One of the more unusual perks of engaging Mt. Tian Gui monastery as a location is that the monks insist all crew participate in a ceremonial prayer. "We began the very first day by lighting incense sticks and praying in all four directions," says Amy Wertheimer, senior producer at BBDO, New York, recounting the adventures of shooting Mountain Dew's "Master" in the mountains four hours south of Bejing, China. "We were encouraging God to bless the shoot and I think it worked."

The spot begins with the arrival of a young westerner at a remote martial arts school to learn from the Master and ends with one very quick and clever joke. But it's everything in between that makes the spot so blessedly infectious. Rather than combat, the school gives instruction in 'slapsy', the mildly painful wrist slapping game. And the kid's progress from novice to Bruce Lee caliber slapper is shown in a series of hilariously deadpan training scenes.

"To work, everything about the school had to look and feel authentic," says Wertheimer of the location, art direction and cast. "The kid had to be out of place in his environment." To accomplish this, in addition to shooting at two Chinese monasteries, the cast consisted of real students from a nearby kung fu school who were quick to catch on to slapsy. "We showed everyone how to play. They got really intense with it as they practiced, shouting a cheer like it was the World Cup." Their enthusiasm for the game shines through in the spot.

But going local for the look and feel did not extend to the main characters: the young traveler, a black teen presumably from the US, and the Master himself, a picture of Chinese stoicism, were both brought in from LA.

In addition to the leads, several crew members were also brought from afar, compounding language barriers. With a DP from Yugoslavia, an art director from Brazil, and with Swedish directing collective Traktor at the helm, understanding Chinese was not the only linguistic challenge. "As in any country where you don't speak the language, it becomes harder to communicate with the crew and the talent," says Traktor. "Even if you have a good translator, nuances disappear."

But some things are universal, like the weather. One scene called for the kid to be training in the rain. "The forecast said thunderstorms Friday afternoon and our local producer [Mishka Chen from Prime Connection] assured us the information was reliable," says Traktor. The scene was scheduled with two Chinese firetrucks as backup. "Just as we were shooting the last scene before the planned rain scene we heard the thunder between the mountains. The crew hustled to set up and as the cameras were readied, the rain came pouring down." The divine intervention begat several wide angle shots - something the hoses never would have allowed for.

It's often said that God answers all prayers, it's just that sometimes, his answer is "no". Despite the convenient rain, water was a problem during the shoot. With the monastery at the top of a mountain, potable water was at a premium and almost everyone fell victim to a terrible pestilence - even with separate catering for the local crew of several hundred and the foreigners. "Eight people went to the doctor - it was crazy. Agency people got very sick," says Traktor. "We had a great catering guy but it was hard for him to find good water."

Wertheimer also suspects bad air contributed to the illnesses. "There were lots of coal mines around. The atmosphere was very smoggy." Even four hours from car-infested Bejing, the effects of China's booming economy could be felt, a boom that also includes production. "There's so much shooting going on sometimes it can be hard to find crew," says Traktor, though "Master", save for casting, did not experience that problem. In fact, all concerned were impressed with the crew. "At one of the monasteries, they schlepped up 500 steps each day," says Wertheimer. "They'd just pick everything up and go. No complaining. Everyone wanted to do the best job possible."

The foreigners took the cable car instead, described by Wertheimer as a "telephone booth on dental floss" which had to be entered on the fly because it never stopped. Dear God...

GOOD TO KNOW
China is not to be attempted alone. Even if you speak the language fluently, negotiating the ins and out of the film world while solo is not advisable.
Complete camera package for a day:
approx. US$3,000
Night in a good hotel:
$125 up to $400 a night in Shanghai or Beijing
Beer on a patio:
$2 to $3 at local bars
Recommended crew to bring from overseas:
1st AD (per DGA rules), DP, production designer, and sometimes gaffer, key grip, SFX supervisor, depending on the complexity of the shoot.
Extras per day:
Varies from $25 to $50
Visas:
Leave at least a few days time, although talent visas can sometimes be obtained faster. According to Mishka Chen from service provider Prime Connections: "Things don't always move fast, westerners have to be patient. Ease of permitting depends on the location, some of which, like Tiananmen Square, are off limits."

PCI Productions> http://www.pciproductions.com
BBDO> http://www.bbdo.com
Traktor> http://www.traktor.com