Hello Everyone,
Well I am back in Kenya, this time to work on several projects. All of which are very exciting.
I am happy to report that the series SAINTS started to air on NTV Monday the 14th of February to excellent reviews. The first medical drama in Kenya ever.
The next work is to direct Season 3 & 4 of Higher Learning the very first drama I directed here in Nairobi. It’s popular and the network wants it back! Nice. I have the first 5 scripts - lots of new twists and turns. Very exciting.
Then there is the movie I am helping to produce. “My Life in Crime” is based on one of best, best-selling novels in Kenya’s history. First published in the 80’s, it has had 12 printings since and is currently out of stock in all of Kenya. Kirina productions has secured the movie rights to this book and two others written by John Kiriamiti regarding the same subject. With the rights in hand and some seed money, we are now looking for a screenwriter to hire. So in three weeks we are expecting to contract our writer so they can pen the first draft.
And then, well then there is a sitcom. Yes, a sitcom that’s going to be shot in front of a live studio audience. There are some incredibly talented people behind this project, all of who will be revealed in good time. What I can say is that the premise for the sitcom is pretty much set and we are now in the process of determining the characters and various skits and situations. A very exciting “world” project.
On Friday of this week I am putting on a workshop for the actors here. It’s a one-day workshop on auditioning. There is very little training for actors here but what is here is good. Most of them come up through the stage and really have to work their chops in order to gain experience and improve their skills. So this workshop is for them to know what it takes to make the transition to the film and TV world. I am holding it in a concert hall to an audience of some 100 or more actors. There will be live demonstrations of auditions on stage as well as lots of theory of what goes behind preparing for auditions and working in front of the camera.
Now that that workshop has been done, I can say it was a great success. There were 90 actors in attendance so I had to conduct it more like a demonstration workshop. Hopefully I will have some photos of the workshop when I go to post this blog.
The workshop garnered a lot of interest from the Kenyan TV stations and radio as well. I did two TV breakfast shows and one radio breakfast show. Very fun. The day of the workshop I did a breakfast TV interview at 7 a.m., taught the class from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and then went to the African Movie Academy Awards nomination ceremony that evening until past midnight. Needless to say, I was tired! But what an experience. Priceless!
And now, a bit about Africa, not just the business. I went to the arboretum today. Fantastic! Nairobi has this huge and beautiful arboretum in the middle of the city. A natural preservation of the trees that are native to the area and a few others that have been imported. Check out the photos. Ancient trees and a wide variety. Wish I knew their names for you but I don’t. A nice warm day in Nairobi!
Soon I will be taking a trip into the country and possibly back to Mombasa. I will do this before we start shooting. Once the camera rolls, there isn’t time for much else. So now is the time to get in some sights!
I had the privilege of visiting a coffee plantation and a tea plantation yesterday. My first time ever. All of you know how much I love coffee! I reached the Mecca! And I was enlightened! :-) The blossoms of the coffee plant reminded me of the smell of apple blossoms. Very sweet smelling. Nice.
The tea plants completely surprised me. I was expecting a taller bush like that of a coffee plant but they are just shrubs really. Some of the leaves were dry and when I crumbled them up they smelled just like a tea bag. No big surprise but kind of a cool thing to discover.
Well, enjoy the photos and I will post on a regular basis.
Neil
Ahhhhhh, the first time I ever laid my hands on a coffee plant and berries! Yes!!
And the sweet smell of the blossoms. Not unlike apple blossoms to my surprise!
The red ones are more ripe and they are a bit squishy.
See?
They aren't quite ready to harvest. Still a lot more green berries than red ones.
Ahh, a dream come true - coffee fields forever!
And now for my Tarzan audition!
This is a dried up water fall that will return to life when the long rains come in April.
Can you see the ancient caves?
A lake made by a dam with a recreational picnicking area. Very nice.
Acacia tree bark. The branches have the biggest thorns ever!
Picnic grounds.
A very skinny horse.
A colt.
A bird that kept following the horses.
Eating some wild berries with my driver Were. They were like tiny blackberries.
Not a friendly guy!
In front of a tea plantation.
Testing the tea leaves.
Nice spread.
Tea leaves.
Beautiful countryside.
More tea.
Up close...
In the Arboretum in Nairobi.
Huge tropical trees.
And plants...
And massive trunks...
wow...
No, I am not rapping. I am describing the way the bamboo bushes bend.
Nice.
My co-producer for the film My Life in Crime, Janet Kirina. She will be playing the lead role of Millie. This was at the African Movie Academy Awards nomination ceremony held in Nairobi on February 25th.
Me and Joseph. He played Mr. Kahawa (means "coffee" in Swahili) in SAINTS.
She loved getting her picture taken. A future actress I am sure.
