First day of filming!

First day of filming was an amazing and also difficult experience.
As soon as a I saw the hundreds of Peruvian soldiers dressed up with the wardrobe I made months ago was like a dream come true!!

Filming was very hard because of weather and dust conditions. The sun was burning like hell and water supply had to keep coming along steady.
I don't know how much I spent watering every soldier there twice but...my wallet was empty at the end of the day.

Gotta find another way to save even more on water.

Tomorrow...more filming again starting at sunrise!

Securing interior locations

When I was little, maybe not more than seven years old, my grandfather used to walk all around downtown and take me with him and that's how I learned of many awesome places in the historic district of Lima downtown.

One that called my attention a lot was the Parque Universitario (University Park). Back then in the late 70's, it used to be full of street beggars, improvised street commerce, pickpockets, and senior men sitting around concrete chess tables playing for hours and the usual onlookers surrounding them.

It was the end of the military government and the city was getting back on track with thing abolished by Velasco.

Next to the park was this beautiful, old but interesting building that was the original site of the San Marcos University (hence the name of the park) called La Casona de San Marcos.


I saw in awe all the old structures and building of what Lima used to be centuries ago and that shouted in a muted cry how ancient and valuable our peruvian history is.

Years later, back in 2007, I visited the park and building again. It was under reconstruction and refurbishing. Some of the places were not open to the public so I had to wait.

Now in 2009 it's all done and the park looks so beautiful and cleaner. No filthiness and pickpockets anymore. More appealing to the public and tourists.

What I like so much about the Casona is that it keeps its looks and feel of the older times. The peruvian republican times of the 1800's. The colors used are the same that were used in the late 18'th century and early 19th. The decoration, the wood structure, etc. It all blends perfectly and lends itself to be the perfect location I was looking for the interior shots of the Prefectura where Bolognesi was sending the letters to from Arica asking for help and support.

One room inside will also be the interior of the Bolognesi headquarters in Arica that is known as the Casa de la Respuesta.

I already talked with the Director of the Casona and he is very excited about my film and ready to offer help in whatever I need.

Things can't be more appealing to me now.

Seems like all the stars are aligning in my favor.

But still....need more uniforms and budget for that.

Only got 150 promised and still lacking 200 more.

Canons and rifles and guns...oh my!

Went today early morning to the Cuartel Barbones (Fort Barbones) which is an old fort near downtown which is mostly run by the army logistics office and is the place where most of the old weaponry and obsolete equipment goes for archiving and saving.

Asked for the ranking officer and was nice enought to attend me after the order from the General came in my name (usually it runs like that. Not leverage and you get nowhere) and told him about my plans for the film. I was hoping to find they had old rifles liek Chassepots and Comblain models there but they only had Mauser 98K series (which wasn't used in our war for that model was made around the 1920's). Asked him if he would be nice enough to show me one.

He did.

As much and as hard that I've looked around all forts, not enough quatity of the older models are to be found. The fort had around 60 Mausers at my disposal including the bayonets. Some were a bit faulty but, who cares? It can be fixed...although it adds up to the budget needed for it.

More sponsors would have to enter the game to reach the amount.
Also I was lucky enought o find three more canons of the late 1800's that work!
That adds more possibilites to the film.

Im smiling.

At least I got somewhere.