Panama | MLB
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 9:16PM Tweet 
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to work on a project in Panama with MLB / @MLBProductions to capture elements for an upcoming show. It was a whirlwind trip full of working with good friends ( new and old ) eating amazing food, and capturing a ton of footage: We visited the Panama Canal, traveled to a remote fishing village, and interviewed the Panamaian President, Ricardo Martinelli
I am stoaked at all the amazing footage we were able to capture in such a short time ( only there for 4 days ) It was great working with Mariano Rivera and meeting his family. He's definitely one of the most humble athletes around, and he spends most his time in Panama giving back to the community and inspiring local youth to play sports. Pretty badass dude. One of the highlights of the trip was filming and interview of him at his home near the ocean ( which is acually built just minutes away from where he grew up ).
The temperature was at a 96F˚average during the day and a "cool" 84F˚ at night. Panama is one hot place.
Below are a few screen grabs from my camera during the interview ( shot w/ Canon 5d Mark II )
And for the rest, a mix of behind-the-scenes iPhone & frame grabs shot with the 5d Mark II.
I arrived 2 hours before my flight, I was hoping I would be the first one at the gate but it looks like this guy had me beat.
My flight to Panama left at 6:15AM from San Jose CA. Got to capture a bit of some great pre-sunrise pink sky. I tried as hard as possible to hold out until sunset, but fell asleep waiting for it :)
Slate in Panama is "Claketa" Right after Panama I went striaght into another shoot in Seattle, almost called the slate Claketa a dozen or so times.
The Crew at the Panama Canal: We were pretty stoaked that we got access to film in some pretty cool / restricted areas around the compound. From Left: Producer, Alfonso Pozzo, Location Sound, Jaun Caldera Cinematographer, Brian Schulz Cinematographer/Steadicam, Me
One thing I really love about Panama is how there is so much Color. From buildings to store fronts, everything is so colorful. I spotted this green doorway while roaming the city filming scenics.
We found a perch up on a mountain top with a great view of the Panama Canal. Alfonso had been to that exact same place 10 years earlier filming another doc on Mariano. It was pretty cool that he found the same place to film from 10 years later.
The tides are drastic in Panama City, often leaving huge stretches of beach without water for nearly half the day. In some parts, boats just rest on the ground until mid-day when the water comes back in and lifts them up again.
Out on a location scout on a remote beach.
This beer ranks in my top five favorites. Good stuff.
Lots of great memories in Panama!
Reader Comments (1)
Actually, it was TWELVE years ago. MAN am I getting old! Great stuff Casey, as usual.