New photo story (23 photos) about the Film Festival Gibara Cuba on my website

[Bob Michaels]

I have a story on my website of 23 sequenced photos with captions that tells all about the International Film Festival in Gibara Cuba and the town itself . I am happy to hear comments either positive or negative about the method of presentation, flow, and if you believe it contains what is needed to convey the story.

 

[Doug]

Thanks, Bob, an interesting sequence.

 

[farlymac]

A wonderful series on the film festival, Bob. I like seeing things in Cuba other than the usual old American autos cruising the streets of Havana. I'll have to check your site more often.


PF

 

[Bob Michaels]

farleymac & doug: I have a question for you since it appears you looked at the story. You may have realized that I differ from many here in that I try to communicate by informing and sometimes influencing opinion while most strive to make nice pictures. I use photos and captions formed into stories only because that seems to be the best communication medium for me.

The question: Did you get the sense that Gibara is this nice little Cuban fishing and beach town for 51 weeks a year then for one week changes dramatically into an international cultural big deal and then fades away?

Now we visit Gibara 3-4 times a year as we live an hour away, sometimes with the kids, sometimes as a couples getaway. Then I go by myself for the film festival. Some of my photos were shot during the other 51 weeks but fit in to emphasize the difference. But I wonder if I am too close to the subject to adequately tell the story of the 51 vs. 1 special week.

I feel some vindication as Patrick Oppmann, the Havana based CNN correspondent did a story simultaneously on the film festival and choose the same theme of small town changing dramatically for one week a year. BTW, great interesting guy who shoots with a Leica digital M when he is not in front of the CNN camera.

So setting aside the "nice photos" way of thinking, tell me how I did communicating. How did I do achieving my objective?

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Film projector is just like one we learned in USSR schools.

Story has no end.

And I have one question. I get it is one price for pina colada with or without rum.
But how about rum without pina colada? Since our Soviet times, we drink Havana Club straight. Just did it this Saturday 🙂.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Ko.Fe: that projector is probably Soviet.

Thanks for the comment about the story having no end. I struggled with that but never found a solution.

A shot of rum in Cuba is the equivalent of 4 cents US. That is a photo in my story about Cuban cockfighters. But ordinary Cubans do not drink Havana Club as it is too expensive. I do but I am the rich guy.

FWIW, here is my Cuban wife in Moscow using the traditional Russian way to keep warm although it was June.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Thank you for the info, Bob!


Stoli is registered in Greece and bottled in Latvia. SPI Group.
Original Stolichnaya is still refinded, bottled in Moscow and is using very specific water source and grain. By Krystal factory. Same name as first versions of Zenit camera.

 

[farlymac]

I got it right away, Bob, because I've seen it happen in lots of places. Sort of like the way the county fair always drew crowds into my home town for one week in August, then things just quieted down again until the next year. Maybe not quite as exciting or well attended as an international film festival though.


You could have structured the story in such a way that mimics a wave washing over the place, starting out with the quiet little village scenes, then the building excitement as the town prepares for the festival. A crescendo when the festival is at full swing, followed by Gibara sinking back into normalcy as the festive trappings are taken down until the next year.


PF