A Huge Announcement
I need your help to take this to the next level.
Before I dive into this announcement, I first want to thank my readers. Without you, none of this would be possible. Thanks to your continued support, I can now look at taking what I do here on Medium to another level. As such, I have an incredible project coming up for you to get involved in.
I often find that an article isn’t enough to truly explore a subject. There is more to tell, fascinating people to interview, and incredible machines to display. As it happens, I have a background in cinematography, so I have always pondered if I should move into the indie documentary world and properly tell these stories. Now that I have the ability to publish a Medium article every day and still have time to spend on such a project, I’m proud to announce that my dream is coming true! But I need your help. Let me explain.
I have the funds to buy the camera, lighting, audio, and editing equipment needed to make a Netflix-grade documentary. I also have the filmmaking skills, production skills, promising concepts, and contacts necessary to create something great. What I don’t have is the funds for location permits, international travel, hiring film crew members, or hiring post-production crew. As such, I need to crowdfund this project.
So, this is the plan. Firstly, I need to prove that my filmmaking is high-quality enough to be worth funding. Over the next few weeks, I will be creating a mini-documentary that will hopefully be released sometime around January. This should give any backers confidence in my ability to deliver the creative goods. After the documentary is released, a crowdfunding page will be opened to fund the feature-length documentary.
In the meantime, I need to choose a concept for the feature-length documentary and get it fully developed. I have several ideas ready to be fleshed out, but I don’t know which ones will be the most popular; which ones I can practically do (some people and organisations might not be willing to participate in a documentary); and whether or not the more expensive plans are worth it. This is where you come in.
Below, you will find pitches for each of the concepts — make sure you give each of them a good read. Linked underneath is a Google Forms questionnaire in which you will be asked which pitch you like the most, what style you’d like the documentary to be in, and how much you would be willing to crowdfund towards it ($0 is an applicable answer).
I will use the results from this questionnaire to help decide which concept to pursue. Once the plan is solid and I have dates in the diary for filming, I will announce the winning idea and open the crowdfunding page after the release of the mini-doc. All funds going to the crowdfunding page will go to production costs, which means that the more that is raised, the bigger and better the documentary can be!
Those who back the project will get to see it for free several weeks earlier than anyone else. Those who pledge substantial sums may even be invited along to filming days if the situation allows for it. Following this private premiere, the documentary will be available to rent or buy on Vimeo and will hopefully end up on Netflix, Amazon, and even national or local broadcasters, as I will be working with distributors to get it out publicly.
So, that’s the plan to get this going! Now let’s take a look at these potential concepts.
Glimmers Of Life
Over the years, we have received a series of subtle hints that aliens might be out there, such as the Wow! signal and BLC1. We also now have technology capable of potentially sniffing out these distant aliens, including the James Webb Space Telescope. This documentary will seek to answer the question, “Are we alone in the universe?” and will look in detail at the validity of these possible alien signals, as well as delve into how we may find them in the near future by interviewing experts in the field and visiting key locations in the search for E.T.
This documentary should have few issues with permission but will require a larger budget.
The Hunt for Planet 9
For decades, astronomers have noticed weird happenings in the farthest depths of the solar system. Comets and asteroids seem to move irrationally and bizarrely. An early explanation for this phenomenon was that our solar system had a giant, extremely distant extra planet whose gravity was causing these odd orbits, but that was quickly dismissed. Recently, however, this idea has regained traction, and a number of astronomers are currently in the midst of hunting for the elusive Planet 9, if it even is a planet… This documentary will answer the questions, “What is Planet 9? Why haven’t we found it yet? And what can we do to uncover it?”
This documentary should have few issues with permission but will require a larger budget.
The Monster Under The Arctic
Hidden under the Arctic are literally billions of tonnes of frozen methane. This incredibly potent greenhouse gas is leaking out as the Arctic thaws. If the Arctic were to thaw too much, cataclysmic runaway climate change would occur, wherein human life would be severely impacted. This documentary will answer the question, “How can we avoid runaway climate change?” and will follow those who are monitoring this precarious situation, how they are keeping tabs on it, and what we can do to prevent this environmental tipping point.
This documentary should be easy to get permission for, and will require a moderate budget.
Fusion: Pipe Dream or Saviour?
There are countless fusion energy projects occurring right now, all of which promise to unleash the future of carbon-neutral energy. But how close are we really? This documentary will answer the question, “How long until fusion power is a reality?” and will focus on experts in the field, recent developments, and what needs to happen to unlock this sci-fi energy source.
Getting permission might be quite hard, but this documentary should have a smaller budget.
Climate Justice
Ecocide is the planetary equivalent of genocide. For decades, corporations have manipulated the narrative, fooled the public, and greenwashed their environmentally damaging operations, all while decimating this precious Earth — an act that has been coined “Ecocide.” Presently, a group of determined lawyers who want to defend the Earth are in the process of making ecocide a punishable crime. They then want to charge those responsible for climate change and receive billions of dollars in damages, which will go to help repair the harm done. This documentary will answer the question, “Can the law protect the Earth?” and will focus on those pushing for ecocide to become binding law and which companies they have in their sights.
This documentary should have both easy permission and a low budget.
Lightning Quick
McMurtry has created one of the most insane electric vehicles ever: the Spéirling. This tiny batmobile car has over a thousand horsepower, over 2 tonnes of downforce, and has already beaten an F1 car on a time-attack course. This documentary will answer the question, “Is this the future of zero-emissions high-performance motor sports?” and will focus on the team behind the car and how its development is going.
It is hard to tell if McMurtry will grant filming permission, but the budget should be very low for this one.
Saving Earth From Space
High above us, there are satellites that image every square inch of this planet. From these lofty vantage points, scientists can watch as our planet crumbles under the weight of humanity. But, these vital surveys can be used to save the planet as they tell us where we need the most help. This documentary will follow those operating these satellites, as well as those who use this data, and will ask the question, “Can satellites help us save the Earth?”
Permissions might be very difficult, but the budget should be low for this one.
The Microscopic Apocalypse
Microplastics are everywhere. They are in our drinking water, food, blood, and even brains. We are only just starting to realise the toll this is taking on both nature and our health. This documentary will ask, “How bad are microplastics, and what can we do to stop them?” It will do this by focusing on the experts in the field that are tackling this plight.
This documentary should have easy permission, but may need a slightly larger budget.
Harnessing the Desert
Solar panels are fantastic, until you live in a country with almost no Sun. Fortunately, Xlinks has the answer. They are building a solar farm in Morocco that will harness the desert Sun to power the UK. But it doesn’t just stop there. They want to connect us all to the system and usher in a global solar energy grid. This documentary will ask the question, “Can we make solar power a near-perfect energy solution?” It will do this by talking to experts as well as Xlinks themselves.
Permissions should be easy, but the budget will need to be slightly larger.
The Pending Pandemic
It isn’t just methane trapped in arctic permafrost; there are also thousands of years’ worth of pathogens. Once thawed out, some of these organisms are still viable and can infect local wildlife. Many scientists now believe that humanity’s next deadly pandemic could come from one of these ancient thawed out pathogens that have come back to haunt us. This documentary will ask, “How dangerous are ancient Arctic pathogens? And what can we do to stop them?” It will do this by focusing on the scientists who monitor ancient pathogens in the tundra and those preparing for a potential breakout.
Permissions should be easy, but this will require a slightly larger budget.
Geoengineers
We now have the technology to manipulate the climate and potentially avert climate change all together, from iron-doping the oceans to giant solar shields and even fake volcanoes. But will these technologies work? Or are we playing God and these will only ever backfire? This documentary will ask, “Can humans geoengineer their way out of a climate disaster? Or will it make things worse?” It will do this by focusing on those who have created geoengineering concepts and experts who model future climates.
Permissions should be easy, but this will require a large budget.
So, do you know which one you’d like to see? Click here to go to the Google Form to register your preference!
Thank you for all of your support, and I can’t wait to take this next huge step forward with you.
