August 18, 2009

Monday

Aug. 17, 2009

Today there were film crews at the dig site. It was a German team who was making a documentary called “The Etruscans” (creative, I know). We all had to sign release forms to allow our images to be used for the documentary. I don’t know exactly what would have happened if we hadn’t, been moved to an area with no crews? It was really cool to watch them, though. They moved from section to section, sometimes putting their big fuzzy mic-on-a-stick right in people’s faces. Sometimes it was a bit distracting, but eventually we all fell into our normal routine, and forgot about them. Right after lunch, they set up a huge boom for some crane shots, and I had to laugh because they looked like a crew from Hollywood. They had a table and chairs under a big umbrella off to one side, the director in his cloth folding chair away from the others, and techies running around like ants putting this ridiculous contraption together, all to tape what we did all the time. Later on that afternoon, they did an interview with Alba, and a bunch of us repositioned ourselves to watch, even if it meant just pretending to do something useful. A couple students in the background of the shots were “sweeping” an altar that was spotless.

The work wasn’t the only thing that was fake. Fashions were exceptionally good that day. Many girls wore make-up and cute tank-tops instead of old grungy ones and bikini tops as is the norm. They also did their hair in French braids with bright handkerchiefs and earrings. Not everyone did, though. Even some of the guys dressed up, including one who wore a white polo shirt.

After we were done digging, they kept filming some staged shots and shots of the cleared site. The staged shots were of students sweeping with little brooms, taking pictures, and other minute tasks which didn’t need to be done. Now I realize why my perception of archaeology had always been of happy, fresh-looking people busily cleaning acres of land with toothbrushes, little chisels, and dental tools.