Evading Thieves in Latin America
During the two weeks I was in South America, I managed to have a quick, good trip without any incidents of pickpocketing, or mugging. Petty theft around Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires isn’t out of the ordinary. I didn’t see any incidents, but I did meet several people who themselves had been victims once I got to Buenos Aires. Four people at my hostel got robbed while they were in Buenos Aires, only one was somewhat violent – a guy got wrestled to the ground for his iPhone, but onlookers interceded and scared the thief away. Flashing expensive gadgets in public and looking like a clueless tourist with money to lose will obviously will make you any easy pick. However, there are ways to avoid making yourself a target. Do as locals do. As I walked down the streets of Buenos Aires, especially down the crowded Florida street, I realized that nearly all of the local ladies were wearing their purses crossbody, with one hand securing it in place. In Rio, my Brazilian friend NEVER wore a purse, but always kept her cash in her front pockets. She never brought more than what she’d need for that particular outing. When you get lost, fake it, and duck into a hotel to ask for directions. Hopelessly lost, I BS’ed my way around Congreso Plaza with backpack, daypack in tow for a solid 20 minutes before I stumbled across a hotel. It wasn’t MY hotel, mind you, but I knew if I smiled sweetly at the man behind the front desk, he would have no choice but to at least point in the direction of Avenida de Mayo, where my hostel was located. It worked. Although stumbling around hopelessly for 20 minutes felt like an eternity, I never appeared flustered, nor did I pull out a map in exasperation. If you’re paranoid like me but despite money belts, make a hidden pocket. Jasmine of Jasmine Wanders offered a great, cheap tip: take a small, drawstring pouch and a large safety pin. Put money or credit cards inside, and then pin the pocket to the inside of your jeans or skirt. When I wore a dress, I slid the entire pouch in the bra area of my dress. (Obviously, it was a little more noticeable when I was trying to hide a credit card, ha!) Don’t be afraid to ask for help – but be smart with who you ask. Opting for the $2.50 bus ride as opposed to an $80 cab ride, I found myself wandering around aimlessly for the specific bus stop I needed. After checking all the bus stops, and not finding...
Enjoying the Gulf from Ship Island, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is high on my list for most frequented destinations, if only because it’s where Gunner lives. If you haven’t been that way, summertime in the deep south is sweltering. The humidity is oppressive, only giving way occasionally in the form of an afternoon thunderstorm. It doesn’t take long for me to begin yearning for the Gulf and a cool ocean breeze in the midst of these conditions. A Day Trip to Ship Island Gunner presented me with a great day trip idea to one of Mississippi’s barrier islands: West Ship Island, Mississippi. Blindly agreeing without doing any research (and also excited to go on a trip someone else had planned), I was expecting the standard American beach with a little built up touristy-ness, kinda like Atlantic Beach, or perhaps Destin — and I was presently surprised by Ship Island’s ruggedness. About Ship Island There aren’t any accommodations on Ship Island – for the mass populous, anyway. However, there are bathrooms and showers, and full snack bar outfitted with air conditioning and alcoholic beverages. (Traveler Be Warned: The “margarita” comes in a can!) Ship Island’s charm exists in its sole purpose: to be a barrier island. It isn’t built up like Myrtle Beach or the Outer Banks, but it isn’t meant to entertain for longer than a day. Even after 6 hours, I realized that amenities aren’t really missed here. People come to Ship Island to relax and stare at the Gulf. While I loved having a rough, undeveloped beach close at hand and still enjoying the conveniences of indoor plumbing – there were man-made conveniences that I found to be an eyesore: the dreaded blue beach chairs and beach umbrellas. But I get it’s provided in an effort to make a day trip to Ship Island an easier trip for folks and to cut down on the overall amount of crap people bring, plus make a little additional income. (Umbrellas and chairs are available for full and half day rentals, by the way. We just brought towels and laid on the beach and ended up getting a lovely sunburn – we’re so old school.) It does cut down on the natural rustic charm of the island, but the chairs don’t go on forever. Walk past them for a quiet part of the beach all to yourself. The Aquatic Wildlife My goodness, I’d never seen a more active ecosystem at any other beach! I’m not sure if it’s due to Ship Island’s position in the warm Gulf, or the limited amount of disruption from humans – but there were SO MANY hermit crabs hanging out right where the waves were breaking. A...
The Demands of a Relationship with Show Business
You’ve been flirting with the idea of being on television and movie sets for awhile. You’d be a perfect fit for each other – after all, you watch a lot of TVs and movies, so helping make them is the soulmate career choice, right? Just like any relationship, the film industry requires a LOT of hard work. It stretches everyone in all departments to their maximum capacity on a daily basis…and I’m not talking about the typical 8 hour day. These are 15, 16, 17, 18 hour days… sometimes more. And every day is a long one, followed by another long one, and so on for several weeks. Working on a movie is the most all-encompassing relationship you’ll ever have. Here are a few of the demands. The Early Morning Call Time If you’re filming outdoors, it’s likely the crew’s call time will be before sunrise in order to allow maximum use of natural light. Location, production, transpo, and AD departments usually arrive at least an hour prior to crew call. If it’s the middle of summer, this could be as early as 4am. (Random fact: My earliest call time ever was 2:30am for a shoot at a military base.) The Overnight Shoot It’s like a sleepover, but with cameras!…. kinda. Sometimes “day for night” is an option (faking nighttime while filming during the daytime), true nighttime exteriors look the best, because, well, it’s REAL. (By the way – here’s the worst “day for night” I’ve ever seen.) Depending on availabilities of actors and locations, night shoots are usually grouped together, which can mean a week of working from 5pm-10am, and it only takes 2 days of this to start feeling like a zombie. These days are physically and emotionally draining, and everyone gets tired and cranky by the end of the week (or maybe it’s just me and I project my crabbiness onto everyone else). The Elements If it’s pouring down rain and the script calls for a sunny exterior, that scene might get pushed, but one of the talents and common traits of people in the film industry is their ability to make it work, regardless of circumstances. (And, while we’re being honest here, the people that have the authority to cancel due to weather are usually dry and warm by the monitor). What usually happens, if not filming at a soundstage, is that the interior location is far too small to house all of the crew, and stuff still has to get done outside. So, it’s 10 degrees and sleeting, and you’re stuck at the end of a driveway, making sure no one drives up during the take and ruins...
If the Film Industry had Olympic Events, they would be…?
In honor of the Olympics, what if film crews had to audition their members by holding Olympic style events? Or what if the best from each film crew went head-to-head to earn medals? Walkie Relay (4 by 400m) If there’s a position most vied for, it’s the set production assistant position. What better way to test a team of PAs than to time their ability to get a walkie to set? Film Offices in Oklahoma have laid out the following scenario: at the start of the race sits the AD trailer, with a case full of walkies. 400 metres away, at the finish line, sits an actor in a picture car, unable to communicate with the film crew around him. 4-person PA teams strive to get the walkie from point A to point B in the speediest and most efficient manner, without sacrificing the duties of lock-ups and first team whereabouts. The PA team with the best time gets hired. Dolly Sprint (10m) Dolly shots are some of the more difficult to obtain, particularly if the dolly grip or AC isn’t at the top of their game. This celebrates the fastest of dolly grips and focus pullers, as both work together to obtain a quick shot while maintaining focus. Shotbag Shotput For the grips that are not known for their speed and miss qualifying for the Dolly Sprint, there is an event celebrating their brute strength: the Shotbag Shotput. Fairly self-explanatory; grips must be able to chuck a shotbag 50m to a nearby C-stand. *Bonus points if shotbag lands on the high leg of a C-stand. Synchronized Steadicams There aren’t enough steadicam ops to go around. To remedy this, interest is being generated by unions in the form of Synchronized Steadicam competitions, with preliminary matches being held in the auditoriums of film schools. This celebrates the grace and methodic nature that being a steadicam operator requires, and celebrates the best Steadicam Ops in the world, along with raising awareness. Boom Pole Vaulting “It’s the pole that counts,” Alfred Hitchcock* once said in an edit session about a crappy boom pole that nearly ruined the audio for a particularly quiet and tense scene in The Birds. The pole was hollow, weak – and in the arms of an equally weak, unsteady boom operator, the pole shook and the operator attempted to compensate, creating loud “adjustment” noises throughout the dialogue. Since learning this lesson, directors who are concerned with the quality of audio in post production** put potential boom ops to the challenge in boom pole vaulting. This not only tests the integrity of the pole, but the strength...
Venice at Sunset (Photo Essay)
Although I was dirt poor in the spring of 2009, I was able to score a $375 roundtrip ticket from New York to Milan. My friend Ashley and I then took the 3-hour train to Venice, which was unbearably hot by day – but breathtaking once the sun decided to dip beneath the horizon. Armed with my new Nikon D60, I snapped away as the different shades of yellows, oranges, and blues danced across the waterways, but was easily overwhelmed – this kind of beauty is impossible to capture in a lens. At dusk, sunlight is very delicate and forgiving – only making room for the slightest detail, and colors are at their richest. It’s what the folks in film production call “magic hour”. Needless to say…Venice is in my top 5 for sunsets. Where was your favorite...
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I'm Laryssa, and when I'm not working in film or television, I'm attempting to travel -- or I'm here, providing resources for working in film or travel. Read more Elsewhere on the internets
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