the making of Curacao the movie

New cover

2007-04-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

"Fascinating Curacao" was shown on German television on Christmas. Some German tv channels have also bought shots of Curacao, since we have an archive with wonderful pictures in high definition.

We continue working in different projects on Curacao, visit us at our website:

www.blind-eye.de

Invitation

2006-12-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

Our premiere at the Theater Luna Blou was good attended. We had a presentation at 18:00 for companies and another at 20:00 for everybody who was interested. The second presetation was really crowded and we are glad that people enjoyed our movie so much.

First reactions to "Fascinating Curacao" in the newspaper Amigoe

2006-08-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Caroline Nicolaas, from Amigoe in Curacao has made an interview about the documentary, reporting how difficult it is sometimes to get support for a good project - in this case, some big local hotels told us they are completely booked out (which it is not true at all) and they do not need additional advertisement. As we have already worked together with the tourism board in other countries and states like Arizona and California, Namibia and Mexico, it was a surprise for us not to get support from the tourism board in Curacao. Perhaps we can see it in a positive way: as you have many people in a project, each one with a different oppinion and ideas, you never know how fast you can achieve a commitment and an agreement.
We are proud of having the movie ready, even without support!

The movie

2006-07-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

“Fascinating Curaçao” is a brand new dvd production of high quality, in 16:9 format and filmed in high definition, in four languages: English, Dutch, German and Spanish. After 4 months shooting and two months careful editing it is now ready to be sent worldwide to interested Caribbean fans. There is a special price for pre-order, send us an e-mail to curacaodvd@yahoo.de. The official release will be in August 2006.
This DVD is a 52 minutes documentary about Curacao, showing everything you need to know before spending a good time in the island: the most beautiful beaches, the best sightseeing tours, interesting Museums and the unique nature, as well as the colourful Carnival. Highlights like Klein Curaçao, Christoffel Park and the funny “te zee, te water, in de lucht”, a kind of Soap box derby on water. There are no advertisements and you get 28 extra minutes of bonus, with highlights not shown in the main film, like other beaches, landhouses and historical buildings, more Museums and National Parks, SeÚ celebration (harvest festival), dolphin therapy, the first Mountain Bike World Cup on Curaçao, sailing and marines, kite and other sports, Jewish heritage, the manoeuvre Joint Caribbean Lion, the Hato Caves, the Harley Davidson and the classic cars clubs. You will also find information for investors and emigrants, aerial views and much more: links to the most interesting websites about Curacao to provide all extra information you need and of course, a nice picture album.
We have shot a total of 40 hours in Curacao and have a high definition stock footage of excellent quality.
More Caribbean films will be coming up soon.

Sports

2006-07-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Curacao offers many possibilities not only for divers: other watersports like windsurfing, snorkeling, sailing and deep-sea fishing are widely promoted.
You can play golf at the Shell 9-hole golf course and the new 18-hole course near the Blue Bay golf resort; horseriding can also be arranged. Hiking tours at the national parks and biking through the island are also an option.
The first round of the Mountainbike World Cup was on the 1st. of April for the first time in Curacao and all the top riders have made the trip.

Kas di Pal' i Maishi

2006-07-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

This straw (sorghun stalk) house reproduces the life at the country side in the mid-nineteenth century. It was the simplest form of house construction during the seventeenth, eighteenth and early twentieth century, by descendants of slaves in the surroundings of plantation houses in Curaçao. Although it was for sure not as cosy as it looks like - there were many people living in such a little house and considering the heat and the lack of water...
Interesting is also the cactus fences, to prevent the animals of coming into the yard.
Such a pleasant place to visit: the owner cooks you a typical meal and has curious stories to tell. There are nice postcards where she is dressed in traditional Curacao's costume.
See also in the DVD a short movie about other interesting museums in Curacao.

"Juan Sebastian deElcano" - the school ship

2006-07-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

So many Spaniards have been to Curacao only just after the discovering of the island... The "Juan Sebastian de Elcano" is a four-mast Top sail Schooner. It is one of the biggest and most antique sailing ship on duty.
Once again we woke up very early to see them entering the harbour and to hear the cannons with the salutation. Unlike the Bounty, no cannon ball reached the walls of the Governeur palace. We waited in vain as they left the harbour, expecting to see the sails in the wind. At the time they did it, it was already too far away for our zoom.

Maneuvre

2006-07-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

Joint Caribbean Lion was the name of it. Training the Navy, Air Force, Army and Military Police...Troop contibuting nations were the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, France and Belgium. Venezuela and Chile contribute with observers.
Those ships are huge and it is a very strange sensation to see them in a place you think it is like paradise. Anyway, we were glad that the Dutch marine did not block the access to the beaches or places were they were, and people were allowed to film and take pictures.

No wind today...

2006-07-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

It was a Sunday and we were going to Landhouse Ascension (once a month you can enjoy local music, a small handcraft market and some snacks there). Suddenly there was a big kite on front of our car, driving very slowly but scaring people at the sidewalk, as it was exceeding at least one meter at each side of the road. We are glad to say that nobody has lost his head, neither the cars coming in the opposite direction suffered more than a shock. Some trees though have lost the branches. The police came by chance and stopped them, but they did not want to frustrate the children and followed them, to make sure no accident would happen. We were so curious that we changed our route too and arrived in Barber, the place where the kite was supposed to fly. What a pity, there was no wind!
We drove back to Ascension and had a nice Sunday afternoon!

Carnival and SeÚ (harvest celebration)

2006-07-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

We have been to different carnivals in different countries but this one is now our favourite! We were there to work but people insisted we should be working, dancing and drinking with them. This is a great opportunity to feel the warmth of Curacao's people. The Carnival is funny, peaceful and full of colours. No matter how old you are, you are welcome to take part on it.
The Seú is a parade on the second day of Easter to remember the old harvest celebrations. It has a different pattern from the Carnival but it is celebrated with the same enthusiasm.

Landhouses and Co.

2006-07-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

A cosy part of our work was to film inside of the land houses ( the best translation for "Landhuis" would be plantation house). They were built in a way to get adequate ventilation and good sight to other land houses, in case of emergency. Most of them still have part of the old furniture, and of course "ghost" tales, like land house Ascension: "shon" Martin, a slave supervisor, was buried close to the house in a way to keep watching over the slaves, who would always claim to see his ghost...But today this place is quite safe, since the Dutch marine uses it for training.
St. Juan and Cas Abou are other well preserved land houses, St. Nicolas is being renovated.
Between a visit and another, we have a break on the beach again. On the way back, we stop at this nice dark-red country house :Papaya.
The kunuku houses where used by the slaves and were built of different materials, there are many good preserved kunuku houses still in use.

Klein Curacao

2006-07-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

One of the stars in the Curacao flag is the symbol of this small neighbour island, Klein Curacao: "Little Curacao". This was a really nice tour, we even saw dolphins on the way back to Curacao. There is nothing in this island, except for the old light house - and that is enough! This light house was built in 1850, rebuilt in 1879 and once again in 1913. It gives the island a special atmosphere, together with the freighter ship wreck at the other side of it. The beach at Klein Curacao has fine white sand, you can go for a walk at this site, or like us ingenuous and curious sea men apprentice, look at what has been brought by the rough sea at the other side and wonder where all those boat pieces come from.
One cannot forget to say, the BBQ prepared by the Mermaid crew was great!

And of course beaches!

2006-07-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, the tourquoise color is true. It hurts the eyes but it is balsam for the heart, giving you immediately a holiday feeling. There are about 40 recreational beaches in Curacao. Some are sandy with coconut trees, others have little stones and coral pieces, practically all of them have no dangerous currents and are never overcrowded. It is hard to say which beach is the most beautiful, there are so many special places - it depends on what you are looking for. The Caribbean colour is more intensive at Playa Kenepa, the sand is white at Port Marie and Bon Bini Beach. A quiet place you find at Playa Jeremi and St. Juan... Go for a cocktail at Mambo Beach!
Some beaches are free, some others require a fee but provide you toilets, showers and snack bars.
Interesting is the story of Port Marie. It has a double coral reef. The area was site of a famous slave rebellion in 1795, nowadays is a model of sustainable development. In 1999, the shallow coral was destroyed by the tidal following hurricane Lenny. Local preservationist Van den Bulck and marine biologist Kuenen initiated a huge volunteer project to build 280 reef balls and restore the reefs. The project was successful and the conditions are still monitored annually. Port Marie has also beautiful hiking trails with breathtaking views.

Fauna of Curacao

2006-07-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

Animal encounters are always impressive. Birds like parakeets, some hawk species, troupials and canaries are easy to see (not always easy to film or photograph). Whiptail lizards are the most common reptilian. The females are brown-grey while the males have the head, legs and tail brightly turquoise blue. Iguanas can reach a length up to two meters. They use their camouflage after being discovered - if it does not work, they will run away and surprisingly they are able to move very fast. We have made this experience trying to film the iguana visiting our garden, but it did not wait for us to turn on the camera and zoom it. The same happened with the hawks. We watched the hawks hunting for about two hours, but it is not possible to be as fast with the camera as they are... Anyway it was nice to observe them flying and falling down from the sky over their prey.

Shete Boka Park

2006-07-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Another of our favorites filming spots was this park. We can see and hear the breakers against the limestones formations and observe kilometers of the north coast. This is also a nesting place for sea turtles. Beautiful bays and caves can be seen as well as different hiking trails requiring good shoes and some endurance.
If you are not in the cruise ship season, you can enjoy the silence of this place and listen to the sea.

About Curacao

2006-07-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Willemstad, the capital of Curacao was recognised in 1997 by Unesco and awarded with the world cultural heritage price: A picturesque, small but pulsating Metropolis where one can literally feel the eventful past of this town. Willemstad is located strategically on St. Anna Bay, a natural harbour and had to be defended by the Netherlands for over hundred of years from re-occurring attacks from the French, English and also from pirates. Although Willemstad is in the Caribbean, one has the feeling to be in some part of Europe, mainly due to the influence of Dutch architecture. Curacao offers indeed European standard to its visitors: the highest standard of personal security, low criminality, a good functioning municipality and drinking water of excellent quality.
This island is of multicultural society in the truest sense of the word. The inhabitants of the island stem from over 40 different nations and the majority of the Nationals stem from slaves. There are no conflicts between the various religions; Muslims, Christians and Jews, all present in large numbers, live peacefully together and without conflict. They are particularly gifted with languages: It is not a rarity to be able to speak four languages. Although Dutch is the official language, „ Papiamentu“ is mostly spoken, which derived from the influx of many different languages. The islanders are very proud of it.
Curacao has 444 km2, a lenght of 61 km and between 5 -14 km breadth. It is situated 70 km from Venezuela and 2 hours flight from Miami. 138.000 people are legally registered here. The island has a semi-arid savanna-like climate and lies outside of the hurricane belt. Curaçao flora is unlike the typical tropical island vegetation and is more akin to the Southwestern United States.
The origin of the name Curaçao is still under debate. One explanation is that it is derived from the Portuguese word for 'heart'. Another explanation is that Curaçao was the name the indigenous peoples of Curaçao had used to label themselves (Joubert and Baart, 1994). Their thesis is supported by early Spanish accounts, which refer to the indigenous peoples as "Indios Curaçaos". The Papiamento word for Curaçao is Kòrsou. The name "Curaçao" (in modern Portuguese Coração) has become associated with a particular shade of blue, and is sometimes used as an adjective, because of the deep-blue liqueur named "Blue Curaçao". (thx Wikipedia!)

Christoffel Park

2006-07-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to find this exuberant nature and such diversity in this small island. This national park consists of three former plantations: Savonet, Zorgvlied and Zevenberg (together 1860 ha). The Mount Christoffel is 375m high. At Savonet, you can visit the caves and see the indian drawings and visit the north coast with the most common vegetation of the island. At Zorgvlied you can see the ruins of the landhouse and a worderful panorama view of the area. At Zevenberg and Christoffel, climb the mountain and see the flora and fauna alternatively through hiking. Not the best choice for us, with all this equipment...But we did it. It is very windy up there.
We spent at least 5 days filming at Christoffel Park, there is so much to see in this Park. The wild donkeys were too shy to meet us, but we saw traces of them everywhere.

Ship ahoy of today

2006-07-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

Cruise ship season! Once you hear the "noise" of the ship leaving, you will never forget it. (alternatively, watch "The Fog" and you will know). We woke up many times early in the morning to catch them docking in the harbour. We even met the Queen Mary II here. Sometimes you can see three ships if you drive over the Juliana Bridge, and if you walk through Punda and see them very close, you have the impression the ship is a futuristic building in the middle of the colonial architecture.
About 300,000 cruise ship tourists visit the island every year, most of them coming from the U.S.

The Octopus

2006-07-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

We took the sunday morning free and were swimming at Caracas Bay. Suddenly we saw something looking like a big research ship coming from Greenland. It was the Octopus, the yacht of Paul Allen, former partner of Bill Gates. He too is sailing in these waters. No pictures, sorry... We went home and took the camera, it is in the film!
But look at Westpunt in these pictures. Wild, wild west!

First working day - Spanish Water

2006-07-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

Now it is serious, we have to work - actually, we are looking forward to working. We are invited to a short tour on board of the Sangoma, which has been sailing from South Africa to the Caribbean. Nice people! But it is hard to hold the camera if the sea is a bit rough and the water is coming from all sides.
We see unusual things like sailing dogs, flying fishes, the Tafelberg, beautiful villas, windsurfers...this is the Caribbean, the way you imagine it!
Spanish Water offers to sailors a sheltered harbor, free to enter and services at marina's include showers, communications, gas, water, and electricity.

New year's eve

2006-07-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

We thought we could begin working immediately, but we had to take care of immigration papers, company documents and much more. I guess during Christmas time nobody is able to do such a thing, no matter where you are. So we decided to enjoy a different New years eve on board of the Insulinde. We really advice doing it, it is awesome! Unfortunately, it was too dangerous to film it: fireworks and water...Besides, it should be a special evening!

Moving to Curacao

2006-07-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

Last year we sold everything we had, our furniture, our car, (not that we owned more than that) and took only importants things with us: our books, our pictures, sun blocker, bath suits, handbooks for the new software... And our courage.
Just before landing in Curacao, seeing the whole island from above, we felt a kind of claustrophobia, but it did not last longer. It was already raining in November, the vegetation was green and the air not so dry.
We havw first moved into a very small hotel, with a beautiful garden, but we decided to run away from the mosquitos and looked for an area close to the beach but free from plants.
By the way, it is not so bad with mosquitos as it seems to be, because Curacao is not tropical. As soon as the rain stops again, the mosquitos disappear.
In our new hotel, we met for the first time those wonderful and funny creatures, looking like pre-historical animals: the iguanas. Every morning they would come out of somewhere and just lay lazy in the sun... Like we all do...

Our Project

2006-07-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

We dreamt of making a film in a place/ of a place wich resembles paradise, a place which makes everyone daydream when hearing about it. There are plenty of choices in the world, if you consider how many beauty nature has spread all around the globe for men to see, preserve and admire, even if only through the eyes of others.
We are not adventurers in the literal sense of it. We would love to go to hidden/ secret or threatened places but we also would like to be sure that we would do it to the end, otherwise you would never know what we have made.
Investing our savings in a good camera (high definition), a good software (Final Cut pro) and some extra-equipment, and carrying many years of experience behind all kind of cameras, we dare to make something on our own.
I hope you enjoy it the same way we did.