On Being Filmed for Fans of Flanders ...

Update: the link to the interview is here.

This wasn't the first time, I've been interviewed for television before ...

Long ago, ATV - regional television - came in and made a documentary on three couples who were making life in two languages in Antwerp.

I had bronchitus that first time. 

I had no idea what to expect.  The film crew stayed and stayed and stayed, filming me cooking dinner after the interview, filming us eating dinner too ... which was a haphazard last-minute concoction where I was so disconcerted by the cameraman filming over my shoulder that I served the meal up in the pots I had cooked it in.

Sigh.  Not my best day.

And I wore those trousers most likely to make my behind look huge. I groaned when I saw that shot of me walking away from the camera.  I buried that clip somewhere long ago.

Anyway, it all added up to me wanting to be prepared this time round ... an interview via VRT, the Flemish Public Broadcaster.

I knew that the house probably wouldn't feature at all but just in case ... we deep-cleaned the place over the weekend.  There would be no unpreparedness when it came to filming dinner preparation.

Monday came round, Wendy and Wendy arrived and voila, 1pm, the film crew were there at the door.  Cemil and Lies began setting up for the interview with the 3 New Zealanders living in Belgium ...

We were relaxed, and in high spirits too.  A natural result of getting together, the adventure, the unknown I guess.

I was pretty sure I didn't want to talk about Belgian politics ... but we did.  And I knew I shouldn't relax with the camera in that way that I relax with most people ... but I did.  Once or twice, I might have said, you won't keep that, will you?  It's so easy to get caught up in conversations and forget that the audience will be much wider than just those in front of you.

2 hours and the interview was over.  Much conversational ground had been covered. It turned out the we 3 kiwis all miss beaches terribly, here in this country with just 60kms of coastline. 

We moved the production into the city, 5 people in a small car as rain fell and the windows steamed up.  We arrived in the city centre just as huge gale force winds arrived.  That was us, being blown across Grote Markt but maybe they won't use that segment.

The owner of one of my favourite art gallery's, here in the city, opened his beautiful place up for us after we knocked on his door.  You must visit De Zwarte Panter Gallery if in the city ... it's so very worthwhile.

Once inside, Wendy Leach - fabulous painter, gave us a much-enjoyed impromptu lesson on painting, and we were filmed.

Then we found a cafe/pub.  We had wine and beer and ... we were filmed.

Walking back through the cobblestone streets, being filmed as we slowly succumbed to the cold, to hunger, to tiredness ... and voila, we were done.

Thank you to Cemil for organising it all, sometimes with the patience of a saint, and to Lies for being the delightful interviewer and camerawoman ... gently asking us to do that or say this again. 

I have no idea how the 3 minute segment will go.  We filmed so much more than that.  I'll let you know ... unless I have to bury it  ;-)

Below, Lies and Cemil at work.