America's Forgotten Colonies: American Samoa, Guam & Saipan

La Mancha Media today publishes it's newest documentary entitled, America's Forgotten Colonies: American Samoa, Guam & Saipan.

The documentary explores the history, military service, obesity, the Turtle and Shark Legend, the Samoan Creation Legend, the story of Massacre Bay, Junior Seau, Margaret Mead and more, in Part 1 on American Samoa. In Part 2 on Guam, we explore the history, the Legend of the Two Lovers, Taotaomo’na Spirits, the Chamorro people, Fr Duenas, Shoichi Yokoi and more. In Part 3 on Saipan and the CNMI, we explore the history, Banzai and Suicide Cliff, Tinian, the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan, Chinese immigration and tourism issues, as well as labor trafficking, and a charity that helps in this area.

The documentary is the result of six months of planning, two weeks of travelling and filming, and a month of editing. It was shot on Panasonic GH5 (10 bit), Sony FDR-X3000, and DJI Mavic Pro--all 4K.

It is one documentary, but broken in three parts for YouTube, so it can be viewed more easily by those searching just one particular territory, for example.

There are three other territories, Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These are not dealt with in this documentary. These are very well known. The three in our documentary are relatively unknown.

For licensing footage please contact LMM.

Full credits at the end of the final part of the movie (on Saipan), but below is a limited set of credits.

Directed, Filmed,

Written & Narrated By

David Whalen

Produced By

Richard Taylor

Produced By

David Whalen

Executive Producer

Thomas Whalen

Executive Producer

Marilucia Garcia Calvacanti

Featuring

Richard Taylor

Michael McDonald

Paula Stevenson McDonald

Girls Working Out

Atonio Ioane

Christian Ausage

Senovefa Gaea Bartley

Marte S. Hara

Jose Q. San Nicolas

Group of Chomorro Youth

Julie Le Breton

Mela Gerber

Carlos Paulino

David B. Tydingco

Pilar Laguaña

Walt Goodridge

Emelda P. Camacho

Calvani P. Deleon Guerrero

Chinese Tourists

Chinese Migrants

Special Thanks

Keith Ahsoon

Bishop Peter Brown

Antonio R. Cabrera

Gabbie Franquez

Fabian M. Indalecio

Tina Ioane

Doug Mack

Mark Manglona

Lauri Ogumoro

Sylvia Press

Breeana Quitugua

Rosita San Nicolas

Kristan Schlichte

Sulita Evie Smith

Wang Chun Yu

American Samoa Historic Preservation Office

Cathedral of the Holy Family, American Samoa

Catholic Charities, USA

Catholic Charities, American Samoa

Discover Guam Tours

Discover Saipan

Guam Visitors Bureau

Historic Inarajan Foundation

Karidat Social Services

Pacific War Museum

South Pacific Watersports & Fitness

Valley of the Latte, Inc.

Vaoto Lodge

Filmed on Location

American Samoa

Guam

Saipan (CNMI)

Tinian (CNMI)

South Korea

Korean Demilitarized Zone

China

Japan

Music

Laumei ma Malie

(Turtle and Shark, ancient Samoan song)

Performed by Senovefa Gaea Bartley

Feels Like Home

By Immersive Music

Shutterstock Music Canada ULC

Driven to Explore

By Tiny Music

Shutterstock Music Canada ULC

In Search of Wisdom

By Tiny Music

Shutterstock Music Canada ULC

A Glow

By Dan Phillipson

Shutterstock Music Canada ULC

Widescreen Nature

By Tiny Music

Shutterstock Music Canada ULC

Copyright Info

La Mancha Media

Copyright © 2017

All Rights Reserved

www.lamanchamedia.org

Images from Upcoming Documentary: America's Forgotten Colonies

 Images from documentary entitled America's Forgotten Colonies: Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. Copyright 2017, La Mancha Media

Forbidden Island — at Forbidden Island, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.

American Samoa — with Producer Richard Taylor and Guide Michael McDonald of Samoan Tours

A friend singing to draw the turtles, an ancient tradition. — in American Samoa.

Our guides showing us Massacre Bay. — in American Samoa.

Riding a bull in Guam — in Guam.

A guide showing us a house with bullet holes (floor on right) from World War II. — in Guam

Enjoying royal treatment by the Guam Visitor Bureau, steak dinner on the house. — at Pacific Star Resort & Spa.

Northern Marianas with our Guide

A beautiful Chinese tourist in Saipan (no visa required). — in Northern Mariana Islands.

— in Northern Mariana Islands.

A Chinese migrant to Saipan who wrote a book of her experiences working in the garment factories. Chicken Feathers & Garlic Skin: Diary of a Chinese Garment Factory Girl on Saipan by Chun Yu Wang, Walt F.J. Goodridge 

The island of Tinian. — in Northern Mariana Islands.

The two atomic bomb bays where the atomic bombs were loaded and later dropped on Japan. Tinian — in Northern Mariana Islands.

A exact replica of one of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan with a peace crane. — in Northern Mariana Islands.

Our guide in Saipan, Walt Goodridge. — in Northern Mariana Islands.

B-Roll: Images from China (Chinese immigration on Saipan is enormous)

B-Roll: Images from Hiroshima (final destination from Tinian A bomb) 

B-Roll: Images from Nagasaki (final destination from Tinian A bomb)

B-Roll: North Korea (Guam threatened by)

Film on US Territories in the Far Pacific (Guam, Saipan, American Samoa)

Overview

Image Credit US Nuclear Regulatory Commission

La Mancha Media will be creating a new 40 minute film to be released in the Fall of 2017. Richard Taylor is again producing this film and will play a leading role. The two of us, Richard and myself (the Director of La Mancha Media David Whalen) will be travelling to all the far Pacific U.S. (unincorporated organized) Territories of American Samoa, Guam and Saipan of the Northern Mariana Islands in August 2017. We will be filming the amazing historical sites, the stunning geography, the history, culture, and of course we will be highlighting one or more charities on the islands. LMM will also produce one or more short charity videos for these charities so they can use for their own fundraising purposes.

Donations
I am asking for donations to La Mancha Media. Your donation will allow me to spend more time on editing. I have a full time job outside of LMM and have to take several weeks off in making these films. I especially want to spend more time making the charity videos for the charities we will film in. This is something I have only a small budget for, but I am committed to helping them either way. I hope that others would be able to donate a small amount to this endeavor. You can donate using the Donate button to the right. If you donate over $500 I can give you an Executive Producer Credit. But for any amount I will give you a credit in the Thank You section. I am also willing to provide you with other things you may want. You may contact me directly to ask. Please send a note on the contact form to the right with your email and if you want, your phone number, and I will get back to you. You can also call me. My contact info is on the About page.

Donation Update: LMM has already received indication from two individuals of their intent to donate to help in the making of the standalone charity videos. Many thanks!

Seeking Guides and Advice
We are also seeking anyone with knowledge of guides or places to film. We are looking to hire expert local guides willing to discuss on camera, especially those with unique histories. Also contact me if you have any other opinion or idea for the film.

Tech Aspects
Shooting on the newly released Panasonic GH5
Ultra wide 7 or 8 mm lens (15 mm equivalent on 35mm)
Mavic Pro Drone
All 4K (possibly 10 bit), 24p

Possible Themes of Film (some)

(In order of chronology, not importance.)

The Chamorro people (natives of Marianas)

The indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands; politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia.

 

Sky God Tagaloa

In Samoan mythology, Tagaloa is generally accepted as the supreme ruler, the creator of the universe, the chief of all gods and the progenitor of other gods and humans. Tagaloa dwelt in space and made the Heavens, the sky, the land, the seas, the fresh water, the trees and the people. Chamorro’s belief in Marianas as the center of the universe.

Ancestral worship and Taotaomo’na

Taotao Mo'na, also commonly written as taotaomona or taotaomo'na, are spirits of ancient inhabitants believed to haunt the mountains and wild places of the Mariana Islands, which include Luta, Saipan, Tinian and Guam, in Micronesia. Belief in Taotao Mo'na is present throughout these islands.

Latte stones

A latte stone, or simply latte, is a pillar capped by a hemispherical stone capital with the flat side facing up. Used as building supports by the ancient Chamorro people, they are found throughout most of the Mariana Islands. In modern times, the latte stone is seen as a sign of Chamorro identity and is used in many different contexts.

Star Mounds

The Pulemelei mound (also known as Tia Seu Ancient Mound) is the largest and most ancient structure in Polynesia. It is situated in Letolo Plantation in the Palauli district, at the east end of Savai'i island in Samoa.

Magellan and the age of Discovery

The first known contact between Guam and Western Europe occurred when a Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer sailing for the Holy Roman Emperor King Charles I of Spain, arrived with his 3-ship fleet in Guam on March 6, 1521.

Lover’s Point

The Legend of Puntan Dos Amantes (Two Lovers Point). The story of Two Lovers takes place at a climactic moment in Chamorro history, when the Spaniards take possession of Guam. For centuries, the Chamorro people have referred to the devotion of the two lovers as a metaphor for the resilience of their culture. Cite.

Margaret Mead, Coming of Age in Samoa

A book based upon her research and study of youth – primarily adolescent girls – on the island of Ta'u in the Samoan Islands. First published in 1928, the book launched Mead as a pioneering researcher and as the most famous anthropologist in the world. The book explores nature vs nurture, as well as in discussions on issues relating to family, adolescence, gender, social norms, and attitudes. The work is considered controversial in Samoa today, as society is Samoa is considered more conservative than was portrayed by her,

WWII History

The history of the early Japanese, the battles for dominance, the enormous US airstrips built to overcome Japan, the atomic bomb assembled and launched from Tinian island on the Enola Gay heading for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Japanese Suicide Cliff

Also known as Laderan Banadero, the location where thousands of Japanese civilians and Japanese soldiers committed suicide by jumping to their deaths in 1944 in order to avoid capture by the United States,

The effects of the bomb on Japanese. The effects of US military presence on the islands today.

Possible filming sites Hiroshima or Nagasaki, memorial of the bomb.

Modern History and Culture

The role of the US Federal government as the main employer on the island. The history and controversies.

US Anchor Babies, or “birth tourism”, from China and South Korea. Many pregnant women from these countries fly to Saipan on a 45 day visa to give birth, so that they have a child born a US citizen who, upon adulthood, can petition for their permanent residence to the US.

And of course modern culture: mores, religion, morals, etc.

Contemporary Charity Work

We will be filming in one or more charities that are helping those in need in the US Territories. I will announce who as we get approvals. We will include some of their work in the film and will provide them with their own charity video they can use for their own fundraising purposes.

NOTE: All reference information taken directly from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.

Dominica: The Nature Island

Our new film shot entirely in 4K, is an overview of the country of Dominica. A charity, Feed My Sheep located in Mahaut, allowed us to film and provided guides for us to view the island. Sights in the film include: Roseau, Soufriere, Scott's Head, Rosalie Bay, Trafalgar Falls, Freshwater Lake, Champagne Reef, Morne Bruce, Kalinago Barana Autê.




The film also covers some history such as the early explorers, the Carib or Kalinago people's history, the black African's history, the Garifuna's, and the French and English history.

Filmed, Edited, Written and Narrated by David Whalen
Copyright Owner: La Mancha Media http://www.lamanchamedia.org/
Produced by Richard Taylor

Equipment
Panasonic GH4
Panasonic LX100
DJI Mavic Pro

Please consider donating to La Mancha Media for providing this film to you free of charge.

To help Feed My Sheep, please contact them at https://www.facebook.com/FeedMySheepMgt/

Below are two more short videos created. One is a charity short to help Feed My Sheep, a promo for them. And the other a short video highlighting the DJI Mavic Pro aerial shots.