Okke Ornstein - I wrote Sam Taliaferro over at the PrimaPanama blog last week after I had found a new video on YouTube from Ruben Blades' IPAT promoting Panama. After watching it a couple of times, I wrote to Sam:

"I don't know what you think but I don't see anything in these spots that could not have been shot ANYWHERE in the region/Caribbean. There's nothing specifically Panamanian in them. It's just a bunch of almost random steadicam shots jammed together on - whatever that music is they used."

(The SteadiCam, by the way, is a camera mount with a gyroscope fixed to your body that allows you to make smooth walking shots. In Panama they aren't available to the best of my knowledge, you need to rent one in the US plus a good operator and it takes FOREVER to get these shots done.) Well, before we continue, let's watch the video:

 Am I right or am I right? This could, for all practical purposes, have been shot in the Ardennes and Antwerp, in Belgium! Some You Name It, We Frame It outfit has obviously been paid a scandalous amount of money for this monstrum.

 I suggested Sam T. that we get together and figure out a way to do this better, get the tourism industry lined up and do a real campaign. I haven't heard from him about it other than that he's talking on his blog about the ads, but eventually the tourism sector in Panama will need to do something to offset the ineffective wasting of money by IPAT. Any ideas?

Instant update: Maybe they can ask the James Bond crew to shoot some decent promotion footage?