Sri Lanka – the first fossil fuel free country in the world?
This is a short documentary about the challenges of one woman, Lucky Dissanayke, who wants to make Sri Lanka the first fossil fuel free country in the world and an investor, Tauni Lanier from the Meteor Clean Energy Fund, who wants to invest $27 million in her green energy ideas.
Can it actually happen? Is the technology really there yet? More crucially, will the Sri Lankan government support it. Remember, Sri Lanka has just come out of 30 year war on terror and redeveloping is high on their agenda. They need energy to do this – and fast…
This 20 min episode highlights the Due Diligence part of making a significant investment in an unproven technology such as this. Tauni has made the trip to Sri Lanka to see for herself the methods used to make energy from the plant life of the country. Is this really achievable and will the investment happen.
Additionally, the team who have developed the green energy ideas, have other innovative concepts. This includes a way to utilise household waste to power a town without ruining the natural flora and fauna of the surrounding countryside with the look, smell and effluent of the rotting, smoldering waste.
There are two versions here. One is essentially a TV sales trailer (the 8min version) and the other is a 20min cut. Your choice. I hope you like them!
The 8min version
The 20min version
Mifunya Co-operative Society in Uganda
I’ve not long popped out of the other side of a lengthy edit of my latest short documentary. It’s amazing how much energy one expends when you edit for a week straight, day and night. Anyway. I think the results are good.
I’ll explain. I was recently asked to make a short film about a farming co-operative society in Nakaseke, Uganda. Proper, up country stuff with mud huts etc. I went with my photographer friend, Mark Kensett (hence the nice pictures here – thanks Mark), and our assignment was to document how the co-operative is getting on. It’s been about 2 or 3 years since they started and they seem to be making great progress. But you can see all this for yourself in the film.
It was quite a challenge. We had to leave at short notice and jet in and out of the country in just a few days. I shot it all on my Z7 (as you can see in the picture above) and was pretty pleased with the results.
The guy who runs the co-operative is called David Sseruwagi. An amazing guy that no only runs the co-operative, but also runs an orphanage, a secondary school and is the Pastor of a very lively church called the Uganda Gospel and Rehabilitation Centre. We had to make a couple of other little films which looked at the schools whilst we were there as well.
All in all, a hectic time. The equipment performed perfectly (got to love that Sony build quality) and we got back all in one piece. I hope you like the film…
Mifunya Co-operative Society, Nakaseke, Uganda from Jonathan Richards on Vimeo
Here’s a selection of the great pictures by Mark Kensett
Doing the Lambeth walk
I was approached through my church connections in May 2008 to make a short film for the Church of England. It is to be used to start a dialogue between certain factions in the congregations of the Church. Between those who approve of gay and lesbian relationships and those who do not. A sensitive area full of political indecision, as you can imagine.
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, wants this film to be watched by all the parishes in the Diocese of York in the format of a discussion evening. It will be accompanied by printed notes to help a ‘balanced’ discussion to take place. There can be a few militant, hard line members of the Church that talking about this sort of thing would be difficult thing for them to do.
Here is the background to this film:
The Lambeth Conference of 1998 resolved to listen to the experience of gays and lesbians within the Church. The resolution was called “Resolution 1.10″.
Resolution 1.10, Human Sexuality
This Conference: commends to the Church the subsection report on human sexuality;
In view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage.
Recognises that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and God’s transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships. We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ;
While rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals, violence within marriage and any trivialisation and commercialisation of sex;
Cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions;
Requests the Primates and the ACC to establish a means of monitoring the work done on the subject of human sexuality in the Communion and to share statements and resources among us;
As you may imagine, making of the film was relatively easy. The interviews were all fixed up and it was just a case of showing up, getting the shots and asking the correct questions in the correct manner.
The edit however, that was a completely different matter. It was a delicate procedure that required the necessary time and space for everyone to express their opinions, re-edit and then submit the changes for approval. In the end though, we arrived at an edit that got the message over and still retained your interest.
Technically, this was shot with my Z7, IDX X3 light, radio mics. Editing was in Final Cut Pro and the DVD authoring was done in DVD Studio Pro.