Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Yanqui Mike on the BBC

What a great way to spend a month during which my missus and I were rained out of our ranch!

Since about mid-August, I've been an assistant on a BBC documentary, thanks to a referral from Angela of San Telmo Loft (since the crew was staying with San Telmo Loft, I had the opportunity to comfortably lounge around a couple of her properties ...they are wonderful and everything Angela says they are.)

The documentary which is yet untitled devotes its eventual one hour to the state of Argentine beef and eventually ended in Mendoza for a peek at the best drink to accompany a great grass-fed steak (if you can find one, that is.)

What started out as research, turned into an on-camera appearance at the Liniers Stockyards with the host/presenter, John Torode of BBC Masterchef fame ...wherein yer Yanq gets to hold forth from a rancher's perspective.

Then, it all morphed into my traveling with the crew from Buenos Aires to the wine country of Mendoza ...clocking more than 1600 miles round-trip in three vehicles.  Whew.  Those BBC guys are a hard working bunch.

Along with the crew were two local seasoned TV pros, Lalo Lema and Wendy Mata, who both informed me that they had never seen the likes of the production values and professionalism and generosity of spirit shown by the BBC crew.  I was impressed ...but I had nothing in my experience to compare it to.

As for the BBC crew: Richard Sharman, Director; Leila Finikarides, Assistant Producer; Andrew Muggleton, Cameraman Extraordinaire; & Ian Eason, Sound Artist ...I cannot say enough.  Through all the sweat and grunting effort to make the shoot real and worthy of the BBC's standards, every effort was made toward harmony throughout the team ...and what a team it was to watch in action.

The brutal slog to Mendoza and back (once for their recce and once for filming!) could have been unbearable ...but it was a pleasure although a hard-won one.

God, how I wish I had more photos of the wrap party!  Well, we were all too busy to take very many, if you know what I mean.
Dick Sharman, BBC Director

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