my pressure

If you've seen the video for "Pressure" you know that much of the video takes place in the shower. This was inspired by one of the lines in the poem that talks about getting no pressure from the water company. This used to be a big problem in Belize City and all us could relate to that line. Fortunately things have improved in that regard over the past few years. Enough so that I guess the local water company, BWSL, has decided to make a TV commercial boasting about it's improved water pressure.

So they are shooting a commercial with The Grandmaster in what I am told will be a sort of parody of the music video I directed. Good on them for having fun with it, and kudos for supporting a local artist like The Grandmaster by hiring him to perform in their commercial.

But what's got my pressure up is that they won't allow me on the set of commercial to shoot anything for my documentary!! The excuse I got from the production company was that the client "did not want to mix up thier project with mine". Huh?

I mean why would they not want the added benefit of the publicity my documentary could bring them? After all it's a positive spot they are making and they should be proud that they are using a local artist to promote their company. I think what they are doing is cool and I want to be able to showcase it. But maybe they just assume, as too many Belizeans do, that anyone with a video camera is up to no good and is only looking to "scandalize" them.

I tried to speak to the PR person at the water company but she won't return my calls. That's another thing that is also too typical in Belize. Half the country it seems is perpetually "in a meeting".

Why am I making this film?

So if there is no money in it (other than the money leaving my pocket to go into the production), why the hell am I making this film?

Because I want to. Because The Grandmaster is talented and interesting enough to be worthy of a documentary. Because I think people are going to enjoy this film. Because I want to be able to make other films (hopefully fully funded) and I know that it will be extremely important to have at least one independent film to my credit when I go looking for money for future productions. Because it's fun. Because I can. Because if I don't someone else might and that would really piss me off. Because I've spent over 20 years working in commercial television and I need to do something different.

How am I producing this film?

A bit of behind the scenes information on how I am able to produce an independent documentary:

As mentioned in a previous post, I have received a small grant from Cinergia. This grant is for $4000 and it is the only source of funding I have been able to aquire so far. So the rest of my budget is coming right out of my own pocket, or from donations of time and talent from a few supportive friends. My initial budget is about US$45,000 but that doesn't include the Costa Rica or Canada trips, so the actual budget is going to be much higher. Of the original $45K, about $14,000 is needed in cash and the rest is in the form of deferals or donations. My production company is donating almost $11,000 in equipment and other services. If I fail to raise anymore cash, I will end up working for free, to the tune of about $9,000.

I own a small video production company in Belize, Central America. My company is called Oxa Productions (pronouced oh-sha). It's really just me and I do a lot of different things to put bread on the table such shooting and editing of local commercials, freelancing for other ad agencies and broadcasters, etc.

My biggest source of revenue however comes from providing location scouting and management to foreign productions who come to Belize. These include film, video, and still photography. These gigs pay decent money so it allows me to spend time working on this film without worrying about paying my rent.

I own a PD-150 (plus all the usual extras) that I am using to shoot, and I have FCP4.5 on my Mac powerbook that I use for editing. If I didn't own this gear I couldn't afford to make this film.

The big challenge is finding time to work on the documentary while still working on jobs that actually pay money. It's been tougher to balance than I expected because (fortunately) I have been extremely busy with paid projects from Novemember through January. So while my company balance sheet looks better than expected, I am way behind on production of the documentary. It's a catch 22; if I don't get the other work I can't make the film, and if I get the work I don't have time to make the film!

Canadian Content?

Ivan Duran at Stonetree Records has been getting a lot of interest in The Grandmaster from festivals in Canada. Right now it looks very likely that GM will be performing at folk festivals in Victoria, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, and Salmon Arm. There may also be a chance of him playing the festival in Vancouver.

This is great news for the documentary because obviously it is going to provide an amazing story arc and some great performance footage. It's exciting for me because I am from Canada and it will be a blast to make a summer tour of the old country.

Financing is going to be a problem however. Not so much the airfare, because I would probably make a personal trip to Vancouver this summer anyway, but it's the on the ground expenses like hotels, meals, and travel between cities that are going to kill. Plus I won't be able to do any paid work back in Belize because I could be away from late June to late August. But this will be the biggest thing to happen in The Grandmaster's life and I will find a way to be there to document it.

Do you know the way to San Jose?

The Grandmaster has been invited to perform at The Papaya Music Festival in San Jose, Costa Rica in February. Even though it's not in my budget, I can't not go. So I put a $500 plane ticket on my credit card and I'll end up crashing in Ivan or Grandmaster's room. Ah, the cushy life of the independent filmmaker.

I'm really excited about the trip. The Grandmaster performed one song with the Orquesta de la Papaya last year in Belize City and it was an amazing example of his ability to shine on stage. A combination of a road trip and concert should make for some great footage for the film.

Here's a pic from last year's concert with the Papayas...

Making the documentary

It's high time I got around to posting a blog on making this documentary. There is too much info to jam in one post so bear with me as I try to blurt it all out over a few different posts. Then hopefully I will get in the habit of updating the blog regularly.

Screen capture from music video "Pressure". Click on image to see the video.

I started filming this documentary (read synopsis below) in early 2004. I had just shot a video for "Pressure" the first single of The Grandmaster's debut CD, Just Like That, and getting to know Leroy Young a little better through the process of making his video I began to think that he would make a great subject for a documentary. So I started shooting a little bit here and there, when I had time and money.

Recently I received a small grant (US$4000) from Cinergia, a Central American filmmakers fund and that is allowing me to ramp up the production a lot. While this grant only makes up a small part of my overall budget, it will allow me to pay for a lot of production expenses. I am also hoping that having one funding source on board will open doors with others. I had applied to the Canada Arts Council last year and was turned down. I'm going to re-apply, especially in light of the fact that my documentary may take a very Canadian turn in this summer. More on that in a future post.

While I may have been frustrated that I was not able to shoot more early on, in retrospect being forced to go slow has been the best thing that could have happened. Spending almost two years to date working with The Grandmaster has allowed us to develop a personal relationship. He now trusts me and it shows in the interviews and access he is giving me.

Brent Toombs shooting a scene with The Grandmaster
Photo: Doug Murray

Synopsis

“I tried to make a collect call to God, but he wouldn’t answer the phone.”

-Leroy “The Grandmaster” Young

Locked in the desperate clutches of a crack cocaine addiction, Leroy Young tried to commit suicide. He failed. So he tried again. Somehow, during these aborted attempts at dying, The Grandmaster was born.

The Grandmaster lives in a squatters shack behind Belize City Hall. His “office” is the dangerous alley he shares with some of the country’s most hardened gangsters. He wears a watch with no face and glasses with no lenses. His dreadlocks look like they need a good shampooing. Several of his teeth are missing. This is The Grandmaster. Just like that.

A product of the ghetto, The Grandmaster embodies contradiction. He easily makes himself welcome amongst Belize’s rich and powerful, yet is quick to return to his hardcore roots when the party is over. He sees nothing wrong with smoking a little weed before speaking to high school students about staying away from drugs. He is both a role model and an example of what not to do.

He’s part hobo, part entrepreneur. A dysfunctional genius with the soul of a scamp.

He’s also most prolific poet in the tiny Central American nation of Belize.

A former British colony (previously British Honduras), Belize only became independent in 1981. With independence has come a new set of problems: Crime is escalating rapidly. The nation’s economy is dangerously close to collapse. The divide between the haves and have-nots is growing wider daily. All of this serves as creative fodder for The Grandmaster.

His rhymes tackle the taboo - from corrupt politicians to organized religion. He’s never been afraid to take on the local oligarchy, and now with the international release of his critically acclaimed debut album, The Grandmaster is ready to take on the world.

But can a semi-reformed crack-head from a tiny backwater country compete on the big stage? And more importantly, will The Grandmaster get his shit together long enough to take a shot at success?

A bastard love child of Bob Marley and Hunter S. Thompson; he’s never pretty, not exactly law abiding, and seldom sober. But, in the words of The Grandmaster himself: “Welcome To My World!”