A HD time-lapse film of Christ the Redeemer from the picturesque harbour of Urca in Rio. If you are interested in this film please email.
January 24, 2005
January 19, 2005
Paraty
WORD of mouth is a powerful medium. It took me from a conversation with an ex-pat American on a flight to the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo, to a coastal town south of Rio.
The town, called Parati (Paraty in Portuguese, pronounced Parachee) is well known to the Brazilians for its beautiful streets and buildings. One of the defining features of the town is the charm of its cobbled streets and Paraty is widely accepted as boasting some of the finest examples of Brazil´s colonial architecture and the legacy of the Portuguese. Horse and cart still bob and weave down the bustling, narrow streets through they are now accompanied by cars and bicycles.
Paraty owes much of its history to its tidal persuasions, or rather the direction of its wind which blows inland during the day and to the sea at night. Following the arrival of the Portuguese, the town and its river, made for a convenient port for exporting a type of wood called Pau Brasil – the name transliterates to ´redwood embers´owing to its properties for use as a clothing dye. Paraty was built in the 16th century and the oldest parts of the city that still remain date back as far as 1647.
As the Portuguese began to take gold from the nearby inland state of Minas Gerais, Paraty became a port taking riches from Brazil to Portugal. The route over the mountains, which is the main reason why Paraty has remained largely unchanged, became known as ´The Gold Way´. Paraty, the name comes from the Amerindian word for fish, had a fort built complete with cannons.
One evening, I was lucky enough to stumble on a group of musicians who looked to be serenading a house in one of the town´s Praças, or squares. As I discovered, the event, outside the former mayor´s house, was part of a Catholic festival and true the nature of the Brazilian people I was invited into the house and given beer, cachaça and sandwiches. The owner of the house, Aloyzio Castro, was the mayor of Paraty three times and is still a very important man in the town. The festival, called Dia de Reis, meaning the Day of the King, ran from the January 6 until the Reis on January 20.
A local journalist, Edgar Bessa told me, ¨They do this once a year and when the band stop playing the music the people have to open their doors and let the them in and they have to let everyone else in too That is why you were invited in. The band play their music and they are paid with food and drink.¨
The music, called Granda, is similar to Samba and the band who played at the mayor´s house came from two other groups, the Caroas Cirandeiros and from Paraty, Os Caiçaras.
One of the other major festivals in June is called Festa do Druino and involves a colourful procession down the cobbled streets celebrating the spirit part of the holy trinity. The Festeiro sees one small boy made king for the day, symbolised when the town drunk is taken off the streets and thrown in jail. The drunk does not fair badly in this and in fact is given food, the local booze, cachaça and bed for the night. The next day the boy who is king orders the police to let him go. The police bow humbly in deference to the king and the drunk is set free.Paraty, its island-hopping boat trips and the nearby idyllic beaches of Trinidade are about to change as they become an increasingly popular escape for Brazilans now that a major road has been built over the mountains. When you have burnt yourself out at the increasing commercial and tourist driven Rio Carnaval, go to Paraty and see how the Brazilians do it.
The town, called Parati (Paraty in Portuguese, pronounced Parachee) is well known to the Brazilians for its beautiful streets and buildings. One of the defining features of the town is the charm of its cobbled streets and Paraty is widely accepted as boasting some of the finest examples of Brazil´s colonial architecture and the legacy of the Portuguese. Horse and cart still bob and weave down the bustling, narrow streets through they are now accompanied by cars and bicycles.
Paraty owes much of its history to its tidal persuasions, or rather the direction of its wind which blows inland during the day and to the sea at night. Following the arrival of the Portuguese, the town and its river, made for a convenient port for exporting a type of wood called Pau Brasil – the name transliterates to ´redwood embers´owing to its properties for use as a clothing dye. Paraty was built in the 16th century and the oldest parts of the city that still remain date back as far as 1647.
As the Portuguese began to take gold from the nearby inland state of Minas Gerais, Paraty became a port taking riches from Brazil to Portugal. The route over the mountains, which is the main reason why Paraty has remained largely unchanged, became known as ´The Gold Way´. Paraty, the name comes from the Amerindian word for fish, had a fort built complete with cannons.
One evening, I was lucky enough to stumble on a group of musicians who looked to be serenading a house in one of the town´s Praças, or squares. As I discovered, the event, outside the former mayor´s house, was part of a Catholic festival and true the nature of the Brazilian people I was invited into the house and given beer, cachaça and sandwiches. The owner of the house, Aloyzio Castro, was the mayor of Paraty three times and is still a very important man in the town. The festival, called Dia de Reis, meaning the Day of the King, ran from the January 6 until the Reis on January 20.
A local journalist, Edgar Bessa told me, ¨They do this once a year and when the band stop playing the music the people have to open their doors and let the them in and they have to let everyone else in too That is why you were invited in. The band play their music and they are paid with food and drink.¨
The music, called Granda, is similar to Samba and the band who played at the mayor´s house came from two other groups, the Caroas Cirandeiros and from Paraty, Os Caiçaras.
One of the other major festivals in June is called Festa do Druino and involves a colourful procession down the cobbled streets celebrating the spirit part of the holy trinity. The Festeiro sees one small boy made king for the day, symbolised when the town drunk is taken off the streets and thrown in jail. The drunk does not fair badly in this and in fact is given food, the local booze, cachaça and bed for the night. The next day the boy who is king orders the police to let him go. The police bow humbly in deference to the king and the drunk is set free.Paraty, its island-hopping boat trips and the nearby idyllic beaches of Trinidade are about to change as they become an increasingly popular escape for Brazilans now that a major road has been built over the mountains. When you have burnt yourself out at the increasing commercial and tourist driven Rio Carnaval, go to Paraty and see how the Brazilians do it.
For more information email Andy.
January 15, 2005
Small beginnings
On January 15, 2005, camera operator, Louise Purnell and journalist, Andy McCorkell flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil. The duo are covering events and stories from across the continent through film (Digital HD; HDR-FX1E Sony camera), digital photography and with news reports. Visit this website to follow their progress and read the latest news.
January 14, 2005
January 02, 2005
HDV equipment
Equipment:
HDR-FX1E Sony camera
(latest High Definition technology, creating footage in HDV and DV to broadcast quality)
ECM77B lapel mic
MCE86N top mic
Top light
Lasto light
Manfrotto tripod (MDEVE)
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