Today, we film.
I meet Gergo and Martin at 9:00, they will interchangeably fulfill the roles of cameramen, directors, navigators, networkers, drivers and artists throughout the day. All I have to do is cycle, and show some of what my day looks like while on the road.
We get right to it, filming always takes time, and we’re not going to stop all day really, except for a short coffee break, we film right until 18:00.
My respect, understanding and appreciation for film is growing by leaps and bounds. Already a few takes into the process and I am observing how much time and good organization it takes to film what will, in the end, be a clip a few seconds long. Setting up tripods, switching lenses, changing positions for a new angle, taking more than one take, although by far my favourite part is when Gergo straps his rollerblades on (these two video makers are also blading fanatics) and grabs his camera to film alongside me as we cross the Tisa river. He’s blading on the pavement alongside my bike on the road and it feels like we’re crossing many boundaries between creative video making, sports and art. So cool!
It’s hot, very. There’s going to be no rest or nap today, so I guzzle coffees, juice and water just to stay conscious. The guys opt for RedBulls; they are pretty tired too.
No sense in telling you the exact contents of the video (you’ll see it soon enough!), the big afternoon border hick-up deserves a mention though. I headed away from the highway border crossing, instinctively, since I never take the huge roads, choosing the smaller road and thus the “limited” border crossing road instead. I figured, logically, that limited meant that the big transport trucks were not allowed to cross there. I learned instead that limited meant that only those with Hungarian or Serbian passports could cross.
The guys made a few more calls, to make sure of the accuracy of this information. It was confirmed, there was no way either my Polish or Canadian passport would get me across there. Were I to cycle back to Szeged and then to the highway crossing I would lose another day or half-day of time; instead we take apart the bicycle and pack it into the guys sedan. It’s the second time this trip that I get inside a motor vehicle, alhough it’s not really to advance my journey but to backtrack. We make a stop in Szeged, the guys have a friend who’s family owns a gas station where we can film some shots for the video. We are treated to coffees, juices and a free map of Serbia too. Is this what it’s like to be a movie star? 
Do enjoy the photos of some of the “behind the scenes” making of our video. It’s back to work for all as the guys edit film, add music, text etc. to comlete our masterpiece.
Kasia – your enthused cyclist
P.s. oh yeah, and the border crossing! It goes well, I am encouraged by drivers to jump the line and cross ahead of them, so I do. I feel like I’ve crossed into a land of comprehension and familiarity, compared to my week in Hungary, even though it’s the first time I’m stepping (or rather, riding) on Serbian soil. Must be my Serbo-Croatian friends back in Canada and my year of Serbian folk dance with them that give me this feeling. I am back with my slavic family, with much more linguistic ability; I’ve always loved their music and now I hear it everywhere. The gas station attendant saunters by humming a Balcan tune… I am in love with this country already and, with several days extra experience at the time of this writing, I can tell you that it’s only going to get better!!
Join me in this amazing cycling adventure to support literacy around the world!
