BOB BRADLEY DOCUMENTARY OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED

Copper Pot Hits up Kicking and Screening and The Best Soccer Show

If you’ve been following our blog and reading our accounts of our latest trip to Egypt, then this isn’t quite news to you, but we had yet to release to the soccer community that Copper Pot Pictures is producing the upcoming Bob Bradley documentary.  That all changed last Thursday.

Copper Pot at Kicing and Screening

We were honored to have another soccer doc that we produced, KEI, accepted to the Kicking and Screening Soccer Film Festival at Tribeca Cinemas in NYC.  Once those guys heard that we were working with Bob Bradley on an upcoming movie, they wondered if we’d have anything to show in time for the fest.  While the film won’t be done any time soon since we’ll be following Bradley and his Pharaohs as they attempt to qualify for and play in the 2014 World Cup, we quickly committed to having a featurette ready that would show their audience what we were up to.

Even though we only got back from the shoot a few weeks ago, we managed to put it together in time (thanks in part to some extra hours in the editing suite by @chadnwalker).

The festival crowd was thick with soccer-crazed fans and press and everyone couldn’t have been more receptive to both KEI and the Bob Bradley teaser.  Kicking and Screeningputs on a wonderful fest that’s an impressive blend of fun, great films and great networking.  As it’s a global fest, if you happen to be in Portland or London this September, we recommend catching some movies.

If you’d like access to the featurette we showed at the festival, the website for our Bob Bradley documentary is WeMustGoMovie.com.   If you sign up there for the mailing list, we’ll send you a password for the exclusive content.

A few days after Kicking and Screening, we were happy to do an interview with Jason and Jared from The Best Soccer Show on the North American Soccer Network.  While it was a bit surreal being interviewed about Bob Bradley having only shot footage weeks earlier, the guys from the show were great (you should catch the whole show, but our segment comes in at about 15 minutes in).  They were super knowledgeable, asked great questions and we look forward to keeping them posted about the film as we continue production.

PLAYING THE ROLE OF TOURIST

Five days in Egypt isn’t a lot of time for anything.  But we knew that we couldn’t go Egypt and settle for seeing the Giza Pyramids from the highway.  So, calling today a b-roll shoot (but really it was a day to check off the main tourist sites) we set off for downtown.

We had hoped to bring all of our film equipment in with us, but were quickly told that the cost of filming was well outside of our budget.  We weren’t too put off by this: there are literally hundreds of places outside of the gates with beautiful views of the Pyramids.  We packed our gear away and flashed our press passes to bypass the ticket line and we were on our way,Raiders of the Lost Ark theme music rattling through our heads all the while.

One thing to note about the Pyramids: they really are right on the edge of Cairo.  Their location makes them easy to get to, but it’s also somewhat shocking to see in person.  Most pictures of the Pyramids are from the east looking west.  It’s a classic view: the Pyramids tower over a vast expanse of desert, a line of camels the only object that breaks the sand horizon.  Turn your camera around and you’ll see the sprawl of Cairo begins just beyond the gates and stretches well into the distance.  The city is so close, in fact, that it seems the Sphinx might just be  yearning for a bucket of chicken from the KFC a few hundred yards from it’s broken nose (seriously, look at the right of the frame HERE–the Spinx is directly across from a KFC).

The proximity to Cairo brings out all kinds of hucksters.  It’s like Times Square, except the men handing out “free” comedy tickets are replaced by teenage boys “giving away” headdresses.  “My friend, this is a gift,” they’d say.  “No thank you,” we’d reply.  But for the hundred feet between the ticket window and the base of the Pyramid, we were accosted by these boys, who, despite us not taking the headdresses, somehow got them on our persons.  As I looked back to see one particularly feisty lad jam a headdress onto Ty’s head, another one stuffed one into the crook of my arm, then refused to take it back.  We kept walking—and so did they.  Now that we had them, the boys demanded money for their “gift.”  When we declined, they quickly, and angrily, took back the headdresses.

In the midst of this madness, a man approached—with our guide—and shooed everyone away, then offered to give us a free tour.  Let me be clear: we knew this tour wouldn’t be free.  We’re not that naïve.  But this man was able to do away with the annoyances we were facing, our guide seemed to give him the stamp of approval and we thought it probably wouldn’t be the worst idea to have a tour.

We learned the history of the Pyramids as he recited it by rote.  We entered stunning tombs where we were allowed to photograph ancient hieroglyphs as we fought off claustrophobia.  It was in one of these tiny spaces that I had a desperate urge to pee (can I write that in a company blog?).  We had all tried to enter the loo prior to entering the Pyramids, but the pay toilets required small change, which we did not have.  I started to leave the tomb in search of a bathroom, no matter the cost, when our guide told me his “brother” would help me.  Thinking he was going to lead me to another bathroom where I wouldn’t have to pay and that I wouldn’t hold up the rest of the tour, I went along.

When the guide’s brother insisted I get into a horse-drawn carriage, I knew I was in for an expensive bathroom break.

Despite my protest that I could walk, he wouldn’t hear it: I was riding in the carriage.  It’s a good thing I didn’t walk—I don’t know how I could’ve possibly made it through all 50 yards of scorching desert heat.  Somehow, my trusty steed managed.  And, of course, once I got to the outhouse, from where I had a clear view of the boys continuing the tour, I had to pay more than I would have outside.  I did my business and started to walk back, but, once more, I found myself in the carriage.

Feeling like a complete boob and thinking how badly the fellas were going to lambast me for riding up to them like Wills and Princess Kate, I hung my head in shame.

It was just then that I saw Clay rocket off the ground atop the back of a camel.  If we were going to be tourists, we were going to do it the Copper Pot way:  all in.

Not only were all three boys on camelback, they had also picked one out for me.  I threw my leg over, leaned back and, at the instruction of the 7-year-old who would lead us through the desert, my camel stood up and we were off.

Thinking of going to the Pyramids and you want a classic photo on a camel?  Here’s a tip: opt for the short tour.  When we were given the options we were told that only the long tour featured the Sphinx.  Confidently, I said, “That’s ok, we can just see the Sphinx on foot.”  The guide told me this was impossible.  The Sphinx was an eight kilometer walk… across the desert.  Looks like we had no choice.  Long tour it was.  So, at noon, we set out across the Sahara to see the Sphinx.  All we were missing was a bullwhip and a fedora.

From the start, it was clear this was a bit shady.  Was this 7-year-old really going to lead our camels through eight kilometers of dusty inferno?

No.  He wasn’t.  Because the Sphinx isn’t eight kilometers away.  In fact, it was probably 300 yards from the very spot where our guide made that ridiculous claim.  Had we paid attention, we would’ve seen that it was just to the left of the entrance—down a paved road and, as previously mentioned, across from a KFC.

Nevertheless, the tour did offer great photo ops, including one at a desert plateau where a small boy and his donkey wait to sell cool beverages to tourists.  When I commented I liked his donkey, he quipped, “Not donkey.  Egyptian Cadillac.”  I’m sure it’s a well-worn joke, but one that certainly earned him an extra tip.

The “free” tour ended up costing us probably more than it should have, but less than it would’ve back home.  The haggling simply prepped us for our trip to the market later that day where we all looked for souvenirs for loved ones and Clay got his jollies by hardballing local vendors.

We did actually do some shooting today.  We had asked Ahmed to find a soccer field from where we could see the Pyramids.  He was able to talk our way into a military club across the street where a brother and sister kicked a ball on a cement pitch in the shadows of the Great Pyramid.  It was perfect.

We’re back at the hotel, there’s an American b-movie on TV and we’re enjoying a feast of room service appetizers.  It’s been an amazing trip and we’re already looking forward to coming back and getting to know the Pharaohs much better over the next few years.  Tomorrow, we board a plane home to New York, where we’ll review everything we’ve gotten and start to put together some clips to share with you.  Should be fun.

Thanks for reading.

Much love,

The Copper Pot Crew

TAHRIR

Last night, Egypt opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Mozambique.  The team then boarded a bus and headed directly back to Cairo.  With the Pharaohs gone and our shoot in Alex complete, we followed suit.

We had been scheduled to switch fixers today.  In addition to working with journalists, our fixer Ahmed is an Egyptologist and a tour guide and he had a group of Americans arriving today that he would spend the next week with.  We met Sherif, whom we had spoken with before leaving the States, in the lobby of our hotel and started the long journey back to Cairo.

Surely, there were things to see and film, but these moments have fallen away in my memory, which is now occupied solely by one event: our trip to Tahrir.

As we wrote earlier, we had been to Tahrir on the first day we were here.  Though we had expected to find it charged with post-revolution energy it seemed to be just another square, albeit one decorated with worn protest signs and political graffiti.  The rather blasé attitude we saw gave us confidence that filming there would give us great footage that would capture the flavor of an Egyptian protest without actually having to be in one.

Our first sign that things might be different today actually came closer to Alex.  As we pulled into an “On the Run,” Sherif received a phone call.  He fielded it in Arabic, and then turned to us and said, “They have reached a verdict in the Mubarak trial.”  When we had planned this trip, we noticed that it fell neatly between the initial election and the runoff to determine the new president.  We figured this would be a relatively calm period and, so far, we had been right.  We hadn’t counted on the Mubarak verdict being released when we were here; it was the sort of news that could further divide the passionate rival factions throughout the country.

Truly the perfect picture of blissfully unaware, we checked into our Cairo hotel, sorted out our gear and boldly told Sherif, “To Tahrir Square, please.”

About halfway there, he turned back to us and said, “There could be some protests.”  We asked if it was ok for us to go.  “Yes,” he replied.  “Depending on how comfortable you are.”

We had survived an Egyptian protest the day before.  In Sierra Leone, we made it through a literal mob of people to film a soccer game.  We had seen Tahrir.  We’d be fine.

We parked at the entrance to the square.  It was instantly obvious that today was different.  A never-ending stream of people filtered past the van.  Flag-waving, faces-painted, they called out chants as they stormed towards the square.  It was the moment of truth.  I asked what the group thought, Chad spoke first.  “I think we should do it.”  The boys echoed his zeal.  We geared up and headed in.

The energy of Tahrir was unrivaled by anything we've ever seen

I don’t believe that words can quite capture the feeling there (though Clay’s photos sure do).  When one chant died down, another replaced it with an even more robust energy.  Men, women and children marched together.  Body painters stopped everyone–including Clay and Ty–and scrawled “Egypt” on arms and faces.  Vendors sold flags—and tea.  People prayed.  It was, in every sense of the word, invigorating.

We tried to get close enough to film these murals, but people kept pouring in to Tahrir

We were tentative at first, shooting in a four man radius, everyone facing out like we were a herd of elephants protecting a calf.  Slowly, as we began to get acclimated, we branched out a bit (our bravado no doubt enchanced by the fact that Ahmed, whose tour was over, had joined us).  We started talking to people, rather than just filming them.

And people wanted to talk.

Everywhere we turned, they offered to tell their stories.  Almost uniformly, they welcomed us to Egypt and thanked us for coming.   We rolled continuously.  Clay shot so many pictures, his battery died (Sherif quickly disappeared to buy a new one).  It was simply captivating.

The man lifted by the crowd was a presidential candidate who lost in the first round of the election

We tried to get atop the nearby Intercontinental Hotel to get an aerial timelapse shot, but our request was denied.  Ahmed and Sherif suggested that we try another building, if we were up for it, but said it was across the Square.  With Clay’s batteries replenished, we headed back into Tahrir.  In the short time since we had left, a barricade was set up where men in plain clothes stopped us to check our credentials.  Satisfied that our papers were in order, they let us in.  Chad and Ty went with Ahmed and talked their way into a building where they could gain roof access.  Clay and I stayed in the thick of Tahrir, where the number of people seemed to have doubled (later estimates pegged the crowd at 10,000 strong).

Again, we were stopped at every turn.  Many protesters spoke only Arabic, but managed to communicate even though we spoke only English.  Clay had one of the most defining moments of the day, or perhaps the trip, when two young men offered to help him get a better vantage point to shoot from.  They stood on top of a giant flowerpot and reached down to pull him up.  One spoke no English whatsoever while the other spoke enough to get by.  In halting English, he translated for his friend who told Clay to look at his face and, specifically, his beard.  He told Clay that men that look like him do not hate Americans.  They welcome us.  It seems he was as aware of the images we see back home as we were.

For me, that experience was symbolic for our time in Tahrir.  We had come to expect one thing, but found something completely different.   Admittedly, this is still probably an overly naïve and simplistic view of what was happening today.  There are complex political issues at play, issues which we’ve only just begun to understand.  It’s impossible to grasp a new country and its people and culture in four days and we won’t pretend that we have.  Are we more connected to what the people are going through?  Maybe.  Are we more compelled to continue to try to understand?  Absolutely.

Much love,

The Copper Pot Crew