6. Who is involved in your project? The projects producer - Sarah Tierney - has been involved in the project since last October and had worked restlessly to try and get funding and promote the project. We both have experience in the field but this has been the first time for both of us to work independently on a project of such a scale. We've learnt a lot in the process which has, at times, been a painful learning experience! There have been some real frustrations with promoting what we believe to be an important and interesting project in a world of reality' and celebrity'-obsessed media. However, we have both remained entirely committed to the film and I think that if we hadn't been there to pick each other up after every fall, this documentary would never have happened.
Camera operator - Madeline Leeson - has only recently joined us but has been 100% invested and committed from the very start! The project really took off after she joined us, as if it was just waiting for her. She comes from a background of humanitarian aid work, working especially with children in socially and politically unstable areas. Her camera experience alongside her background of working with children, in harsh and sometimes dangerous conditions, is a very valuable contribution to the project.
7. How did you go about getting the project off the ground? Well, as relative new-comers' to documentary film, we have not found it easy to raise finance and are still struggling to get sufficient funds for the project. I was lucky enough to be awarded a grant from the 'One World Broadcasting Trust' and that has really helped a lot. 'One World Broadcasting Trust' is a great organisation that supports and promotes media that is trying to make a difference and touch upon important social and environmental issues, rather than purely rating-driven issues.
8. What has been the plan you are following - time lines? Madeline has other commitments in North Africa and will be only able to join me at the end of July. I will go out before that to set everything up, establish relationships with my profiles as well as sort out the logistics. Once Madeline arrives, we estimate we will be filming for around five weeks. We have agreed that if we feel the need to stay longer, we will do so. I think that taking the time when making this kind of documentary is absolutely essential. You are, after all, invading someone's life and pointing an intimidating camera. You need time to build up trust taking off layer after layer if you want to get somewhere deep. Some of the best documentaries I've seen were shot over a period of months and even years. We are looking to come back in September and head into the editing room. The film should be complete by late November.
9. What kind of interest have you had in the project? We have had very positive feedback so far. From charity people, media organizations, as well as private people who heard of the project. I think that one of the things that have encouraged us to keep going when everything looked impossible is those positive responses.
However, as I said before, it has proved very difficult to get more than kind words out of the people that could really have made a difference to the project! It's not an easy subject to market and the media tends to always go for the safest investments. On the bright side, however, a lot of them may not risk commissioning this type of films up front but made clear to us we should show up in their offices with the complete film for further discussions..
10. When will it be finished? Shown (where)? It will first be screened at the 'One World Broadcasting Trust' annual screenings in November. We will then reapproach the contacts we have made, this time with a finished film in our hands, and try to reach as large an audience as possible primarily through film festivals and TV networks.
11. Any other points of interest... I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and to invite all readers to come on board and help us. As you know, we are struggling to get the film made on very limited resources, and are actually putting our own money into the project for flights and accommodation expenses. However, we are particularly in need of money to buy tape stock. A single tape costs £5 and we will need a hundred of those.
If each one of you can find it in your heart to donate £5, we will be able to buy tape stock. All you need to do is send a cheque to the newspaper (payable to ?) and mark on the envelope 'Flowers Don't Grow Here'. If this operation is successful, there will be a 'Special Thank you' credit to the people of the Lake District at the end of the film. So please open your heart, look around you and find a pen and your cheque book Thank you.
I'll be happy to answer any questions the reader have and hear your opinions. Please feel free to write me on cloudyimages@yahoo.co.uk or visit out website www.streetkidsdocumentary.co.uk
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