Filming for Kiva, Indonesia TAKE FIVE This was probably the most anticipated day of my Kiva journey - a chance to go on a field trip with Father Charlie (See Filming for Kiva, Indonesia TAKE ONE for info on Fr. Charlie). One of the newer initiatives that Father Charlie is working on is the transformation of a vast area of useless swampland into fertile farmland. We were told that to get to this area, we would have a bit of a bumpy ride. That was an... Continue Reading >>
After many years working as a producer and director at a Manhattan creative agency, Michael decided to make a change and put his skill-set to use creating meaningful content for causes he believed in. While in Guatemala on a video shoot, he had a chance encounter with a Kiva Fellow that resulted in a successful experience producing videos for Kiva's Women-Owned Businesses initiative. He profiled indigenous women and their businesses around Lake Atitlan and produced a best practices video for the local field partner, Friendship Bridge. These experiences in Central America helped him grow as a filmmaker and instilled a newfound desire to apply his craft telling the stories of the people around the world who have used microfinancing to change their lives. Michael is elated to be continuing his work with Kiva in Southeast Asia this fall. He will be tackling a new Media Fellowship, searching for the borrowers that best exemplify the power of Kiva to give people the resources to lift themselves out of poverty. This Kiva Fellowship is Michael's calling and was the opportunity he was looking for to make a difference.
Fellows Blog Posts by Mike Mazur
Jan 7, 2014
Indonesia
Filming for Kiva, Indonesia TAKE FIVE This was probably the most anticipated day of my Kiva journey - a chance to go on a field trip with Father Charlie (See Filming for Kiva, Indonesia TAKE ONE for info on Fr. Charlie). One of the newer initiatives that Father Charlie is working on is the transformation of a vast area of useless swampland into fertile farmland. We were told that to get to this area, we would have a bit of a bumpy ride. That was an... Continue Reading >>
Filming for Kiva, Indonesia TAKE FIVE This was probably the most anticipated day of my Kiva journey - a chance to go on a field trip with Father Charlie (See Filming for Kiva, Indonesia TAKE ONE for info on Fr. Charlie). One of the newer initiatives that Father Charlie is working on is the transformation of a vast area of useless swampland into fertile farmland. We were told that to get to this area, we would have a bit of a bumpy ride. That was an... Continue Reading >>
Dec 16, 2013
Indonesia
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Filming for Kiva, Indonesia TAKE FOUR
The second student that really caught Kiva's attention was Paulos. Ron, a fellow Kiva ...err...Fellow who is also currently working in Southeast Asia had met Paulos about a month ago and recommended that we interview him. Paulos lives...
Dec 6, 2013
Indonesia
Filming for Kiva, Indonesia Take THREE
After a few days, we were healing up - slowly but surely. Since we were in Indonesia for a limited amount of time, we could not afford to not be filming for too long. As such, with a gimp leg and a useless shoulder, we set out with Christina and Arda to our first day of real filming in the field.
The plan for filming in Cilacap was slightly different from what we were doing in the Philippines. Because Father Charlie (See Indonesia Take ONE for more info on him) had such a...
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Nov 29, 2013
Indonesia
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Filming for Kiva, Indonesia TAKE TWO (Injuries happen)
Saturday started off as a great day. We met Father Charlie (See Filming for Kiva Indonesa TAKE ONE for more info) at the Church that morning to interview him about YSBS. His interview was sincere, thought-provoking and heart-warming. You could tell that he was used to the camera and spoke like a seasoned pro.
Nov 25, 2013
Indonesia
Filming for Kiva, Indonesia TAKE ONE
Where to begin? These past couple weeks in Indonesia passed by so quickly I don't even know where to start...
I suppose my journey in Indonesia began with us landing in Jakarta. Once landed, we had to spend a few hours sleeping at the airport before we made our way to the local train station. To all those who are considering staying at the airport or the train station overnight, make sure you choose the airport, because the train station was a bit sketchy. Luckily...
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Nov 18, 2013
Philippines
Please note: the following blog post was scheduled prior to Typhoon Haiyan. For the latest updates on our borrowers, Field Partners, field staff and Kiva Fellows in the region, please see our blog post here.
Before our last day of filming in Manila, we had dinner with Michelle and Edwin at a local restaurant. The highlight of our night was when a small musical group, made of blind musicians, came to our table to sing (you pay a small amount). Edwin broke out his musical talent by playing the drums with his...
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Nov 14, 2013
Philippines
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Please note: the following blog post was scheduled prior to Typhoon Haiyan. For the latest updates on our borrowers, Field Partners, field staff and Kiva Fellows in the region, please see our blog post here.
The next few days were filled with us going to several borrowers around the greater Manila area filming their interviews and their various businesses. Each individual had a unique story to tell and each...
Nov 11, 2013
Global Update
Please note: the following blog post was scheduled prior to Typhoon Haiyan. For the latest updates on our borrowers, Field Partners, field staff and Kiva Fellows in the region, please see our blog post here.
The next leg of this Filming for Kiva journey was in Manila, the capital of the Philippines - the largest of its cities. It was obvious that when we landed in Manila, that it was signficantly different from Bacolod. For one thing, there were street lights! (Only a few, but better than none) Still no lanes...
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Oct 25, 2013
Philippines
Today was our last day out in the field working with NWTF and filming their borrowers. It was a bittersweet day, but a memorable one.
While filming for Kiva, we have been shooting both montage shots and borrower interviews. Our final day was meant to be shooting a montage shot of a lady named Levy and her Ginger Tumeric tea-making business. Like all of our montage shoots, it was meant to be short and sweet so as to not not take too much of the borrower's time. We finished filming Levy making the tea and as we were packing up our...
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Oct 18, 2013
Philippines
If I could sum up this day in a couple words, I would say "emotional rollercoaster". The day just seemed like a series of good and bad news that resulted in phenomenal footage. And so it began...
Our original plan for this day was to get on a fishing boat at 4 or 5 in the morning so that we could shoot the client and her crew fishing through the sunrise -Picturesque? Very. Practical? Not at...
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