Kickstarter

Hi everybody!

Just wanted to show you some imagery I've pieced together from the pilgrimage, this is the start of a trailer I am working on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZV9eSD-S5k&feature=youtu.be

I want to send out a huge thank you to all of you for supporting me and my project. If it wasn't for all of you, my dreams of making a documentary would just remain a dream. With all your help, I've gotten the means to start up the production. 

It's all been possible because of you and I wanted to thank you all very much!!

I'm still in Asia, waiting for a flight home, and when I get back to the States my work on this project will really just have begun. Half of a film, in my opinion, is in the shooting, and the other half is in the editing. So expect to keep receiving updates from me on how the progress of the film is going.

Thank you all so much for your generosity. You know, it's getting harder for artists to fund projects these days. Funding keeps getting tighter and tighter and harder to find. Reaching out to the public like this and getting people involved in projects enables artists like me to continue to do their work.

Thanks again! :)

Tina

I've finished my shooting for now, and had to leave Taiwan before my travel visa expired. `now `i am in Thailand waiting to fly back home. `in the meantime, `i am sorting through 400 `gb of footage, hours and hours of video. But I'm pretty happy with what I've got and have started organizing sequences and already getting ideas on how to piece it together.

I'm approaching the project like this; Filming is like gathering your materials; the creation of the film lies in the editing. My work has only begun.

I'm excited to start working on it. I have my ancient lap top with me here in Thailand, but look forward to getting home and working on a more powerful computer where `i can unleash my movie editing software on.

Thanks again for your support and interest! Please pass this project onto to anyone who might be interested.

And it was a long day. I started out at 7am and ended the day at 1 the next morning. Me and about half a million pilgrims walked the last 10 miles of the pilgrimage in the blistering Taiwan sun. We left Jing Swei in the morning and got to Da Jia in the golden warmth of the afternoon. The pilgrimage had made a full circle, it was now where it had started from, and Mazu was about to go home to Jenn Lann temple, but not before she was to bless the mile-long line of pilgrims that was waiting to pass under her pallaquin. The last day was just as exciting as the first day.

So even though the pilgrimage is over, my work certainly isn't. I have about 8 interviews scheduled in Taipei with various scholars, professors and heads of temples who will hopefully offer more insight into the Mazu event. But it won't be any more walking or jostling a million people while holding onto my camera for dear life.

It was exciting, stressful, exhausting, and definitely an unforgettable experience.

This project is kicking my butt! It's not easy getting jostled by crowds, on your feet for 15 hours at a time, while trying to operate a video camera and sound recording equipment. I'm exhausted! 

But it's all worth it for I'm confident that I'm going to make a stellar documentary. I've been looking at the footage I shot so far and it's looking pretty good. I've managed to get some great interviews with pilgrims and heads of temples. The passion and devotion that the people have for Mazu is amazing. 

A few nights ago, I was filming Mazu's move (her statue is what is being worshipped and transported on the pilgrimage) from a temple altar to a carriage that was waiting to take her back on the pilgrimage route. It was crowded but I had no idea how crazy it was going to be once they started moving the statue over the crowds. Apparently, to touch the statue is extremely good luck and everyone was trying to get their fair share.  The statue was lifted from the altar as the crowds screamed and surged to touch Mazu. I started to get crushed and almost got my camera smashed. I was very scared and started to scream too, as I didn't know if I was going to survive this crowd. A woman next to me screamed, "Put your head down! Hurry! Mazu is coming!" I stooped down as much as I could without being trampled and saw the statue pass over my head. The woman looked at me with wide eyes and gave me a thumbs-up sign. "You are very lucky. Mazu passed over your head. You will have very good luck."

Awesome. I think I'm definitely going to need some luck dealing with these crowds!