Diary Entries:

June 7, 2007

Today is the last day of sound mixing!!

Exactly one year ago, I arrived in Azerbaijan for the prepa...

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November 6

Last weekend I was in Baku.

My production coordinator Elnura married my art department manager Zaur...

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October 15

I finsihed the technical montage of the film.

Together with my editor Vincent Assmann, I spend six ...

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August 27

the last day of shooting.

 

we started late at 12.30 pm, as our programme was so little.

 

We had ...

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August 26

today we shot the second day at our set construction "underground waterfall".

 

Our special guest ...

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August 22-25

Tuesday

 

we have no camera and no film.

everything is stuck at the border.

I am fustratred. ...

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August 20

Most of the crew left Seki on Saturday evening after the shoot. Half to Baku, half to Tbilisi.

Only...

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August 18/19

Friday started bad. At 4 pm not one of the four things I needed were on place (camera, crane, windma...

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August 17

today the 11metres high camera crane was back and in full action.

we shot the last and final gondo...

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August 16

we are coming slowly to the end of shooting and become slow...

 

we started to shoot some scenes n...

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August 15

Today we went to the desert, near a salt lake.

The earth was full of dry cracks.

It was terribly h...

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August 14

A very long shooting day (16 hours). No idea why!

 

We changed locations, had three camels (includ...

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August 12

We started in the afternoon shooting under a huge water pipe, which is

leaking.

The scene is: Te...

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August 11

Today we shot the scene, when Temelko and Aya see a couple making love.

This time, we had a body d...

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August 10

today was one of our best days.

 

it was terribly hot.

we shot on the hill opposite Caycaragojun...

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August 9

Today we mounted a 15 m high blue screen on the Olympic Complex hall (the place where we stay).

We ...

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August 8

The day started difficult

 

the donkey we found here for replacing the one in Lahic was too small t...

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August 7

Today was a terrible day.

It was hot and we waited for stupid things.

Time was running and we shot...

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August 5

We went back to the old town of Seki and filmed Kristyna floating in the

gondola over the roafs.

I...

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August 4

We shot in an abanndoned church, one of the few remaining churches in Azerbaijan.

We started with ...

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August 3

today we shot the final party scene in the river.

the last scene with 30 actors.

bright sun, no ...

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August 2

one of our longest and hardest days.

 

We shot somewhere nowhere in the desert.

It was hot and o...

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August 1

I tried so hard to have a early start.

The first day in Caycaragojunu. Hot and dry!

 

Actors cal...

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July 31

Free day.

We installed ourselves in the Olympic Komplex.

We have nice office space and rooms for...

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July 30

We were schedulded to move to Seki today.

But heavy rainfalls caused some stonefalls on the road t...

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July 29

A BIG day.

We shot the scenes when Max is catapultet out of the earth and thrown into the sky toge...

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July 27

We shot the beginning of the end sequence.

 

Location: village square.

 

The men hang Guri and N...

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July 26

The toughest days of all so far.

26 shots, 40 actors.

But everything was fine, except that we ha...

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July 25

last shooting day in Ceyhana.

 

men in my film slowly became dirty.

good scenes, good day.

 

I ma...

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July 24

shooting again.

scene by scene.

with great care.

no discussions about stupid things.

many ideas....

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July 23

Today was a free day.

 

I wanted to rest.

 

But it became my most exhausting working day of all.

...

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July 22

This morning the men of Lahic came to the square in front of my office and

asked to talk to me.

It...

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July 21

A long day. And a difficult one.

To stage 35 actors in a scene is complicated.

And when you have t...

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July 20

Today was my first day with all 35 actors on set.

We have now 4 people in costume and one additiona...

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July 19

We started to shoot in front of our office building:

The women hang Dino in a wollen sack on the tr...

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July 18

This morning we had no water in our house.

I wanted so much to take a shower and I felt terrible......

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July 17

I could not sleep yesterday night. To switch from nightshoot to dayshoot in

just one day is impossi...

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July 16

Sunday is our free day!

 

I used the day to prepare next week.

At 12 h I had a meeting with my lit...

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July 15

week three is finished.

 

today we shot really funny scenes in a bedroom, when Dino, dressed as a w...

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July 14

I forgot to write the blog in the evening.

I apologize.

 

It was a long day.

 

I made a joke the ...

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July 13

Today we shot on our square in front of the office.

We start to have scenes with 8-10 actors.

 

...

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July 12

We started to shoot in a convinient store, where the walls have the most amzing handpainted (!) wall...

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July 11

A day shootingt at the smithees.

 

A small, but very pretty location at the main street.

We shot...

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July 10

We started shooting in the smithees workshop.

Something I thought would be an easy one, turned to ...

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July 9

Today was free day!

What can I write??

 

People slept and strolled around the village...

Since y...

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July 8

the last day of week 2.

 

We started on the square. The fire department pumped water out of a tube...

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July 7

Actors arrived this morning from Marocco (Kaghat Azzelarab), Spain (Assun Planas) and Czech Republik...

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July 6

We had a lovely day today.

 

In the morning we shot just three shots: Aya and Temelkos birth.

My a...

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July 5

Today we started in the barn next to the art department.

 

We shot with sheeps, which were shaved ...

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July 4

Today we got back on track. We shot all scenes schedulded.

 

It is raining since Saturday, but tha...

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July 3

The second week started with difficulties.

 

Our little studio set of Lenoras truck was ready but ...

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July 2

Our first free day. It was due!

We all slept until the afternoon.

 

It was raining and storming. ...

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July 1

Today I felt exhausted.

But it was the last day of the week and everybody gave its best for anothe...

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June 30

The best day so far.

Maybe because I was so much afraid of it.

 

We have cloting rules for all m...

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June 29

We shift from day to night.

 

So during daytime we did not shoot.

I went with production designer...

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June 28

It was a cloudy day, but thanks God (and to the schedule), we were inside.

 

My production designer...

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June 27

I could not sleep after I woke up at 2 am!

 

At 4 am the speakers from the Mosque on our square wa...

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June 26

Since years I waited for this day.

 

Today we started to shoot.

 

I was so scared, it will not h...

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June 25

This morning some workers tried to errect for us a dry tree on the village

square, but they failed...

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June 24

Two days before shooting.

My assistant director Alina is marrying today in Baku.

My production m...

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June 23, three days before shooting

I went with Max Mauff (main actor) and Kristyna Malerova (main actrice) to Azerbaijan Kinostudio.

...

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June 22

In the morning I went with my driver Ramid to Baku. Some people complained about him, but I think he...

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June 21

This morning the catering truck arrived.

I bought it three months ago from Sarah Wiener, who has th...

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June 19

7 more days to go before shooting.

 

It was a cloudy today. When we had dinner a few raindrops wer...

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June 18

We had some visitors from Baku last night and were drinking wine for the first time here.

So today ...

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June 17

Fuad and Aynur started to go around the village to make agreements with the house owners where we wa...

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June 16

We woke up at 8 and had breakfast.

The sight over Seki from the charming Panorama-hotel is stunnin...

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June 15

We tried to leave Seki in the morning, but then it took a while to get the few props and costumes fr...

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June 14

the day started with a phone call from driver Ilham.

The old bus he bought as a picture vehicle had...

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June 13

This morning the assistant mayor helped us to see houses, which are abandoned.

We also went to the ...

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June 12

In the morning we went to the mayor.

He said Lahic starts to have a water problem, as all house ow...

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June 11

Today I spend all day with production designer Erwin Prib in my new "office" and discussed the shoot...

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June 10

Today I spend all day walking with my art department through Lahic, visiting the houses and places w...

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June 9

I am in Lahic!

 

Heaven on earth!

 

The most beautiful village on this planet!

 

Making this f...

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June 8

Today I slept until 9 am! And I did not even hear Elnura ringing the bell.

Finally she called me an...

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June 7

Ilham picked me up at 7 am.

Together with Gunel we went to Quba.

An old russian Jeep was waiting f...

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June 6

Today was a sunny day.

Every day so far was sunny, but the sun reached my heart!

 

Zaur arrived wi...

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June 5

I am sitting in a custom office in Tbilisi and try to get a document for my truck driver in Sarpi.

...

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June 4

Am I lost in La Mancha?

 

Today my cameramen George Beridze wrote me an Email, telling me (three w...

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June 3

Today Tamuna, Zaza (a speologist)and Shota, the driver left at 7 am in the morning to Radsha-region....

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June 2

I arrived in Tbilisiat 4 am in the morning.

Customs asked me if the equipment in my suitcases was n...

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June 1

31000 feet above Hungary.

 

I am sitting in the plane from Munich to Tbilisi.

I am travelling with...

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