I first met Jonno Durrant and Stefan Hunt in NYC around 2009 – they were there as their film Surfing 50 States was in the NYSFF and they were working on Somewhere Near Tapachula. (Not long after they released a short series: Surfing 28 States – also AMAZING.) Astounded by just how chill, fun-loving and the genuine willingness these guys had to make to make the world a better place, I immediately thought they’d love it in Lobitos. Well, 5 years later and Jonna was in Lobitos; and inspired some others to be there as well. Below is his short recap / ‘behind the scenes’ of the experience shooting in Lobitos.
Environmental Health with WAVES from WAVES for Development on Vimeo.
Fidho is the next Stephen Spielberg!
Well, maybe that’s putting a bit too much pressure on the kid, but he was a natural director and we had a lot of fun making this short film.
During the WAVES Audio Visual sessions in Lobitos, Peru, we created some magic! We split into small groups and tried to make 1 minute films that would showcase the good work that is happening in Lobitios.
My wife Sam and I were paired with Fidho, and we spend a little while looking at the video equipment we had and learning how to use it. Then we talked about the story we wanted to tell. Fidho runs the Concrete Floors Program for WAVES so he is the expert. He suggested we interview a family with and without a floor and he would be on camera to explain the process of applying for the microloan to get a concrete floor.
It was a very organic process to interview Fidho and the families and get some pick-up shots around town to set up where these families are living.
I really enjoyed seeing Fidho interacting with the families and seeing the difference a simple thing like a concrete floor makes to them. It was such an uplifting story we had no chance of making the film less than 1 minute!
This was the highlight of the 2 weeks for me to see this piece come together to completion and then see the first family we filmed receive their floor (and another short film being made from that!). And to say this was my highlight is something really special, because I surfed a LOT of really good waves in those 2 weeks!
So when we are watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster directed by Fidho, I can say, “I told you so”. – Jonno Durrant
Previous pics – Jonno in his element(s). Want to learn more about the Audiovisual Session? Click here.
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