Tuesday 2 August
The first session with almost our entire team: Percy Holland (leading vocal group Prefuru, the ensemble that sings the song Mi Nene in the dance film, written and composed by Gleone Kensenhuis); Desta Deekman (portraying the lead character), Nicole Batteké (cinematography), Ernie Tee (script coach), Hugo Bausch (storyboard artist), Afra and myself. Ömür Sönmez (VFX editing) joins online via laptop.
Together we read through the script, with Hugo Bausch's storyboard drawings giving the very first visual impressions of how the flow of movement and the nuanced development of emotion should be captured on screen in detail. Afterwards, we move to another room to continue with an initial brainstorm on movement in relation to camera positions.
Sunday 7 August
My explanation to Nicole and Ernie of my ideas regarding filming the letter J (the first letter of the logbook of the slave ship Hof van Zeeland).
Nicole tries out camera movements following the feet as they move across the letter J. Ernie observes and offers suggestions.
Monday 8 August
Working session with Joep Vermeulen (production designer) and Afra about the design of the ship's hold, rotated a quarter turn, as the set, and the width the ship's beam should be, the one Desta will walk across in the film.
Tuesday 16 August
In August 2022, Afra and I travelled to Ghent (Belgium) for a few days. We went to view the original logbook of the slave ship Het Hof van Zeeland, which is kept at Ghent University Library.
A number of years earlier, we had already visited the Zeeuws Archief in Middelburg. At the time, we had an extensive conversation with Peter Sijnke, then archivist at the Zeeuws Archief, about various aspects of Zeeland's history of slavery. He was the one who pointed us towards the ship's log of the very first slave voyage of the ship Het Hof van Zeeland.
Het Hof van Zeeland was part of the Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie (MCC). This company engaged in the trade of human beings during the second half of the 18th century. Between 1732 and 1734, they made their first trans-Atlantic slave voyage with Het Hof van Zeeland, the triangular route between the Netherlands, Angola and Curaçao.
The visit to the University Library in Ghent was impressive. It was deeply moving to see this remarkable archival piece, the log in which the very first slave voyage of this frigate is recorded, 'in real life'. What was especially confronting was reading the paragraph describing, among other things, the jump overboard of the five enslaved women. The description of the death of one of them became the basis for the dance film Armazoen (part of the larger art project).
Monday 22 August
In Joep's workshop, we test a construction for the ship's hold rotated a quarter turn, the set for the second part of the dance film.
Friday 26 August
At the Belcampo Loft studio in Amsterdam, we rehearse with a truss with a wooden plank attached to it. This is the first test set. The truss with the wooden plank represents one of the ship's beams, part of the construction of the ship's hold rotated a quarter turn.
Tuesday 13 September
Rehearsal and working session with Desta, Nicole, Ernie, Ömür and Afra.
Thursday 27 October
With Hugo, I discuss the drawings he has made for the storyboard.
Monday 7 November
In preparation for filming the third part of the dance film Armazoen, the underwater scene, Joep, Afra and I visit the diving pool of CWTC in IJmuiden.