Documentary project

NickClapper

NickClapper

Hey,

As some of you know, I'm working on a documentary project at the moment and I need to score some crew for the end of February. Ideally, I'd like to shoot at an event on the 23rd February, which is proving to be quite short notice to score some reliable crew members.

The documentary is a project about a refugee community in the UK who are being denied resettlement in their homeland because the British government is turning the area into a protected marine park, despite the construction of a US/UK naval base on the islands.

If you'd be interested in helping out then I'd be very appreciative. First and foremost, I need someone to film and if there are any UK based sound folk on this forum (not sure I've encountered one yet) then I'd love to speak to you too. I am happy to reimburse travel expenses and buy lunch...etc, but I don't have money to pay crew at this point. But the documentary is genuinely a really good cause, so should make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Nick

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8salacious9 said:
im not meaning to attack you or anything, but why wouldn't you pay for crew?
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A) Don't have the money, B) Can't get funding until deadline for shooting this specific event has passed, C) I'm trying to help a community of refugees - whilst hoping that others might want to do the same - without wracking up debt doing so.

Without meaning to attack you, have you ever shelled out £300 of your own money, per day, on crew? That's a tough ask for someone in any financial position. If I was happy/able to spend £150 per day on a DoP and sound guy, then there are people I'd go straight to, but, for this particular project, I thought I'd ask the Indietalk community, because people here tend to me more willing to assist with people's work (as I have done with others) and tend to have less professional experience than if I were to search through Mandy.

I should also add that this isn't a commercial or vanity project. I'm hoping, ultimately, to make an engaging and interesting documentary that might have a positive impact on public perception and/or court appeals for a group of people who have been very underrepresented in the media. I am going to spend plenty of my own money on the project, but that has to be within my means.
 
NickClapper said:
The documentary is a project about a refugee community in the UK who are being denied resettlement in their homeland because the British government is turning the area into a protected marine park, despite the construction of a US/UK naval base on the islands.
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The wikipedia brief looks like a totally effed up situation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagos_islands

NickClapper said:
I'm hoping, ultimately, to make an engaging and interesting documentary that might have a positive impact on public perception and/or court appeals for a group of people who have been very underrepresented in the media.
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Where is this documentary intended to be displayed? Broadcast TV or by other means?
 
rayw said:
The wikipedia brief looks like a totally effed up situation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagos_islands
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It really is. I see it as one of the last examples of British imperialism, coupled with the dangerous impact of Britain's 'special relationship' with the US. Many of the Chagossians that I've spoken with have described their desire to resettle the island with family members, many of whom are living in abject poverty in the slums of Mauritius. But it looks like resettlement will be impossible, certainly within the generation who still have ties to the island. So the British government has, in effect, snuffed out an entire culture, in order to build a military base for the US (from where they were able to attack the Middle East).

Where is this documentary intended to be displayed? Broadcast TV or by other means?
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I've had some discussions with producers about the possibility of selling the film to the BBC or Channel 4, down the line, if it is of sufficient quality. I'm not sure whether I will have the connections or expertise to get that through, unless I can attach an executive producer to the project before serious work starts.

The other plan is to turn it into a short subject documentary and do the rounds at documentary film festivals. If the footage comes together (along with, groan, the funding) then it might be possible to look at it as a longer form piece, but that's what I'm currently working on.
 
NickClapper said:
So the British government has, in effect, snuffed out an entire culture, in order to build a military base for the US (from where they were able to attack the Middle East).
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Reads fairly similar to what the early U.S. government had done (and currently engages in) to a plethora of Native Americans.
The unofficial attitude seems to be "Well... you were essentially hunter-gatherers before, and you don't seem all that interested in integrating, so... here. Have this crappy patch of dirt. It's that or nothing. Deal with it."
It's just evil.

Eminent domain moral high ground. :eyerolls:


I've had some discussions with producers about the possibility of selling the film to the BBC or Channel 4, down the line, if it is of sufficient quality. I'm not sure whether I will have the connections or expertise to get that through, unless I can attach an executive producer to the project before serious work starts.

The other plan is to turn it into a short subject documentary and do the rounds at documentary film festivals. If the footage comes together (along with, groan, the funding) then it might be possible to look at it as a longer form piece, but that's what I'm currently working on.
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I hope you can wrangle an experienced EP to ensure this gets done.

Would you consider puttying together a project package to peddle among doc EPs looking for their next doc for production? Or were you hoping to be significantly involved in the creative/production side and really don't wanna risk marginalization?

What are some of the documentary titles you've recently reviewed to glean production/execution mechanics off of?
 
rayw said:
I hope you can wrangle an experienced EP to ensure this gets done.

Would you consider puttying together a project package to peddle among doc EPs looking for their next doc for production? Or were you hoping to be significantly involved in the creative/production side and really don't wanna risk marginalization?

What are some of the documentary titles you've recently reviewed to glean production/execution mechanics off of?
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The UK actually shows more TV documentaries than any other country in the world, but the major TV 'networks' (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky) don't actually produce very many documentaries 'in house' and, instead, buy them off the numerous independent production companies that operate in the UK.

Ideally, I'd like to team up with one of those production companies - whilst retaining some control over the project - so that they can assist in the production and sale of the film, whilst allowing me to pursue the direction that I want. So I will be putting together a project package, that will, hopefully, include some interesting and relevant footage, but I'm going to try to use that to score an EP who is able to assist with getting the thing finished and out there, rather than someone who wants to start from scratch and give me a cursory Producer credit.

I'm feeling fairly good about the progress the project has made so far, in that I've got the full support of the refugee group in the UK and have lined up two shooting days (if I can get the crew) which involve a Chagos islands 'international' football match (which is more a demonstration of their independence) and then a protest outside the High Court following the verdict of their appeal over the Marine Protection Act.
 
mlesemann said:
Have you considered doing a Kickstarter/Indiegogo/UK equivalent thereof to put together a bit more funding?
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I'd like to avoid this for two reasons:

A) I already crowdfunded The Flight of the Flamingo and feel like getting my begging plate out for friends and family again, within a couple of years, might be too much.

B) I fear that it might distract funds away from charities/campaigns that have a more direct impact on the Chagossians' situation. If people gave me £50 to make this film, rather than giving £50 to help with the legal fees of their High Court battle, I'd feel pretty bad.
 
ok so you say you won't get funding til the event has passed, this means you are getting money, so therefore you could pay your crew after you get the funds right..?

I'm just asking due to an interesting debate on another forum asking why no one should work for free..
 
8salacious9 said:
ok so you say you won't get funding til the event has passed, this means you are getting money, so therefore you could pay your crew after you get the funds right..?

I'm just asking due to an interesting debate on another forum asking why no one should work for free..
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There is potential to get funding, as there always is with any project. Do I expect to get funding? Not a significant amount. Am I going to promise payment to the crew that they may never receive? No.

The ethics of paying people in the film industry is the same as anywhere. If you are a professional who is making a living off your work, you should pay your employees. If you are a volunteer who isn't making a penny, and there are people willing to help with your project, then you shouldn't feel obligated to pay your team. Everyone involved is a consenting adult: if you want to get paid, go apply to the thousands of projects that will offer some remuneration; if you're not willing to consider projects without payment, step away from projects that are open about not offering pay; if you are willing to do interesting projects, with interesting people, for free, then there's a whole world open to you.
 
Make sure to submit to IDFA (International Documentairy Festival Amsterdam) when it's finished in long or short form.

I'm on the wrong (at least for you, for me it's the right side ;) ) side of the North Sea so I can't help you out.
Sounds like you got a great subject.
When all other footage is collected you should try to go there and film :P
That part alone could be exciting already.
 
WalterB said:
Make sure to submit to IDFA (International Documentairy Festival Amsterdam) when it's finished in long or short form.

I'm on the wrong (at least for you, for me it's the right side ;) ) side of the North Sea so I can't help you out.
Sounds like you got a great subject.
When all other footage is collected you should try to go there and film :P
That part alone could be exciting already.
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Would love to visit the islands, but, because of the MPA and the military base, it's actually illegal to travel there. I'm hoping that the opportunity to visit Mauritius and interview Chagossians there might emerge, or, alternatively, to visit the Maldives and try and approach the islands from that position (journalists have been smuggled in in the past).
 
Hello Nick,

I'm very interested in this project. what equipment are you looking for the operator to own and what would the shoot on the 23rd consist of and where would it be based?
 
corpustle said:
Hello Nick,

I'm very interested in this project. what equipment are you looking for the operator to own and what would the shoot on the 23rd consist of and where would it be based?
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Hi corpustle – The Feb 23rd shoot was actually back in 2014 and we did get the shoot but, of course, only a tiny fragment of the much larger narrative.

Since then, there's been a lot of tooing-frooing and umming-arring and things have progressed quite slowly, but the project is still on with a small team attached. So if you are interested in the project then drop me a line here (click contact) and I'd love to chat about it.

film_autre said:
If your filming anything in london let me know, I would be willing to collaborate.
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Thank you sir, I'll get in touch when we firm up some plans.
 
I've idiotically scheduled an important shoot date for when I'm away in the US this month. It's May 22nd in London (Downing Street, more precisely) and I'm trying to put together a team to fill in, in my absence.

If anyone's interested, give me a shout! :)
 
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