Filming with the park guards of Madidi

I've officially begun the descent into my final year as a PhD student and thesis writing has begun to take over much of my life.  However, one more fun and creative space in all of this has been the video filming and editing work I'm slowly learning how to do to share with people when I return to Bolivia next fall.  As most Bolivians prefer hearing or seeing things rather than reading about them, film is a good method for communicating ideas and experiences.

One short video I've recently been working on is about the important role of the park guards in Madidi.  Although this is tangential to my own research, I originally made it as a 'thank-you' gift to send to the park guards on November 8th, which is the official Day of the Park Guard in Bolivia.  They were happy with it but had suggestions on how it might be improved, so over the last month we've been communicating via Facebook and Skype as I've tried to incorporate new photos they sent me, as well as ideas for edits and the message in the scrolling text at the end of the film.  The English-speaking version of the finished product can be accessed by following this link (higher quality) or clicking on the embedded video below:

Here's to you, Juan, Remberto, Marcos, Sixto, Jose Luis, Heriberto, Alex, Anastacio, Cesar, Daniel, Ernesto, Freddy, Gerardo, Luis, Mario, Raul, Reinaldo, Rolando, Saul, Serafin, Victor, Diego, Estefania, and Hugo!  Thanks for all your support over the last 3 years!