Back in Baltimore I got the idea to work with the “Green Wall”. By using this technique in the editing process you can replace the green with the already filmed images, like some of the circus acts. Ten mirrors were set up in the studio reflecting the green wall. We asked my daughter Maya to walk, sit and crawl in front of these mirrors. There were soap bubbles coming over the mirrors that she tried to catch. By replacing the green with filmed circus acts we created the illusion, that she was there with the performers. 
To emphazis the magic of the circus we went back in the studio to create set ups that would give us that feeling of magic, We used sparkles, a flashlight on a curtain and a hand trying to find the opening in these curtains to show the performance inside. Circus Flora is for me so closely connect with nature, that’s why I decided to film Waves at the Beach, Wheat Fields, wind through Trees, a Sunset and a Octopus in the Baltimore Aquarium. These shots were super imposed over circus acts in the final version of the film.
Exsul Van Helden 