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 I found it quite challenging putting myself in the film and yet I have always loved the interaction with people. The idea of making a highly emotive autobiographical piece is not appealing. I love to watch these, mind you.
The great documentary Dr.Fernanda Rossi has written an excellent piece about putting oneself in the film.
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 I have nearly finished the film, we are on the last leg. A 38 minute wonder, not 30 for TV or 52 for TV but 38. Perfect for festivals?
Now I have to write a production essay and I am still fascinated by the idea of documentary reportage where the reporter is a participant. On a quest of sorts, but taking a stance and taking part. Alan Whicker, the legendary Alan Whicker from Whickers World. An exceptional and groundbreaking documentary series that covered the globe. Alan had penetrative insight, a gentle character, insatiable curiosity and very good manners. A winning combination.:) As he said in the 60's. "We are making a new style of documentary with the reporter sharing the action." Then we have Michael Moores TV nation with the reporters making the action and setting little tasks and quests and having an agenda to prove a point. To Louis Theroux who participates in the action. Alan Whicker went and watched plastic surgery and Louis had it. All this participation has slowly over time ingrained itself into the public consciousness, They become us, we become them, the link between us and the other, the experience that we have vicariously through one of our own.  Here is a beautiful picture of the medium Tia Nieva who started the Valley of Dawn.
I am currently in Brazil and showed the rough cut to the characters and it was very well received. They loved it. It was quite strange returning to the Valley, after two months of staring at them on the TV, I felt like I had walked into a movie set when I got back. That they were flesh and blood and the town was real was very weird. Not helped by the fact that it totally looks like a movie set. It was surreal and exciting and nerve wracking and loads of fun. I am taking a group there in October for the Day of Consegration which is nearly as big as the day of the Doutrinador which attracts about 5,000 members.  I thoroughly enjoyed the gig in Worcester and hope he does more. He is surely one of the great minds of our time. And unlike other comedians with a rapid and witty brain, he does have an off switch.
I have just arrived in Brazil to show the film 'The Valley of Dawn' to Genis and Marlete tomorrow out in the Valley. I can't wait to see them and all the people in the Valley. It is lovely hot and sunny here in Brasilia as I rest in my nice hotel by the lake. An artificial lake built when they built Brasilia. The original town for the construction workers is buried under the water and people go scuba diving on the weekend to explore the ruins.  Well that was fun. Not that I am a monarchist, but it was fun seeing the spectacle in my world. I was standing next to two people from Sao Paulo and I said that my outfit was Brazilian. The young guy said "we don't have anything like that in Brazil" He was adamant. So I spoke to him in Portuguese about the Valley and he was quite mortified that my beautiful costume came from Brazil. I don't know why really. Hmmmm....I think he thought it was very uncool. I had replaced Yves St Laurent with Glama a la Vale de Amanhecer.
Sometimes the interior of Brazil is seen as the authentic Brazil by the literati. But other times it is seen as the backwater of beyond.  The Valley of Dawn is a Kingdom on earth. It is mystical, divine, and powerful. I am really in awe of how such a magical place can exist in this day and age.
There is so much meaning to what they do and their spiritism seems to follow tried and true methods of using helping spirits to heal people. Do I believe in spirits? I think I do. Do I believe in God, maybe not. But the force of love in our universe has a flavour and seems to go way beyond the neutrality of energy and matter, cause and effect. Here we see Genis praying in the temple.  Last night I met Eddie Izzard. He did a secret very small gig in Worcester and then came to the bar after to chat. He was funny, engaging, and polite.
It is very strange meeting someone when you feel like you know them, but you don't. It must be weird for them too, not very pleasant in fact. He used to live around my area about 12-15 years ago as far as I recall and he was often about, shopping and what-not and not nearly as famous as he is now. He is kind of super famous now. I am so used to video blogging that I did not have all my manners about me, and although he willingly made a sweet little video for me, there were times when I would have preferred to turn it off. If someone did that to me, I would think they were quite rude. I hope he does watch my film when it is finished, surely he will appreciate a woman in a decent frock.  Jose, the Brazilian cameraman just sent me an email saying that it rained, oh how it rained. But he managed to shoot the entire event and made a nice plastic raincoat for the camera.  Today spring sprung and it was divine and I did a few tapes, looking at every nook and cranny and wondering how we will tell this story. I have not contacted the cameraman who shot yesterday. I am too nervous in case he says that it all went horribly wrong and some local Brazilian crooks made off with our rental camera at 4am.  So I did my window boxes and tidied out little front garden and the gnomes are out and happy and defending the realm. I love them. So many gnomes are very creepy looking. Mine are cute, playing musical instruments, and one is carrying a basket - full of magical and endearing things no doubt.  I am arranging this shoot tomorrow, it is huge. I just found out all three characters are going to the lake star ritual and we have to film them all at 4.30 - 7. I have someone going to film these 20,000 followers of which Marlete, Genis and Lacerda will be participating. |
 Adrienne Grierson
Follow my travels through my Screen Documentary Masters degree at Goldsmiths University, London, UK. The Valley of Dawn, a phenomenal spiritual community in the heart of Brazil is the subject of my final project. Archives
September 2009
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