A film by Lavinia Currier Based on the memoir by Louis ... - FDb.cz

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are as breathtaking, inspiring, and at times terrifying as the landscape itself. “OKA!”’s producer was James (“Jamie”) Bruce, a veteran of the TV show “Survivor” who was used to working on major productions in a remote locations. “I did pre-production in Los Angeles,” says Bruce, “helping raise money and do the budgets, and then thought I would go to the set to do a ‘making of’ <strong>film</strong>. But when I got to CAR, I didn’t pick up my own camera once – there was simply too much to do on behalf of the production.” Trying to simply schedule the shoot became difficult in the face of political tensions in the regions, including upcoming elections and ongoing political protests, as well as obscure international and regional laws and regulations involving commerce, labor, and trade. Resisting bribes and payoffs would be one of Bruce’s principal challenges, but his presence helped the crew deal with such incidents. “I felt strongly that we had to hire all the local people in Bayanga, so I met with their mayor and told him I wanted to hire any cars and drivers around, that we’d hire anyone willing to work. That ended up involving and employing almost the whole town.” Still, constant demands for new “taxes” – even though the production had worked out a deal with the national government – were obstacles. “Our bank accounts were frozen, we were shut down three times, with machine guns and oil barrels rolled across our road out,” remembers Bruce. It became evident that the production would best commence in the late summer of 2009, though <strong>Currier</strong> and her production team were skeptical that they could survive the weather. “That’s the rainy season, and when it rains, it’s very difficult to move. Roads became muddy, and equipment gets fogged up or moist and stops altogether. Jurgen told us that shooting in winter was impossible because seasonal winds changed the light – in the rainy season, the sky gets washed and is incredibly beautiful.” “Everyone kept saying ‘the Bayaka will stop the rain,’” <strong>Currier</strong> recalls. “I thought ‘oh, cute,’ but didn’t believe them. But it became a running joke on production – because it was raining, back at the production office all day, and the minute I yelled ‘cut’ at the end of the day, it would start pouring rain on set. By the end of production, I realized that we didn’t have any scenes with rain in them – the rain always waited until the cameras finished rolling, so the Bayaka really did stop the rain!” Taming the local elements was part of the task: turning the real tribe of Bayaka into effective performers was another. “Acting coach Karine Nuris was with us from pre-production,” says <strong>Currier</strong>, describing how the acting coach would engage in basic movement and ensemble exercises to get the Bayaka comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera. “One of the challenges with the Bayaka is that they don’t have the same concept of leadership as we know it – they are anarchistic, egalitarian, not hierarchical people. They are natural actors and storytellers, they love playing and spoofing and are not shy in any way, but the idea of directing someone else and telling them what to do is not innate.” <strong>Currier</strong> admits that teaching them how to act on cue gave her new insight into the people: she had previously assumed that the Bayaka would be unlikely to produce a leader who could represent them to the
outside world – “someone to emerge and go to Oxford and become educated and then return to articulate the group’s needs, for example.” But seeing them in front of the camera changed her perspective: “Given the chance, they were capable of being very forceful, because they were breaking a lot of norms for themselves in doing the <strong>film</strong>. Not just <strong>by</strong> performing, but <strong>by</strong> participating in this new hierarchy. They are also very individuated, with a broad tolerance for difference, which makes a very interesting ensemble cast.” She specifically points out seeing one of the tribe’s young boys, no more than eight years old, telling some of the older members of the cast to be happier, sadder, and show more emotion in their performances. But the most inspiring member of the cast and crew was perhaps British actor Kris Marshall, playing the lead of Larry Whitman. Marshall, a British TV star who would be recognized <strong>by</strong> American audiences for his role in “Love, Actually,” was already known as a tough customer – he survived a devastating car accident in 2008 – but what awaited him on “OKA!” was unprecedented. “He had absolutely no concern for his own well-being,” remembers <strong>Currier</strong>. “Most actors would have gone home with the sickness that he had while we were <strong>film</strong>ing – he had a parasite and the threat of dysentery. I told him he could take sick days to recover, but he said ‘No, this is my job, I want to get it done.’ He lost fifteen kilos [over 30 pounds] but just soldiered on.” Marshall is also unusual in that he was partially deaf as a child, and didn’t relate to his character’s desire to capture sound: instead, he immersed himself in learning the language of Akka, and ended up being able to converse and improvise with the Bayaka in a more natural and engaging manner. The European and American crew ultimately learned quite a bit about their subjects. “I had no idea about the Bayaka,” says Jamie Bruce, “but now I understand their plight is twofold. First, they are forest people, and if the forest is destroyed, they will be destroyed with it – that’s the sad reality. “But the positive thing about the movie,” adds Bruce, “is that this is not about a white guy coming to save them – it’s the opposite, they save the white guy. And that’s what I learned most – they think differently. They live in their communities with no formal structure – I think like a scientist, with logic, proof – and they <strong>by</strong> our standards are living in a surreal world. When Isaach was portraying the Mayor, both the Bayaka and the Bantu would approach him and say ‘Mr. Mayor, can you do something for us?’ It was seamless between their daily life and the <strong>film</strong> world – that’s amazing.” Bruce also admits that he first considered the <strong>film</strong> a bit more of a comedy – along the lines of “The Gods Must Be Crazy,” a traditional “fish-out-of-water” story that plays upon the clash of cultures to produce humor. Much of that humor remains, such as in the tribe’s constant nagging of Larry for gifts from the outside world, and the stark contrast of Larry’s 6-foot-plus Caucasian frame against the backdrop of dark-skinned tribespeople barely more than five-feet-tall. There is even a “Greek chorus” of three older tribesmen who comment on the actions of Larry while smoking their pipe, one of the <strong>film</strong>’s more notable examples of ensemble acting that reflects both the constructed storyline and the authentic behavior of the
Page 1 and 2: DADA Films & Required Viewing prese
Page 3 and 4: Although he is plagued by</
Page 5: is based on the local area’s prev
Page 9 and 10: to forest people, that take 64 puls
Page 11 and 12: Subsistence agriculture and forestr
Page 13 and 14: The African Forest Elephant of the
Page 15 and 16: KRIS MARSHALL (Larry) ABOUT THE CAS
Page 17 and 18: Eyes shot entirely on location in H
Page 19 and 20: LOUIS SARNO - CO-WRITER Louis Sarno
Page 21 and 22: ecorded in 20 different countries.
Page 23: ROLAND FILMS AND JAMES BRUCE PRODUC

A film by Lavinia Currier Based on the memoir by Louis ... - FDb.cz

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