An amazing response and it's already making a difference!

 

It's been three days since A Ray of Light was launched and the feedback and interest in the project has been overwhelmingly positive!

The film has been viewed in 49 different countries and it appears that not only do people love the project and the concept of a small group of friends trying to do something because we think it's the right thing to do, people also seem to love Brad and so you should!

The purpose of this film is twofold, for me as a film-maker, it was to make an engaging short which showed the reality behind grassroots conservation, the lack of support, funding and commitment, the long hours, the personal strain and million and one thankless tasks, all to try and make your community a better place but which also showed why we do it and to draw attention to a brilliant and very simple, project currently being built in the Mediterranean. It wasn't intended to be, and nor is it, a "woe is me" piece, merely an honest reflection of the good guys you haven't heard of, because they're too busy outside trying to make things a little better for everybody.

 

What has been so satisfying for me is that people have really "got" what the film is about and have related to Brad in the way I hoped they would. The day after the film was launched, Brad got a call from a young couple in Spain who were so touched by the film they pledged to donate €1000 to the funding of the project...That's one thousand euros!

We have also been contacted by some very influential people, an NGO and an internet television channel who want to show the film but once again, the primary source of support for this project has been the "everyman," the ordinary man on the street, not involved in conservation or really nature at all, but who have been touched by the film and who want to learn more, to share it with their friends and to maybe even help fund the project with small donations.

From a professional standpoint it's a great feeling to have people comment on the quality of the film, the production, editing, filming, post-production etc, as it reinforces in me the feeling that hopefully, I am doing something right. It also goes to prove what I have been saying all along, that it is possible to make high end media with no money (and in this instance, no crew!) and gear that is easily accessible to the average consumer. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to say to anyone out there who may be in a fortunate position to help projects like this in the future, that I did this with no financial backing whatsoever, nada, imagine what can be achieved with your financial backing. Just saying...

I would like to thank everyone for their kind messages and support and huge thanks to those who have shared the film with friends and on social media, please keep doing so, we need all the exposure we can get. 

I would also love to enter this film in any suitable film festivals or competitions so if you know of any or have any suggestions, please get in touch!!

Before I share the film again, I am going to make a flagrant appeal to the wonderful people at Adobe. I have always edited on Windows and with your brilliant CS4 Master Collection, I love it, I happen to think Color Finesse III is quite possibly one of my favourite things on the planet. However, in order for me to continue with "Of Shark and Man," I need to upgrade to CS5.5 or CS6 but there is no way I can afford to at this present time, any chance you fancy joining the likes of Canon, Novatech and  Fourth Element and supporting what is probably the best shark based film project around at the moment? Get in touch... david@officetoocean.com

If you don't shoot, you don't score I guess...

So here it is again, this time on Youtube if that's your thing, if not, watch on Vimeo  

Your feedback is important to me so please leave a comment and please, please, please support the Mallorca Stingray Survey 

Thank you to DaShark and RTSea Productions for such kind words and support!

My profiles:

Starting 2011!

 

So it's finally come to it and I have now left my lovely City Centre apartment.

Back in July I knew that it was extremely likely that I would have to sacrifice the place where I had really enjoyed living since moving in the previous December, but there comes a time when big decisions need to be made in order to get to where you want to be and after leaving my job, this was the second biggest decision I have had to make in the last seven months.

As always, moving home is never a pleasurable experience and the stress that goes with it is certainly magnified when taking into account I have no idea what the future holds for me. There wasn't a new permanent address, a new job, the excitement of living in a different city or country or any of the other stuff which often comes as a result from moving home, instead, there is more uncertainty, more pressure and less a feeling of security and independence. However, more uncertainty and pressure can often mean more excitement, it is also testament to how seriously I am taking all this and instead of just talking the talk, I am indeed, walking the walk.

 

I was in London last week for a meeting with someone with whom I have been speaking for the last few months about "From the Office to the Ocean" and who's organisation has shown a great deal of enthusiasm and support since I first met with her colleague in October. This meeting was originally scheduled in for December last year but upon confirmation, within two days of the date being agreed, Britain was under the worst snow at that time of the year for something like a hundred years...Typical!

Anyway, we met at Bentley's in London which I have to say, was fantastic and a lot posher than I was expecting, so posh in fact that Samantha Cameron, wife of David Cameron, as in Prime Minister and scourge of the ordinary working man, David Cameron, was stuffing her face with the magnificent food on offer downstairs. I felt dreadfully under dressed as I was in jeans and a T-Shirt ("From the Office to the Ocean" branded naturally) and it was clear to all I was indeed under dressed as I stuck out like a sore thumb, however, the staff treated me no differently and were nothing other than thoroughly pleasant. The meeting itself was excellent and incredibly encouraging, I am not, at this stage, about to tell you with whom this meeting was so as not to jinx anything but the feedback was nothing short of amazing and I really feel I have taken huge steps towards getting confirmation of when we can start full production of this film so watch this space!

 

 

I finally got my hands on my Canon 7D at the weekend as well and have spent a fair bit of this last week getting to grips with it and what an amazing piece of kit it is! I haven't even started on film tests with it yet but will be assembling my movie shooting rig as soon as possible and absolutely cannot wait to start shooting some film with it and will hopefully have it in the water sooner rather than later. If you're a photographer/film-maker or like me, film-maker/photographer, I cannot recommend Canon's range of DSLRs enough.

The last couple of weeks has also included some very positive Skype chats with two wonderful people, Lesley Rochat in South Africa and my new Aussie mate, Brad Robertson in Majorca who, along with his partner Bea, runs a company called Ondine. What is so fulfilling about speaking to both Lesely and Brad is their enthusiasm and energy when it comes to sharks and innovative, exciting ways to aid shark conservation. I have a huge amount of pretty cool ideas and speaking with Lesley and Brad about them is a revelation, there is no negativity, no defeatist giving up before we have even started, instead it is positive, supportive and a wholly enjoyable experience and I can't wait to get stuck into working with both of them sooner rather than later.

The Indiegogo campaign has now finished and raised a fantastic $1000 towards helping with post-production of "Shark. My God." I want to give my wholehearted thanks and gratitude to everyone who was kind enough to contribute, that money will do a huge amount of good in the making of this film. 

At this current stage, I am essentially waiting for news on a couple of things which will hopefully give this film the full green light. A plan is in place for promotion both before and after production alongside some pretty cool ideas of how to get this film out to a wider audience. I am also storyboarding elements of the film and have had some great ideas regarding the music and artists I would like to approach to contribute their considerable talents to helping me realise my vision for the film's soundtrack so in regards to where we are in pre-production, I can say with confidence we are pretty much ready to go barring a couple of things which require the funding being in place first.

As always, thanks for the support, I am hoping we have some encouraging news coming through this month so cross everything for me! I have never been so confident that this film will be made and available in the short-term future...Let's hope so!

David

www.officetoocean.com

Edit: Thank you to my very good friend Kris Allen for pointing out that I had officially made the two headed beast that is the UK's coalition government, officially a singular element of corporate greed and oppressor of the great unwashed, by naming it "Nick Cameron." Ooops!