Kayaking in Slow Motion

Keyboard Kayaking

I met Juma through the manager of our hostel.  Juma had just recorded a new song for his newest album and he wanted to shoot a video.  His first idea sounded like a lot of Ugandan music videos - shoot what the video was describing.  In this case, an amazingly wholesome song about the mental and health benefits of dancing.  I suggested we shoot a concept video using slow motion.  We decided to use Juma's skills as a former internationally competitive kayaker.

Our crew consisted of Nash, the problem-solving manager of our hostel, Shaz, Juma's wife and organizer for the NGO SoftPower, Polly, who did the things that  needed to be done without being asked and provided gentle suggestions for organizing the video, and two Ugandans who jumped in to hold a reflector card or ladder when needed.  A solid, small crew. 

Lighting from one window with a gold reflector.

It was one of those rare jobs where job titles weren't clearly defined, but, at the very least, I felt  responsible for lighting, camera, technical concerns, and a portion of the creative direction.

We shot half the video in the village where Juma and his (claimed) forty-one (41) siblings were raised, and half in "The Nile Special" a Grade 3 rapid.

I'm in the (long) process of editing it into something presentable.  I'm hoping to release the video on the internet in two weeks.