SOCIALS.

Ken had promised us that attending socials would be the highlight of our time with AFA. And so we were sitting in the bus, heading for the Hollywood Nightclub, joined by 13 giggling men, joking and bragging to each other on how they were going to score big tonight. Ken warned the men about 'players'; women who looked great, acted nice, and tell whatever you wanted to hear, but were just interested in the game; getting a free date with a westerner. For these women catching the men was the most interesting part: Entering the Hollywood Nightclub was like entering another world. None of the men had been in such a great position before. About 200 women were waiting, totally dedicated to the 13 tour clients. Some of the men became a little nervous. They huddled in packs near the bar, staring at the beauties around them. Some warned each other of the danger of walking the long dark hallway to the bathroom. 'Maybe this is how women feel in clubs back home', Nolan (a computer programmer from Seattle) giggled.
Geert and I decided to split up and talk with women. After all, we also needed to get their side of the story. Disappointed we weren't really looking for a wife, they still got a kick out of the idea for a film, and were very eager to tell us about themselves. But others would just try to drag us to the dance floor. We figured that dancing with a few ladies would also be research.

The days of our research trip went by very fast. If we weren't talking to tour clients or would-be brides, we did some pre-production scouting around St. Petersburg, finding and photographing scene locations; we visited the city's Theatrical Institute looking for actresses, sat in on acting classes. We went to Lenin Film Studios looking for an experienced local line-producer, and visited film schools looking for crew and affordable equipment. By trip's end, the majority of the men had had a fantastic time. Some had forgotten everything about their original mission. They went home alone. Ken assured them that they could always come back and try again. Others left engaged.
We said goodbye to our French colleague, and left with more than enough facts and wisdom to make this script unique.

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