the rant.

WHAT a shoot this has been. It's "interesting" because the entire shoot has been a self-reflectory process and a test of patience and adaptation. I hate bad usage of time when we're filming, and I also hate being a translator of languages I don't understand. I suppose I do understand the basic gist of French but I'm trying to speak English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Xinhui-nese already. I don't have the brain power to try and understand French as well. GAH.

As a translator, one's main duties are to translate - not just the spoken but also the unspoken, and by that I mean explaining (actually, usually it's apologizing for) cultural differences and also explaining the process of filming to the curious people on location, whether they are family, friends or just random punters, so that they will keep quiet while we are filming and not walk into shot whilst looking at the camera. I think what made my life difficult on this particular shoot was that the director, the subject and the cameraman talked in French and therefore the fixer and I were unable to explain to the people around what we were doing. After the French discussions finished, sometimes we wouldn't even get the perfunctory one-sentence explanation... and so we would have to jup saang - play everything by ear.

The worst I suppose is because a smile from a gwailo or gwaipo will diffuse a situation, but they expect those of us who are Chinese to tell them what's going on, but they don't realize we are as lost as they are because everything is happening in French. And of course, the old grannies and grandpas in the villages don't differentiate between French and English...

Actually no. The worst was bad usage of time. Honestly. It's about an hour in the van to location. Why can't filming issues be discussed en route? Why do they have to discuss everything when we get to location? It's not like it's the first time they've seen the location, and they don't even get off the van to discuss. The van stops, we get off, they stay on to discuss. Everyone has to stand around and wait for them. Yes, I understand you have to talk about what you want to film and how you want to film it and yes, I understand it's very important that you have these discussions before you film. But for fuck's sakes we were in the van for an hour doing nothing but travelling... why can't you talk then?? We only have so many hours of sunlight a day, the people and locations we film welcome us with open arms but they also have lives to lead, dinners to cook, homework to do. They can't stay around waiting for us forever. Geez.

I think because I've hermitted for so long, I no longer enjoy interacting with other people. I don't want to know what film you watched on the plane, I don't want care what you think about Stephen Harper, I am not interested in how great your son is doing. I'm trying to stay alert so I can translate when necessary and when people keep talking to me about things I really don't care to know, it drives me up the wall. I need my own private space/time. I don't get that during the shoot and I certainly don't get it after we're done for the day because I have a fricking roommate (who I really shouldn't complain about because she was very sweet, but still).

Good grief I've ranted long enough. And there are things I could continue to rant about but never mind. All I can say is that I'm a spoilt brat and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if my reputation sinks to an all-time low after this shoot. SHIZNUTS.

God bless.