africa blog: December 2015

DECEMBER 2015 - MOZAMBIQUE & MORE!

(the new life adventure continues for COTW)

well i've been one busy bee since the last blog in October.

i've been to Mozambique twice for Virgin Holiday print & a TV commercial
shot a commercial in a glider for Austria in Stellenbosch
had a red carpet private screening for my doco at a local cinema
shot a 3 day commercial for a Swiss phara skin cream

produced a 30 minute Christmas special for India with an LA film crew
got rejection email by Sundance film festival
read for a Canadian courtroom drama set in Philly shot in cape town
have bought 4 fans for my flat to fight off the summer heat

have finally sold Betsy my motorbike (money pending....ahemmmm.)
cut together a new acting reel from The Gamechangers BBC footage
signed with a voiceover agent here in Cape Town (Tongue Twisters)
am now hooked on Uber to avoid driving myself whenever possible
went to Scar for a hipster haircut

am still discovering cool new eateries in the city centre district
am meeting with actors for a possible new low budget movie project
i'm trying to figure out what to do with the HAMC Master Class
i sent Lorella from Nairobi to NYC, DFW, and LAX in Nov.

had 2 thanksgiving dinners one week apart
got my new USA passport with 52 pages (for all those third world countries that use a full page visa for entry, aren't the little rubber stamps cheaper???)
and i've been refilling my Kindle with non-fiction reads on colonial africa

cape town still definitely feels like home and i continue to meet amazing people at opportune times. my Permanent Residency permit still lies in the balance, but the new thinking is my doco on the Cape Town Youth Choir should help my appeal process promoting ZA around the world! and maybe do a screening for the Minister of Cultural Affairs!?!?!?!

meanwhile, my current work permit is good thru most of 2017 so nothing is pressing at the moment. and the USD to the Rand continues to improve. when i moved here it was roughly 10 rand to 1 dollar. now it's 15 to 1. wow. and likely to stay that way. good for ex-pats like me. bad for RSA.

the economy and government are going thru challenging times as they realise corrupt leadership does not build nations, it destroys them. even the Pope busted kenyan officials on their "my turn to eat" mindset. scary to think how powerful africa would be with better leaders. unfortunately most of those in power are choking the life out of their people with their stranglehold on power. and their incredible selfish short-sightedness.

remember the scene in Out of Africa when Redford says his Masai warrior could not survive prison and they can't see beyond today? that mentally was also true in Lamu, the live for today mantra as tomorrow no one knows. unfortunately that doesn't lend it self to nation building. but in the bush when survival is a daily accomplishment, it makes more sense. survive the day. don't worry about tomorrow.

so i arrived in Africa october 1, 2011. i was a 1000 days in kenya, and pushing 18 months in ZA, aka Zuid Afrika, or South Africa. over 1500 days in africa and in that time about 60 days in the USA.

i Skype on occasion to family and friends, but mostly consider myself more a COZA than a COTW. for now Cape Town is a great fit.

i've done so much travelling since arriving in africa 10/01/11 that i'm quite happy chilling in the CBD (Central Business District or City Bowl District). i love walking everywhere and i have a lovely pool that's free for pensioners like myself. i try to hit that everyday but only succeed 2 or 3 times a week. it's a 20 minute walk.

Mozambique was another country in africa checked off my list.
out of 54 countries i have now been to:

ethiopia
kenya
rwanda
uganda
tanzania & (zanzibar)

malawi
mozambique
south africa
botswana
niger

benin
nigeria
south sudan
zimbabwe

so that's 14.

countries i'd like to visit include:

morroco
egypt
namibia
Madagascar
seychelles

and i'd like to get to victoria falls one day in Zim.
and would love to spend a week in Beirut
a week in Istanbul.
and maybe a month in Dubrovnik:
Croatia's capital of charm and culture on the coast

but what's on my bucket list????
nothing really is that pressing to tell you the truth.
i've done enough things and been enough places that the bucket list notion doesn't really get me going. so what do i hope for? long for?

i'd love my new film Finding Messiah to make a splash.
to find a buyer and do something on a large scale around the world.
lord knows i've made enough flops in my lifetime so it'd be nice to make something that performed well for once.
get into some festivals and made some money.
have a hot and heavy romance that leads to marriage.

if FM goes, then i'd like to buy a place in ZA.
maybe in my building The Piazza.
i love the location and the upper units have stupendous views.
for @ $200,000 you can find a pretty cool place to live.
but i'd rather have my Permanent Residency permit in place first.
just to be sure. to be safe.

and i'd like to teach the Master Class in Dubai for a week or weekend.

so maybe Messiah can do something next year and i'll buy a place.
i definitely could be happy in the CBD for many years to come.
i reckon i moved here at the perfect time.
cape town has never been better.

good security and police system in place
so it's safe to walk anywhere mostly anytime.
the coffee culture has never been better.
new eateries and craft beer places popping up.
an enormous cathedral next to my house to light candles.
Uber is here. i'm a big fan. (truth is my car is parked on the 7th floor of a parking structure next door so it takes 5 minutes just to hit the street. and another 5 back up to park. annoying!)

i have a nice public pool.
friendly folks in town.
racially balanced and integrated.
lots of production being done here now.
i have a great agent. i have a great view.

art walk the first thursday of the month.
things are popping here.
cape town is happening.

things i miss in the USA?
quality time hanging with family and friends.
mexican food. seriously.
the cinemas at the Cinerama dome.

i do miss teaching (like my brother tells me i'm happiest making art or teaching art) and i miss teaching the master class. i met a dynamic gal today who wants to take the course and could be a great partner for me in admin and marketing. having only 4 students for an 8 week course is not enough fun.

i have to confess this month is also a month of taking personal inventory.
what's important to me?
what makes me happy?
why am i here?
what energises me?
what gives me life?

also what brings me down?
what stifles me?
what suffocates me?
what invigorates me?

i'm blessed and fortunate not to have any real world issues like food and shelter.
my pension has my back. my rent is paid. and now that i am working commercially i'm almost financially self-sustainble every month.
that's been a goal of mine.
save the pension for later years.

i have to say working commercially here has been a bit of a shock.
i was the king of commercials in the States for 10 years.
mostly as a spokesman.
here that is impossible as most of the spots are for europe, so instead of actors being a "talking prop", here you are just a "walking prop".
and by and large treated like chattel, or cattle, take your pick.

also most jobs include "all media use" so there is a still photographer on set so that means modelling as well.
i hate modelling. i hate being a walking prop. i want to act.
have some lines. preferably drama.

so..i have to suck it up and be thankful they actually pay people for doing next to nothing. that's what i do... next to nothing... except look and pretend to be having a fabulous time.
i know, it's a gift.

mozambique ended up being 2 gigs for Virgin Holidays. in short, a 30 second audition at the casting generated 4 days of travel, 2 shoot days, and netting close to $3000. not bad for a walking prop.

the print job was first. on an 80' catamaran. pretty fab. the only problem was my "wife" looked like the cover of vogue and i was dressed like the cable guy.

no wonder the photographer kept asking me to turn the direction where the camera was pointing, in short, away from lens. then he starting scooching me out of frame entirely. i got it. i was bad for the image.

i finally ended up floating in the water off the front left pontoon while my fabulous wife remained on the front trampoline. i was happier in the water anyway. we got it. client was happy.

the second shot was back on the beach.
on a makeshift 4x poster bed type platform.
the wife lounging on cushions with a wine bucket and bbq
while i buy fish from a local. again, a still shot.

what the locals watching didn't know was that the photographer had been shooting "background plates" that morning of turquoise seas and white puffy clouds to map in later behind our lounging platform.

in reality there was seaweed and ugliness in both directions of our "lounge". they surely were thinking these white guys from overseas sure are stupid, there are much prettier beaches 10 minutes from here!

the only bummer about the shoot was the arrival.
it didn't go so well.
no told us we needed a visa. $75 USD.
no one met us at arrivals to collect us.
i didn't know what hotel i was staying at.
my phone didn't work even i had a hotel number.
strike four.

luckily my spousal unit had the hotel name.
she borrowed a phone and the hotel driver came and fetched us.
we got to Casa Rex and got our room. one room. to share. no bueno.
so i got the overflow hotel down the street. no view. no vibe. no bueno.
the next night they gave me a suite at Casa Rex. sweet.

the second trip to MOZ was 2 weeks later. the commercial shoot.
and everyone was a Producer.
the ZA producer. the UK producer. the agency producer.

we had one shot on a sand bar an hour offshore.
we left shore at 7:30am for a 4:30pm shot. really?
a paddle board family of 4 was the first shot. okay.
then when the tide came in we shot our shot, a reprisal of the poster bed gag.

the only hitch was there was very little shade
(under a tarp on one of the fishing boats)
and no toilet. full stop.
dig a hole is what we were told. chattel.

luckily i could pee in the turquoise seas all day and it never came to a movement situation.

the only other hitch was capt ben who had been cast as the fisherman ducked away from the drone-cam on the first take after looking at it attack him.
two forbiddens in one take.
i gave him some acting tips. or rather walking prop tips.

MOZ reminded me of old mexico. a sleepy fishing village kind of town. not that stunning. laid back. dinner took an hour at both restaurants we tried just for the food to come. it was chill. taxingly chill. and my first Portuguese country, never having been to brazil or Portugal or Sao Tome.

the beaches are famous in Mozambique thanks to the bob dylan song, but where i was wasn't exactly a destination in my mind. the sandbar drone shot was exotically stunning but we were selling a holiday package that didn't exist. it was a cheat for the Caribbean. oh well, that's advertising.

i might go back some day for scuba diving, but otherwise MOZ is checked off the list. been there, done that, made it look fab.

today i'm blogging most of the day here at Euro Haus in the CBD.
a cool German pastry and food place. good coffee, bubbly, and the seared tuna was delish. the colored chef has trained in london, hong kong, and singapore and recently bought 50% of the biz. good for him. i'll be back.

been reading lots lately on colonial east africa. great book called Happy Valley: the story of the English in Kenya. quite a history lesson. good stuff. and now i'm reading about the old days of Rhodesia. not that old really. family tales. farms, war, death, babies, mixed memories, family dramas. all non-fiction. but i find it interesting.

presently i'll spend christmas eve at a fancy dinner in stanford with a wonderful scottish family, then see south african friends whom i met in israel who lived in kenya as well on christmas day. that's about it. no paris. no red river, new mexico. should have gone to lamu for christmas to see some friends. maybe next year.

yes there are christmas lights on my main street, but the warm weather here is really a struggle for me to get in the spirit. maybe i'll shoot for the UK next year. cold weather would be great! i even prefer winter and rain here most of the time. the summer sun gets too boring! bring the drama and the mood! and the cold. especially for christmas!

it is the end of the year blog...what were the highlights of 2015???

hmmmmm....

moving into the Piazza on Church on the Square in the CBD
making Finding Messiah doco in like 4 weeks
the malawi shoot for a week
working with mr. bill paxton
red carpet private screening
2 trips to mozambique (even if you have to dig a hole)
sending lorella across the USA
LA film crew visit
wine farms!
got certified PADI diver
hitting 220kph in my TT
booking jobs as an int'l walking prop
meeting lots of quality peeps!

it's only dec 14th, but as i won't blog again til 2016, i wish you all a very merry christmas and a happy and energising 2016!

now for some pics!

my best,

ddm

this is why lorella went to NYC. she comes to CPT in Feb.

with my friend Warren at Truth Coffee

finding success?

my view. table mtn and lion's head.

Joburg airport...1st trip to Moz. departures.

Deborah Saint plays my wife for Virgin Holidays shoots 1 & 2

the media wall for the red carpet screening. to worked like a ch

first time i've really heard Portuguese. sounds different for sure.

Casa Rex. the chic boutique hotel. tres hip and charming.

support vessel shoot 1.

loading in, still shoot gear

exactly what i expected to find color wise

"The Monster"...the hotel for the second shoot. NOT Casa Rex.

more boats on the beach

more load in. warm water.

yes, stay here. great food, great folks. great rooms.

capt Ben..."don't look at drone cam!"

our 80' cat. ahhhhhhh. coffee, toilets, pastries, shelter.

stunning.

we waited 3 hours for the guys to shoot their plates.

nice sleigh.

the flowing canopy lounge...on the ugly beach.

from my suite. thx casa rex.

remember kids, always use your mozzy net just to be safe. i have never taken an anti-malarial pill since
moving to africa. touching mozzy net.

the Airbus A380. still a flying wonder. double decker. human transport plane.

Air france version A380. you need a long intl flight. i've only flown it once. it is massive.

outside my flat. reminds me of DTLA. production is everywhere!

art walk is every 1st thursday of the month

cape town also has a very cool custom motorbike culture. blitz bikes. sigh.

near my house. i use it as a shortcut to stay in the shade.

Company Gardens. the main park in CBD.

secret gin bar. not open here. great textures. great vibe.

Honest Chocolate brownie and ice cream. tastes like home.

Twankey Bar. across the street. good IPA.

St. George's cathedral. the evening service is EvenSong. mostly angelic choir singing. beautiful.

lots of thrift stores in the CBD.

The Waterfront. always beautiful. a 30 minute walk.

these dry dock slips are massive.

cape town airport. departures.

i squint my eyes and pretend its a stairway to heaven.

more of The Monster. a sore sight/site on a serene beach peninsula. out of place.

looks are so deceiving. Casa Rex by a mile.

shoot 2. waiting for the tide to come up.

no 80' cat. barely shelter. no toilet. that's show biz. glamorous? this time not so much.

base camp above high tide mark.

canopy lounge re-inactment for shoot 2.

a cheat for the caribbean. we shot a commercial for a place that doesn't exist. you couldn't book
it if you wanted to. that's advertising.

passenger. seat 1C. heading home.

love these airlink jets. very VIP.

safely back in cape town.

After Moz heat, the rain was a welcome surprise.

funny.

Christmas cheer. not really. Canal Walk mall in century city. hard to feel christmas when it's blazing outside.

Military Tattoo at cape town castle. pipers & drums. very cool.

Savoy Cabbage. cool eatery for second thanksgiving. like second breakfast.

media wall at work. Anri the blonde in white co-produced with me.

Church on the Square. The Piazza on the left. love my location.

first thanksgiving at Birkenhead Brewery in Stanford. 200 peeps. american style.

church spire in Stanford. idyllic little village.

my friend started Building Kids for a way to send your legos to africa. www.Buildingkids.org

nice lunch at a wine farm...aka vineyard.

this is the house i first came to when i moved to ZA in late June 2014. it belongs to my friends who lived
in kenya but i met in Israel. they like my bbq chicken. only a pleasure. Raithby Heights.