Starting the Lanwmower on the Veranda

Alex sent me a shoot update. I don't know if you have noticed, in previous pictures and the picture below, but Jose Baptista, our sound engineer, is using a revolutionary process for capturing the sound. He has his MAC laptop in a bag slung from his shoulders. He is actually capturing the sound directly into his MAC, saving several steps in the recording and mixing process. He spent quite a bit of time here in Paris prior to going to Jo'burg, looking for the perfect bag, as well as an extra battery.

Day 24

Jo'burg's excellent weather continued for another day and the pace with which we worked made us realize how much we missed through all those weeks of rain.

Today's shoot was all exterior - thank goodness we got a day off to recuperate because it was certainly long and physical. Day 24 was really all about the Benades, with our favorite dysfunctional white trash family making an attempt at landscaping their uh, front 'lawn.' Of course, this being Lambert, Treppie and Mol, nothing is quite what it seems and even the most mundane chores can provoke a semi-murderous booze-fueled conflict.

For those of us trusted with capturing the sight and the sound of their antics, it was a pleasure to behold. Here we are, filming the family in alcohol-soused action.

Of particular amusement was Lambert firing up the lawnmower on the veranda (where else?).

Tomorrow we'll be shooting at night, so cast and crew can have a bit of a sleep in. We'll be working til twelve at night, so we'll have to get all the rest we can get. And of course, our first proper evening in the none too salubrious neighbourhood of Vrededorp...no doubt a riveting experience awaits!

Alex Pearse Joins Triomf Crew. Rain Stops.

I just spoke by phone with Alex Pearse, a South African writer who lives in London but is now in Johannesburg to help with the Triomf film production, as a "labor of love," according to our executive producer, Lyndon Plant. Alex told me in an email, "My official credits on the film are clapper loader and stills photographer - and general multimedia dogsbody!"

Alex will be on the set from 6AM until 6PM or whenever shooting is finished for the day. Then he plans to download any photos and anecdotes to me in the evenings. Stay tuned!

Lyndon also told me that the month of October is known in parts of Southern Africa as the "suicide month," because it is usually so hot and dry. Jo'burg has been known to get some afternoon/evening rains in October, but never has it seen rain such as it was last week. So you would think that this is a safe time of year for a film shoot, but unfortunately for the crew, the rain put off the entire production schedule. According to an article on the City of Johannesburg website, tornado reports were a hoax, but they managed to snarl up traffic because so many people left work early in fear of the tornado.

Ezekiel Sebego, a forecaster at South African Weather Service said,"We are aware of the emails that were sent to people warning them about a tornado and severe storms. Yes, there were severe storms in some parts of the province - there was heavy rain, hail and extremely strong winds yesterday in Gezina [east of Pretoria] - but there was no tornado."

Finally, Lyndon and Alex had to fly to Jo'burg from London and bring the sunshine with them. All of you in Jo'burg, and the crew of Triomf, can thank them for that. Now he and Alex and the rest of the crew are back on the job, specifically Lionel Newton, who plays the part of Treppie in the film. He was selected to perform weather watch in between takes.

Triomf Movie Rehearsal - Watch the Video

For those of you who have been looking forward to details about the Triomf production process, take a look at this clip taken during rehearsals.

On the left you see LIONEL NEWTON playing the character Treppie and on the right you see EDUAN VAN JAARSFELDT playing Lambert.

Michael Raeburn is directing them.



The actual shoot starts in Johannesburg Sept 25 - November 3. Wish us luck!

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