Let the Shooting Begin!

After three days of shooting, I can safely say that we have blown through much confusion to a point of being productive.  It always amazes me how much confusion needs to be pushed through at the beginning of a new show.  It takes focus and determination to drive through it no matter what and create and excellent product.  

The first two days were more than hectic.  Various elements weren’t ready to go, not everyone knew exactly what to do and I was, and still am, in the process of discovery of this most interesting series SAINTS.  

By day three we were starting to move forward like a regular production.  Coordination among the crew rose, spaces were ready when we needed them and the overall collaboration factor rose.  

Whether filming is being done in Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto or Nairobi, shooting is still shooting.  The procedures and technology and know-how is basically the same.  And so, too, are the problems.  Some can be predicted and therefore avoided and others keep you on your toes.  That’s when improvisational skills are necessary to out-create whatever problem has managed to spring up.  

No other work that I know of is as dynamic as filming.  The cast and crew intention of bringing together all the necessary elements to make a story that the public wants and, ultimately, needs is the strength of the production.  It’s the tightest team activity I have ever been involved with.  And I love it!

Shooting in the Doctor Sabaa's Office

Actors are goofy the world over!  Meet Dr. Sabaa being played by Kariuki.

The drug rep.

Prepare to Liftoff!

The countdown is on and we are approaching liftoff!  We thought we had our location nailed but, lo and behold, even though the hospital agreed to allow us on their premises to shoot, the amount of space they were letting us use was insufficient.  So after waiting over a week to see exactly where the hospital was going to let us shoot, we had to scramble for a different solution to our major location problem.

This is the hospital I really wanted to use but they couldn't accommodate us.

It's quite obvious as to why I wanted this hospital.  But, one of the major abilities of a filmmaker is to adjust and make what you have access to work at a professional level.

We did have a back-up hospital which I had inspected once before.  I went back and, with a little movie magic, we will be able to shoot our series there.  Right this minute, as I write this, the set crew are there painting walls, fixing floors and setting up railings.  

We turn over on Tuesday.  The Tech Recce (testing the camera gear, sound and lights on location before we shoot) is tomorrow as well as the finalization of the schedule for the next 6 weeks.  

Even though we have not started shooting the scripted scenes, we did manage to get a number of city shots for the opening titles.  We got permission to shoot from the top of the KICC building (Kenya International Conference Centre) on Friday.  The conference centre took 6 years to build - from 1967 to 1973.  The amount of wood in this complex is astounding.  It’s a combination of wood and concrete with the wood being much more than a trim-type feature.  It’s a world-class structure designed to attract the best of conventions. 

We have to buckle-down now.  We will shoot Tuesday through Thursday with Friday and Saturday off.  We’re shooting Sundays because one of our locations is only available that day.  So next week we start our 5-Day work week on Sunday the 10th of October.  

Here are a few pics:  

Myself and the DP checking out the KICC "showcase" meeting room.  

Some of the Nairobi skyline.