Hooked on LOST
BY JENIECE TORANZO MESA, ARIZONA - For Christmas, I thought I would buy Cyndi a set of LOST mugs that change from black to white when the liquid in them gets hot and reveal mysterious symbols. On the NBC site, I also decided to get a t-shirt with the LOST "numbers" since she is a fanatic of the show. You can't blame her for loving the series. I never really watched the show until this season. While we were editing the films at the Inn Suites, everything came to a standstill on Wednesday evenings because Cyndi had to watch the show. As filmmakers, we immediately liked the show because of the production value and the acting. We didn't understand all of the undercurrents but it was fun to watch.
Lately , a few of the crew members have been getting together to watch the series from the beginning. Cyndi has the complete first season and was always going on about how amazing the show really is. Now, that I've been watching from the beginning, I understand why she was so enthusiastic. So far we have watched about 7 or 8 episodes and I have to tell you, it is amazing.
I keep wondering how the Director/ Creator Jeffrey Abrams came up with the idea. He has asssembled a good team to help him create a great show. The cinematographer captures each scene beautifully. The scenes are good to look at and they reveal both the plot and character. I am hooked on the show, too. After doing makeup in Zambia, I'm very aware of how all of the characters look. The set design is good. Of course they are shooting in Hawaii so they're starting with some natural beauty but I know it still takes a lot of hard work to accomplish a show with the feel and energy that LOST delivers. It would be an amazing experience to have the opportunity to one day be able to work on a series like this one.
Filming in Zambia was only the beginning. All it takes is a lot of persistence and even more determination. A bit of talent is also helpful. I think the most important thing is to believe in yourself no matter what anyone else tells you because, face it, there will always be who will tell you that you can never do the thing you want to do. In Zambia, more than one person told us about a thing that happens in their country called "PHD" which stands for "Pull Him Down" or "Pull Her Down." They told us that sometimes people would get jealous if you would start to be successful and try to get in the way of your success. I don't think it's unique to Zambia. I see that sort of thing happening in America, too. So, the most important thing you have to do is keeping believing in yourself and find TRUE supporters. True supporters really push you to do your best and be the most you can be. They want you to succeed. I feel that most of the FilmZambia crew is really supportive of one another. We really learned to count on each other when we were "Almost Lost in Zambia."
We all have learned that the front of your hand always comes along with the back ... there are good days and bad ... good, bad and sometimes the ugly, too. But, as German philsopher Frederich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) said, "What does not kill me, makes me stronger." Like the characters of LOST, we are all struggling through the tough times of our lives to strengthen us for that which we will ultimately accomplish. As long as we keep moving forward, our proper paths will be found.