easter.* While it started out as a film about food and resources on Easter Island and the importation of food, it has shifted and drifted quite a bit since that starting point. Now, we are following three main characters and a few secondary characters, highlighting their daily life on this most remote little island, and the many ways in which they are working to move their community forward in a positive, loving way that nurtures their island’s unique and invaluable resources. There is much to learn from their stories and we are thrilled to get to share them.

*Eating Up Easter is getting an overhaul and will soon have a new website. In the meantime, we have a facebook page, where some of you may have been following our progress during the shoot. Like our page, Eating Up Easter, to stay informed about the everyday happenings of the film. done-with-production-mostly-2When we first arrived on the island, it was the tail end of the Tapati Rapa Nui Festival, a two week long celebration of the culture of Rapa Nui, in which sporting competitions, singing and dancing fill the days and nights and culminate in a day long parade in which locals and tourists alike are painted with soil-based paint and dressed in traditional clothing (which isn’t much). Above, Mark, one of our cameramen, shoots our main character Mama Piru as she leads a group of women pulling a float. done-with-production-mostly-5The only beach on the island, Anakena, was overloaded with tourists in February, the busiest month for tourism on the island. done-with-production-mostly-6Continue Reading →

We’re Back (again)

we're back-1Some of you may have seen on our facebook post a few weeks ago that our blogging computer decided to take a diving vacation (aka, it got some serious water damage) while we were headed to Rapa Nui. And since our other computer was downloading and processing filming footage just about 24/7, internet is sporadic and only available in about a 10 x 10 foot square within the hotel, and we rarely were sitting still unless we were sleeping, we decided to let the blog go for a bit.

But we are back in business. The computer has been rebuilt and we saved (wince) half the price of a new computer! And we are back in the land of decent internet speeds, also known as the frozen tundra of Minnesota. We have a lot of fun posts planned for the next few weeks, starting with an update on our filming progress. We just about finished all the filming we need for the documentary, so endless nights and weekends of editing are in our future. But, we are so excited about the footage we got that all the work ahead actually sounds fun.

I was worried I might not take well to the whole filmmaker career switch, but I have to say, so far so good. Being on a film shoot these last three weeks was exhilarating and included everything I love: being outside everyday, switching fast from task to task, jumping at spontaneous opportunities as they arise, and of course, getting to direct people and make decisions and, well, be in charge. Cue a big sigh of relief that this whole husband and wife documentary team thing might just work.

{photo of Tahai archaeological site by Pineapple Tree, adapted to watercolor using the iphone app Waterlogue}

 

Production Phase II begins

production-phase-II-begins-1Yikes, time has run away from us again. We are already about to head off to finish phase II of production on Eating Up Easter on Easter Island. We are heading down with a team of four this time. The two of us and two cameramen. production-phase-II-begins-4We very excited to be bringing some special toys to try out! By allowing us to get unique angles and heights, we hope they will help capture the context of where we are – on a tiny, rugged island, alone in the middle of the Pacific. production-phase-II-begins-3We have so many posts we want to share, but again are getting overwhelmed with what is in front of us. But, we will update posts as often as we can and share how the production is going. Continue Reading →

A little awards gala in NYC

PrincessGraceFoundationUSA-19Our main purpose for being in New York last week was to attend an awards gala for the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. Ta’u had been chosen as one of the award winners for a grant that will provide the funds for us to begin production of the documentary we have been developing called Eating Up Easter. You can find more info and the full trailer for our video on the Eating Up Easter Blog. The film will look at the rapid development of Easter Island in the last ten years as we follow four characters each concerned with the future of the island in different ways. We will also look at how the islanders adapted to their changing environment in the past and the ways in which this knowledge can inform present day plans for sustainability.

The gala was held for the foundation’s largest donors and was a bit out of our comfort zone, dining with New York high society and all….so we just called it our Halloween. These were our costumes…PrincessGraceFoundationUSA-1PrincessGraceFoundationUSA-3PrincessGraceFoundationUSA-2Ta’u had to arrive at the gala a few hours before me, to rehearse walking on stage, to take photos with Princess Charlene, and to get his award, a beautiful little pin symbolizing the three arts that Princess Grace supports – film, theater, and dance.  Continue Reading →