For the final episode in the series we pull out all the stops - bringing you a sport that has never been filmed before, from one of the most remote corners of Indonesia.
The aim of Mbela is to draw blood - it is violent and sometimes brutal and if you are born into the community where it originates - you MUST play the game...
A big thank you to all our viewers, friends, and you wonderful people out there who helped put this project together and make it a reality.
Channel NewsAsia will be repeating SAVAGE SPORTS so if you missed out on any of the episodes, you can catch them again. If you have any comments, please do share them on the CNA forum.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Presenting: SAVAGE SPORTS
After months of stops and starts and cutting through red tape and a maze of filming permits, Firewalker's inaugural TV production SAVAGE SPORTS, is off the ground.
Airing this Sunday in Singapore and across the region, producing the series really has been a trial by fire, but nevertheless a rewarding experience thus far.
Check out the show's opening titles for a flavour of what to expect in the series:
For more information, or if you'd like to join the fan page for more info and behind-the-scenes snippets, visit our FACEBOOK page:
http://www.facebook.com/savagesports
Airing this Sunday in Singapore and across the region, producing the series really has been a trial by fire, but nevertheless a rewarding experience thus far.
Check out the show's opening titles for a flavour of what to expect in the series:
For more information, or if you'd like to join the fan page for more info and behind-the-scenes snippets, visit our FACEBOOK page:
http://www.facebook.com/savagesports
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Beginnings: "Project Olympic"
After half a year of researching and reshaping - Firewalker Productions has been commissioned by Channel NewsAsia to produce a 6-part documentary series about traditional sports throughout the Asia Pacific region.
As we cannot reveal the true name of the series just yet, it is for the moment code-named - Project: Olympic.
Field production starts in earnest in May 2010. Charith will be directing and writing.
Kristen will be intimidating people whenever necessary...
Thursday, February 18, 2010
UNEXPECTED ACCESS: On the Poacher's Trail...
I don't normally self-advertise but for those of you who are able - Watch UNEXPECTED ACCESS tonight on Channel 5 at 10pm please!
A rare opportunity for me to highlight the problem of the illegal wildlife trade to a prime-time audience. Hope many will tune in; especially poignant in this Year of the Tiger... animal lovers beware - some disturbing images - but these things must be highlighted from time to time...
The story highlights the efforts of the 30-strong team of Forest Rangers from Thailand's Thap Lan National Park - over 22,000 square kilometres in size - and their continuing fight against an onslaught of illegal wildlife poachers...
Highlighted in the episode is a huge confiscated haul of adult tiger carcasses and leopards and sun bears from a recent operation in late 2009. Shocking to see the results of the wholesale butchery and slaughter thats going on even as we speak...
Thursday, November 05, 2009
FIELD JOURNALS: The Philippine Eagle
There is a bird that haunts the remaining forest mountainsides of the Philippine island of Mindanao. People know it by various names; scientists christened it Pithecophaga - The Monkey-Eater; but the locals know it by another name: Haring Ibon - The King of Birds.
Standing 1-metre tall and weighing over 6kg, the Philippine Eagle is described as being the most regal, tallest, and perhaps largest raptor in the world. It is said to have the longest wingspan amongst all other eagles - measuring over 2 metres. It is also one, if not the rarest and most endangered bird of prey in existence.
History recounts that this fiercely territorial bird may never have been common over the 4 islands it has been reported to inhabit. Breeding pairs mate for life, and require a territory of 100km2 to support themselves. For over 30 years there have been strong predictions of the Philippine Eagle’s impending extinction. In the mid-60's the bird was regarded as "definitely on the road to extinction", an event predicted to occur within the following 25 years. This together with an escalating rate of deforestation, and the birds only producing a single egg every two years, the fate of the eagle was apparently sealed.
But today the Philippine Eagle still survives. After the initial warnings by conservationists, more studies were undertaken, and eventually, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) was formed, dedicated to the cause of conserving this national bird. The foundation operates from Davao, and is kept going by members’ contributions, and by grants from international and local sources. The PEF is managed by a group, fast gaining a reputation for their dogged determination to see the eagles' population increase and multiply.
A few years ago, I undertook a project to document the work of this resilient Foundation – featuring, at the heart of their conservation project – a single white 200g egg, cradled in the sterile confines of an incubator. After years of trials and tribulation, successes and heart-breaking failure – the culmination of all the foundation’s work had come to rest on this one egg.
The eighth to be hatched in their pioneering captive breeding project, the fate of the hatchling that emerged from this egg would be considerably different from its predecessors, who are now part of the foundation's captive bred population. Because, within a year of its birth, this eagle would be paired with a mate and released back into the wild.
This was to be the first ever attempted reintroduction, and the path to success would be laid with many challenges. Philippine Eagles are notoriously difficult to keep in captivity; with infection and physical ailments looming every step of the way. And then of course, the eaglets would have to be re-taught the instincts that they had lost in captivity. Doming Tadena, deputy director of the captive breeding operation, and surrogate father to all of these isolated babies, will teach his ‘children’ to become increasingly detached to people, encouraging them to cultivate their wild distrust of humans. From the time of its birth the eaglet will have no direct contact with humans, and even during feeding time, it will only see the face of its surrogate mother, a hand puppet of an adult eagle.
Dennis Salvador, executive director of the Foundation, would also have to shift his campaigning work into a higher gear. In preparing the eagles for the wild, he must work closely with the communities in the uplands of Mindanao, providing them with the impetus to undertake their own local forest conservation. The Foundation encourages these slash and burn farmers to switch from their destructive habits, to more stable methods of agriculture – a process as important as the groundbreaking captive breeding work, because without the forests, the eagles lose their habitats - and that's a sure way of losing them forever.
Ultimately the day came when, Kabayan, the chick born in November 2002, was released back to the wild on Earth Day, April 22nd 2004.
Settling into the forests of the country's highest peak, the juvenile eagle was observed to be practicing his hunting skills constantly, performing mock attacks on sticks and branches and occasionally attempting to hunt for small prey items like lizards and rats. He was reported to have been interested in a pack of monkeys but failed in his pursuit as they scurried for cover in the trees.
All was looking well for this pioneering eagle, but just a year later, and he was dead - accidentally electrocuted as he perched on a live electricity pylon.
All that effort, all that hope - lost in a moment's miscalculation...
But the true success of this project lies not in the release of this single bird, but in the lessons learned from its brief return to the wild, and the exploits of its successors, and hopefully their eventual offspring – born, raised, and soaring free in the wild.
Only then will the Philippine Eagle Foundation raise their hands in victory. But until then, the fate of this King of Raptors remains one of the most important species-conservation issues on the planet.
Standing 1-metre tall and weighing over 6kg, the Philippine Eagle is described as being the most regal, tallest, and perhaps largest raptor in the world. It is said to have the longest wingspan amongst all other eagles - measuring over 2 metres. It is also one, if not the rarest and most endangered bird of prey in existence.History recounts that this fiercely territorial bird may never have been common over the 4 islands it has been reported to inhabit. Breeding pairs mate for life, and require a territory of 100km2 to support themselves. For over 30 years there have been strong predictions of the Philippine Eagle’s impending extinction. In the mid-60's the bird was regarded as "definitely on the road to extinction", an event predicted to occur within the following 25 years. This together with an escalating rate of deforestation, and the birds only producing a single egg every two years, the fate of the eagle was apparently sealed.
But today the Philippine Eagle still survives. After the initial warnings by conservationists, more studies were undertaken, and eventually, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) was formed, dedicated to the cause of conserving this national bird. The foundation operates from Davao, and is kept going by members’ contributions, and by grants from international and local sources. The PEF is managed by a group, fast gaining a reputation for their dogged determination to see the eagles' population increase and multiply.
A few years ago, I undertook a project to document the work of this resilient Foundation – featuring, at the heart of their conservation project – a single white 200g egg, cradled in the sterile confines of an incubator. After years of trials and tribulation, successes and heart-breaking failure – the culmination of all the foundation’s work had come to rest on this one egg.
The eighth to be hatched in their pioneering captive breeding project, the fate of the hatchling that emerged from this egg would be considerably different from its predecessors, who are now part of the foundation's captive bred population. Because, within a year of its birth, this eagle would be paired with a mate and released back into the wild.
This was to be the first ever attempted reintroduction, and the path to success would be laid with many challenges. Philippine Eagles are notoriously difficult to keep in captivity; with infection and physical ailments looming every step of the way. And then of course, the eaglets would have to be re-taught the instincts that they had lost in captivity. Doming Tadena, deputy director of the captive breeding operation, and surrogate father to all of these isolated babies, will teach his ‘children’ to become increasingly detached to people, encouraging them to cultivate their wild distrust of humans. From the time of its birth the eaglet will have no direct contact with humans, and even during feeding time, it will only see the face of its surrogate mother, a hand puppet of an adult eagle.
Dennis Salvador, executive director of the Foundation, would also have to shift his campaigning work into a higher gear. In preparing the eagles for the wild, he must work closely with the communities in the uplands of Mindanao, providing them with the impetus to undertake their own local forest conservation. The Foundation encourages these slash and burn farmers to switch from their destructive habits, to more stable methods of agriculture – a process as important as the groundbreaking captive breeding work, because without the forests, the eagles lose their habitats - and that's a sure way of losing them forever.
Ultimately the day came when, Kabayan, the chick born in November 2002, was released back to the wild on Earth Day, April 22nd 2004.
Settling into the forests of the country's highest peak, the juvenile eagle was observed to be practicing his hunting skills constantly, performing mock attacks on sticks and branches and occasionally attempting to hunt for small prey items like lizards and rats. He was reported to have been interested in a pack of monkeys but failed in his pursuit as they scurried for cover in the trees.
All was looking well for this pioneering eagle, but just a year later, and he was dead - accidentally electrocuted as he perched on a live electricity pylon.
All that effort, all that hope - lost in a moment's miscalculation...
But the true success of this project lies not in the release of this single bird, but in the lessons learned from its brief return to the wild, and the exploits of its successors, and hopefully their eventual offspring – born, raised, and soaring free in the wild.
Only then will the Philippine Eagle Foundation raise their hands in victory. But until then, the fate of this King of Raptors remains one of the most important species-conservation issues on the planet.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
FULL VIDEO: Season of the Spirit Bear
Just a quick note to let you all know that I have uploaded the entire Spirit Bear documentary onto YouTube.
Because of the site's requirements, I had to divide the show up into smaller bite-sized peices, six parts in all.
But if you click on this playlist, you can watch the entire documentary uninterrupted:
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Charith
Because of the site's requirements, I had to divide the show up into smaller bite-sized peices, six parts in all.
But if you click on this playlist, you can watch the entire documentary uninterrupted:
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Charith
Friday, June 12, 2009
VIDEO: Saving Sarawak's Turtles
A few years ago, I travelled to Sarawak in East Malaysia to find out more about a local conservation project to save the Green Turtle.
Now I have finally managed to edit together and upload a short video snippet of what we saw and the work being done by Sarawak Forestry to ensure the future of this species.
I was extremely fortunate to meet Park Ranger, Christopher Kri who is heading the project. Rarely do I meet a naturalist so in love with their animal wards. Chris' obvious concern and care for the turtles was infectious, and I came away with a much deeper appreciation of this enigmatic animal.
(Chris deserves to be in his own documentary btw - an idea I will continue to work on!)
Here is Part 1:
Now I have finally managed to edit together and upload a short video snippet of what we saw and the work being done by Sarawak Forestry to ensure the future of this species.
I was extremely fortunate to meet Park Ranger, Christopher Kri who is heading the project. Rarely do I meet a naturalist so in love with their animal wards. Chris' obvious concern and care for the turtles was infectious, and I came away with a much deeper appreciation of this enigmatic animal.
(Chris deserves to be in his own documentary btw - an idea I will continue to work on!)
Here is Part 1:
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
VIDEO: Season of the Spirit Bear
Now that its been a couple of years since it was first broadcast on Animal Planet, I've finally got round to posting the first part of our documentary, "Season of the Spirit Bear".
Ironically its almost 3 years this month that we were out there filming our furry friends!
Enjoy!
Ironically its almost 3 years this month that we were out there filming our furry friends!
Enjoy!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tears for the Turtles
A few years ago, while I was still filming and working in Sri Lanka, I spent a memorable couple of nights in the company of new-borne Olive Ridley turtles, emerging from the sand and scurrying for the safety of the waves.
Since then I have filmed several more turtle species in other parts of Asia - but this first encounter with wild turtles was the most poignant, and the tragedy was that back then, the hunting of turtles for their meat and eggs was rampant, plunging the population of all five species that come to breed on Sri Lanka's shores - into fast decline.
Although hunting turtles still occurs in coastal areas, new legislation and increased awareness of their plight is putting a slight dent on the numbers being slain, the activity continues - illegaly. Back in 1998, after my wonderous encounter with those newborne turtles, I was compelled to write this in the national press - but be warned, my description of the slaying is quite graphic...
"The greatest of tragedies is the slaughter of the turtles themselves. This activity is illegal, but the extent of turtle killing, like the collection of their eggs, is island- wide and out of sight. A turtle's temperament makes it easy prey to the fisherman's net.
With few natural predators in adulthood, it flees from the approach of a catamaran with a certain reluctance. And once in the boat, its fate is sealed.
Onshore, the animal is flipped on to its back. Powerless and unable to act against its oppressors, the turtle flails pathetically at the air with useless flippers. A man will come close, and using a sharp curving blade, will prise the protective ventral carapace from its body.
As the blood spills, the same knife is used to dissect portions of the living flesh from the dying animal.
And the flesh quivers as it is removed; holding on to the last pulse of life until it finally drains away with the blood and the salt water, into the sand.
A long line of smiling villagers wait to take their share. Through it all, the turtle makes no sound. The flailing limbs will move with less energy, until they are defunct and quite still.
The turtle's eyes will stare, fathomless and glazed. Mucus, saline tears will weep through the ordeal, and long after its life has been taken. An empty shell will lie abandoned on the shore; and scavengers will take their pick.
Inhuman and yet so typical of us. We find it difficult to accept that we are capable of such barbarism. It is much easier to turn the page and forget the words. A mouth is fed for one day. A life is lost forever."
Since then I have filmed several more turtle species in other parts of Asia - but this first encounter with wild turtles was the most poignant, and the tragedy was that back then, the hunting of turtles for their meat and eggs was rampant, plunging the population of all five species that come to breed on Sri Lanka's shores - into fast decline.
Although hunting turtles still occurs in coastal areas, new legislation and increased awareness of their plight is putting a slight dent on the numbers being slain, the activity continues - illegaly. Back in 1998, after my wonderous encounter with those newborne turtles, I was compelled to write this in the national press - but be warned, my description of the slaying is quite graphic...
"The greatest of tragedies is the slaughter of the turtles themselves. This activity is illegal, but the extent of turtle killing, like the collection of their eggs, is island- wide and out of sight. A turtle's temperament makes it easy prey to the fisherman's net.
With few natural predators in adulthood, it flees from the approach of a catamaran with a certain reluctance. And once in the boat, its fate is sealed.
Onshore, the animal is flipped on to its back. Powerless and unable to act against its oppressors, the turtle flails pathetically at the air with useless flippers. A man will come close, and using a sharp curving blade, will prise the protective ventral carapace from its body.
As the blood spills, the same knife is used to dissect portions of the living flesh from the dying animal.
And the flesh quivers as it is removed; holding on to the last pulse of life until it finally drains away with the blood and the salt water, into the sand.
A long line of smiling villagers wait to take their share. Through it all, the turtle makes no sound. The flailing limbs will move with less energy, until they are defunct and quite still.
The turtle's eyes will stare, fathomless and glazed. Mucus, saline tears will weep through the ordeal, and long after its life has been taken. An empty shell will lie abandoned on the shore; and scavengers will take their pick.
Inhuman and yet so typical of us. We find it difficult to accept that we are capable of such barbarism. It is much easier to turn the page and forget the words. A mouth is fed for one day. A life is lost forever."
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
A Glorious encounter...
I was thrilled to discover this wonderful Gloriosa superba in bloom in Pulau Ubin - a small island off the coast of Singapore...
The last time I saw one growing in the wild was in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka!
The plant has such an array of mystical and medicinal properties - and I know was also used to poison enemies in the heady days of pre-Raj era Sri Lanka...
What a wonderful name: literally meaning 'handsome' and 'superb'... What a nice way to start off the year...
The last time I saw one growing in the wild was in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka!
The plant has such an array of mystical and medicinal properties - and I know was also used to poison enemies in the heady days of pre-Raj era Sri Lanka...
What a wonderful name: literally meaning 'handsome' and 'superb'... What a nice way to start off the year...
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Hollywood: A Fistful of Memories - part 1
Behind tinted glass, the landscape rolls on towards the horizon. Its just as I had always imagined, Giant Saguaro Cacti, standing like lone prospectors; staking their claim to a slice of thorny, desiccated desert. This was the empire of desert, the distant plain, the back-of-beyond, that had landscaped my imagination from early childhood to the present day.
From a Fistful of Dollars, to No Country for Old Men, my visions of the West have been coloured by the technicolour tones of Hollywood and the wild, wild country that has inspired its industry so greatly.
And at last, some twenty years since the first days that my dreams were first invaded by sandstone skylines and vast vistas of tumbleweed and thunderheads, here I was, in the back of a big gas-guzzler, driving down a big lazy highway, headed towards the city where dreams come true.
There's a lyric from a song by Richard Ashcroft, "And I wanted to go; half my life, and I'm feeling kinda strange 'cos I never lived that life..." He was singing about New York, but as far as I was concerned, it fit perfectly with my expectations for Los Angeles, and in particular, Hollywood.
But then again, in a strange, second-hand kind of way, I had lived that life, through the silver screen. I understood that it was a version, of a version of someone else's life, but I have watched enough movies, enough Oscar Ceremonies and wasted enough late nights on Entertainment Tonight reruns to recognize Hollywood at least at face value.
But what I got was more than I anticipated. Hollywood is difficult to digest. It is wierd and wonderful at the same time. So alien and yet so familiar.
And now here I was at the threshold of the Empire of Make-Believe. Hollywood Hills would be home for the next few days. Above me perched the iconic "Hollywood" sign, and down below sprawled Los Angeles and all its promises of instamatic fame and dreams come true in the blink of a movie mogul's eye...
From a Fistful of Dollars, to No Country for Old Men, my visions of the West have been coloured by the technicolour tones of Hollywood and the wild, wild country that has inspired its industry so greatly.
And at last, some twenty years since the first days that my dreams were first invaded by sandstone skylines and vast vistas of tumbleweed and thunderheads, here I was, in the back of a big gas-guzzler, driving down a big lazy highway, headed towards the city where dreams come true.
There's a lyric from a song by Richard Ashcroft, "And I wanted to go; half my life, and I'm feeling kinda strange 'cos I never lived that life..." He was singing about New York, but as far as I was concerned, it fit perfectly with my expectations for Los Angeles, and in particular, Hollywood.
But then again, in a strange, second-hand kind of way, I had lived that life, through the silver screen. I understood that it was a version, of a version of someone else's life, but I have watched enough movies, enough Oscar Ceremonies and wasted enough late nights on Entertainment Tonight reruns to recognize Hollywood at least at face value.
But what I got was more than I anticipated. Hollywood is difficult to digest. It is wierd and wonderful at the same time. So alien and yet so familiar.
And now here I was at the threshold of the Empire of Make-Believe. Hollywood Hills would be home for the next few days. Above me perched the iconic "Hollywood" sign, and down below sprawled Los Angeles and all its promises of instamatic fame and dreams come true in the blink of a movie mogul's eye...
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Culture X makes (local) history!
We've only reached Episode 5 in the series, but Culture X is already making waves in Singapore's homegrown television industry.
The show has now officially garnered the highest ratings EVER for a local production in the history of Singaporean television. And that beats the multitude of mindless comedies and overly dramatic soap operas that often become the bigger hits over here.
It is something of an accomplishment and I am thrilled to be a part of the team that achieved it.
May the ratings gods continue to shine down upon us...
(for those of you who are outside of Singapore, fear not, apparently there are plans for the series to get a cable slot some time in the near future. But in the meantime, here are the opening titles - to give you a taste of what the show is about...)
The show has now officially garnered the highest ratings EVER for a local production in the history of Singaporean television. And that beats the multitude of mindless comedies and overly dramatic soap operas that often become the bigger hits over here.
It is something of an accomplishment and I am thrilled to be a part of the team that achieved it.
May the ratings gods continue to shine down upon us...
(for those of you who are outside of Singapore, fear not, apparently there are plans for the series to get a cable slot some time in the near future. But in the meantime, here are the opening titles - to give you a taste of what the show is about...)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Elephants... Big elephants... Really Big
And now for something completely different...
While filming in Kerala, Southern India last month, I visited Punnathur Kotta - literally the "Elephant Fort". Once the palace of a local ruler, its now famous for being home to some 64 elephants, who work for and are owned by the local temple.
The oldest elephant here is around 75 years of age, and something of a megastar. There is an annual festival held here where hundreds of elephants from far and near come to take part in. As part of the festivities, a prize and title is handed out to the tallest elephant of them all. And this seasoned old guy took the title for many years until his retirement - not because of his superior height; he's not that tall. Instead, he learned somehow that if he raised his head and held it high, he would beat his taller rivals, and be declared the winner. And he became a legend because of it... Now that is style!
Anyway I was awestruck by the sheer size and girth of Kerala's elephants, especially the tusks that many of them were carrying. Having spent most of my elephant-watching time in Sri Lanka, it was quite an experience to be close to these giants - they just don't get that big in Sri Lanka (any more).
I recall an old tale about the ancient Kings of Sri Lanka donating the island's best tuskers to the Maharajahs of India as a goodwill token many centuries ago - and as a result, much of the modern-day progeny of South India's elephant population still carry genes from those exported Sri Lankan tuskers - well, that would explain a lot wouldn't it?
No wonder they're such beautiful beasts...
While filming in Kerala, Southern India last month, I visited Punnathur Kotta - literally the "Elephant Fort". Once the palace of a local ruler, its now famous for being home to some 64 elephants, who work for and are owned by the local temple.
The oldest elephant here is around 75 years of age, and something of a megastar. There is an annual festival held here where hundreds of elephants from far and near come to take part in. As part of the festivities, a prize and title is handed out to the tallest elephant of them all. And this seasoned old guy took the title for many years until his retirement - not because of his superior height; he's not that tall. Instead, he learned somehow that if he raised his head and held it high, he would beat his taller rivals, and be declared the winner. And he became a legend because of it... Now that is style!
Anyway I was awestruck by the sheer size and girth of Kerala's elephants, especially the tusks that many of them were carrying. Having spent most of my elephant-watching time in Sri Lanka, it was quite an experience to be close to these giants - they just don't get that big in Sri Lanka (any more).
I recall an old tale about the ancient Kings of Sri Lanka donating the island's best tuskers to the Maharajahs of India as a goodwill token many centuries ago - and as a result, much of the modern-day progeny of South India's elephant population still carry genes from those exported Sri Lankan tuskers - well, that would explain a lot wouldn't it?
No wonder they're such beautiful beasts...
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Spirits... in a material world
Our society as we know it is divided into two clearly defined boundaries - Life and Death - and we hope to remain in the realms of the living as long as we possibly can. That's a given...
But a few weeks ago, I was given a new perspective of this seemingly obvious statement. We were filming in Manila, Philippines for Culture X, and I was anticipating shooting a curious little story about a group of, well - we'll call them urban refugees - who had sought out shelter in the city's sprawling cemetery. But this turned out to be on a far more extensive scale than even the reports and photo-essays I had read online, had hinted at.
We were met by an entire township; a bustling community of ten thousand souls, living and breathing - and surviving - in the company of the dead...
So many archaic mausoleums and ornate graveyards, originally designed to keep out the living and provide solace for the departed, were now standing open to the world; gates and doorways ajar, and children running in and around them like hordes of industrious ants.
Initially I found it tragic, but having let the scene absorb further; strangely poetic... Life in all its dynamic energies and colours, abounding in a sanctuary of silence. They've all come from far off provinces to the so-called "promised land" - in search of fortune and luck. But reality hits hard and fast here, and most of them soon become destitute; struggling just to find enough food to feed their families. Some turn their backs on the city and return home. But many choose to stay, unwilling to let go of the dream so easily.
It is these resolute, determined few who find shelter in North Manila Cemetery. They've been coming here for over thirty years, and now those initial few have become thousands-strong. Many of them do seem to exist in a dream-like state, isolated as they are from the comings and goings of the world beyond the cemetery gates. Some still hope that their dreams will come true - while others seem to have come to terms with their predicament, and are making the best of a bad situation...
All of them however have made peace with the souls that rest beneath their feet. Its an uneasy truce. And when night-time comes to this strange halfway house of the living and the dead, I can only imagine how the atmosphere changes...
They are a brave people; standing in their shoes for just a couple of days, I was immediately aware of how suddenly so much that we take for granted was out of their reach. No running water, hardly any electricity, and no sanitation...
It turned out to be a stronger story than I could ever have hoped for. We left the cemetery-dwellers with our thanks and fees for their services, and token gifts for the kids. We toasted a successful shoot by sipping Iced Lattes beneath the shady bows of Manila's colourful Greenhills shopping complex. Its that easy to forget...
Back in the comforts of home however, I recall those restless spirits, trapped in a world that was never meant for them...
But a few weeks ago, I was given a new perspective of this seemingly obvious statement. We were filming in Manila, Philippines for Culture X, and I was anticipating shooting a curious little story about a group of, well - we'll call them urban refugees - who had sought out shelter in the city's sprawling cemetery. But this turned out to be on a far more extensive scale than even the reports and photo-essays I had read online, had hinted at.
We were met by an entire township; a bustling community of ten thousand souls, living and breathing - and surviving - in the company of the dead...
So many archaic mausoleums and ornate graveyards, originally designed to keep out the living and provide solace for the departed, were now standing open to the world; gates and doorways ajar, and children running in and around them like hordes of industrious ants.
Initially I found it tragic, but having let the scene absorb further; strangely poetic... Life in all its dynamic energies and colours, abounding in a sanctuary of silence. They've all come from far off provinces to the so-called "promised land" - in search of fortune and luck. But reality hits hard and fast here, and most of them soon become destitute; struggling just to find enough food to feed their families. Some turn their backs on the city and return home. But many choose to stay, unwilling to let go of the dream so easily.
It is these resolute, determined few who find shelter in North Manila Cemetery. They've been coming here for over thirty years, and now those initial few have become thousands-strong. Many of them do seem to exist in a dream-like state, isolated as they are from the comings and goings of the world beyond the cemetery gates. Some still hope that their dreams will come true - while others seem to have come to terms with their predicament, and are making the best of a bad situation...
All of them however have made peace with the souls that rest beneath their feet. Its an uneasy truce. And when night-time comes to this strange halfway house of the living and the dead, I can only imagine how the atmosphere changes...
They are a brave people; standing in their shoes for just a couple of days, I was immediately aware of how suddenly so much that we take for granted was out of their reach. No running water, hardly any electricity, and no sanitation...
It turned out to be a stronger story than I could ever have hoped for. We left the cemetery-dwellers with our thanks and fees for their services, and token gifts for the kids. We toasted a successful shoot by sipping Iced Lattes beneath the shady bows of Manila's colourful Greenhills shopping complex. Its that easy to forget...
Back in the comforts of home however, I recall those restless spirits, trapped in a world that was never meant for them...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
On a literary adventure...
Let's face it, writing for television can get a little tedious now and then - follow the same format, deliver the same punchline - it all gets a bit monotonous.
Its not that you don't want to be original - of course you do! Its just that most of the work on offer these days dictates that you follow a tried and tested formula - television stations are not risk-takers, they are safe-betters, and what works well once is bound to work well a second or even a third time... Of course thats good news for the production companies and it certainly brings home the bacon, but it leaves very little room for us creative creatures to stretch our legs and experiment.
Well fortunately for me, that's about to change. I was recently invited on board a project called Culture X, commissioned by Mediacorp TV12 here in Singapore. Its an ambitious series in more ways than one. Shot in remote locations across the region and tackling some very difficult subjects, Culture X explores areas of society both rural and urban, that many of us would rather never knew existed...
Its been a challenge to craft these stories out; as a writer, my job is to remain as unbiased and un-judgmental as possible, even though I've often had to force myself to watch scenes that would normally scare the pants off me.
But such conditions have forced me to flex my literary skills once more, and its been refreshing to feel the old creative engine spring back into life again. It helps that I am working with a production team with a shared vision, and I am genuinely existed about the end result, and the subsequent reaction from the audience...
Those of you in Singapore will not have to wait long for the show. It'll be on air in a couple of weeks and the trailers are already running on Arts Central.
Watch out for Culture X - if anything at all, it'll certainly leave an impression on you!
Its not that you don't want to be original - of course you do! Its just that most of the work on offer these days dictates that you follow a tried and tested formula - television stations are not risk-takers, they are safe-betters, and what works well once is bound to work well a second or even a third time... Of course thats good news for the production companies and it certainly brings home the bacon, but it leaves very little room for us creative creatures to stretch our legs and experiment.
Well fortunately for me, that's about to change. I was recently invited on board a project called Culture X, commissioned by Mediacorp TV12 here in Singapore. Its an ambitious series in more ways than one. Shot in remote locations across the region and tackling some very difficult subjects, Culture X explores areas of society both rural and urban, that many of us would rather never knew existed...
Its been a challenge to craft these stories out; as a writer, my job is to remain as unbiased and un-judgmental as possible, even though I've often had to force myself to watch scenes that would normally scare the pants off me.
But such conditions have forced me to flex my literary skills once more, and its been refreshing to feel the old creative engine spring back into life again. It helps that I am working with a production team with a shared vision, and I am genuinely existed about the end result, and the subsequent reaction from the audience...
Those of you in Singapore will not have to wait long for the show. It'll be on air in a couple of weeks and the trailers are already running on Arts Central.
Watch out for Culture X - if anything at all, it'll certainly leave an impression on you!
Friday, May 23, 2008
A Tasmanian Tiger comeback?
I've always been interested in the fate of mammals that have become extinct within the timespan of human occupation on the planet, and one of the most intriguing of these cases is the Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine, a unique marsupial carnivore from Australasia that some die-hards reckon still lingers on in the vast reaches of the outback...
But recent news reveals that we may not even have to keep our fingers crossed about their existence any more. Because one group of scientists have succeeded in "resurrecting" the Thylacine's gene:
Scientists said Tuesday they had "resurrected" a gene from the extinct Tasmanian tiger by implanting it in a mouse, raising the future possibility of bringing animals such as dinosaurs back to life.
In what they describe as a world first, researchers from Australian and U.S. universities extracted a gene from a preserved specimen of the dog-like marsupial - formally known as a thylacine - and revived it in a mouse embryo.
"This is the first time that DNA from an extinct species has been used to induce a functional response in another living organism," said research leader Andrew Pask of the University of Melbourne.
The announcement was hailed as raising the possibility of recreating extinct animals. Mike Archer, dean of science at the University of New South Wales, who led an attempt to clone the thylacine when he was director of the Australian Museum, called it "one very significant step in that direction." "I'm personally convinced this is going to happen," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "I've got another group working on another extinct Australian animal and we think this is highly probable."
"We hope that with advances in techniques that maybe one day that might be possible, but certainly as science stands at the moment, we are not able to do that, unfortunately," he said.
Well I'm not so sure that is so unfortunate. Although I do agree with the notion of say bringing back species that were lost because of our own human intervention - i.e. the Thylacine, or the Passenger Pigeon, or the Dodo - its an entirely different ballgame to dabble in the DNA of groups of creatures for which the Earth is just not suited for any more.
Where on Earth would you house a pack of marauding T-rexs? And what kind of food provisions would you have to make for a herd of ravenous Diplodicus?
Are we really ready to deal with such collosal heachaches when we are already making a mess of trying to mamage our present day environment???
But recent news reveals that we may not even have to keep our fingers crossed about their existence any more. Because one group of scientists have succeeded in "resurrecting" the Thylacine's gene:
Scientists said Tuesday they had "resurrected" a gene from the extinct Tasmanian tiger by implanting it in a mouse, raising the future possibility of bringing animals such as dinosaurs back to life. In what they describe as a world first, researchers from Australian and U.S. universities extracted a gene from a preserved specimen of the dog-like marsupial - formally known as a thylacine - and revived it in a mouse embryo.
"This is the first time that DNA from an extinct species has been used to induce a functional response in another living organism," said research leader Andrew Pask of the University of Melbourne.
The announcement was hailed as raising the possibility of recreating extinct animals. Mike Archer, dean of science at the University of New South Wales, who led an attempt to clone the thylacine when he was director of the Australian Museum, called it "one very significant step in that direction." "I'm personally convinced this is going to happen," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "I've got another group working on another extinct Australian animal and we think this is highly probable."
"We hope that with advances in techniques that maybe one day that might be possible, but certainly as science stands at the moment, we are not able to do that, unfortunately," he said.
Well I'm not so sure that is so unfortunate. Although I do agree with the notion of say bringing back species that were lost because of our own human intervention - i.e. the Thylacine, or the Passenger Pigeon, or the Dodo - its an entirely different ballgame to dabble in the DNA of groups of creatures for which the Earth is just not suited for any more.
Where on Earth would you house a pack of marauding T-rexs? And what kind of food provisions would you have to make for a herd of ravenous Diplodicus?
Are we really ready to deal with such collosal heachaches when we are already making a mess of trying to mamage our present day environment???
Thursday, May 15, 2008
There are some places you'd just rather be...
Thekka Wewa, Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka 2008
This is a view just a few minutes jeep ride away from where my uncle has just built himself a jungle hideaway (check the link above to find out more)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
spark.the.imagination
Its been painful but all of my work recently has taken me away from wildlife and only recently have I been able to emerge from the bottomless pit that is engineering documentaries.
After months of researching concrete thickness and the hazards of working in marine clay, I am happy to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, quite literally.
And apart from going all technical, I also wrote and produced two episodes for a documentary series about Asia's dynamic cinema industry - specifically Iran and India (or rather Bollywood, which is a world totally unto itself). Which was fun, and completely different to anything I've worked on for a while.
After taking a couple of months break, I now find my plate full again, and what a mixed offering I have lined up for the next year. Not quite wildlife though - but I'm working on that.
Have signed on to a very intriguing project about cultural taboos though, and there are animals involved in some of these stories, although not quite in the way you'd imagine. There are some controversial customs we'll be featuring and although I am personally horrified by some of these 'traditions', it is important to bring them to the attention of the audience-at-large, especially since some of them have been practiced unnoticed for hundreds of years - just wait 'til you see the story from Sulawesi....
Anyway that project is in production right now and will be coming to TV screens in the last quarter of the year. I am also working on another travelogue series which will see me directing in Kerala for a few days in July, and maybe Bali a bit later on.
Big news for me though is a stint in Darwin with an aboriginal community in a couple of months' time - more news on that as the time draws nearer...
Anyway just a bit of news to let everyone who is interested know, that I am alive and well and coping with the rat race as best as I can.
Been out of touch, but am back with a new reserve of energy and a new phone number, so beware...
All the best to you all,
Charith
PS - as the more observant of you will have noticed, the blog has migrated to my company website address. Firewalker Productions is launched and has a virtual life at least for now. The original website was about as interesting as watching paint dry, so hopefully this is a better solution, especially when my fieldwork starts to progress...
After months of researching concrete thickness and the hazards of working in marine clay, I am happy to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, quite literally.
And apart from going all technical, I also wrote and produced two episodes for a documentary series about Asia's dynamic cinema industry - specifically Iran and India (or rather Bollywood, which is a world totally unto itself). Which was fun, and completely different to anything I've worked on for a while.
After taking a couple of months break, I now find my plate full again, and what a mixed offering I have lined up for the next year. Not quite wildlife though - but I'm working on that.
Have signed on to a very intriguing project about cultural taboos though, and there are animals involved in some of these stories, although not quite in the way you'd imagine. There are some controversial customs we'll be featuring and although I am personally horrified by some of these 'traditions', it is important to bring them to the attention of the audience-at-large, especially since some of them have been practiced unnoticed for hundreds of years - just wait 'til you see the story from Sulawesi....
Anyway that project is in production right now and will be coming to TV screens in the last quarter of the year. I am also working on another travelogue series which will see me directing in Kerala for a few days in July, and maybe Bali a bit later on.
Big news for me though is a stint in Darwin with an aboriginal community in a couple of months' time - more news on that as the time draws nearer...
Anyway just a bit of news to let everyone who is interested know, that I am alive and well and coping with the rat race as best as I can.
Been out of touch, but am back with a new reserve of energy and a new phone number, so beware...
All the best to you all,
Charith
PS - as the more observant of you will have noticed, the blog has migrated to my company website address. Firewalker Productions is launched and has a virtual life at least for now. The original website was about as interesting as watching paint dry, so hopefully this is a better solution, especially when my fieldwork starts to progress...
Friday, November 16, 2007
A Damming Letter...
This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania . This guy's response is hilarious, but read the State's letter before you get to the response letter.
SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023;
T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. DeVries:
It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.
A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued. Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.
The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2006 .
Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.
We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division.
Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:
Re: DEQ File No.
97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. Price,
Your certified letter dated 12/17/02 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania.
A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials "debris."
I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.
As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.
My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?
If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits
that have been issued.
(Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)
I have several concerns. My first concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect.
In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names. If you want the stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.
In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).
So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2006? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.
In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! The bears are not careful where they dump!
Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.
THANK YOU,
RYAN DEVRIES
& THE DAM BEAVERS
SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023;
T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. DeVries:
It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.
A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued. Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.
The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2006 .
Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.
We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division.
Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:
Re: DEQ File No.
97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. Price,
Your certified letter dated 12/17/02 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania.
A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials "debris."
I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.
As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.
My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?
If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits
that have been issued.
(Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)
I have several concerns. My first concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect.
In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names. If you want the stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.
In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).
So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2006? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.
In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! The bears are not careful where they dump!
Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.
THANK YOU,
RYAN DEVRIES
& THE DAM BEAVERS
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