With three quarters of what was scheduled for yesterday left in addition to what was scheduled for today, we knew today was going to have to be very efficient.

We rotated jobs from crowd control (which involved playing with an adorable little girl) to sound control to lights control, getting a broad understanding of the film making process. The concept of private property seemed a loose one as people walked in and out of the Mkokos’ house, making crowd control a bit hard. Between costume changes and adjusting the lighting for different camera shots (of the same scene), I can appreciate how filming is a very long process, despite a short product. I can also appreciate how filming without a budget leaves you very much at the mercy of the actors’ mood (especially with child actors) and whatever is readily available in terms of set design and costumes. Chocolate and chips are invaluable resources when working with children (for both them and us!)

Communication was also a slight problem as things got lost in translation or remained unclear to the frustration of both the actor and director. One particularly hard thing is filming when pressed for time, not just in total, but also specifically for daytime scenes or night time scenes. But, the most important thing I learned was to deal with surprises out of our control- the smaller the budget (and ours was small!) the more things that are out of your control.

For lunch, we ate a variety of self-serve, custom-made cheese, tuna and chip sandwiches with some fruit.

Exhausted by an early start and hours in the sun during outside scenes (or while clearing space so as not to overcrowd the filming of indoor scenes), most of us snacked our way through the day, munching on Toppers (vanilla biscuits) and chips. During one particular break, a few of us decided to film our own behind-the-scenes sequence in which Jess and Adriana managed to catch a chicken (with the help of some maize).

Luckily, the only major hiccup was having to make a guest appearance at a nearby ceremony (in contrast to the relentless string of interruptions yesterday). Once a year, one of the neighbors kills a cow (and places its head on the thatch roof above the door much to my Indian friend’s shock) and invites the entire village to eat, dance and drink. Out of respect, a few of us visited to say hello, dance a bit and take some photos (Swazis love being in photos, insisting we take photos of them and us even though they will never have the photos). They love visitors. Being of a different ethnicity automatically made us exotic and treated as celebrities of sorts, which of course has its pros and cons.

At sunset, we finished and called it a wrap. After a long day and several goodbyes, we left for Ezulwini.