Monthly Archives: July 2011

Fourth of July Sunset

My film project for the summer has run up against a fairly disconcerting obstacle.  At the end of my first week in Kauai I discovered  that a great deal of my filming equipment had been stolen.  After taking stock of my situation I decided to return home and booked a flight for the next day.  I’ve been back in Annapolis for a week now.  The value of the loss amounted to about what I had budgeted for the project as a whole, and my insurance company has made it clear that they are not liable for the  loss; so it’s a big hit and quite demoralizing.  However, during the week I was there I did take about 20 pages of handwritten notes and gather just over 13 gigabytes of still and video images.  The script continues to be written and I will have some sort of video produced and ready to show by the end of August.  I want to thank everyone who gave me support and encouragement on the venture and express my regret that I wasn’t able to plan well enough to forestall this outcome.  I have no doubt the thief was  “on the prowl”  for opportunities and I doubt very much it was the work of the individuals who lived or camped  in the area where I was camped.  My regard for the Hawai’an people is undiminished, though at the moment I am feeling a bit un-enthusiastic about a certain neighborhood.  The new working title of the film is Hanalei Blues in place of the former Kauaithemovie.

Best wishes and thank again to all.  I’ll be posting whatever updates are appropriate on this blog:

The handbook of film making clearly stresses the crucial importance of guarding the equipment. In this I failed and the project is stopped. I could have gone on but the anxiety of guarding what I have left is just too much for me to bear. I didn’t bring anything with me I didn’t think was absolutely necessary and with so much essential equipment gone I find I must retreat from the field. I will make a film with what I’ve already shot and continue with the script. I did gain some very helpful insights in the short time I had before the “incident.”. And now a flower. Plumeria or sometimes called Frangipani.

I found my car broken into and certain valuable and important possessions gone. Mainly a camera bag containing accessories including chargers, lenses, portable hard drives, tripods, spare batteries, and so forth. Revealing a major weakness in my plan. Amazing how much important little stuff will go in one bag.

Sunrise comes with roosters and the steady roll of the small summer surf breaking on the beach. My story has reached the second major plot point: where the man and woman first realize there is something going on. I’ll be spending the day figuring out what happens next.

Another day at Anahola.  I arrived late last night to find my guitar gone from my tent.  I had told Eddie he could borrow it if I wasn’t there, so I assumed he’d borrowed it, and as it turned out…he had.  I stayed up watching the stars and learning to play Hanalei Moon on the ukulele (since the guitar was gone). Then woke at the break of dawn to watch the sunrise.  Then got up to find my guitar in my red beach chair.  I made some coffee and  had a cranberry muffin and some orange juice. Here’s a nice picture of the Mountain sometimes called Kong.  This beach is part of Hawaiian Homeland and I’m feeling very privileged to be accepted here.  People are obviously a little skeptical of strangers…especially strangers with light skin.  But everyone has been quite friendly.

Tried to upload a video but having trouble…will work on it.

On July 2 I am in my tent while a little rainstorm passes. I’m set up here and can stay for five more days before I have to move.  This campsite is in an area designated as Hawai’ian homeland.  I’m not sure what that means, but there aren’t any tourists here or teenagers on vacation.  People here have been friendly and welcoming, though they first looked at me as if I must be lost. A fellow down the beach from me dropped by and sang me a couple of songs while playing my guitar. Yesterday morning I got about a page of story worked out then went to Hanalei beach to research some details of the story.  I realized I had left my folding chair on the beach overnight and was happy to find it right where I left it.   I spent most of yesterday afternoon looking around Kapaa for a place to find a small  folding table…without any luck. I guess I’ll have to drive all the way to Lihue and go to the Walmart or Home Depot.  Or K Mart. The rain has passed so I guess I’ll go out and try to make some coffee with my stove down at ground level.

Plenty of opportunity this evening to practice my camera work. Sometimes the cell phone does well enough.