I'm working on a new documentary with director
Leslie Iwerks and it brought us to Hong Kong and Shanghai last month.
I had never traveled to the East so I was excited to see these regions of the world. Hong Kong is a very vibrant, international city. The downtown area is like New York's Times Square with all the neon ads and throngs of people. The weather was probably the most challenging part of the shoot. It was very muggy and rainy. One second the sun would be out and the next second, it would be pouring rain and we would be running for shelter as we tried to keep our equipment dry.
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| Hong Kong Store |
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| Harbor in Hong Kong |
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| Temple in Hong Kong |
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| Rain Clouds in Hong Kong |
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| Hong Kong at Night |
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| Shooting Broll in Hong Kong |
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| Hong Kong at Night |
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| Pad Thai in Hong Kong |
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| Hong Kong Street Vendors |
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| Hong Kong Street Vendors |
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| Hong Kong Street |
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| Berries from the U.S. in Hong Kong |
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| Hong Kong Shop |
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| View of Hong Kong from Ferry |
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| Me in Hong Kong |
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| Hong Kong |
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| Shooting Pics of Hong Kong |
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| View from Restaurant |
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| Hong Kong at Night |
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| Hong Kong at Night |
The best part of the Hong Kong adventure was working with the amazing team in Hong Kong. They were incredibly organized and supportive, which is important when you are flying thousands of miles to shoot and only have a small timeframe to get everything you need.
At the end of the shoot, I shipped the camera equipment back to the States because we wouldn't need it in Shanghai. Talk about adventure! I had no idea how tricky it would be ship batteries - especially the larger Anton Bauer batteries we like to use with our camera. DHL won't even ship batteries. And lithium batteries over a certain size are very difficult to ship. So we rented Nickel-based batteries (which are deemed safer for air travel). Even still, we had to ship the camera equipment DHL but the batteries via Fed Ex.
Why two different carriers? Well, DHL was about half the cost and since they wouldn't take the batteries, we had to split the shipments. Doesn't sound like a big deal right? Well for production, it took us a while to figure all of this out and come up with this plan, fill out all the paperwork, and get the equipment to the right carriers. It doesn't end with the shipping. The camera equipment got stuck in customs in LA for about a week and two of the batteries went missing for a few days. They surfaced after our camera house called and forced an investigation. That's just a little insight into what may seem minor but can mean multiple man hours figuring out.
Following our week in Hong Kong, we flew north to Shanghai and had immediate relief with the weather. It was cool and dry in the 70s. Like Hong Kong, Shanghai is also bustling. They have over 20 million people as compared to Los Angeles with its 4 million. A bit of a difference. We had a great time touring Shanghai and meeting with possible interviewees. One of my favorite places is an area called the French Concession. It consists of street vendors, bars and eateries.
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| Water Town Shanghai |
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| Water Town Shanghai |
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| Water Town Shanghai |
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| Water Town Shanghai |
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| French Concession Shanghai |
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| French Concession Shanghai |
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| French Concession Shanghai |
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| Shanghai |
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| The Bund, Shanghai |
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| The Bund, Shanghai |
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| The Team in Shangahi |
We go back to Shanghai again soon. Prep begins in about a week. I hear the weather will be hot and muggy when we go back. Thank goodness for Columbia and North Face outdoor gear! I stocked up this past weekend. I think I'm ready!
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