In 1973, actor Russ Kingston shot wildlife documentaries in Kenya. For 2 months he lived in the home of a Tsavo National Park game warden. For another month he lived in a tent on the lawn of a Malindi snake catcher on the coast north of Mombasa.
In 1972, actor Russ Kingston traveled throughout South Korea with fellow UCLA student, now director Elliott Hong. Elliott told Russ to "get good images," which became the feature-length documentary Tears of Buddha (1973).