On the third day, Village Earth facilitated a story boarding workshop where the Shipibo showed us what aspects of their communities and culture they would like to show the world in a documentary format. This was a particularly interesting and successful part of the workshop. The Shipibo decided to arrange their story based on their past, present situation, and their vision for the future. Ralf, Village Earth’s documentary film specialist, explained to the participants how to use the video cameras, still cameras, and sound equipment. The Shipibo decided to form three groups – the past, present, and future groups. The next two days of the workshop we all spent hours walking around San Francisco and one nearby community capturing footage that the Shipibo themselves deemed important. This was an experience beyond any of our wildest imaginations. They filmed everything from their craftsmen to their fish farms. Above: Shipibo Wood Sculptures All the while, they would bring their footage back to Ralf where he would edit the footage on his computer with their help and suggestions. Above: The Shipibo film crew huddle around Ralf as he edits with their assistance.
Above: The editing crew burn the midnight oil (literally) The last day we finished up the workshop by showing them what footage had been captured so far so they could decide what they still wanted to include in their story. As well we spent a lot of time reflecting about the workshop and future plans of action. Above: The group watches the footage that has been captured so far so they can decide what more they want to film. Below: The workshop group circles around to reflect upon what they have learned and where they hope to go from there.