Conquistadors: The Stories: Bryant Holman (Location Manager, Texas and Mexico)
What was your most memorable moment on the shoot?
My lasting memory from the shoot will be when we heard that the original location of Culiacan was exactly the distance from El Fuerte that Cabeza de Vaca described, thus eliminating and apparent anomaly in his narration, and confirming the validity of the tack we were on at the time.
For me, this was very cosmic. Leo had said that there would always be a moment of serendipity, I was looking for that moment;when this item 'arrived', I told myself that this was the moment. There was almost this mystical element to it.. for me, anyway...
What did you learn about the Conquistadors?
My greatest insight was to see how Cabeza de Vaca, even though he is so greatly overlooked, was one of the most important historical characters of all time. He completely changed the character of the culture of the Indians and the Spanish almost from night to day. His changes have stayed in place down to the present. I am constantly seeing the different elements that constitute this historical reality all the time.
What were the worst moments?
My worst moment was when I realized that the best area to shoot along the train route was too badly lit because we had lost so much time. That was disappointing.
What were your best moments?
My best moment was when we arrived at the top of Peguis Canyon and David told me that this was indeed an excellent idea to shoot there, and that this would indeed be a great boon to Ojinaga and to tourism development there. I told David that people just rejected out of hand the idea that Peguis Canyon could be compared to the Grand Canyon or Copper Canyon. He told me that I was right - it certainly could, and when people saw it on television, they would be properly impressed. That made me feel really good, and when I told Juventino about it later on, he was very happy.
Would you do it again?
HA! I would give anything to work for Mayavision again! I LOVED it!!
Bryant Holman