Agape, Scouting and Pitch

After arriving in the Azores, settling into the hotel, and meeting all our companions, we had a welcome cocktail that very first night. We opened two wines we had brought with us: one from the Huentala group and another from San Juan, the Malbec Sin Límites. The wines circulated, were shared, and generated something immediate. People were fascinated by them, a lovely conversation grew around it, and it was, without a doubt, a very good way to break the ice and start bonding with the group. The talks began the next day. Herzog started telling us about his experiences, his way of looking at cinema and, above all, what the course was going to be about. From the first moment, it was clear that it wasn't just about filming, but about making decisions, taking risks, and truly committing to an idea. During that process, we scouted locations, listened to our companions' various pitches, and absorbed everything. There were several nights of thinking hard, talking among ourselves, discarding ideas, and starting over, until we finally found a story that convinced us. We put together a pitch and started testing it with some companions, adjusting it based on their feedback. The biggest challenge was presenting it in English and, against all odds, it was Juan who gave the pitch. He was able to communicate our idea clearly, and we felt it was well-received by Herzog. There were questions, suggestions, and critiques that forced us to refine the story and think about how to realize it within the time and actual conditions of the workshop. In parallel, a huge surprise appeared: the special guest of this workshop is Peter Zeitlinger, Werner Herzog's director of photography, who arrived unexpectedly, both for us and for Werner himself. He will accompany us during the shooting days, which elevates the experience even further. Today we did a full equipment check with him. We reviewed cameras, lenses, and accessories, and he confirmed that everything we brought to the island is more than enough to carry out what we want to film. That validation gave us a lot of peace of mind. Based on all this, we managed to finish developing a production plan, define the casting together with the Extática team, and now we are about to meet with the actors to convey our idea to them and incorporate their perspective. We are at a key stage of the process, with the feeling that the project has already begun to take concrete shape. We are tired but happy, and very eager to start filming.