Week one shooting
8.10.2012
On behalf of Pam and Ashley, greetings from Thailand! We have already wrapped up a little over our first week of shooting, putting us just over 1/4 of the way through already. The next few weeks will really be ramping up acquiring footage from various sources to start to define our story lines. This week has already given us some great visuals to show everyone what life is like for a wide range of people from the kids at the CPDC to children and adults living in the slums. The visible chasm between each world could not be more profound.
Even though one place is a world where the playground of children is one of decay and despair in substance and metaphor and the other world is made of material hope and light, it becomes apparent that the distance between them is vast only in appearance and can be traversed. The choice to move, even the fraction of an inch the soul needs to come to a place of possibility and hope rather than stand still in the debris is the hardest journey to take for those trapped in itl. Though that wall preventing them from doing so is truly fragile, to them it is as impervious to any alternative possibility as steel and concrete.
Sometimes when visiting the slum, we see chances to make a difference. Other times, we must accept our wounds in seeing what we can not change. The tragedy of lost opportunities is painful. We do what we can.
It is our honor and privilege to tell the stories of people who deserve our compassion regardless of their circumstances. All of us, including our new friends and crew along for the trip (Dan, our cinematographer and Christie our production assistant) travel between these worlds. When we do, we see the huge difference the choice to see and accept the gifts of love and hope can bring. Even in the slums, the essence of this remains with the children who live there. Some have had the gift of being allowed to grow at the CPDC and the lotus flower we reference so much grows out of the corruption from a world hopefully left behind as only a fact of history and not a detaining echo to haunt their future.
Here are some shots of the priceless souls we have encountered so far. Some reside in one world, some on another. They crave what we all crave; love, acceptance, affection and fellowship. Our film is well on its way to showing just that.
Looking good 3L! Can’t wait to see the finished product!
Your comments were poignant, lyrical, wise, and so very touching. They stirred my heart. Your presence alone, your caring, will touch many. How exciting to watch this film evolve.