Macarena with House Hunters

Experience the Filming of House Hunters International in San Ignacio Belize.

Here we are again for the second time in just a little over a year filming yet another House Hunters International show in San Ignacio, Belize for Home and Garden TV (HGTV).

Have you ever wondered how an event such as this presents itself?  Well let me give you just a few insider facts from someone who has now witnessed the filming of both shows from beginning to end.

First of course there has to be people committed to buying a property because the show really is about how people choose their own piece of paradise here in Belize. So with that said we go on the journey with the prospective buyers and their Realtor which in both cases here has been Macarena Rose of Rainforest Realty Belize.

So how did Macarena “land this gig”?  Well simply, she was sought out by companies that produce the House Hunters International show. And she will again work with HGTV for her 3rd show in a few months.

House Hunters International at Cahal Pech Resort

The film crew stays at one of the local resorts for about 4 to 5 days during filming. Cahal Pech Resort is the resort of choice for both of these shows and in the first show was actually featured in some of the filming.

The film crew hires a personal assistant (PA) usually a local company to tour them around, haul the equipment, and assist with the shoot. This is a great experience in that the PA is an integral part of making sure everyone has what they need to have a successful show.

Although the film crew is usually on a very tight schedule, we try to make sure they have some fun too and get to see at least some of the local flare that San Ignacio has to offer. At the very minimum we make sure they eat great food and have some fun experiencing San Ignacio town.

We also encourage them to take in the market as it is one of the best in all of Belize.  All the fresh fruits and veggies you can imagine as well as other goods brought in from miles around.  This is especially true on the weekends where the market gets really busy with a huge diversity of people and offerings.

So on the first day,  we meet up at the resort where we get to know the film crew and start to begin to understand what our day will bring. We go over the expectations of the director as he gives us thoughts on his vision for the viewers. Every story is different so the director works to make sure he gathers all the pertinent details to tell the story with its most unique appeal.

This can be somewhat of an art as the people involved sometimes need to realize how impactful their story can be for others. After all it is their story and they are the most desensitized to the plot. So the director helps them remember the facts that will mean a lot to the people looking on watching the show so the viewers get the most from the detailed story line. So once we all understand the “why” and “how” the decision came to be to relocate or buy a vacation home then we start our day.

On the Set Real Estate Office in San Ignacio Belize

Because this is a show about the people who bought Real Estate and their Realtor, there are no scripts to be memorized. There is only the experience and reactions of the people involved. Macarena, the Realtor, is the only person who really has information in the beginning as she understands the homes and their offerings. So it stands to reason that Macarena already knows how she will show the homes.

However, she never knows how the client will respond because reactions are different to each offering. So she does the best she can to meet the clients expectations in the viewing of properties while also narrowing in on the property that meets the clients desires to the extent they are willing to purchase.

The show features 3 homes with one of the homes being the chosen home of purchase. Each of the homes are viewed and reviewed by the clients as Macarena takes them on their journey. It takes several days to film on location as the crew follows the clients and Macarena through their experience. The journey can be very interesting especially for the film crew who in most cases have never been to Belize. So they get their own experience from the visit to Belize outside of the act of filming “another” episode.

The films crews work hard on their shoot and they keep a very tight schedule. The crew usually consist of the director, a camera person, and a sound person. Each have their own distinct roles and it is very evident as you watch them work. They see the show from 3 different perspectives so occasionally they will discuss the “best” way to handle an environment or situational camera shot. Although it is very clear who is directing the scenes, the entire crew is very involved in the holistic product as they all direct at some point through the perception of their particular role in the film.

So you might be wondering what type of situational experience could possibly happen that is not planned for the film shoots here in Belize. Well as some of you might know we are in a tropical climate, so every now and again here in the Rainforest, yes you guessed it, it rains during one of the scenes.  This would not usually be an issue except for the fact that we had to climb a relatively steep hill on the side of a mountain to get up to one of the properties and we were in a small two wheel drive pickup truck with the film crew in “the pan” (this is Kriol Language for the back of the truck) of the truck filming the approach to the home.

House Hunters filming in the Jungle at the Creek

So picture the truck, no not getting stuck, but sliding backward down the mountain with Macarena doing her best to control where it stops. You should have seen the look on the film crews faces as they hung on. Now this is a great film crew ready for all opportunistic moments of  “the show much go on“.  They not only hung on, they actually got the shots of the situation and decided to use it in the episode. Now that is good TV, because in addition to being entertaining, it was a truthful display of the situation which had the potential to go really bad very quickly. Thank GOD Macarena is an experience “jungle” driver”.

All ended well and yes we did make it up the side of the mountain to continue the filming at the home.  However, for a few seconds there on the side of that mountain – which seemed to last an eternity at the time – it was touch and go.

So after all the filming of the clients viewing the homes is concluded, the next scenes that are filmed is the perspectives of each of the family members on the property parameters, environment, and overall impressions of each opportunity.  Macarena also gives her impressions of how the clients responded to each of the properties and how she believes the clients overall will enjoy their new life here in Belize.  As I mentioned before, nothing is scripted so you are actually hearing real life reactions to each situation that is presented in the episode.

Once the filming is complete, then the editing crew proceeds to put the finishing touches on the program before it actually airs on TV. This can take a few months to prepare as the filming from the clients original home they are leaving is also part of the show too.  So two destinations and 4 homes later a show is ready for you to view and enjoy. And of course, we all like to try to predict which of the homes the perspective buyers actually purchase.

So stay tuned and look for the next House Hunters International HGTV show featuring the Cayo District of Belize and Macarena Rose of Rainforest Realty.

Tune In to HGTV : next showing is February 23rd, 2012. See schedule below: