Start of a new year...

12/31/2012

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"It's easy to see a problem and feel helpless to anything about it. When you look at environmental and animal conservation issues, it's easy to get caught in the avalanche of dire predictions. I always go back to the Starfish fable when I lose faith in my purpose. Saving one animal - changing one mind - makes ALL the difference for that individual. Small victories will add up."
Journey Home is in that quasi-limbo land of post production. I wish I had cool things to post about it, but, honestly, it's really all writing, planning and storyboards at the moment. Watching paint dry would be far more entertaining...really.
As we enter 2013, I am struck by the fact that I will have worked on the film for parts of 2011, 2012 and, now, 2013. The doc is truly a journey in itself.
Looking back on 2012, I can say with some assurance that it was a very memorable year for the film. Highs....lows...success and failure. I wouldn't trade a second of it all for the experiences I've gained.
So what does 2013 look like? Is there a timeline in place for what happens when? Yes....and no.
I want to have the film completed in time for Loggerhead's "Turtle fest" in April. I also "want' a million dollars and the ability to play the banjo. What will determine the timeline for the film is how long it takes me to craft the best story possible. Period. Still, my personal deadline is April 1st. That might work out on many levels.
However, during this period of post production, support becomes critical. I will continue to bounce concepts and footage off of my "fans" throughout this time. I'll be looking to you folks to tell me what works and what doesn't.
So, here's to hoping 2013 is a an amazing and wonderful new year for all of us.

Peace, love and cheers,
-Rick
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and...cut.

12/15/2012

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Image credit: Dan Bodenstein
The last scenes of primary footage were filmed today. In a 4.5-hour-long filming marathon, I was able to get footage of research, conservation efforts, educational programs and a few, last bits of medical care for a shark bit victim (turtle).
What this means is that the re-shoot for Journey Home, which started in September, now moves into post-production or the editing phase.
Journey Home 2.0 is a very amazing story...and one that is phenomenally different from the first, completed film.
I feel that I "lucked out" again in having the opportunity, not just to do it over, but to craft a stronger, more "timeless" documentary.
The newer story encompasses the global problem of saving a species as seen through the efforts of Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
I can say with 100-percent certainty that this would not be possible without the help and support of many, many people.
I wasn't a one-man band in doing this film. I'm still not.
I'm grateful for that.
As I have said once before, "now begins the hard part."

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Time is slipping away

12/3/2012

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Resumption of filming today meant testing out new gear in the "field" and solidifying the direction of the new film.
Along with an additional hour of raw footage, I was able to sit down with LMC staff and chart a course for the final bits of filming before Journey Home 2.0 goes into post-processing.
There will be a rapid succession of filming events and scenes at LMC over the next few weeks. I hope to finish primary filming by mid-January.
And, as insane as it might sound, I hope to deliver a completed film by the end of March.
This is a slightly-accelerated schedule but it is doable...and necessary.
Journey Home needs to be seen. It needs to be talked about. There is no time to wait.  Every day lost is a day we can never get back in the march towards extinction.

*Warning: Thar be preaching ahead!*

The real problem is that we don't see enough of ourselves in them. Sea turtles are easy to marginalize because of it. But that fishing line that snapped, the plastic grocery bag that accidentally flew out the window, that need we had to open up the boat's throttle because it's fun to do so...it kills them. The oil we spill, the encroaching beach side developments, those lights we need along every inch of road...we are killing them. And THIS MOMENT is that one point - that ONE MOMENT IN HISTORY - when we can save or doom an entire species.
I know it sounds "dramatic." I know there are species in more critical danger in places all over the world. But sea turtles CAN be saved. We just have to commit - as a whole society - to do something about it.
I'll exit my soapbox on that.... for now.

Cheers,
-Rick
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The root of the problem...

12/13/2011

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Even after only spending a couple of months working on this film a few things have become very clear.
First, there are many, MANY turtles out in the oceans that are sick and injured. Second, the majority of the
sick/injured turtles are in poor shape as a direct result of human actions.
I'm not getting preachy here...just a fact.
Discarded filament fishing line, hooks, plastic flotsam, boat propeller strikes and other manmade perils account
for the majority of rehab animals currently at LMC.

When you think about the fact that sea turtles, which have been around more than 130 million years – they watched the frickin dinosaurs go extinct for Pete’s sake – are now greatly endangered primarily because of factors related to man, it should give you pause.

Part of what I hope to accomplish with Journey Home is education.
If I do the film well enough, maybe it’ll even be a call to action for some viewers.

Even if you don’t think about sea turtle conservation in terms of their benefit, there’s also a more self-centered
impetus for rescuing and preserving these creatures. Saving them equates to saving ourselves in the wider picture.  The loss of any species, especially one that has been a part of our oceans’ eco system for hundreds of millions of years, is likely to reap dire consequences on the resources we depend on for our lives.

Just a thought…I could be wrong.

Cheers,
-Rick


 
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