News
VideoTakes in The Gambia
Arlington, VA, August 25, 2009 – VideoTakes, Inc. recently traveled to West Africa to film the first-ever promotional video for The Gambia. VideoTakes producer Dan Gallagher and National Geographic director of photography Pablo Durana spent a week conducting interviews and filming at points of interest throughout the tropical country – the smallest in mainland Africa.
Situated on the Atlantic coast and surrounded on three sides by French-speaking Senegal, The Gambia is a former British colony that straddles the Gambia River and terminates in an historic port city, Banjul. With easy access to Europe, pristine beaches, luxury hotels and a friendly, English-speaking populace, The Gambia is quickly becoming one of West Africa’s busiest hubs for commerce and tourism. VideoTakes partnered with Washington-based Dexis Consulting to create the promotional video as part of a new Investor’s Guide to The Gambia.
Venturing during the height of the rainy season, the film crew weathered intermittent downpours and waterlogged roads to capture the country’s lush flora, including mangrove swamps, palm forests, and strands of iconic baobab trees. The crew also filmed at businesses, restaurants and hotels to showcase commerce and tourism.
Among the trip’s highlights was a visit to the Makasutu Eco-Lodge. Floating along an undeveloped stretch of the river, Makasutu’s traditionally themed lodges offer a luxury hideaway in a stunning natural setting. Other highlights included time-lapse photography of the Banjul International Airport and filming a popular youth soccer championship on Palma Rima Beach.
VideoTakes was accompanied on the shoot by freelance sound recordist Dominic Bracco and by the president & CEO of Dexis Consulting, Mihir Desai. VideoTakes and Dexis plan to release the ten-minute Investor’s Guide video and a one-minute trailer in mid-October.