Brazil Tales - filming with the Quilombo Tribe!

10 days into our Brazilian adventure, the crew bunged into a van and trekked north of Rio, around 4 hours drive, to the Quilombo tribe, Sao Jose.

As the van (full of camera gear, supplies and people!) travelled through the rich green (and surprisingly hilly!) Brazilian countryside, mellow African percussion music played on the stereo and somehow as we progressed everything seemed calmer, fresher and more peaceful than the madness of Rio.





















As we drove we began to hear the story of the tribe we were visiting.

200 years ago, the tribe (of African origin) were kept as slaves, but invented their own dialect so that they could plan their escape without their slave masters knowing what they were up to.

And escape they did!

Fast forward to the present day, and the people still live their lives away from the technological and industrial world, self sufficient, farming organically, living in huts, a long rocky (clay!) road from civilisation. They're passionate about music, their religion, and community. Around 200 people lived there, and outsiders, such as us, could visit only with special permission!

The land they live and farm on still technically belongs to the farmers whose ancestors kept the slaves - but soon that's set to change - and the land they've made their home will be legally theirs.




























We filmed through the afternoon and into the evening, meeting both older and younger members of the community.

Around Quilombo, a storm was beginning to brew (as everyone kept telling us) and quickly the sky turned blacker and blacker, and lightning flashes illuminated what had suddenly become a night-time sky! Still filming, as the first huge drops of rain came down, we quickly realised that we weren't going to make it out of the community that night...

Streams of water gushed down the hillside - and the flashes of lightning cut swathes across the sky. First we sheltered with the equipment, drinking hot organic coffee. After an hour, the storm calmed and simply became an almighty downpour!

We walked through muddy undergrowth back to their community hut, barefoot - trying not to drop the equipment! Here's my feet (below). Thinking practically (eventually) we began to wonder where we could stay..!















We had no cause to worry!

The people of Quilombo welcomed us into their homes with open arms - even they looked at our equipment like we'd brought it from another world - which in a sense, we had!

The best thing about the people of the tribe was their spirit - they loved to laugh, to take the mickey out of each other.

Even though they were cut off from civilisation, they'd recently got a TV, (and thus a small electrical supply) and we were stunned to find out they were big fans of Brazil's version of Big Brother - because they were really interested in the human behaviour of the contestants on the show!

















They cooked on a wood burning stove, massive pans so they could feed everyone in the tribe. Around our feet, chickens, dogs and cats, including the sweetest looking kitten you've ever seen, wandered through our legs, pecking, sniffing, probably wondering who we were! Rosa even made friends with one of the parrots... until it bit down a bit too hard.






























We slept 6 to a room - their own rooms which they gave to us - some people sleeping on the floor, others in beds, window wide open, expecting to get a thousand mozzie bites in the night...

But somehow, we all escaped unscathed!

The next day we waited for the clay road to dry in the sun before taking a rocky and sometimes slippy drive back. About 5 times in total, the whole crew had to get out and get very muddy pushing the van through sticky puddles of clay... which was fun, if a little hairy at times!

Eventually we made it back to the motorway, and then to Rio - where filming continued in the city, a long long way from the civilisation, and community, we had just seen!

Here's Nana filming the end credit sequence with Ipanema beach in the background!

Brazilsnaps # 4 - Nana Twum-Danso

Brazilsnaps # 3 - Estacio Floor

Brazilsnaps # 2 - Team conference!

Brazilsnaps # 1 Man on a favela roof...

RIO! The Scribbler finally speaks! Be sure to watch C4, this Sunday at 8.25am!

Today the Scribbler finally speaks... about BRAZIL! And to kick it off, here's a pic of some deaf kids at Ines Deaf Insititute in Rio!












And this, believe it or not, was the view from our apartment! You can just see the statue of Jesus poking through the clouds if you look carefully enough!

All you seasoned blog-fans will remember a time of extreme Scribbler quietness. Silence, even. This is because I was in Rio De Janeiro, probably watching the Rolling Stones on Cocacabana beach at the time (I kid you not!)













These kid dancers were better than the adults..!













Here's the Sugar Loaf... and below, the first day of filming...












I still (!) can't say too much about the documentary except that it's great - because I worked on it of course (!) - and if you're not watching Channel 4 at 8.25am this Sunday - or videoing it if you're still in bed - the Scribbler will be a very dissapointed blogger indeed!

For two weeks we toiled in the extreme Brazilian sunshine, carrying cameras, tripods, tapes, water, suncream, release forms, money (too much of it!) and a million other things. I stood behind the camera (with about 5 other people!), while Nana Twum-Danso danced in front of it!












So who's Nana? She's a deaf dancer, and she had a week to learn to samba dance. Did she manage it? Well, you'll have to watch the show to find that one out for yourself!

One thing I can tell you is that Brazil gave the Scribbler not only some memorable experiences (and the chance to perspire constantly for 2 weeks!) and a great chance to unleash his camera! So expect to see more than just a few snaps released onto the blog in the next few weeks!













To see more, tune in on Sunday. Aside from that, don't forget to have an amazing weekend!














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Lifesnaps # 29 - Paddington Station!

Random Scribble # 26

Lifesnaps # 28 - Dad and Eddie working the garden!

Random Scribble # 25

Trampolining, chess, and a Dyson demonstration... just another Nottingham weekend then...!

The Scribbler had a break last weekend. Not from blogging, you'll be pleased to know. From the Big Smoke... er, London.

And you'll be glad to know, I acted like a big kid the whole way through...

Indeed. For why should the small kids have all the fun? When trampolines can take an adults weight, why shouldn't they?!

















And when you can play chess with a seven year old, why not?

This is me playing Jack, the Scribbler's godson no less. Did I let him win? Er, no. I won in about 5 minutes. Gotta maintain the kid's respect for me, like..!

















If you look closely you can see Ady performing mid-air heroics, as Edwin strolls by unawares... don't worry Ady, I caught it on camera..!

That was all before the Dyson demonstration.

Mum, Dad, Edwin and I would all have bought one, if not for the fact that Ady, Dyon's newest employee, wasn't selling. Ah well!

















And then at the end, all that's left is to look at the sky... a great 4 day weekend away. Loved it.

Mystery blonde the fourth... (perhaps not so mysterious after all!)

The gym diaries!

The Scribbler has been going to the gym for 10 months now. There’ve been ups and downs, doubts, gaps. But somehow, my link to the gym is still going strong.

Before Scrib started going, I must confess that I was muchos lazy. I had a (bigger) beer belly. I drank more, er, beer. I had a sweet tooth (still do, but it’s been numbed of late!) Funny thing is that when I started going again, I liked it, for the first time in my life!

I don’t know what happened. I mean for one thing, I was going to a local authority gym with broken down equipment, musty changing rooms and one time, a hairdryer exploded when I was (making an attempt at) grooming myself after a particularly drawn out sesh. Alas, I was uninjured, to the disappointment of my personal injury lawyers…

But what I liked about the Oasis centre (right in the middle of the city, sporting an open air swimming pool no less!) was that there was a good atmosphere. The people were friendly. The gym being on the edge of Soho, there were a few people who put my own grooming habits to shame. But then, that’s not very difficult…

I got to know all the faces. In a huge city, it was somewhere where people didn’t always know my name, but at least I’d get the odd acknowledging nod every now and then. And because loads of deaf people went, there was always the opportunity for some simultaneous treadmill running/mirrored signing exercises…. which really burns those calories!

So lately, I was surprised when the gym unexpectedly shut down. For 4 weeks. I’d grown complacent. Maybe I hadn’t given it the full attention it deserved… though at least there was the promise of new equipment at the end. I was to go to Camden, well Mornington Crescent to be precise. New outlook.

So I went last night…

And it was rough. Skinheaded guys furiously lifting weights, lockers situated outside the changing rooms in case of break-ins… strip-lighting on a low underground ceiling. A weird feeling like it's not such a good place to go...

Makes you realize that you don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve left it... and there’s 3 weeks to go!

Ah well… I'll endeavour to keep it up. Through thick and thin...