taiwanese independence

10/10/10 turned out to be a pretty epic day for us in Taiwan and we decided to include a portion of our daily details post on the main page. 

5am wake up call. Big day. October 10, 2010 better known as 10/10/10. This day was the 99th Independence Day for Taiwan that happened to coincide with a large filming project I was undertaking. The project is called One Day On Earth and it is basically a video time capsule in which thousands of filmmakers are contributing footage from every country on the planet that will be compiled into a major motion picture and released on 11/11/11. The goal is to document one day on earth from as many perspectives as possible. The independence celebration was a natural subject matter and after some incredible preparation from Annie’s sister, Grace, and brother-in-law, Arnold, we were well on our way to a successful day. 

Our first stop was determined by the parade route in downtown Taipei. We decided on a location that we thought would be the best possible vantage point but knew things would be hectic and so an early departure was a necessity. The main portion of the procession was blocked off to foot traffic and you needed special clearance to enter. We didn’t have that clearance and so we set up shop right at the edge of the restricted zone and were in location by 6am. The parade would begin shortly after 11am. The next five hours were spent jockeying for position with the aggressive Taiwanese and the conditions were far from ideal. 

To read about the entire day click here.