Videocraft first met Xander Collier at last years 24/7 Youth Film Festival in Sydney's Northern Beaches.  His short film, "Highway 44" taking out three of the major prizes that night - Best Film, Best Cinematography and Best Music.  Earlier this year, he then took our cameras to far North India to shoot an intriguing documentary entitled "The Wisdom of Tibet".  On his return, he shared his unique experience with us  

JB: The shoot – Can you tell us how you came to shoot this documentary, the locations you visited and an overview of what you wanted to capture there?
XC: Shortly after the success of the 24/7 Film Festival in September, I was working on another feature film, 'Gabriel' as a 1st AD when I received interest from H.H Dalai Lama's Australian Representative and a northern beaches CEO, to Direct, Produce and shoot a documentary for a large Tibetan event which would be titled 'The Wisdom Of Tibet' for the year of Tibet here in Australia in Feb 2006. Along with special guests Professor Venerable Samdhong Rinpoche (Tibetan Prime Minister in exile) and His Eminence Sogyal Rinpoche (author of 'The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying') to raise funds for projects of The Central Tibetan Relief Committee. I accepted the job & meetings were had every weekend in October when I had a spare few hours from the set & schedules, It was then we discussed what we wanted to get across for the charity night in Feb and how I was going to achieve this. The main focus being the The Central Tibetan Relief Committee, a registered non profit organisation dedicated to the welfare and socio-economic development of the 140,000 Tibetans living in exile in India, Nepal and Bhutan. The CTRC work in partnership with the Tibetan Government in exile and the committee is dedicated to preserving the cultural and religious heritage of Tibet and building and maintaining sustainable, democratic communities in exile.The documentary was shot in a small town at the base of the Himalayas called Dharamsala, in far north India. It was there where all the filming took place for a month. I myself had never been to a third world country before, and was excited to get up there and just start shooting. Before leaving I'd been reading up on the history of both Tibetan & Indian culture but more so on what I could expect when over there, i.e. the shooting conditions which we could expect to be in.
I knew one of the main aspects that I wanted to convey was their simplistic lifestyles - what they have but more so what they need to improve it. But in doing so not to lose the warmth and plight of the Tibetan people, their dedication and determination and their honest Buddhist ways. I wanted to show the beauty that was in these lifestyles, in their heritage, something in which we do need to preserve.

JB: You mentioned that you  stayed in a monastery during your time in India.  Did you need any special permission to stay there?  How much of the doco was shot there and how much of life in the monastery did you get to experience?
XC: My crew and I stayed with the Gyuto Monks of Tibet at their Tantric University, something which H.H.D.L Australian Representative oraganised especially for us. This for me was an honor, and something which I’ll never forget. There was an option of staying in the center of town, but I felt it was so refreshing coming back down to the monastery every night, spending time with the monks and being around such a big part of their culture. We shot all that we could at the monastery - chanting pujas, day to day routines, monks of their day off, games and activities. As much as you could get - due to it being a scared tantric college. We also had a private audience with His Holiness Karmapa which was special unexpected privilege. The monks are the warmest and most hospitable people that I've ever met. After being out shooting every day for 10hrs, it was good to clear the mind by coming back down the mountain. Filled with nothing but icy air and resonating harmonic chanting during the night it was relatively easy for me to relax and think creatively about the project, as well as be inspired and get my work done and come up with the next days shooting schedule. I wanted to get more than I needed, we weren't burning film - just tape. We shot there for the first 2 days and then it was just a case of eating and sleeping there, along with good stories and conversation with the monks.
  
JB: You shot an  interview with H. H. The Dalai Lama – can you tell us a about that experience?
XC: We had a private audience with H.H Dalai Lama  (an informal chat I guess you could say) which we also filmed. This was something which I will never forget or stop being thankful for. It was one of my many highlights while on the trip, a truly serious honor and privilege to have had. The "simple Buddhist monk" as he puts it, has such a warm, positive energy about him. I remember sitting in his highly decorated room thinking, this is the Dalai Lama sitting in front of me! It was extremely surreal in every sense of the word. We spent close to 1hr to talk about the Central Tibetan Relief Committee, the projects, peace in Africa and common sense. It was filmed not so much for the doco but as I guess as a personal reminder of what was said and talked about.

JB: You chose to use the HVRZ1P on the shoot – why? What format did you use / did you use any of the special features on the camera?
XC: Filming a documentary on the roof of the world with the Sony Z1P just seemed like the right choice. I'd been using them prior to this for filming the other end of the spectrum - no holds barred live King Of The Cage fight events - quite a contrast to the doco. I guess I chose the Z1P not only for its small, portable size but mainly because I wanted that extra production value, that extra quality added to my shots, and the results were phenomenal! It was actually exciting capturing it all to the drives come post. We shot everything on Sony HDV digital master stock at 1080i50. The images were rich in colour and crystal clear and sharp.

When I first started using the HDV format I was hesitant because it was something new, something unknown but now I wouldn't choose to use anything else, it'd just seem like going backwards on a track that’s going forward. It’s affordable and fitted in well with my post production pathway, editing native HDV with Final Cut Pro HD.  I was able to shoot High Def 1080i50 video without blowing my budget by having a full HD production. I did however take another camera as back up (a PD170) just in case anything unexpected happened while up there. The assignable buttons were quite popular up there from memory, as some days we shot on the fly trying to soak up as much as possible, going from different colour temps - inside/outside/in shade then out, steady shot etc. And all the long days the shoulder brace took a fair bit of pressure of the operators arm when not on the sticks.  

JB: Did you encounter any challenges – environmentally or otherwise during the shoot?
XC: Environmentally - not really. Actually we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather while up there. The days were hot and the nights were freezing, and it never rained. Not one day. The only challenges that come to mind, well not challenges as such but... just being respectful to those being shot or locals/monks/nuns who didn't want to be photographed.

It took some getting use to coming from the industry here in Sydney to there, in relation to protocol. For instance there are a lot of monks & nuns that don't want to be shot and seen there as they may be there illegally to be closer to the Dalai Lama or his teachings and serious consequences could follow for the monk/nun or his/her family back in Tibet. It also applies to newly arrived Tibetans that trek across Tibet to attend the teachings held by H.H Dalai Lama or mothers that come to drop off there baby's at the Tibetan Children's Village (TCV) for a brighter future, education and freedom. Then trek back across.

When meeting all Tibetan Government In Exile a cup of butter tea followed by light conversation was normal. I think I must have had at least 8-9 cups of tea one afternoon! Believe me when I say by the end of the trip I was all butter tea'd out! Other challenges to name a few: The trek up the mountain each day - then back down, the poverty, being spotted as a "tourist" and being over charged because of it, getting use to the difference in food. One challenge that always comes to mind is how all the 3yr old+ children caught us completely off guard when filming at the Tibetan Children's Village and then not wanting to leave, they reminded me of little koala bears, and was by far the highlight of the trip. But all of these I wouldn't say are challenges - because it’s what made the trip what it was, an unforgettable experience. One day you're filming the H.H.D.L the next you're invited to a traditional Indian wedding.

JB: And finally - Being  involved in a documentary about the preservation of Tibetan life, experiencing  daily life at a monastery and an interview with H.H. The Dalai Lama –   Enlightened?? Inspired?
XC: Absolutely! It’s hard not to be while there. After spending time in the monastery, meeting the humble and hospitable people that we met and just the culture shock - experiencing it first hand, it changes you in a way. It really opens your eyes, and also makes you realise actually how good we have it here and what we take for granted. It was a wake up call in a sense. Be grateful for who and what you have in your life.

I just want to thank the whole team at Videocraft for being so helpful to me, I feel as though sometimes you guys bend over backwards to help me on my productions and I just want you guys to know how much I appreciate it! Thankyou! No order is too big for you guys to handle and with your professional advice and customer service you've helped me in ways you'll never imagine.

Heres to many more years!

All the best,
Xander Collier
Dragonfly Productions

   Documentary: Wisdom Of Tibet - A Way to Peace
   Duration: 20mins
   Director/Producer/Editor: Xander Collier
   Camera: Andrew Johnson
   Script/Production Mgr: Karen Collier