9 months and 27 days exactly!....

 

It was Journey who said it best (not the cast of "Glee"), "Don't Stop Believing," the beauty in the message is its simplicity, never give up, hold on to the things which give you the faith to carry on, you never know, you may just get there in the end...

A hell of a lot of people said it wouldn't happen, more hoped it would, but felt it a step too far, it was practically impossible after all, some however, jumped on board and shared the belief that it may just work, they offered their time, support, encouragement and even money, they believed in it that much!

On July the 1st, I awoke at 8am, the reality dawning in me that this dream I had obsessed about for over twenty years was now what I wanted it to be, my entire life, the driving force behind why I get up in the morning and the reason I would barely sleep for almost a year. It's now a story well told, no money, no savings, no job, no support, no famous surname and soon enough, nowhere to live...It was a seemingly insurmountable task which would require a herculean effort just to get people to take me seriously enough to respond to an email, answer the phone or if I was lucky, meet with me face to face.

Well, nine months and twenty-seven days later, that dream, that ridiculously far fetched dream, is no longer a dream because I am delighted, over the moon in fact, to announce that in July, I fly out to Fiji for a month with Underwater Cameraman extraordinaire Hugh Fairs and photographer, sound man, expert Diver and raconteur in extremis, Hamish Harper to commence filming for my first, full length feature film! Here's a little something to give you an idea of what awaits us...

With no professional experience to add to the aforementioned, complete lack of anything which would normally open doors for things like this, this is a monumental display of faith from the numerous organisations and individuals who have helped me get this far and without whom, I would still be just a dreamer so to them, my friends, I give my unending gratitude, respect and thanks. They were the ones with the courage to take a punt on a total unknown and a good idea, the kind of people who actually make things happen in the world and I mean it from the bottom of my heart when I say they are amazing beyond belief.

There have been downs on this journey, television execs claiming they would steal my ideas and there would be nothing I could do about it, a sneering contempt from a handful of people who simply couldn't be bothered to even offer a bit of helpful advice and the realisation that perhaps, the shark conservation community isn't as inclusive or ethically motivated as I once thought it was. However, I must stress these are in the minuscule minority. One thing this process has taught me is that people are actually pretty damn cool and the lack of any financial stability and the pressure that brings has been completely obliterated by the attitudes of a great many old and new friends who, without any thought for what they may get in return, stepped up to the mark and reinvigorated my faith in people. In short, this most difficult and highly pressurised period of my life has also been my happiest.

 

The final, much needed push, well more of a full on body slam, which got me here came from the incredible people at Tourism Fiji, in particular, Jane and Martin who have been brilliant since I first made contact and without whom, I would simply not be making this announcement.

However, anyone who thinks I've "made it" or will be going over there for a holiday is seriously mistaken. This was undoubtedly my biggest obstacle however, the real hard work starts now. Making a film isn't an easy process, making the film I will be with a crew of three will be insanely difficult, however, that's what I wanted from the start, to prove it can be done and with the people behind me, I have no doubt it will be everything if not more than I envisage.

Over the coming months, you will be party to everything that happens, the filming process, post production, publicity, everything. I have said since day one, this is not "my" film, it's for everyone who wants their voice heard, who loves sharks or just has their own dream, a film by the people, for the people. If you have any questions or anything you want to know, please ask and I may just do a blog about it or at the least answer your questions for you.

At this stage, I can't divulge details of what will be in the film itself (I learned that lesson last year) but I can tell you it will not look or sound like any other shark film you have seen, I've done it my way this far, I do not intend to stop now. With that in mind, my first short film, "Behind Blue Glass" is now in the stages of editing the first cut and it looks pretty damn good. It's different to my film in Fiji but will give an indication of what to expect on a smaller scale.

Check out my website which is being updated in the coming days and also join the Facebook group to keep up to speed with the coming news. My workload has now exploded and sleep is pretty much a luxury from now until the end of the year so if you want to contact me, please forgive me if it takes a bit of time to respond.

If there is one thing that I want to leave you with on this blog, it's to say that I hope you have a stronger feeling of belief in your own dreams and ambitions, I'm no different to you, I am doing it, you should too. Go for it!

Full speed ahead Fiji!