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First of all, my apologies for the long delay! I have been very busy with the editing of Vegan Love. It is coming along very well. I am hoping to finish editing and tracklaying (sound editing) in two weeks. Once that is finished, my next goal will be to have a professional sound dub and grading session (colour correction) and hopefully a final output before Christmas!
I finished filming as planned on the 9th and 10th November. The shoot went remarkably well considering so many locations and such little time. On Sunday, we filmed 4 different locations in 4 different parts of London in 9 hours! On Monday, we began at the National Gallery of London at 7am, then moved to Neil’s Yard Café in Covent Garden, and finished at Eat and Two Veg Restaurant at midnight! On Tuesday, we even filmed a short scene on Tuesday at Foyles Bookstore on Charing Cross Rd. from 8am-10:30am.
I am very thankful to my crew who worked extremely hard and ensured that everything was done as efficient and professional as possible.
It was a very busy two days, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. It is an amazing feeling to actually be creating something that has been in my head for months.
I will be adding more details soon. In the meantime, here are a couple of pics from the Shoot on 10th November by Edgar Dubrovskiy:
Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, starvation, global warming, economic crisis, crime, healthcare, disease, petrol prices, debt…is it just me, or is the world seemingly out of control and getting worse? Like any species, our survival depends on our ability to adapt to outside threats. What happens when those dangers are so pervasive, so overwhelming and so insidious that they threaten to end the world as we know it? Answer: most people go to a movie. They watch some escapist adventure or silly comedy and forget about their problems. This is where I come in – filmmaking skills in hand – what an opportunity!!!
It seems that the media, including many films, promote a never-ending ration of mind-numbing sensory bombardment, designed to instill enough fear of our surroundings to keep us in a comatose state, not daring to act or defend ourselves against these overbearing threats. Instead, the occasional look in the mirror finds us staring at a victim that has lost his way. We take comfort in speeches by our politicians that tell us that we are “strong”, “vigil”, “persevering” — but lets get real, would we re-elect them if they said we were weak, pathetic and blindly obedient? People then walk through life with their head down, trying to eek out some sort of peaceful existence. So, what is the answer? What can be done to help people wake up? The first step is inspiring hope. Hope that they can change their surroundings, hope that the can live full lives; hope that they can earn the lifestyle they are dreaming about.
Here is a link to that awe-inspiring rant from “the last honest man in media” found in the film “Network”. That urgent “call to action” that makes us run to the mirror for a second look, then to our rooftops to shout out loud that “we are mad as hell; and we won’t take it anymore”.
Filmmaking has the potential to create positive changes for the many. It can deliver the hope that change is possible and offer proof that it is possible by seeing it done right before our eyes – now that’s entertainment. Is it just me, or is it time to start filmmaking?
I intend to use filmmaking to broadcast the good news about the positive lifestyle changes accomplished through diet. I will demonstrate that you can feel better about life, your chances of controlling your own life, and your ability to win against the odds by simply educating yourself about diet. The most immediate effect is health, people feel healthy and empowered. That empowerment gives them the encouragement to change other aspects of their life, creating a “snowball momentum” toward a rewarding lifestyle.
Will you act; or react? There is a lot at stake.
As many of you may be aware, the film work of Morgan Spurlock has been an inspiration for me. I feel that he is able to very effectly bring up difficult social issues through the vehicle of comedy and entertainment. A memorable moment for me was about 4 years ago, when I lived in LA, I met Morgan Spurlock at a bar downtown. We talked for about 4 hours (until the bar closed) about using film and television as a vehicle for social change. He knows fully well what he is doing and he is talented enough to pull it off. I hope that I will be able to adapt that approach to my own work.
I was happy to hear that Morgan addressed the issue of Animal Rights in a new episode of his “30 Days” TV show on FX.
US Viewers click here
or those outside the US click here
The episode is effective on the one hand that it is geared towards the common American viewer to introduce them to the concept of animal rights….however, I felt that it was a bit too naive and generalized in its approach. Plus there were a lot of negative stereotypes of veganism and AR that weren’t really addressed or absolved. That said, I feel that it is a step in the right direction.
This is the best vegan documentary I have seen so far that effectively gets across the message of the importance of a vegetarian/vegan diet. I think what makes this one stand apart is that it drawn on personal empathy through personal stories of the individuals in the film.
It is called Peaceable Kingdom by Tribe of Heart Productions…get your tissues ready:
I came across another trailer for a raw documentary but with a slightly different premise. It is called Raw 2 Raw Vegan about a vegans journey into raw food. I would definitely like to see the film but it seems like it would be quite difficult to market this film to the general public. In the trailer, this problem is especially evident since the person undergoing a raw transformation says he is feeling unwell about his new raw diet. It is all just speculation at this point, so I will try to reserve further judgement until I have seen the film.