Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1109293
On the remote outer edges of Bogotá, Colombia, the production found the most fascinating wild, wild west city named La Isla. Organically grown on the side of a small mountain, the Colombian government incentivized and allowed the local people to lay claim to small parcels of land and homestead the property. If that individual can eventually develop the property by pouring a proper foundation and constructing a dwelling, the government will then transfer deed ownership to that person. At the communities core, it is a fascinating look at the incremental achievements of diligence and hard work. In tiny shops on main streets made of dirt, bakers, woodworkers, metal fabricators, mechanics, barbers, construction supply and grocery store owners sell their wares and services to the community at large, lifting themselves up in a uniquely disconnected city perched on a hillside far from the city center of Bogotá. As a tangle of dirt roads wind back-and-forth up the side of this hill, one noticeable two-story building sits at the intersection of five converging roads. It is there, in the hustle and bustle of a growing community, that a spirited nightclub that would become the narco stronghold was found. The story introduces Pope, an ex-Special Forces gun-for-hire working alongside the government police to help curb narco drug trafficking. He wakes up inside of a Blackhawk helicopter A A. 5 POINTS EXPLOSION IN LA ISLA OUTSIDE BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA. CREW PHOTO PROVIDED BY GREG BERRY. B. BLACKHAWK LANDING IN THE DILAPIDATED SOCCER FIELD ON THE HILLSIDE OF LA ISLA. PHOTO COMPOSITE BY GREG BERRY. C. THE EXPLOSION AFTERMATH AT THE NIGHTCLUB INTERIOR. SET PHOTO BY GREG BERRY. D. INTERROGATION SCENE, INTERIOR MONEY COUNTING ROOM. SET PHOTO BY GREG BERRY. skimming over rolling hills populated with shanty shacks made of weathered tin, wood pallets, stacked terra-cotta bricks and old vinyl signs draped, in some cases, for walls or awnings. From the air, this is the most spectacularly organic art project, but life on the ground is rooted in the poverty-stricken community where drug trade runs rampant. At the base of the hill in La Isla, a uniquely weathered soccer field with goals built from bamboo poles tied together by frayed rope was chosen as the initial landing zone for the raid. J.C. loved the idea of kids playing on the soccer field having to scatter when this massive Blackhawk helicopter touches down. Executive producer Thomas Hayslip and our production service company Dynamo worked with the community to secure this densely populated area, clearing the way for the production to move in and shoot the location. This was a massive effort that eventually brought some nine hundred jobs to the local community. The city center always stood to be the most challenging location, considering the film was requesting to blow up one of their buildings. Of course, this request was the Hollywood version, made to look imminently more severe than the controlled mortor blasts provided by special effects supervisor Eric Frazier. For the interior set, changeover time was allotted so the paint and dressing crew could swoop in and shape the final look. Art Directors Dave Scott and Maria F. Munoz looked after the construction and paint details while set decorator Jay Hart and leadman John Naehrlich worked closely with the local crew, creating and dressing aftermath debris filled with charred and broken furniture. Amidst the carnage of this explosion, Pope and the government police interrogate the survivors. Crumbling under coercive tactics, one narco, hoping to save his own life, purports to give up the location of one of the most notorious drug lords in South America. A DRUG RAID EXPOSES LOREA