Project Category: Documentary, Independent Feature
About: Beyond the Horizon is a project near and dear to my heart. This documentary was conceived by my sister, who is also a writer-producer, when the BP Oil Spill Disaster devastated the gulf. We saw the media focus in on the missteps by the oil company, with little attention being paid to those affected most: the communities of the Gulf. For funding, we went an unconventional route and entered a vote-based competition for funding from Pepsi Co. We finished in the top 10 and were awarded $25K to fund the film. Our mission was to give the communities affected most the platform to speak for themselves, tell their story, and show us the impact.
Position: Associate Producer
In my role as AP started early, helping to prep our social campaign for votes in order to secure the funding. In pre-production, I researched locations and potential on-camera subjects, set up interviews, and did topic research as well. On location, I assisted wherever necessary - boom op, lighting, camera op, story.
Production Secret: Blue collar vs white coat
We wanted to know first hand how the wildlife was being affected not only by the oil itself but also by the chemicals applied to the water to break the oil down. We were connected with a crab processing facility, and we decided to ask the crab pickers if they'd noticed any changes in the catch. These hardworking individuals get to work at 3am to start processing the meat by hand, usually finishing around 8 or 9am. So, we met them for a shift to film and ask questions as they worked. Their observations were eye opening for us. Sometimes the information you seek isn't where you'd imagine, I think most crews would have started with a biologist or local ecology professor. But, the story that shows itself when you're unafraid to open some back doors is well worth the midnight crew call, and all of your gear smelling like crab meat for days.
