Two Pictures a Day in Amman

Fifth week
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par Gilles Porte -  La Lettre AFC n°245

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Gilles Porte, AFC, and Samuel Lahu, his Assistant Cameraman, are currently shooting in Jordan. They have agreed to send us two images extracted from the daily photographic journal they are keeping during the shooting of the film 3000 Nights, directed by Mai Masri. Have a look at their fifth week of work.
Une fleur pour Ruti - Sur le bureau de la directrice de la prison (Ruti), il y a une fleur... Tous les membres de la déco (Nizar N., Moussa B., Hussein B., Abdallah B., Rami A.) sont au garde à vous pour présenter leur casting à Mai... Je me demande comment Jean Renoir avait choisi son géranium dans <i>La Grande illusion</i>... <i>(Gilles, mercredi 25 juin)</i>
A flower for Ruti
On the desk belonging to the director of the prison (Ruti), there is a flower… All the members of the design team (Nizar N., Moussa B., Hussein B., Abdallah B., Rami A.) are standing at attention to present this casting choice to Mai… I wonder how Jean Renoir chose his geranium in La Grande illusion... (Gilles, June Wednesday 25)


Zarqa - Bureau de la directrice de la prison - Zarqa, décor du bureau de la directrice de la prison : Mai, réalisatrice, et Ruti, dans son premier rôle. <i>(Samuel, mercredi 25 juin)</i>
The prison directors’s office
Zarqa, set of the prison directors’s office, Mai, the director, and Ruti, in her lead rôle. (Samuel, June Wednesday 25)


"3000 Nights", 58C 2<sup class="typo_exposants">e</sup> - <strong>58. Int. - Prison Direcor's office - Day</strong><br class='manualbr' />Layal is standing in Ruti's office looking nervous. Ruti is writing something on a piece of paper. Layal stares at her pen and the open box of books on the desk.<br class='manualbr' />- <strong>Ruti</strong> : <i>It's too late, you can't have an abortion now. I recommend that you put the baby up for adoption…</i> (Holding up the piece of paper) <i>I can arrange the papers…</i><br class='manualbr' />Layal looks up in alarm.<br class='manualbr' />- <strong>Layal</strong> : <i>What papers ?!</i> (Gilles, jeudi 26 juin)
"3000 Nights", 58C take 2
58. INT. Prison Direcor’s office, Day
Layal is standing in Ruti’s office looking nervous. Ruti is writing something on a piece of paper. Layal stares at her pen and the open box of books on the desk.
- Ruti : It’s too late, you can’t have an abortion now. I recommend that you put the baby up for adoption… (Holding up the piece of paper) I can arrange the papers…
Layal looks up in alarm.
- Layal : What papers ?! (Gilles, June Thursday 26)


Zarqa - Noor et Hanna - Noor et Hanna, les filles – palestiniennes – de la réalisatrice, en soldates israéliennes. <i>(Samuel, jeudi 26 juin)</i>
Zarqa - Noor and Hanna
Noor, and Hanna the director’s daughters — both Palestinian — dressed as Israeli soldiers. (Samuel, June 26)


No women, no cries... - A la fin de la semaine, Ossama s'arrête au bord de la route pour acheter des poteries pour sa nouvelle maison... Il me confie qu'on ne reverra plus KK, notre régisseur général... Notre " Rastaman " avait dû se rendre en Allemagne d'urgence il y a deux jours parce que sa future femme lui avait exprimé son ras-le-bol de s'occuper toute seule de la cérémonie de mariage... qui doit avoir lieu trois jours après le dernier jour de tournage ! <i>(iPhone, Gilles, vendredi 27 juin)</i>
No women, no cries...
At the end of the week, Ossama stopped by the side of the road to buy some crockery for his new home… He privately told me that we wouldn’t be seeing KK, our location manager, again… Our “Rastaman” was called to Germany on an emergency two days ago because his future wife told him she was fed up dealing with the wedding ceremony all by herself — it is supposed to take place three days after the last day of shooting ! iPhone (Gilles, June Friday 27)


Zarqa - Fin de semaine - Après les back up, nous sommes les derniers à quitter le plateau ce vendredi avec Anton, c'est la fin d'une longue semaine, et ce soir, c'est " last party before Ramadan ". <i>(Samuel, vendredi 27 juin)</i>
Zarqa - End of the week
After the backups, we’re the last people to leave the set this Friday with Anton, it’s the end of a long week, and tonight is the “last party before Ramadan”. (Samuel, June Friday 27)


Jour off... - Je me rends à Wadi Rum encore une fois... Dans une station-service, je demande à un Bédouin de faire son portrait... La photogénie n'est assurément pas une question de lumière ! <i>(Gilles, samedi 28 juin)</i>
Day off...
I go back to Wadi Rum once again... In a petrol station, I ask a Bedouin if I can take his portrait… Being photogenic definitely doesn’t depend on the light ! (Gilles, June Saturday 28)


Amman - Evidemment, les lendemains de " last party before Ramandan " ne sont pas les plus glorieux. <i>(Samuel, samedi 28 juin)</i>
Amman
Obviously the mornings after the “last party before Ramadan” aren’t the most brilliant. (Samuel, June Saturday 28)


Sam, le roi et la reine... - Un élément de la caméra (Raw recorder) nous a lâché malgré la protection du roi et la reine... Finalement Samuel fera en sorte que tout rentre en ordre, et le roi et la reine resteront accrochés... Aujourd'hui, les caméras sont numériques et bourrées d'électronique, aussi lorsqu'un incident arrive la peur ne de pouvoir nous-mêmes nous en sortir est réelle surtout lorsque la production a décidé de ne prendre aucun corps de caméra de secours... <i>(Gilles, dimanche 29 juin)</i>
Sam, the King and the Queen...
A piece of camera equipment (the Raw recorder) broke down despite being under the protection of the King and Queen… In the end, Samuel got everything in order, and the King and Queen stayed attached in their rightful place… Nowadays cameras are digital and so full of electronics that when a problem occurs, the fear of not being able to sort it out by oneself is real, especially when the production has decided not to bring a spare camera body along… (Gilles, June Sunday 29)


Zarqa - Fred et Maïssa - Retour au set, 11h du matin, le PAT est dépassé depuis trois heures, nous ne tournons toujours pas, Fred, premier assistant, passe au Red Bull. Maïssa, premier rôle, elle, est toujours pimpante. <i>(Samuel, dimanche 29 juin)</i>
Zarqa - Fred and Maïssa
Return to the set, 11 a.m., we’re three hours behind schedule today and we still haven’t begun shooting. Fred, the first AD has begun drinking Red Bull. Maïssa, the lead female role, is always in perfect form. (Samuel, June Sunday 29)


Syrine, caméra sur l'épaule - Ma fille Syrine me rejoint pour passer dix jours en Jordanie malgré le peu de temps que j'ai à lui consacrer (2 jours off)... Lorsque je la félicite pour sa très belle année de sixième, elle me répond qu'en aucun cas elle ne voudra « faire du cinéma » plus tard pour ne pas imposer à sa famille son absence... Cette année, j'ai fait quatre longs métrages comme " directeur de la photographie ", dont un en Haïti, un autre en Normandie et un autre à Paris..., pendant les grandes vacances scolaires ! <i>(iPhone, Gilles, lundi 30 juin)</i>
Syrine, with the hand-held camera
My daughter Syrine is joining me in Jordan for ten days despite the fact that I won’t have much time to spend with her (two days off)… When I congratulate her for her very good marks this year in 6th grade, she answers that she will never “work in the movies” later on so that she doesn’t have to impose her absences on her family… This year, I have worked on four feature films as “director of photography” including one in Haiti, another in Normandy, and another in Paris… All during summer holidays ! iPhone (Gilles, June Monday 30)


Zarqa - Maïssa, des pieds à la tête - Décor de la cellule de Layal, Maïssa dans son personnage de la tête aux pieds, entre deux plans. Les jours commencent à se ressembler un peu. <i>(Samuel, lundi 30 juin)</i>
Zarqa - Maïssa, from feet to head
Set of Layal’s cell, Maïssa is in character from head to foot, here between two shots. The days are rather starting to resemble one another. (Samuel, June Monday 30)


Int. – Cour des prisonnières – Jour - Afin que les actrices ne souffrent pas trop de la chaleur accablante, Mai me demande de faire de l'ombre dans la cour... Je prends toutes les toiles et tissus que j'ai sous la main en prévenant Mai qu'on perd ainsi l'intérêt de ce décor extraordinaire avec des ombres portées qui n'existent plus... En fin de journée, Mai prend la décision de tourner toutes les autres séquences dans la cour " plein soleil ! "... Les comédiennes se mettront à l'ombre sous des parapluies ! <i>(iPhone, Gilles, mardi 1<sup class="typo_exposants">er</sup> juillet)</i>
Int. / Female prisoner’s yard / Day
So that the actresses don’t suffer too much from the oppressive heat, Mai asked me to make some shade in the yard… I get together all of the canvasses and fabrics I have on hand, but I warn Mai that we’re ruining what is special about this incredible set by removing the long shadows… At the end of the day, Mai makes the decision that all of the other scenes in the courtyard will be shot in full sunlight… The actresses will have to protect themselves from the sun under umbrellas ! iPhone (Gilles, June Tuesday 1)


Zarqa - Ombres et barbelés - Le plateau est tendu. Le temps s'écoule lentement. Avec Anton, on devient forts en " time lapse ". <i>Photo Anton Demerjian (Samuel, 1<sup class="typo_exposants">er</sup> juillet)</i>
Zarqa - Shadows and barbed wires
Things on set are tense. Time is passing by slowly. Anton and I are becoming pros at time lapses. Photo by Anton Demerjian (Samuel, July 1)

(Translated from French by Alex Raiffe)


  • Have a look at the pictures taken by Gilles and Samuel during their fourth week.
  • Have a look at the pictures taken by Gilles and Samuel during their third week.
  • Have a look at the pictures taken by Gilles and Samuel during their second week.
  • Have a look at the pictures taken by Gilles and Samuel during their first week.