mermaid footage?

[stillhope]

I'm producing a little video about Simon Morris and his underwater sculptures. I have some pretty great video of his current project (courtesy of Base2 Media) but I'm looking for video footage of the Powell River mermaid. Anyone out there got some?

This is for an underwater TV series that's distributed to 12 public access (community) stations on the U.S. West Coast and reaches 1.5 million homes. I'm also looking for help getting it onto BC stations, so if anyone has knowledge, connections, inclination to help with that effort, please contact me. The basic point of the show is to introduce people in the Pacific Northwest (S. Alaska to N. Calif) to their underwater neighbors.

thanks!

 

[nadwidny]

What are you paying?

 

[stillhope]

Excellent question! This is for a TV series that has been appearing on community (non-commercial) stations. I have produced and distributed 5 episodes already. It is a non-profit project, and I have been seeking sponsorships and donations to cover the costs. So far, I have succeeded with the production, but failed miserably with the fundraising. So the short answer is no-one's getting paid anything. But dozens of people have contributed content (video, music, photos, etc.) "for the cause."

I forgot to mention that you can find out more about the TV series, and see a sample clip at:

http://SEA-Inside.org

I do hope to create sufficient revenue stream eventually to at least give token compensation to people who have contributed content, and I'm working hard to solicit donations, but evidentally not hard enough -- or not smart enough.

Thanks for asking, and I hope that means you do have some relevant footage, and I hope you'll consider allowing me to use it.

 

[drbill]

John... I think your show is a great idea and hope that more underwater videographers will do the same thing in their regions. It is a great way to educate the public about our underwater world. I have over 50 episodes of my "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" cable TV show on our local cable network and am hoping to get it syndicated on the mainland.

To other videographers, I hope you will help John on this. These are labors of love and take many hours of effort as well as $$$ from personal funds to bring about. I know... my bank account has plummeted since I started doing it 5 years ago!

 

[nadwidny]

Thanks for asking, and I hope that means you do have some relevant footage, and I hope you'll consider allowing me to use it.

I'll check and see if I have any on miniDV. I've got some on Hi8 but obviously the picture quality sucks and Hi8 footage not something I want to put out to the public with my name attached.

 

[kidspot]

Drbill & John both - is there any online access for those of us in other areas who would like to see your shows?
Aloha, Tim

 

[stillhope]

I'll check and see if I have any on miniDV. I've got some on Hi8 but obviously the picture quality sucks and Hi8 footage not something I want to put out to the public with my name attached.

If it turns out you don't have any digital footage, send me what you have on hi-8. I can read those tapes, and hi-8 isn't necessarily all that bad. I only plan to use a couple of clips of a few seconds each, so by the time I get done with my video filters, I doubt that the difference in quality will be very noticable as a couple of short clips flit by!

I'm also using some photos that were taken in 2 foot visibility -- not the sort of thing a serious photographer would be proud of, but if you put stuff like that into a documentary artistically, people accept it ok.

 

[stillhope]

Drbill & John both - is there any online access for those of us in other areas who would like to see your shows?
Aloha, Tim

Another great question! There is a 3 minute trailer on my web site, and I'm contemplating how to best make the TV series available to those without cable. As a matter of fact, follow me to the video forum and I'll post a query there about pros and cons of internet video.

In the short term, another possibility would be to talk to your local public access station. If you tell them you have a great bi-monthly half-hour series, chances are they'll say, "how soon can you give us a copy?" If so, I'll send you DVDs to give to them, and lots of people in your area can see it.

This show features educational, nature views that very few people get to see -- there are no other TV series that focus on our cold, green waters. And actually, our oceans are all connected, and they are a very crucial part of our biosphere, so this little, local show is really relevant to everyone!

 

[drbill]

Drbill & John both - is there any online access for those of us in other areas who would like to see your shows?
Aloha, Tim

Not yet for mine. Certainly something to think about for the future.