Making the Film

High-altitude shooting was difficult on Chimborazo, not only because of the thin air, but also due to the uneven mountain terrain and the ice. We could only bring what equipment we could carry on our backs on the three-hour hike up to the ice mines. Weather changes quickly on Chimborazo, and storms descended upon us more than once.

Producer Rodrigo Donoso and I were, for the most part, a two-person film crew. We set up tents in Baltazar’s yard and camped for two weeks in Cuatro Esquinas so we could immerse ourselves in the family’s daily life. We ate breakfasts of horchata – a delicious hot drink of boiled grains (oats, rice, quinoa or barley) with sugar and cinnamon. Most mornings, we followed Baltazar or his brothers as they worked – on the mountain, in Riobamba and in Cuatro Esquinas. We also filmed the children at school. Dinners often consisted of quinoa soup along with rice, potatoes and fava beans. After dinner, we would spend time with the family and then retire to our tents to prepare for the next day’s shoot.

It was a privilege to be able to observe a community from within and to then to have the opportunity to share a part of it with audiences that may otherwise never have known it existed.

 

Baltazar prepares ropes from hay
Baltazar prepares ropes from hay
Baltazar chops ice from the mountain
Baltazar cuts the ice into blocks
Baltazar prepares to wrap the ice in hay
Baltazar packs the ice on his donkeys
With Baltazar and his wife on the way to market
Footage had to be transferred and reviewed every night
Rodrigo found enough cables to bring electricity to this nearby house
Camping in Baltazar's yard during production
Preparing for a long day of shooting
Shooting on the bus to Riobamba
Shooting on the bus to Riobamba
At a produce market in Riobamba
Shooting as Gregorio buys fruit for his ice cream
Shooting as Gregorio buys fruit for his ice cream
A woman poses for a picture
At the Riobamba ice factory
Ice is made under the floor
Shooting the ice
The shop where Gregorio buys ice cream cones
Gregorio buys supplies for his ice cream
Gregorio prepares his barrel to make some ice cream
Gregorio unpacks the ice he bought from the factory
Gregorio unpacks the ice he bought from the factory
Gregorio's wife and daughter watch as we film
Baltazar has developed a clever method to load his donkey alone
Filming at the local school
Juan's son
Baltazar's granddaughter
At the school cafeteria
At the school cafeteria
A young boy at the school cafeteria
Dinner!
Carmita
Mauricio does his homework
Goofing off before it gets dark
We had a lot of time to play
Playing
Playing
After dinner
Chatting with Lourdes, Baltazar's granddaughter
Maria, Baltazar's daughter, prepares breakfast
Jefferson, Maria's son, likes our headlamps
Jefferson, Maria's son, likes out headlamps
A quick breakfast before school
Puppies crowd where the fire was to stay warm
Carmita gets up slowly
Breakfast!
Baltazar joins us for a meal
Taking the family clothes shopping in Riobamba
Taking the family clothes shopping in Riobamba
Taking the family clothes shopping in Riobamba
Taking the family clothes shopping in Riobamba
Carmita in her new hoodie
With Juan Carlos and Paulina before a shoot
The full crew waiting for the rain to clear
Juan Carlos prepares during a break in the clouds
Running into place to catch the light
Shooting Baltazar as he makes ropes
Shooting Baltazar as he makes ropes
Stranded on the mountain
Where we stay for the night
The next morning after some snow
Continuing up the mountain
Juan Carlos shooting with his Red One
Shooting with the Red
The full crew...very glad to be done
With Juan Carlos and Paulina