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
‘Green Energy Miracle’ in Sri Lanka
“Have Your Cake Eat Your Cake” became the catchphrase in the team throughout this trip.
The reason? Well, we were filming a project about renewable energy. Having your cake and eating it. Except the Sri Lankan guys couldn’t quite get it right. Hence – Have Your Cake Eat Your Cake!
I was fortunate enough to be in a position to be asked to take the place of good friend, Claudio von Planta He’s out in the Far East filming Charley Boorman’s latest TV show, By Any Means 2.
I was shooting a pilot episode of a TV programme about renewable energy in Sri Lanka. An amazing place where I was privileged to meet some amazing people who are working to make the country one of the world’s first fossil fuel free economies. It’s a story of business and science working together to try and create a new way to power a country.
I’m working on the edit now, so in a few weeks, I’ll be able to post something here for you to see. I went with my photographer friend, Mark Kensett. He’s let me have a few photos for you to look at. Mostly of the back of my head! Thanks Mark.
Serving a Jail Term
Cool job this. I was asked to look at making an intro graphic for a film which gives young people an experience of jail. I suppose the idea is to deter them from entering such an establishment for real. It’s a bit Big Brother-esque, so I drew so influences from that for this short piece.
Let me know if you like it!
Going Commando
I think ‘value for money’ would be the phrase that I would use to describe what my Channel 4 client has had out of me. I’ve had to make several variations of the maps I’ve been designing in order to satisfy the creative whims of the Executive Producer. However, it looks like we’ve come to the end of the process and the film has been signed off by the commissioning editor of Channel 4.
It’s quite an amazing film and will be screened as part of the ‘Revelations’ season on either July 5th or July 12th.
I’ll set my VCR!
Al-Jazzera
Now here’s a weird thing. I was sat here today just checking my email. I noticed that someone had commented on a YouTube video of the Hull Freedom Trail. It was a researcher from Al-Jazzera TV who was looking for someone to comment on a piece they are preparing for Fridays broadcast about Sierra Leone. He wanted me to record something on my web cam and upload it to them for their Global Village Voices. This is a section were members of the public can give their opinion about the issues.
The upshot of this is, that I’ll be appearing on Al-Jazzera (English) on Friday 17th April. Of course you’ll all be watching, so I won’t have to remind you…!