PROJECT
TWO MINUTE industrial/BRAND FILM FOR PRIMO INDO IKAN, A SUSTAINABLE FISHING OPERATION BASED OUT OF EAST timor, INDONESIA.
FIELD NOTES
I WILL TELL MY GRANDKIDS ABOUT THIS TRIP. ONE, BECAUSE IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL, AND TWO, BECAUSE IT WAS SO CRAZY. THE BEST PART OF THIS PROJECT WAS STEPPING FULLY INTO THE LIVES OF THE FISHERMEN THAT WE FOLLOWED. THEY RANGED IN AGE FROM BARELY 13 TO THEIR LATE FORTIES, AND THEY HAD ALL KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR YEARS. THE ONLY THING THEY BROUGHT TO SEA WERE CIGARETTES, CARDS, A SACK OF UNCOOKED RICE, AND NESTLÉ INSTANT COFFEE (KOPI) WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE AN OUTRAGEOUSLY VALUABLE COMMODITY ON THE OPEN SEA. EVERYTHING ELSE, THE OCEAN PROVIDED. WE ATE NOTHING BUT TUNA THE ENTIRE TIME, AND WE ATE IT JUST ABOUT EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.
TO GET TO THE EASTERNMOST TIP OF INDONESIA TOOK ALMOST FOUR DAYS, AND REQUIRED EVERY KIND OF TWO, THREE, AND FOUR-WHEELED VEHICLE IMAGINABLE, PLUS A FERRY AND A PLANE. WHEN WE SHOWED UP AT THE DOCK TO LOAD OUR GEAR AND HEAD OUT TO SEA FOR ALMOST A WEEK, NOBODY REALLY KNEW HOW LIVING AMONGST AN INDONESIAN FISHING CREW ON A TINY BOAT FOR THAT LONG WAS GOING TO PAN OUT, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE HAZARDS OF BEING AROUND THIS TYPE OF FISHING, WHERE YOU COULD EASILY CATCH A HOOK OR AFISH TO THE FACE AND LOSE AN EYE OR YOUR CAMERA IN THE PROCESS.
BUT BY THE END OF THAT WEEK, WHEN WE BOUGHT THE FISHERMEN BEER AND MORE KOPI FOR TAKING SUCH GOOD CARE OF US, NOBODY WANTED TO PART WAYS. A COUPLE OF US SEEMED TO HAVE SOMETHING STUCK IN OUR EYES.
