WS-Production Schedule

Production Schedule

October 2005
First contact with school was through Ms. Judy Lublwa. Judy is a remarkable woman, Ugandan but living in Kenya she has been supplying the school with food since they were only 60 students. She is the soul catalyst behind this film as it was her who arranged transport for me to meet the children and become inspired by their talent. As time passed, the student body doubled from 60 to 120, she watched the students’ needs grow. Her involvement has turned to marketing and fundraising, essentially letting others know on a global scale about the needs of the children's garden. When we first visited the school site we brought treats for the children and Judy is the main public awareness agent for others to help the school and garden find a new place to relocate. On my second visit, I met Wendy, a British woman who was introduced to the children’s garden by Judy. Wendy single-handedly raised 900 pounds sterling, in a sponsored slim event, to help supplement the food budget of the school. She traveled from the UK to personally give her gift and have the chance to meet the children she was helping to support. Also during my visit the children waited not so patiently in a seeming never ending line for face paint. I am certain it was a memorable activity for each child, generally the boys got elephants or jungle cats and the girls got flowers and princess faces. I donated the remainder of my face paints to the school as a teacher was interested in using it as an incentive for good performance. I'll bet many didn't was their face off for days as the painting process of 130 plus kids lasted until after sunset.

November 2005
Make connections with other Canadian Filmmakers about possible collaboration. Pixie Cram and Jean-Francois Parizeau to act as point people for Canadian funding agencies. Prepare application for IFCO's Franck Cole Documentary grant. Please note video footage of the performing children is available from smfowsy@gmail.com. (this may take some time as international parcel service is costly or unreliable)

February 2006
Receive Frank Cole memorial production funding grant from Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa (IFCO) - become a official filmmaker

June 17, 2006
Contact representative at Kodak Germany and outlets in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Seek assistance from Technical director Roger Wilson at IFCO as well as a independent filmmaker in Tanzania named John Riber.

NOW---hiatus sucks (kind of)
Holding Pattern #!@$#%*&^*&(**%#$#@$#---arg!!!!!!!!!!
NEEDED 16mm 2R Tungston and daylight 100ft rolls. (X20)


August 6, 2006 Arrive in Nairobi to help children prepare for production.
Brainstorming sessions, each age specific, to outline stories children want to present. For primary aged children African folktales such as the story of hare and hyena (songura & fisi) will be expound to act as a catalyst for their personal stories. Each class group will be presenting one 2 minute skit, in the Swahili language. The preparations for these plays include determining and supplying materials for painted canvass storyboard (contistoria) plus costumes and stage elements.

August 23, 2006 - Rehearsal.
Each of the 6 groups will receive blocking and lighting instructions. A special stage will be constructed within the children’s garden. Older children will help to mentor younger groups and act as my representatives during all rehearsals. A special video training will be imparted to the oldest of the student at the school to help to familiarize youth to new technologies.
During this time props and posters will be distributed throughout the local community and art scene in Nairobi. All title boards construction will be concluded by August 31.

September 4, 2006
Production 10 days, 6 at school & garden ground to capture setting and plays and 4 days at Moses and Sylvia’s house for personal stories and interviews with individual school children. (Contingency shooting day September 21)

September 14, 2006 – SMF leaves Nairobi for London. Footage sent to be processed in Toronto and logged in Ottawa.

January –April 2007 Post-Production
January- Oxbury titles and optical printing (IFCO)
February- Rough cut of 16 mm footage in story structure.
March- Complete Oxbury titles/ maps of travel with stop motion movements.
Post production transfers between 16mm telecine and JK optical printing for editing and animated title sequences.
April- Produce rough cut and sound mix.
Musicians to create any new, supplementary music/folly.
April 19 -Sound mix and optical print
April 30-Final edit with sound and music
May 12 -Transfers to Beta, duplications and creation of press kits.

May 15th 2007
Theatrical release date
*Please note project may be scaled down to finish digitally if funding falls short.

winter in malawi- days on a minibus

so i haven't been avoiding my adoring internet fans....however evn before i left dar i was experiencing cyber failure as the rains returned and shut down my favorite cafes. I have been tryng to get pictures up fro the goat race day for ages but tecchniology is often lacking or slow, like pretty much everything else including me. As it turns out I have been in transit...from DAR to MOROGORO to MBEYA to the border with MALAWI south to KASONGA and finally to MZUZU. A great adventureous trip with tears, fears and karma. This is the last iterenet cafe i will see in a few days as I am headed to the bus stand to catch a minibus down the gret slopes to the lake shore and the warmer weather. My newest friend Elise a young lawyer from London made the remark that it is likely warmer back home than here in africa. go figure. so the story starts here. after hicking half way up the ulsurguru (sp?) mountains in Moroogoro with my frenchie friends, Tamara and Emilie and getting blisters in an effort to keep up, then negotiating with the village chairman( more accurtely, i was sitting resting while Joesph our improptu tour guidespoke fast swahili with many hand movements) about an entrance fee before a retreat to the lowlands. My best day yet was had, as tamara commented that i had found my fool. I clowned around with school children, marching, running and stopping with a flourish. I took photos of te market adn the foods and any kibanda managers who would permit me to do so. My broken grasp of the language allowed me to show off, greeting elders. I needed to stop and put another roll in my camera andfound myself surrounded by watoto....girls wearing wearing torn and chafu (dirty) party dresses, shy faces desperate to be in the frame. the next day i was on my way, cross country, thru MIKUMI national park where i saw elephants grazing by the road side. now i have left to spot giraffe and zebra, but i know that it is merely a matter of time, oh time, mintues days years, infinity just might be the illusion i love and hate the most. the Tembo/ndovu/elephants slowly picking prime blades of grass and constainly chewing. they were quite the contrast to the energy of the children previous. I took a horribily outdated coach aptly named LUCKY STAR ad shared my seat with tomya and her two kids, both boys 2 and 4 years. Watching the baby shake his juice to make bubles i could almost smell him quietly learning. Another proud momment for the accomplished ligust in me, i spoke to them entirely i a slow swahili, searching my mind for every word. But everything that goes up must come down.... so upon my arival in MBeya, a cold cross roads town near the Zambian and malawi border, I met george, who helped me to find a place to sleep, a ticket to MZUZU and even gave me a wake up call at 6am the next morning. I stayed at Njombe lodge which was small cement and great. I peed my pants trying not to touch anything in the choo-toilet and caught the football score and the climax sceens of Jim carrey's break ut film The mask---oh canada--- from my window i saw hundreds f cobs of corns, unloaded from shippment perhaps on my smae transport, waiting for someone to do something to them, i could hear the person singing as he worked.
The morning came i was up and off and feeling good- but the bus was lost. someone had scamed me 35oootsh (35$)so i ended up on a speeding minibus with a chicken over my left shoulder making random noises and blinking. at the border the driver, a woman full of energy, with a nose ring intructed me to follow her "brother" who showed me the way to immigration and cheated me on a currency exchange. Karma for my discressions. ah zut! so as i crossed the 100 meters to the malawi imigration i cryied, unashamed and in redemption with a fair measure of helplessness. I had a bit of an attitude when the next offical asked me hw long will you be here, and how much will you spend! but I hoped on aother crowded minibus, the conductor wearing the familiar marron shirt but written on hte back was- minibus association of malawi. i had arrived and had 1500 kwatchas ( malawi currency) to get me to my desination. the scenery was a ever changing panarama, 1st fields of cotton, maize and green tea plantations. 2nd the lake, big, bold ad full of sparkle witht he livingston mountains on the other side 3rd the winding road up the plateau to the highlands were the temperature drops and the clound get caught ont he mountain ridges and dump their gifts tot he red rocky soil(some green with trees adn crops, some bare fro deforestation). apon arival i resufes a taxi driver being still hurt by my border buddies and walked off to find a bank and get an oficail exchange rate. i met a small boy of 17 named Chiko, who wanted to show me his artwork. I looked, tingting type of vilages and the duggout canoes on the shore. I asked for directions and he escortind me to MZOOZOOZOO, where i got a room a cup of tea and traded my trainers for paintings but no money. My feet still had blisters and althou i got thoe shoes in MEC in Quebec City 2 artworks in exchange for 2 (much lighter) painting seemed like a good trade. now i am on the way back down to the lake shore, Nhkata bay.

bold steps towards somewhere else

i booked my ticket, for the latest possible day i could. Because i started my journey on Sept 15 I must finish it exactically one year from then. so I am leaving Nairobi on Sept14 and arrive in Toronto shortly there after. I had desperatly wanted to tour around europe, visit my friend sonya in france and linda in sweden, but alas that will have to wait until which time i can return ( perhaps on a boat to avoid rotten airline and there many restrictions) and make the rounds of the old world. today i tried to extend my visa ( which expired today) i want to stay in Tanzania until August before returning to Kenya for my film project , friend visiting and flight. they would only extend it to july 22. i waited and went there two days in a row. writing letter, explaining my situation and intentions, and came away annoyed both days.
this picture was taken on the day the leadership school came, and 50 students invaded the territory i have claimed as my house. ( which actually belond to Roots & Shoots, and the jane goodall institute) I gave a talk about team building and poject management to 30 students who started at me blankly. when i posed questions and trying to engage the students to think for them selves, they looked around then down at the notes they were taking. I suppose things were learnt but i found it odd that when talking to primary students about HIV they copied the shape of the virus ( magnified of course) into there notebooks, but verbally passed by ways to protect yourself practically. anyway the eldest girls at the camp shattered a small glass bottle of perfume ( which i now have shards of in my foot ) ripped us off-my hello kity bag, a patch of the tanzanian flag i wanted to sew on my bag, mascara went missing. there was a bon- fire, but we skipped to escape the feeling of invasion, hense leaving the girl to root thru our belongings. i guess we needed to be on guard,
On the day that Dr. Jane arrived, Joanna left ( pictured with me) for Stockholm. I miss her, but cheer for football in memory. I know i'll catch up with her again someday.
i have been notified by a headmaster that i have not been shortlisted for the kindergarden teacher job. Sadly but with my head held high i resign. as it turns out- i will be on that flight out of this slow continent. i will be emersed in my mall culture where buses run on time and seasons change. I will my family and dress up for halloween. i will recieve a package i sent from here by ocean bound vessel, packed with gift for christmas. i will tour around and visit my friends and their couches. i will play with Aria and Theo.

flying over africa

this photo was sent to me by a dear friend and is the perfect introduction to the kiwi pilots i have been seen with watching football and having dinner with. am getting a inside look at the tourism industry of the air, and learning about different types of planes. Also we are planning a tutorial in the hakaa football chant performed by the all-black world renoun rugby team. Julian and Thom both come from New Zealand's south adn north islands perspectively. they have come to africa to be bush pilots and fly vacationers into national parks and get free game drives. lots of certified pilots come from all around to rack up hours on small planes and slowly work there way up to jumbojets. one blond beligan named nikolas, lives in the serengeti national park on lake seronera. julian has worked in botswana, almost gets trampled on a regular basis by bull elephants and never cries, not even in the cinema. thom says bro frequently and has two half moon shaped scars where he had lung surgury. on a trip to kipepeo beach they had a breath holding contest and julian was the victor by about 5 sec. i will to stow away in a baggage compartment on one of the overnight trips and go on a safari.

World Environment day

I woke up running, late for a practical interview, that actually turned out to be a test. can i really handle teaching 21 tots? i had fun but felt it was all boiling energy and abuse; they were fighing, and not listening, and i could barely give my attention to the ones who were following instructions. I felt stupid repeating myself and observed my cute/ quirky handwritting of mixing capitals with lowercase can be confusing to people who don't know better. after singing songs and performing a cool colour mixing demonstation (which kids cried about not being asked to volunteer) i left, tired and feeling defeated. my attitude showed when i went to the older classes to collect art and photos they had promised to complete for the World Environemnet day contest. only 2 students had prepared anything, and for one i had to fill in the form. oh well, go home to lick my wounds, drink tea and read in a hammock ( i'd like to make that activity my full time job) i got a boy who lives down stairs to draw me a picture so i could enter it into the contest, but he only wanted to pay tic tac toe.. then someone called, about dropping off photos for the contest, a teacher at another private school. so i waited, and eventually this dude arrived with 12 photos, from kenya and the safari circuit here. glossy giraffe and elephants with the entry formed glued on the backa dn the cardboard border just like i had specified in the rules. the adult rate of 2000tsh per photo i raised a total of $24, and i have a renewed faith that someone may enter before the final deadline. this happening however really changed my perspective of the day. someone heard me and responded, making my ideas and voluntary efforts some how valid/ worthwhile. i wasn't a failure only a small fry.

WS-Artist statement & background

Artist’s statement
I want to contribute towards a happy, healthy, diverse, positive, global environment. I want to learn, educate and inspire people. I want to explore the toil and the awe of communities and individuals around the world. As a filmmaker and as a visual artist I strive to portray a message that both educates and compels individuals to become involved in their own world. I am departing from my path failing to saving the world from its many issues and instead embarking on a new journey to live inside the actual reality of a situation. This means I encourage sustainable development patterns however I realize that the only change that I can make the world a better place begins within me. In the creation of my last short film, The Memory Game, I isolated shooting and developed a type of dogmatic style. This film uses symbols, movement and light to address uncertain ideas like the processing of the brain in regards to visual and environmental circumstances. I developed my production skills and watched as ideas changed shape and emerged anew. This film gave me a real sense of the opportunities and limitations of filmmaking. I experienced re-shoots, scratched emulsion, funding problems and persistent deadlines. I have a strong interest in editing, to connect and expand the boundaries of the medium.
Visually, I believe the right medium is essential to the development and portrayal of that idea. I am desperate to work with film while I am here in Kenya. I believe that the vibrancy of the culture and landscape can only truly be documented in the celluloid medium. For in eastern Africa there is a diverse mix of ancient cultural heritage meshed with new technologies and ideologies. I am excited by this project as it is an opportunity for me to work with talented Canadian artists as well as the beautiful Kenya participants. One thing that Africa is teaching me is that patience and dedication with a calm joy for life is the way I want to be.

Background information
Watoto Shamba

When I first visited this school in Nairobi I was warmly greeted by the headmaster, Moses, and taken on a tour of the 7 different levels crammed into one small wooden hut. Each class had 30 or more students, smiling at the white visitors, enjoying the disruption of regular class, greeting me with “hello teacher” in unison. At first I was nervous to video tape, embarrassed by my own privilege, shocked by the sheet metal construction of the cubicle walls separating each grade level. It was the hundred smiles, and positive energy and the two boys giving me the peace symbol that really made me remember that I was there to help and share. Once we poked our heads into each class and the small under stocked teacher’s preparation space, which was lacking textbooks, we made our way up the hill further to meet the primary school class taught by Silvia, Moses’ wife. I could see a chart with colorful geometric shapes, reminiscent of my kindergarten years. This was definitely the largest group and Moses informed me that the numbers fluctuate on each child’s changing home situation but when he started he had around 60 and the recent count was double that. One of the reasons attendance has reached 130 children in a very short time is the fact that they serve food to everyone and incorporate music and fun into learning. I could see for myself that the school, like many of the children, was growing to big for their coverings. On top of it all I later learned that the land on which the school is located on is being developed so they must find another space. Although they are still paying rent on the land the builders have come in and started cutting the few trees on the hill. Still the teachers continue a day to day existence, teaching arithmetic and preparing ugali. One the east side of the main schoolhouse is a painted banner, white with a red heart stating WE LOVE MUSIC. And they do, I spied some children playing buckets like drums while on a class break. Farther east is the Nakumat Junction a huge superstore mega mall which we stopped at on the way in to pick up treats for the children. It reminded me of the Loblaws back in Canada, taking a long time to find soda and biscuits for 130 kids, which came to about 1400 Kenyan shillings, just above 20 Canadian dollars. After the classroom tour we crossed he road, into the valley and the garden where the choir was to perform. I sat on a bench under a thorn tree and the audience section of the excited children on the red ground while they sang Swahili song and dance. Moses boasts that when they are able to compete in national competitions they always win. He has such a pride and loving respect for each child. His family includes a variety of ages plus 30 of the orphans which attend the school. It is clear that they are a talented group and he, like all the voluntary teachers at the school care very much. The part of the school which impressed me the most was the public garden, the namesake of the school. The shamba itself houses one plant for each child in the school, never mind that they all look dry, because of the impermanence they are planted in plastic bags of soil. The way they have built a community garden in the most run down of spaces and welcomed everyone to enjoy the space draws attention to the need for more public green space in the slums of Kenya. People who are poor have very little land access although there are many public parks in Nairobi. In fact it has a national game reserve within the capital city, where you can see lions and skyscrapers in the background. If you have no transport fare, you are unable to access parks or natural spaces. The Children’s Garden is a way for the people of the ghettos to enjoy their own land, to take responsibly and stewardship for it and recognize the power of nature. Within the valley a few thorn trees line the perimeter of a aerial map of Kenya. By using trees, small plants and traditional mud huts they teach the children geography, cultural heritage and ingenuity. Near the center is a large rock representing Mount Kenya and near the border with Tanzania where Tsavo national park is they have photos of lions, hippos and other wildlife. This idea has really given the disadvantaged children a sense of belonging and pride for their own country.

borrowed bike, failed fudge and no malaria

i borrowed Adriano's (askari =guard) bike and rode to a going-away dinner for Tony, Eric & Matt ( a gaggle of studly dudes from the land of the "winning side of capitalism") I ate mishikakti ( meat on a stick), chipsi mayai ( an omlette with french fries in it) drank ndovu ( elephant) lager, then rode back home- stopping at rose garden bar, which has cement sculptures of animals among a beautiful green jungle with patio chairs. some friends in a cab followed me using their headlight to lite the way at about 2am. I felt safe, with my escort but also very free as i watched my tall shadow pedal, up and down. riding a bicycle gives me wings.

i tried to make fudge, bubling cocoa and sugar. It still tasted sweet but had a more toffee consistancy then the melt in my mouth; perfect, which i had grow a custom to while living with Erin in Kenya. i miss her insight, music and company but i know she is with me where ever i go. it seems strange to me that both roomates i have had while living in East africa nearly 8 months have gotten malaria, Erin and Johanna. In memory of months past i had my first malaria test because my new roomie was getting fevers and chills and is now taking pills to kill the 2 types of parasites inside her blood. my test came out negative, I am healthy and strong, ready to stay in Africa for another found. The doctor used the torch (flashlight) from his cell phone to look inside my ears and mouth, then i got my finger pricked. all in a very nice, clean hospital down the road from my house called TMJ, with total cost of 5000tsh = approx 5$. Last nite, I ate sushi at a fancy mzungu place called the slipway, with my Kiwi pilot pals (PICTURED) who informed me that the tourist season starts today, june 1. happy day!