Karin Slater is a South African filmmaker who was recently selected as the 2008 African Trailblazer at MIPDOC in Cannes. She works as a cinematographer, director and producer.
Slater’s film ‘Laxmi’s Blessing’ is a beautiful portrait of Laxmi the elephant and her world, including her devoted mahout and his family who all live in a Hindu temple in South India. Laxmi draws people from all over India to be blessed by her and she forms an important part of spiritual celebrations in the area. This film captures some charming moments and characters in a depiction of Hindu life and the relationship between an elephant and her community.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR MAKING THIS FILM?
I met Laxmi the elephant 7 years ago and was touched by the experience of being blessed by her. When the Healing Power of Nature series asked for ideas for the series, my husband and producer Steven Bartlo said, why don’t we go and make some films in India? He speaks fluent Hindi so we knew that that would open doors. And Laxmi was the first idea that I thought of. I was pregnant at the time so we had to do everything quickly.
WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS STORY?
I loved Laxmi. Also Raja the mahout is a fascinating character who grew up in the forest without clothing, and lived with elephants and lots of siblings … I don’t think he has ever worn shoes. He is a really hospitable person and so kind. Mahesh, the street kid was also a special character, who grew into the story.
HAD YOU MET RAJA BEFORE WHEN YOU WERE IN INDIA SEVEN YEARS AGO, OR WAS IT JUST LAXMI YOU REMEMBERED? AND HOW DID YOU WIN RAJA OVER TO TALK SO OPENLY?
I don’t remember Raja from seven years ago, and we just took a chance with him. He opened up to my husband – I think because of the language connection – and to our little girl, Allana nearly two then, who was on set with us. Raja has four grown daughters.
It was difficult to interview him – to find a time in his hectic schedule; and a quiet place in India is a rare find too.
SO I GUESS THEY TOOK TO ALLANA AS WELL – A BLONDE KID WALKING AROUND.
Yes, she drew more crowds than Laxmi. She willingly shook thousands of people’s hands a day from her “throne” – the only pram we saw in India.
HOW DID YOU RECORD YOUR SOUND? THERE IS A SHOT WITH THE ELEPHANT AND RAJA WALKING AWAY DOWN THE HILL AND I’M INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW YOU ACHIEVED THAT.
I did the sound … and a good old radio mic with a rifle mic on the camera. Luckily we had spares of both mics. Mike Berridge at Panorama Sound cleaned it up quite a bit. Raja wore the radio mic 24-7, even while bathing Laxmi in the river.
SO HOW DID YOU FIND A QUIET PLACE TO DO THE INTERVIEWS?
Interviews were done in the temple when it closed for an hour over lunch.
HOW DID YOU CAPTURE WHAT YOU WANTED ON CAMERA? DID YOU FOLLOW THE CHARACTERS IN THEIR WORK AND ACTIVITIES AND JUST SHOOT WHAT WAS HAPPENING AROUND YOU OR DID YOU PLAN TO CAPTURE CERTAIN SHOTS, AND SET SOME THINGS UP?
I don’t set stuff up at all anymore. If it doesn’t happen naturally I don’t shoot it. I feel the audience can feel when something is not honest. Usually I do this with interviews too. But in India it was difficult because of the crowds and the noise everywhere, so the interviews were planned and set up but that is all that was set up.
I never know what I want. I try to be an open channel and allow the film to reveal itself. I just know what is needed to edit – so I am aware of the editing while shooting.
YOU CAPTURED A BEAUTIFUL SCENE OF PEOPLE WASHING IN THE RIVER INTERCUT WITH LAXMI BEING SCRUBBED RIGHT NEXT TO THEM. FOR ME THIS REALLY GIVES A SENSE OF THE INDIAN WAY WHERE THE BORDER BETWEEN ANIMAL SPACE AND HUMAN SPACE IS NOT THAT CLEARLY DEFINED. DID YOU CRAFT THAT IN THE EDIT?
No, Laxmi bathes with the women: there is a male bathing area, female bathing area and a Brahmin bathing area. So Laxmi bathes with the women every morning.
HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH LANGUAGE? YOU SAID STEVEN SPEAKS FLUENT HINDI, DO YOU TOO?
No, I don’t speak Hindi, and Raja speaks a mix of Hindi, Kannada and a rare forest language. So I asked questions basically, and Steve and a friend of Raja’s did the translating. Steven also did a one-on-one, man-to-man interview. He got some great comments. I always think a one-on-one interview gets more intimate content.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO SHOOT AND EDIT THIS FILM?
We shot over a month, but not everyday. Editing took lots of dedication from Nicci B. It was about 18 days of 16 hours of editing with lots of translation problems.
The team found Chaithanya Pandith – one of only two dozen Kannada speaking people in South Africa – in Johannesburg, who gave generously of his time to work in Kannada, the language he is very proud of. Pandith ensured that the translations were accurate.
WAS IT EASY TO FILM IN INDIA AS A FOREIGNER OR WERE YOU UP AGAINST ANY RESISTANCE TO BE IN THE TEMPLE OR STRANGE LOOKS AND COMMENTS FROM LOCALS?
We had to pay to shoot in the temple. A pregnant woman with a camera does not look like a professional. I had a daughter and a husband close by, so we used that as a cover while I was shooting, but the temple and all the real people who needed to know, knew the truth.
HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A DOP ON WILDLIFE FILMS HAS GIVEN YOU THE SPACE AND SKILLS TO MAKE THE FILMS YOU DO NOW?
Making wildlife docs makes you learn to observe details, makes you patient: you can’t ask animals to redo something. You have to trust your intuition a lot, e.g. trying to figure out which way an animal will walk, when to pull focus, etc. I try to use that patience and experience with people now. If I don’t get the shot, I don’t get it and I have to make another plan to tell the story. I work with great editors who always make a plan.
DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC STYLE THAT YOU’VE ESTABLISHED IN YOUR FILMS? AND HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT?
A specific style? Mmm, not sure … I have always wanted to make films that were visual and emotional and delightful, but really it feels like they make themselves.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE SELECTED AS ONE OF THE 2008 TRAILBLAZERS?
I think it’s an amazing award and I feel very honored to be given it. I really love that it’s not for a single film but for a collection of work. I was quite shocked when I heard that I was chosen! Five people are chosen every year for creative and innovative work in documentaries. We were invited to MIPDOC Cannes and given a great platform. Thanks to Encounters for the nomination.
HOW HAVE THE CHALLENGES OF BEING DOP CHANGED AS YOU HAVE BECOME MORE EXPERIENCED, AND WHAT HAS BECOME EASIER?
I think with experience it becomes easier as the camera becomes more and more of my right hand. I don’t have to think technically anymore and I can connect one-on-one with a character. It becomes easier to focus on getting the content. I get to trust my shooting more.
What has become difficult is aging: I can’t move around as quickly as I used to. Although the last few films I’ve shot while I’ve been pregnant so that also slowed me down a bit. Although, with age, the advantage is being cleverer and thinking faster, like in India, I wouldn’t just run ahead and get the shot but would jump in a rickshaw …
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU AS A DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER?
I make different kinds of films: there are the ones that are my bread and butter where I get some nice commissions to make those types of films. And then there are my films that feed me creatively and emotionally.
I also love the lifestyle – I love meeting new people and learning new things. As a filmmaker you get access to people that you wouldn’t usually get access to and you get deeper into people’s lives. I think I’m a shy type of person but behind a camera I get to ask questions that I wouldn’t ordinarily ask.
I also think it’s important to take some time out otherwise you will just burn out. So every 18 months or so, I take six months off. I teach or go travel for a while and get inspired again. I think the hard part as a filmmaker is to stay inspired, so this is important to me.
Interviewed by Jacqueline van Meygaarden
Laxmi’s Blessings will play at Encounters 2008 in Cape Town on Saturday 5th July and Wednesday 9th July; and will show on SABC 3 on Sunday the 6th of July at 17h55.
For further insight into the making of ‘Laxmi’s Blessings’ and anecdotes of the making of the film, visit Laxmi’s Blessings at Healing Power of Nature
