Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/611826
32 was roughly a 90-minute car ride north of Accra, the southern coastal capital. The Capital View Hotel, where many of the crew stayed, was a bizarre oasis that had a pool, spotty wireless Internet, air conditioning and plumbing amidst a town full of impoverished people. Every human sensation is needed to truly experience what this location is all about. Living condi- tions are dirty and desperate, malaria and disease are common killers (let's not forget Ebola which was gaining strength in West Africa while we were there), and sanitation and com- munity services we hardly stop to think about, do not exist. Crewmembers were all affected by anything from food poison- ing to several cases of malaria. I was packing my kit for shipment a month before my depar- ture from Los Angeles. Along with any traditional make-up and make-up FX raw materials we were gathering, I was keep- Using our craft as a tool to help tell a story is perhaps one of the most beloved parts of the filmmaking process. This project originally landed in the talented hands of Felicity Bowring, who had worked with Fukunaga on season one of True Detective. We had many conversations during prep about his shooting style, personality and her experiences working on his set. Fukunaga's portrayal would certainly be graphic with strategically placed moments of violence with impactful purpose. BONN is an emotional journey for the audience, bringing to light the ugly horrors of war and the psychological manipulation of children to become freedom fighters. I, along with the immensely talented Kris Kobzina, were responsible for both straight make-up, fantasy and battle carnage. Rita Parillo (Local 798) and Thamie Allen Nkosi were responsible for the hair. The original script was quite graphic and bloody but became a bit cleaner through the edit- ing process. We proceeded knowing that this was going to be a feature requiring a resourceful use of materials and creativ- ity. Our shooting conditions were challenging us daily with intense heat, humidity and sun exposure. Some days, there was no escape from the direct sunlight. Other days, you could have a canopy of trees above you, but you'd have to watch out for bugs, ants or poisonous snakes that could fall from them. This was no Hollywood experience nor was it even "glamping" in Malibu. There were no all-day grazing tables and a bounti- ful catered lunch that many of us, at this point in our careers, take for granted. If you were a crewmember who did not have resilience and a spirit of adventure, BONN was going to chew you up and spit you out. This was an amazing gathering of creative people who are passionate about their craft and about the filmmaking process. Everyone realized that we would have to collaborate not only to help bring Cary's vision to life, but also to support each other through this intense experience. There were about 32 American crewmembers that traveled to the central region of Ghana to a city called Koforidua. This Burgoyne adds finishing touches. Bringing Cary Fukunaga's vision to life.