Filming in Jordan - Ragadan bus station

Filming in Jordan - Raghadan bus station

So much had happened during my 5 week stay in Jordan, preparing and shooting the experimental short, "Makhrej", that it would be worthy of a few dozen blog entries. But I don't have enough photos to support all the stories, except for this one

The Raghadan bus station, located just east of downtown Amman, is a smorgasbord of ill-tempered bus drivers, cab drivers, tiny shop stalls and swarms of crowds. Besides Abdally, this is one of the most active bus stations in the city, filled with life and colour.

To decide to film here was not easy - it wasn't about getting permission, but more about being able to negotiate with the crowds and vehicles in order to be able to get the shots in the can. The scene was simple enough: man gives letter to woman, woman reacts.

It had to be done quickly and efficiently, since we were invariably going to draw a crowd, which easily snowballs into a bigger crowd, onlookers curious to know why a crowd has gather. That in turn attracts more people. and on.

The picture of the crowd was really only the tip of the iceberg, soon after the middle photo was taken the crowd easily doubled.

We were lucky with the generosity of the crowd, who played ball by not standing around in front of the scene nor looking into the camera.

Majd, the actress, pulled the scene off well, looking natural sitting in her abaya at a makeshift cigarette stall.