A week or so ago things were a bit slow here in Beirut so I went out looking for some fun...
which is how i came to find myself at a political rally in remembrance of the assassination of Rafik Hariri a former Prime Minister of Lebanon. (Many think the Syrians had something to do with it...it's complicated.)
Hariri was killed with a very big bomb. It's rather the traditional way for Lebanese leaders to go, though his bombs was bigger than most...he was an important guy after all.
The intricacy of Lebanese politics is baffling and seems to have led to a permanent political stasis. Imagine a 7 way traffic intersection with no signal. Ostensibly each driver entering wants to get to his or her destination. However, as the crush of cars becomes intractable real progress grinds to a halt. The resulting mess leaves people more interested in the politics of the intersection and their final destination little more than a pipe dream. So goes Lebanese politics.
Somebody must have a theory linking a nation's traffic patterns with their political character...but i'll spare you any further attempt here.
Politics and automobile love merge.
One cab driver was so moved by the rally that he left his cab unattended for 10 minutes, blocking the one available lane and stranding hundred of cars (including this writer) behind him. This is the site of the assassination. The flaming statue is a memorial - the flames coming everyday at the moment the explosion took place.
The one benefit of the rally was I had no trouble parking.
Of course what's a political rally without a tank.
As for the movie.
We've delayed the start of it by about a week due mainly to rain.
Lebanese film making involves a number of facets not often seen in US production. One major concern: which political party somebody supports.
Every rental house, location and actor is evaluated on their political leanings. Some locations are just off limits because they're in Hezbollah controlled areas. It's not particularly unsafe but you'd rather have them with you than not - and our production company is not with them. However, certain key members of the production team do support the Hezbollah party...although political talk at work seems to be non-existent.
Few things in Lebanon are ever concrete - and even those elements you believe secure tend to disintegrate at the last moment. (An oft repeated quote by the likes of Woody Allen and Noah Baumbach characters rings all the more true in Lebanon. "If you want to make god laugh, tell him (or her) your plans.")
As a side note, the equipment house from which we're renting gear likes to put things in boxes.
Personally, i think it's a silly and overly complicated way to deal with gear, however it becomes more understandable when the inside of your truck looks like this:
We've done some scouting of locations. My method for remembering where the sun rises at each loaction:
Next up:
Production begins! (It actually started a few days ago so, the next entry should be soon)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Police Action: Installment 2
I'm in Lebanon shooting a movie called "Blood Taxi."
Cinema Paradiso meets Lost in Translation. Though for my part, i'm expecting a bit of Lost in La Mancha with an Arabic twang.
This guy owns one our our locations. A bakery. I bought one of Lebanon's staple snacks here. The name of this snack translates to "meat on bread" - the resulting delicacy did not dissapoint. As a side note - people look very skinny on a 17mm lens when the camera is held perpendicular.

A friend from the meat on bread shop.

Arabic Translation Quiz - (for answer see next picture)

The glamour of hours spent in the basement of Starbucks with a computer and a script. Now, you might be saying - "what kind of idiot goes to Lebanon and spends his time in Starbucks?" Normally, I'd agree with you (though my friend Chris who prides himself on eating at a McDonald's location in every country in Europe might not). However, in this case, Starbucks is the only coffee shop in Beirut that does not allow smoking inside. It's also one of the few places you don't hear incessant car honking.

My meat shop...as opposed to my bread shop.


Arabic Translation Quiz - (for answer see next picture)

The glamour of hours spent in the basement of Starbucks with a computer and a script. Now, you might be saying - "what kind of idiot goes to Lebanon and spends his time in Starbucks?" Normally, I'd agree with you (though my friend Chris who prides himself on eating at a McDonald's location in every country in Europe might not). However, in this case, Starbucks is the only coffee shop in Beirut that does not allow smoking inside. It's also one of the few places you don't hear incessant car honking.

My meat shop...as opposed to my bread shop.

5am calls to prayer...are fun to listen to from bed.

My pasta salad came with...mayo. The Lebanese might enjoy life in South Carolina.

Ahh - the final picture I took before an ill fated snap shot led me to an encounter with the secret police who forced me to erase it. The police detained me for about 30 mins and spent that time photocopying my passport - but otherwise were quite cordial. I should add that i don't think my passport photo helped my cause. (see below)

My friend Jeff Weiser would be a model in Lebanon!

Kid with funny pants.

Evidentally there are hobbits in Lebanon.

NEXT TIME:

My pasta salad came with...mayo. The Lebanese might enjoy life in South Carolina.

Ahh - the final picture I took before an ill fated snap shot led me to an encounter with the secret police who forced me to erase it. The police detained me for about 30 mins and spent that time photocopying my passport - but otherwise were quite cordial. I should add that i don't think my passport photo helped my cause. (see below)
Either the Lebanese police don't realize that there are other ways to take pictures than to aim my enormous Digital SLR at a block of apartments (hidden cameras must not have hit Lebanon yet) or the police are really bored.


My friend Jeff Weiser would be a model in Lebanon!

Kid with funny pants.

Evidentally there are hobbits in Lebanon.

NEXT TIME:
Rafik Hariri's assassination demonstration, free condoms and lots of parking for your moustache.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Introductory
Pictures are better than words - i'll try to keep that in mind.
Facets...
Be careful taking the elevator. There are daily 3 hour power outages and if they happen along while you're jaunting between floors in your 3'x 3' elevator - that's where you'll be for the next three hours. Haven't discovered this the hard way...need to find my watch.
You get lots of free stuff when you travel with the Robert Deniro of Lebanon. Women in head scarves seem particularly taken with him. First they sneak bashful peaks at him, then they giggle as he walks past before finally breaking into delighted conversation with their friends once he's gone.
Yeah, I was talkin to him!

On my first day in Lebanon I achieved a long held career goal when I was forced to strip naked in order to tech scout a location. Note to all: Turkish bath houses are inhabited by far scarier people than those that attacked poor Viggo - they just wanted to kill him.
The experience gives a whole new meaning to the words "Tech scout."
Moments before entering Turkish bath for tech scout. Sorry, no other pictures.

The Lebanese like to sit for hours, smoke tobacco from a hookah and eat.

Kid leaving school.

I don't have a story for all my pictures.

Why go to Hollywood when you can go to Lebabnon? (clicking on this picture will explain the caption)

One of our locations.

Pack'em in.

There are buildings here!

more to come.
Facets...
Be careful taking the elevator. There are daily 3 hour power outages and if they happen along while you're jaunting between floors in your 3'x 3' elevator - that's where you'll be for the next three hours. Haven't discovered this the hard way...need to find my watch.
You get lots of free stuff when you travel with the Robert Deniro of Lebanon. Women in head scarves seem particularly taken with him. First they sneak bashful peaks at him, then they giggle as he walks past before finally breaking into delighted conversation with their friends once he's gone.
Yeah, I was talkin to him!

On my first day in Lebanon I achieved a long held career goal when I was forced to strip naked in order to tech scout a location. Note to all: Turkish bath houses are inhabited by far scarier people than those that attacked poor Viggo - they just wanted to kill him.
The experience gives a whole new meaning to the words "Tech scout."
Moments before entering Turkish bath for tech scout. Sorry, no other pictures.

The Lebanese like to sit for hours, smoke tobacco from a hookah and eat.

Kid leaving school.

I don't have a story for all my pictures.

Why go to Hollywood when you can go to Lebabnon? (clicking on this picture will explain the caption)

One of our locations.

Pack'em in.

There are buildings here!

more to come.
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