wide awake and filming

I boarded the Ashram Express at 5:45 pm on Sunday evening and plopped by the window to catch glimpses of the Indian countryside. Peacocks, chai stands, samosa walas, moss filled rivers, cow herds, abandoned lots, and the cricket games which fill them, passed me by. These sights have become the landscape of my life, and even though they are still awe inspiring, I am no longer surprised by them.

(<-- a friend I made on the train!)

I found it hard to fall asleep not because the scent of reheated Indian food soaked into my pillow, it wasnt even the snoring men inches away from my bunk, nor was it the light directly above my eyes. The fear of missing my stop at 4 am kept me flipping between podcasts of This American Life and The Moth Story Hour until we halted to a stop in Jaipur. Our trainer working with the evolving CVU swooped me up and left me at the Pravah Jaipur Initiative office for a nap. I curled up on the cold floor of a pitch black room and began to count sheep, but 9:30 came too quick and the buzz of the office forced me back on my feet.

Finally, after nearly four months of being glued to a desk and chair, I am in Jaipur and have joined our emerging community video unit for a week of training. The 8 community producers have completed their first magazine (film) and now have to endure the feedback of a professional film maker.  Their break from criticism is me :)

I have constructed a long list of big questions (ex: what are your dreams) and asked them to jot down answers.  I need to encourage the Community Producers to talk about themselves without giving me the bare basics of a matrimonial ad (caste, skin color, religion, age, occupation).  My work plan demands a bound book of community producer stories and since my Hindi (or any Indian dialect for that matter) is extremely bare I have to get creative!  They have written down their answers in Hindi, which I will translate and piece into a story once i am back in the office.  Additonally, I am scheduling times for them to turn the camera on one another in hopes of hearing more.  This footage is coming back to Ahmedabad for editing (and for subtitling!). Hopefully you will see it some day.

Off to shoot some interviews, hopefully there will be footage worth sharing.