Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina – Filming REVO’s 2011 Web Short

December 4, 2010 7:51pm

The "warm" glacial summer breeze. T-shirt weather!

Yesterday followed more or less the same format as the day prior. Except for the classic photo shoot standout: the client needed an image of me near water to underscore a lens coating technology developed specifically to optimize details on the sea. The release target for the ad is next summer. Consequently, a prerogative for that shot was to communicate summer…by the sea. Yikes.

The glacial lake could suggest one aspect of the order—the near freezing temperature of the melt water gives it a light blue color that could pass for Caribbean. Ish.

A curious and undaunted hawk

But true to Murphy’s law, the katabatic winds were blowing intermittent rain sideways, which would occasionally be replaced by spray coming off the lake! So strong was the wind that water lifted from the surface in sheets of liquid smoke! In that context, I was asked to remove my coat and, with but a T-shirt, brace the 60 mile-an-hour winds, and communicate the warm comfort of a lazy summer’s day… Well. The shot was done hastily, if only for the fact that my T-shirt was instantly pelted with horizontal spray! Luckily, a photo happens in a fraction of an instant, and the chaos will all be lost to the finished image! Those REVO lenses work great, though…!

The next day is spent filming the short segment for the marketing campaign. That afternoon we shot a brief scene for the film that Ross, the director/DP, is putting together. He concocted a story whereby I board a ferry on the lake that will take me through the last leg of my long trek to reach the glacier. It is an improbable scenario in which I am to meet the boat’s captain who greets me with a “welcome back, Sebastian”, as if I were some kind of mythic ice legend, making good on my promise to be back to re-visit the famed glacier. To this I reply, all in Spanish, no less: “Hello captain Betto. You’ve grown your stomach!” The scene is all the more absurd as the “captain” is a tourist who shared the ferry with us. His Russian fur hat spontaneously won him the part, which he enacted as poorly as I believe I did. The following scene has me gazing into the distance, playing right in the habitual romance film has with broad clichés! Ross is a good man, though, and his enthusiasm wins my willing participation in this thin scenario. (“We meet again, mister Bond!”) In the end, the landscape wins the choicest role—ultimately that story is about me trekking in REVO’s across Patagonia and—no offense to anyone—it beats shooting in Detroit!

While the bulk of my acting duties was to walk this way or that, I am amused by the attention I receive for the acquired skill of placing one foot in front of the other. A film or photo crew is conditioned to pamper the “talent”, and I see now why so many actors are such babies. I am reminded of a quote I once read from Ed Norton, citing a 1920’s thespian who said: “When you scratch an actor—you find an actress!”

My mostly-menial performance is redeemed somewhat by an on-camera interview where I share intimate sensibilities and philosophies…in raging sixty plus mile-an-hour wind!

The long day ends with a ride into the spectacular Patagonian sunset, on our way to a traditional Asado restaurant. No place like Argentina for eating meat. Though I have a conservative and environmentally motivated position on meat consumption (the truth it, it is simply not good for anyone) that position is placed on hold when I am down here! The grass fed, free range animals produce the best red meat in the world. And the traditional asado cooking over burning wood yield a taste that is truly deserves the phrase: “holly cow”!

That said, come next week I will return to abiding by the grass roots campaign of “No Meat Mondays”. For a start.

Tomorrow is the long trek back to the northern hemisphere, in what will amount to about 24 hours of travel, counting layovers. Goodbye Patagonia. I’ll be back!

The jagged edge of the Perito Moreno glacier--last stop before calving.

2 Responses to “Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina – Filming REVO’s 2011 Web Short”

  1. I only wanted to say thanks for your write up.

  2. BASILE says:

    I read your strange short trip on MySpace. I appreciated your sense of humour, mainly in such situation!
    Now you have played all rolls, or almost
    The “human world” is bizarre!!! Many veils before seeing the actualy
    Very fascinating story is your existence.
    Greetings
    B♥

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