Juan Carlos Oganes' film-making and work blog.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Huancavelica - Ccarccaria film location scouting

Went location scouting to Huancavelica for my next film Ccarccaria. Never been to that place but it all seems familir when you've been (or in my case lived) in the highlands before: dry weather, high altitude (almost 5,000 mts above sea level), cold, chilly nights but cozy and warm people all over. Huancavelica, know for being the poorest State in Perú is in fact rich in culture, history and ancient customs that make it so interesting to visit. Not only the city is nice but the surrounding areas and nearby towns. Went to some abandoned mines and ghost towns and visited close-by villages that fit perfectly for the script in hand. It was specially this ghost town of Santa Barbara and its abandoned centuries-old mercury mine that caught my attention a lot. Fooled around the ghost town and imagined how decades and centuries ago it was filled with villagers and miners that as facts state, many died from mercury-poisoning.

One scene, one important scene, happens in a huge lake so we went to lake Choclococha to check on it. Simply perfect. Such beautiful scenery will be ideal for what the script calls for.

It was a good trip. Short but interesting. Can't avoid thinking on how much I would like to have enough spare time to go around my beloved Peru and travel to all these marvelous places without worries of time and schedules; things I'm so restricted nowadays.

I'm sure the time will come soon afterwards. So far, as soon as I go back to Lima I have to run directly to location to film the last scenes in this present location north of Lima.

Hope this cold-flu goes away.


Santa Barbara -ghost town.

The abandoned centuries old mercury mine.

Ccarccaria acrobatic jumps. Took like 10 until I got this.


The "mirador" above Huancavelica.

Chilly nights.


Wanted to take this km sign home. It was very heavy.


Choclococha lake.




Choclococha lake. Beautiful.

With Ccarccaria above Huancavelica down below.


The snowy mountains far away.

Lamby everywhere!



The old mine mercury mine.

Almost 5,000 high near Ticlio on the way to Huancavelica.