Hayley Allen BA Summer Research

Guatemala Weather

Information from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT001860

Guatemala is one of the larger countries of Central America whose weather and climate are described in more detail in the Panama pages. Lying between 14° and 18°N, Guatemala is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the east by Belize, and on the south by Honduras and El Salvador.
It has a very short coastline on the Caribbean Sea and a longer west coast on the Pacific. In area it is about the size of the state of Pennsylvania and a little smaller than England.
The northern part of the country is a low plain and forms part of the tierra caliente, an area of typical hot, tropical climate with some rain all the year round and maximum rainfall between May and September.
The west and south of the country are very mountainous with some volcanic peaks rising to over 4,000 m/13,000 ft. A large part of the hilly country is typical tierra templada, and the climatic conditions are well represented by the table for Guatemala City, which has a very pleasant climate. Rainfall here is moderate with a distinct dry season from November to April.
Conditions on the Pacific coast, where there is a narrow strip of tierra caliente, are similar in terms of the dry and wet seasons, but rainfall is rather heavier and there is little relief from the high temperatures at night.

This is interesting as it shows the type of weather conditions we can create for the film.

Guatemala Information 2

This time taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1215758.stm

Guatemala country profile

A country of striking features and a strong indigenous culture, Guatemala's natural beauty and powerful identity stand in stark contrast to its bloody past and troubled present.
Mountainous, heavily forested and dotted with Mayan ruins, lakes, volcanoes, orchids and exotic birds, Guatemala is one of the most beautiful countries in Central America.
Its indigenous population, the Maya, make up about half of the population. Mayan languages are spoken alongside Spanish, the official tongue. Many Guatemalans are of mixed Amerindian-Hispanic origin.

Overview

Guatemala's beauty and strength of identity have not been accompanied by cohesion and prosperity. In 1996 it emerged from a 36-year-long civil war which pitted leftist, mostly Mayan insurgents against the army, which - backed by the US - waged a vicious campaign to eliminate the guerrillas.
More than 200,000 people - most of them civilians - were killed or disappeared.
Despite an official finding that 93% of all atrocities carried out during the war had been committed by the security forces, moves to bring those responsible to account started only after a long delay.

Dancers celebrate St Joseph's Day in Guatemala City
Guatemalans live in one of the most inequitable societies in the region. Poverty is particularly widespread in the countryside and among indigenous communities.
Illiteracy, infant mortality and malnutrition are among the highest in the region, life expectancy is among the lowest and, in common with many of its neighbours, the country is plagued by organised crime and violent street gangs. It is a major corridor for smuggling drugs from South America to the United States.
Despite talks and international mediation, a long-running territorial dispute with neigbouring Belize remains unresolved. Guatemala lays claim to thousands of square kilometres of land.

Facts

Full name: Republic of Guatemala
Population: 14 million (UN, 2009)
Capital: Guatemala City
Major languages: Spanish, more than 20 indigenous languages
Major religion: Christianity, indigenous Mayan beliefs
Life expectancy: 67 years (men), 74 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 quetzal = 100 centavos
Main exports: Coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, meat, petroleum, cardamon
GNI per capita: US $2,680 (World Bank, 2008)
Internet domain: .gt
International dialling code: + 502

Guatemala Information

This information is from :

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html

Introduction ::Guatemala
Background:

The Mayan civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 100,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, some 1 million refugees.

Geography ::Guatemala
Location:

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize
Geographic coordinates:

15 30 N, 90 15 W
Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean
Area:

total: 108,889 sq kmcountry comparison to the world: 106
land: 107,159 sq km
water: 1,730 sq km
Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Tennessee
Land boundaries:

total: 1,687 km
border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km
Coastline:

400 km
Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:

Current Weather
tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
Terrain:

mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau
Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m
Natural resources:

petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower
Land use:

arable land: 13.22%
permanent crops: 5.6%
other: 81.18% (2005)
Irrigated land:

1,300 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:

111.3 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.01 cu km/yr (6%/13%/80%)
per capita: 160 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:

numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
Environment - current issues:

deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution
Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:

no natural harbors on west coast

Evaluation Number One

I think after a couple of months of research it is time for a recap of things and and evaluation so far.

So... I originally had three main ideas that I wanted to look into, the first being a bus journey, the second an adventure, and third some kind of music video.

I did start to do some research into the bus journey idea, taking photographs of the buses and some quick sketches. However, I have decided not to continue with this idea for the following reasons:

There were too many possibilites of what to do and I couldn't narrow down the idea to a succinct plot for a short film.
I do not think the characters were interesting enough to captivate an audience.
I wouldn't want to limit the creativity of the team setting it in a small area where there cannot be much movement.
I was starting to get bored of the research already let alone doing the project for a whole year.

Secondly, the music video is also a no go area because I think it would be difficult to arrange an original song to animate, and also agree on a type of music everyone would want to work on in the group. It would be the perfect amount of time however and I may do some more research into videos to see if I can use them in my project. The main thing that makes me not want to do this is the limit of camera angles with the singer having to look into the camera, and you would not be able to create more tension etc.

This leaves me with the adventure idea. I think this is the best out of the three because I have a strong plot point that is based on recent news but will be creatively displayed. The Guatamala location gives a strong reference point, as does the Mayan culture. Combined they will make hopefully jaw dropping visuals combining both natural and historical man made environments.

I also think stong modern architypal characters can be used that the audience will relate with and will want to succeed. I want them to be akin to those already in films and games, but give them a fresh twist. This may end up being by the style of render or colours that are used for them, or to try and make them look more cartoony rather than realistic (which is what adventure games for example seem to do).

Aims for the next couple of weeks: