After One and a Half weeks - almost

The SAINTS adventure continues!

The flight to Kenya was long and tiring.  Flying to Dubai took approximately 16 hours  and was a pleasant flight.  Harrison and I stayed in a very nice hotel in Dubai where the temperature was 37 degrees (99 Fahrenheit) when we landed at 7:30 p.m.  

The next morning we walked around the area of the hotel in search of some food and drink.  The only place open was a small confectionary-type store where we got some drinks and snacks.  Walking back to the hotel, Harrison opened his drink to cool down - it was 45 degrees (not sure of the Fahrenheit equivalent).  As we approached the hotel entrance the bell hops looked panicked and quickly told Harrison to stop drinking in a public place.  “It’s Ramadon!” they said, “You could get a 500 durham fine (over $100) for drinking in public.  You can only drink that in your room!”  They then proceeded to tell us that it is a law in Dubai since it is a time of fasting.  But at night, it’s okay to drink and eat all you want.  

Here are a couple of photos of Dubai from our hotel window.  

 We had a bit longer stay in Dubai than we had anticipated.  Emirates Airlines overbooked our flight and only one of us could board.  So we waited another 6 hours for the next flight.  It was okay as the Dubai airport is like a giant shopping mall.  

We arrived in Nairobi late on Sunday and stood in line for over 2 hours to get our visas due to the number of flights that arrived at the same time.  

On Monday I started to hold casting sessions.  We went four days straight and I auditioned over four hundred actors.   Some of them were fantastic.  Even though it was long and arduous it paid off.  Because there are no agents or casting directors here, we had to do an open call.  

Harrison and I on a break after a casting session.

Ndanu and Kemi having a break from casting.  We had a team of 6 people.  

I got a chance to see our main location, the hospital.  We have a wing and a half to work with. Next week I will be heavily into preproduction with the DP (who just arrived from South Africa), the Art Director and wardrobe.  The 1st AD will be hired and scheduling will begin as well.  With just 50 days to shoot 13, one-hour episodes, we need to be properly scheduled.  

Nairobi is a bustling, lively city.  People are on the move and business is booming in every sector.  You just can’t find energy like this back home.  Opportunity is virtually everywhere as the country has a rapidly expanding middle class that is demanding everything from iPhones to new cars and everything in between, like flat screen TVs and DVD players.  

There are over 30 countries in Africa that speak English, so there is a big market for our show.  

It took a few days to get over my jet-lag.  After casting for 9 hours, I just couldn’t do much else other than eat and go to bed.  But now I am working on the Kenyan clock.

So all the lead and supporting roles have been finalized and the actors will be notified tomorrow.  Sean, the DP, arrived today so we did our recce (location scout) with the sound recordist today.  Things are moving ahead nicely.  The first 7 scripts are done as well.

More photos and stories to come next week.  We have delayed shooting to Monday the 27th of September due to some scheduling but all systems are GO!

From Nairobi,

Neil