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DESTINATION: Morrocoy!!06 Oct 2005. The Morrocoy National Park is located in western Venezuela approximately 4 hours from Caracas. It is one of the most beautiful parks in the southern Caribbean with beautiful white sand and dozens of isolated atolls. The marine life is outstanding within many shallow coral reefs, making this a true snorkels paradise. With great accommodations and easy boat access to most of the atolls, Morrocoy is the perfect setting for your next Caribbean shoot!!!
Production Specs:
Permits: Morrocoy is a Venezuelan National Park. In addition to foreign shoot & crew permits processed by the Venezuelan film commission, foreign crews will need a shooting permit issued by the National Park Service and approved by the Department of the Interior. A Venezuelan production crew must endorse the application (see the related article in the production resources area).
Crew: All of your local crew will come from Caracas, since there are no trained personnel in the region. There is no limit on the number of foreign crew members that can come as long as a Venezuelan company acts as sponsor and is hired to conduct the production. Most foreign producers bring only their director, DP, and camera man – although Venezuela has a large pool of extremely talented production personnel. Foreign producers should be prepared to pay for 2 travel days for all local crews plus travel expenses.
Gear: Sorry DPs, but no lights! It is virtually impossible to power lights while shooting on the atolls except for Punta Brava. This is one of the largest atolls that has a bridge connecting it to the main land. This allows the transfer of trucks to the shooting location. The main drawback is that this atoll is very crowded during the weekends, so crews looking for an isolated look will have to shoot during the weekdays. It is also possible to use boats to carry small generators that could feed small lights (non-HMI). This would allow DPs to do some close-ups with artificial lights. Despite the limited access to power sources in the area, you will find sunshine most days of the year and the daylight lasts for more than 12 hours!!! Most experienced DPs will be able to work with the natural light without any problems.
Accommodations: There are many charming bed and breakfasts and hotels in the area, which should accommodate most medium to small crews. For larger shoots (crews of 50+) there are a couple of cities within one hour drive that would offer the necessary support. Prices are comparable to slightly below what you will find in most southern Caribbean resort towns.
Travel: Caracas is located approximately 3 hours from Miami. Depending on your arrival time, foreign crews may need to stay in Caracas overnight before driving to the Park. Inter-island travel is usually done by small, local fishing boats, which are chartered by the local production company. If you are well funded, you will be able to small yachts or power boats to transport your crew.
Weather: Sunny, sunny, sunny. There is very little rain throughout the year. There is no true hurricane season since the ocean currents and tropical winds of the Atlantic guide tropical depressions away from the northern South American coast. The humid season is from October to December/January. During this season there is an increased possibility of rain and the sand takes a more tan color (nothing that could not be fixed in post :-) ).
If you want more details on Morrocoy or would like to see additional pictures please contact Explorart Pro&Post at www.proandpost.com.
