Exerts from PANACHE Magazine Article: June-Aug 2000

OUR STORY - LINK-International Productions

LOG Entry: Jessica

Nov 8, 1999 Dominica: Prep for Departure

8:00 am: Woken up by a hummingbird fluttering its wings against  the jalousie shutters beside our bed. I figured it was time to get up anyway. Our nearest neighbours across the valley had already been up since 5:00 am and were almost finished their work in the fields by the time our coffee was just getting warm. They waved to us. We shared a laugh at our late start to the day. The morning sun was warming the roof of our little cabin in the hills of Dominica. We have chosen to live far from the nearest electricity poll, where the only running water comes from the rivers and waterfall on our land. There was just enough time left to walk through the orchard to the river to bathe and pack our bags.

9:30 am: The two of us boarded a small plane with our production equipment heading for Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Log Entry: Tim - CityTV Shoot # 14  

Nov. 9 /99 Port of Spain, Trinidad: Interview with Robert Yao Ramesar - Filmmaker

2:00 pm: Yao walked down the spiral steps from his second story apartment, mid-town Port of Spain. His round face was framed by a lion’s mane of wavy black hair. Yao, like Trinidad is a mix of Africa and India. Beside him was his equally stunning life partner Jillian, whose locks bounced with each step as they moved closer to us. My camera was rolling and I was already thinking of the slow motion edit this scene would require and the right filter to bring out the sunlight on their skin. We spent the day together interviewing Yao and Gillian, realizing we shared with them a common life path and outlook:

"Always question what is, create beautiful works of art, and look for deeper meanings in everything."

Through his filmmaking, Yao tries to catch the spirit of the Trinidadian people - whether at an Orisha gathering, falling into trance or at a Hindu river Ceremony.

Log Entry: Jessica

Nov. 10 /99 The Trinidad Hilton: Meeting with Perry Henzell (Director: "The Harder They Come")

4:00pm: Arrived on the 11th floor of the Trinidad Hilton and walked into Perry Henzell’s hotel room. He was like the Old Man in the Sea. Perry had asked to meet with us to see if we would be interested in working on a co-production with him, a documentary about Grenada 15 years after the invasion. It was a great honour for us to be asked by this icon of Caribbean film to collaborate. The meeting went well and Perry decided to come and stay by us in Dominica for the following two months.

"Tim and Jessica of LINK-International produce the best, most creative work... probably in the whole Caribbean" (Perry Henzell, Director: "The Harder They Come")

Log Entry: Tim - CityTV Shoot #15

Nov. 11 Port of Spain, Trinidad: Meeting with LeRoy Clarke "Picasso of the Caribbean, only Better"

10:00 am: Arrived at his hilltop home, perched on a vertical slope overlooking the city. LeRoy Clarke met us at his door. A tall strong man in his late 60’s, his piercing eyes and statesman-like presence demanded respect at first sight. He introduced himself with a handshake and a voice that was deep and in control. Our camera was not yet rolling. With a man like this, one must gain his trust and confidence first, then he may chose to reveal himself and his work to you. We talked for about an hour, explaining who we were and what we were hoping to do. He listened carefully, almost skeptically - probably the way he approaches most things in life.

3:30 pm: In LeRoy’s landrover we drove into the hills of Aripo to his  sanctuary and studio. Here we were overwhelmed by some of the greatest pieces in his life’s work. But before we could gain entrance to this spirit-filled place we were asked to make an offering. I provided the rum and Jessica the honey. We poured a little of each at the entrance. I noticed that LeRoy was enchanted by Jessica. He was ready to tell her anything she wanted to know. I took a back seat during this interview and focused on capturing the visual power of this man and his work.

Log Entry: Jessica

Shoot for McCann Erickson Worldwide Group

Nov. 20 9:30 am: Rainy Season. Answered the call from the Creative Director at McCann Erickson, Barbados Office. He said that he’d seen our work and wanted to collaborate with us on his next project. They wanted a high-end, image-driven commercial for his client: Harris Paints who was celebrating 21 Years in Dominica. We had five days to select 12 locations across the island and talent which included fashion models, children and an 83-year old Carib elder.

Nov. 25 8:30 am: Everything was in place for the shoot. We were waiting for the arrival of the Creative Director. We had only 3 days to shoot the commercial, and the skies were fluctuating between overcast and rainy.

10:00 am: As the producer’s plane touched down, the skies began to clear. We began the shoot immediately.

Nov. 30 We shot non-stop for three days. In the end, the client, "Harris Paint" decided to use the commercial "Colourful" not just for Dominica but for the entire Caribbean region.

Log Entry: Jessica - CityTV Shoot #17

For MEDIATelevision: "The Impact of T.V. In A Caribbean Society"

Dec.15 2:00 pm: Logged onto e-mail: The message: a GREEN LIGHT from our producer in Toronto at MediaTelevision to our story proposal: "The Impact of Television in a small Caribbean Society." The next moment I was on the phone setting up interviews for the story.

Dec. 16 8:00 am: Made the drive across the island to the wind-swept Atlantic coast. We honed our camera in on the daily reality of this island society; a man working on a dug-out canoe, school children emerging from a one-room school house, their dark straight hair tied with bright, green ribbons, women at roadside stalls selling baskets of woven reeds. This is the Carib Territory.

"The effect that the American media has is to show them a lifestyle that is not attainable." (Carib Chief)

10:00 am: Found the Carib Chief at his council office. This small, unassuming man is the leader of the last remaining population of indigenous peoples in the Caribbean islands. The chief spoke quietly about the impact that North American television - soap opera lifestyles, and Nike running shoes - is having on his people.

"We need more local programming - a chance for our people to see themselves...to see something achievable by their own people.." (Carib Chief)

Then the Chief paused and said with a smile, "I know Graham Green personally."

Log Entry: Tim

Dec. 19/99 10:00 am: Met the director of the local Conservation Association at his office. He is a lawyer and environmentalist. His long dreads fell to his ankles and he spoke passionately.

"We think T.V. can be a tremendous tool - but we need to have our own images, and produce them from our own perspectives so that our culture remains in the minds and the consciousness of our people" (Director of The Dominica Conservation Association)

He told us that the media work which we do in the Caribbean is important because it gives voice to those people who normally have no voice internationally. He emphasized that stories like this one for MediaTelevision provide Caribbean people with the opportunity to tell their own stories to a global audience.

Log Entry: Jessica

Feb. 3/ 2000 8:00 pm: Story Goes to Air on CityTV across Canada followed by broadcasts via satellite to the U.S., Europe, Australia, 64 Countries in Asia, South America, Africa and the Caribbean.

Feb. 4 / 2000 11:00 am: On the phone with our Producer from MediaTelevision. She told me excitedly that the story was a hit! It was the lead story of the show and the Executive Producer at MediaTV has said it is one of the best stories they’ve produced. "He’s keeping it!" she told us - meaning, this will be one of the defining stories in the history of MediaTelevision!