Field Notes: Our Road to Louisiana

It’s 8:00 a.m., and we’re conducting a final equipment check. Scattered throughout the hotel room floor lay nests of extension cords, tangled headsets, and tripods that threatened anyone careless enough not paying attention. Production mornings are always hectic, no matter how much you prepare the night before, and our night before was 4 hours on the road, driving through rain and fog in the swampy Louisiana terrain. So that, on top of the inevitable ghost stories it inspired, made it so the us of last night thought the us of this morning would be better off handling a full-scale equipment round-up.

We’re in Louisiana with JK Creativ. to film content for founder Jakari Sherman’s production of “Our Road Home,” slated to showcase at the Houston Hobby Center on January 30th. The project started back in November when Natalie Rodriguez, a Houston filmmaker, and I created a series of videos for their marketing campaign. It then evolved into pitching ideas for a mini doc (which we were also there to document), and now we’re in Louisiana for 24-hours to film as much as we can.

This is what our team is looking like:

Me, Demi Navarro-Shih: Producer and Creative Director, responsible for coordinating ideas between the JK Creativ. team and the production squad. Currently: Organizing the mood boards, shot lists, and notes for the final meeting with the whole team. (and refreshing the weather app)

Natalie Rodriguez: Director of Cinematography, responsible for the camera gear and the cohesive look of the shots. Ensures we get the best footage on location.

Currently: Double-checking each camera bag and organizing the SD cards.

Adam Navarro: Camera Operator, responsible for B-Roll and being Natalie’s right-hand man.

Currently: Organizing the equipment into the wagon.

After the twelfth time of taking turns asking if we have enough SD cards (we do), and if all our batteries are charged (they are), we finally head out.

Our task is to capture Sherman’s cousin, Ms. Gurlie, reciting an old family recipe for a pot of gumbo as she learned it in Creole French. This is the heart of the second act of the show. We are there not only to document the cooking, but to capture the community built around the kitchen table.

So, off we went. We drove past sprawling fields of cattle, silos, and old town stores. The community is sparse, but deeply interconnected— we were told. We finally turned onto a long stretch of dirt road. Nearing its end sat a little green house with a barn and a chicken coop. About a dozen cats lay basking in the sun that was just about to break. In the distance, acres and acres of land, all belonging to the family, stretched far and wide.

As we pulled up, Ms. Gurlie and her husband greeted us with open arms.

. . . . .

We weaved in and out of the kitchen listening, laughing, and growing hungrier by the minute as the aroma of the simmering gumbo pot began to fill the room. Sherman’s mother, Ms. Shirley, translated the recipe for us as we navigated our cameras around boiling pots and overlapping conversations.

In between takes, we sat and listened as Ms. Gurlie shared stories of her and her siblings working and playing around the area we were just exploring. We learned about the history of the house, the land, and the family.

Time went on, and spices filled the air. Ms. Gurlie was nearing the end of her recipe. After ensuring everyone got a plate and was comfortable, she went outside to take a rest.

. . . . .

On the way back home, we went down our shot list, double-checking if we needed to get any more b-roll before we made our way back to Houston. It was quieter than usual as we left with the lingering feelings of the events of the day.

Community, family, legacy— are just a few of the words that come to mind when reminiscing about our time in Louisiana.

Our Road to Gumbo

Natalie and Adam with Mrs. Gurlie

Showing Ms. Gurlie a picture of my cats, probably

Adam and Natalie setting up a shot