The Shlomo has arrived...

Hola y saludos desde Honduras!  It’s been a while since our last post but we’ve been hard at work with the documentary.  Shlomo arrived in Olancho a little over a week ago and since his arrival we’ve had the opportunity to shoot a lot of great stuff here in Juticalpa.  We’re wrapping things up in town in preparation for tomorrow's trip to the mountains to spend some time with a few bands.  We’re excited to finally start shooting our subjects and to begin piecing together this story. 

Here are some pictures of some of the stuff we've been getting into recently...

                                                        Working hard

 

And some screen grabs from the movie...

 

 

Hiding in the hills...

Hola a todos,

Hope everyone had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner last week with family and friends.  Although we didn’t get turkey, stuffing, and gravy we did have our first face-to-face meeting with the musicians for whom we’ve been searching during the past two weeks. 

Due to local issues the band has been hiding in a small aldea (village) about 2 hours north of our city.  The aldea is rustic and beautiful but lacks electricity and running water.  The road to get there was treacherous, with mud, rocks and potholes that would have swallowed Pichi, our somewhat faithful 1999 Kia Delta, whole.

Since inheriting Pichi we’ve had to change her battery, fuel filter, spark plugs, and her tires, one of which almost fell off while driving on the highway.  A fuse must be changed every time we roll the windows up or down. 

The impassable road forced us to hop into our contact’s pickup truck to finish the final leg of our journey to the aldea.  Even the truck, with it’s all-terrain tires and four wheel drive, struggled to make it up hills with over a foot of mud at 45 degree angles. 

Just before heading into the mountains.

When we finally reached the village of about 500 people, our contact brought us to the bandleader’s home.  Some initial hostility proved that we wouldn’t have been well received if we hadn’t arrived with our contact.  Not long after jumping out of the truck though, we were being serenaded by ranchera-style guitars and the lyrics of our band’s catchy narcocorridos.

The musicians, their families, and their friends began to tell us how they started playing together and how they quickly rose to fame in Honduras.  But they also told us of the group’s recent political troubles that have caused them to change trajectories.  There is a fascinating story to be told here, and we can’t wait to get started filming.

We hope everyone is getting ready for a happy holiday season.  Saludos, and keep on the lookout for more updates.

From Olancho...

Saludos desde Olancho!  It’s been a crazy first few days here in Honduras.  After 8 hours of air travel and 4 hours on a bus, we arrived in Juticalpa on Wednesday night.  We were greeted by our old friend Francisco Carrasco, his sister Abi, and their two brothers Pedro and Josue.  The Carrascos have opened up their home to us and have been more than hospitable.  With so many people living under the same roof (and several other primos and amigos always coming in and out) there is never a dull moment in the Carrasco household.  Needless to say it didn’t take long to feel the warmth and love of the Olanchano people. 

                        Tegucigalpa as seen from the road going up to Olancho

                             Our bus driver cut the right turn into town a bit too close.

                          One of our favorite Hondurans, Francisco Carrasco

                                           Melvin, our smallest housemate



We spent the first few days talking to CD peddlers and taxi drivers around Juticalpa about what they know about “the band.”  Some people told us the band members recently fled to the US because of “problems” here in Juticalpa, some said they’ll be here for a concert in December, while others seemed too afraid to answer us at all.  It was an emotional rollercoaster hearing such inconsistent reports on the band’s status. 

Then we met Filadelmo Figueroa.  Filadelmo is the premier ranchera music DJ in Juticalpa.  We stopped by his station and chatted with him while he was broadcasting his program on the air from Radio Juticalpa.  Radio Juticalpa is the oldest radio station in Olancho, having continuously served Juticalpa for almost 51 years.  Filadelmo has been a wealth of knowledge and we’re sure he’ll be a great connection to Olancho’s ranchera scene.

            DJ Figueroa.  Notice the booth is lined with the newest egg-crate acoustics.

We hope everyone is doing well back in the good ol’ US of A.  Keep your fingers crossed as the search continues!

And we're off...

It’s 6:00am here in Boston.  The sun has yet to rise and temperatures outside have dipped to below freezing.  With half a dozen packs of camera gear and personal supplies in tow, we’re finally heading to Logan International airport to begin our journey south (and equally important, to grab our last Dunkin Donuts breakfast).  

                                                       Boston's finest chauffeur service

 

                                                  Curbside check-in

We’re both nervous and excited to arrive in Olancho and get started.  It should be pret-ty  interesting making our way from the airport to the bus station and on to Juticalpa with thousands of dollars  worth of equipment. 

We have a full month of planning and preparation before Shlomo joins us to begin filming.  Between now and then we’ll be searching for the perfect subject for the film… Our chauffeur is outside waiting so it’s time for us to head to Central America.  Our next blog post will be from Honduras.  Until then, saludos a todos!

Bienvenidos!

Hey everyone!  Bienvenidos a nuestro Blog!!  We’ll use this page to keep you updated on “The Sound of Sangre,” our feature-length documentary.  Every week or so we’ll post stories, pictures and news from the production.  Feel free to leave any questions, comments or regrets about your donation and we’ll be sure to respond!

It’s been about two months since the end of our fundraising campaign and we’ve been busy laying a foundation for the film.  As of this week, we’re excited to tell you about our progress…

Travel dates are set:  Three weeks from today we’ll leave Boston and head 3,000 miles south for la tierra de amor y paz, Olancho, Honduras.  We’ll be there through the month of February.

Our gear:  Each of 35 pieces of lighting, camera and audio recording equipment has been purchased and is now rolling in.  We’re expecting a lot more in the next week or so, but here’s what we’ve received so far:

Now for our most exciting news:  We’re happy to announce the addition of talented cinematographer, Shlomo Godder, to the team!  We met Shlomo this summer and have been talking with him about the film ever since.  

His eye for a beautiful shot, his experience in filmmaking and his shared vision for this project make him the best man for the job.  For his most recent work on the acclaimed movie, “Una Noche” (2013), he won Best Cinematography at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.  You can check out some of Shlomo’s work here.

More updates to come soon!