Day 1: Murphy's Law

Every production wishes to start off on the best foot possible. You plan for contingencies. You buy spare parts. You pack and you repack. You lift your bags and realize you have to carry them for a month, and the stress on your back just isn't worth that extra pair of pants. You repack again. You drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles and make plans to leave. You say your goodbyes. You feel ready. No matter how prepared you are, or what you plan for, somebody always invites Murphy to the show.

Murphy's Law states that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Typically, whatever will go wrong, is something you couldn't possibly have planned for. It's June 6th, and our day in Los Angeles is spent busy. We drove all over town grabbing establishing shots to use for later in our episode. From a Home Depot in Culver City to a beautiful wide shot of the surrounding Los Angeles area from atop the Hollywood Hills, we were moving. Despite my Cinematographer's intensifying head cold, we pushed on. 

It's June 7th. My cinematographer Josh Gill and I have a plane to catch at 10am at LAX to Dallas for our connecting flight to Guatemala. At one thirty in the morning, Josh's cold decided to become a severe ear infection which culminated in his ear drum rupturing in the back of a friend's car. 

After an hour of sleep, a trip to the Emergency Room, antibiotics and rush hour traffic, we made it to LAX with no time to spare. If we hadn't made it through security in 10 minutes, we would not have made our flight. Favor shined on the meek, however, and disheveled and tired we have arrived.

Today we see Guatemala City with our new friend and official guide/translator/keep us out of trouble guy Rogelio Ortiz. Tomorrow, we head to Rogelio's village.

The adventure has begun.

Michael