Ok.. Lets jump on a plane to the Balkans, share a 4 room bunk bed sardine can, meet a group of complete strangers and photograph a bee keeper for 24 hours whilst grabbing a few hours sleepon a concrete driveway and get bitten in the ass by a bug that shouldn't have been there! Well thats my kind of heaven. Global Lives have been shooting A Day In The Life type film documentaries all over the world. I saw the request and before i knew it i was in Belgrade.
Myself and 2 other togs Emile and Max were getting to know each other using the Lav Beer method (well Max chose the Coke route). Fast forward.. a night out drinking more than i have since 1995, running around Belgrade trying to find food for 2 veggies that didnt contain an animal part and climbing 6 floors to get to our Penthouse retreat really made me think im a very lucky person.. I really am! Once upon a time i was an Estate Agent and i know exactly what they are doing now (looking out the office window).. I digress..The object of the project is to film 24 hours in the life of our subject and his family. This is a complete 24 hour film so if you ever get to watch it you need a lot of pop corn and a coffee machine within arms reach!
Dusan and his family were absolute superstars. If you ever get the chance to have a film crew invade your home you will know what i mean. And that includes a video cam on a tripod in your bedroom whilst you sleep.. all night..
Shoot over. After a few hours sleep on the concrete with my new girlfriend Ms Bug, i slept like a baby back at the can. Sunday was spent editing 3 togs work which amounted to 2500 images..Ten hours later and full of coffee we stepped out into the small square. A call from the local Serbian crew asking us to meet up and move up a notch to the Lav Beer. If you have ever stared at a comp screen for 10 hours and waded through 2500 pics you will know what our eyes felt like. I was heading for one place only.
The next few days were spent walking the streets of Belgrade to shoot some stock. Belgrade is a great city especially if your a backpacker. Its cheap, safe (unless you support one of the local football teams). Im going back hopefully this year without any hesitation.
As for those strangers.. a great bunch of people and hopefully will be friends for life. A South African fish curry has been promised in London.. Hey J... You ready?!
Images shot with a Nikon D3, D700, Zeiss ZF 35mm f2 and Zeiss 50mm f2 Makro
Copyright ©2009 Stewart Weir. All images and story content is the Copyright of Stewart Weir.
Content may not be copied or distributed without prior permission from Stewart Weir.
2 comments:
Great blog, fast paced and witty. You are a good writer.
Hi Stewart, congrats with your new blog. Looks promising. Glad to be able to follow your doings more closely now.
You must have been in the outskirts of Belgrade, don't recognize a thing from when I was there 7 years ago... But nice photos!
/Morten
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