Making a documentary about Saving the Earth and I need your help!

I have been wanting to make documentaries for a very long time now. The plan is to film major events such as protests and marches and get a really in depth analysis of the overall situation.

Now I have a camera I have my sights set on the The biggest climate change march in history.

People’s Climate March in New York and cities worldwide hopes to put pressure on heads of state at Ban Ki-moon summit. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of New York, London and eight other cities worldwide in a fortnight to pressure world leaders to take action on global warming, in what organisers claim will be the biggest climate march in history.

On 23 September, heads of state will join a New York summit on climate change organised by Ban Ki-moon, the first time world leaders have come together on the issue since the landmark Copenhagen summit in 2009, which was seen as a failure.

Energy sources such as Fracking, Drilling for Oil, Burning Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Energy simply aren't efficient, stable, or practical enough. We have seen the devastation these sources can inflict upon the ecosystem and our planet. 20% of the worlds electricity is from clean renewable sources. There is no logical reason why we shouldn't strive to achieve 100%.

Nearly 400,000 have signed a call on Avaaz’s site, saying they will attend one of the global events, which also include marches in Berlin, Paris, Delhi, Rio and Melbourne.
“We’re building for the longterm here. This is about launching a movement that can literally save the world over the longterm. We want to build to last. We recognise that at this stage what needs be done is build political momentum behind this issue – our governments are nowhere near even the planning to reach the agreements needed to keep warming below [temperature rises of] 2C.”

In an open letter to be published this week, environment and development groups including Greenpeace, Oxfam and WWF, plus politicians including Green party MP Caroline Lucas and Labour MP Tom Watson, have joined with trade unions and faith groups to call on world leaders to use the UN summit to take action on climate change.

“Politicians all over the world cite a lack of public support as a reason not to take bold action against climate change. So on 21 September we will meet this moment with unprecedented public mobilisations in cities around the world, including thousands of people on the streets of London.

“Our goal is simple – to demonstrate the groundswell of demand that exists for ambitious climate action,” they write.

The March is on the 23rd of September and as of yet it is being held at 64 locations throughout North America, South America, Europe, South Asia, and Australia. You can find the event closest to you here.

I will be heading to London to film the march being held there. [*SNIP*]

I plan to interview some of the people attending the march. Hopefully I will get the chance to speak to some of the people in charge of organising this movement. Do you guys have any suggestions for questions I can ask the demonstrators and people in charge?

I would really appreciate any footage you guys could bring to the table no matter how short or of bad quality. It will really help me in my effort to document this movement and put a spotlight on the discussion.

I want my daughter to have not just a habitable, but a hospitable planet to live on. I want the same for all of you guys and your families.

Let's make it happen!


Mod note: Why ATS doesn't allow recruiting

Well, it'll be interesting to see whether Rent a mob arrive and create chaos like they do at any other demonstrations!

My guess is they wont because this fits in with the agenda!

Sorry, not a believer of man made global warming.

originally posted by: VoidHawk
Well, it'll be interesting to see whether Rent a mob arrive and create chaos like they do at any other demonstrations!

My guess is they wont because this fits in with the agenda!

Sorry, not a believer of man made global warming.

Whether man made global warming is sound science or not, we still need to work towards achieving fully clean and efficient methods of energy extraction.

Don't you agree that we need to stop messing around with energy sources that destroy our environment? Fracking is a man made phenomenon that causes damage to the environment and people. Burning fossil fuels is a major health risk, just look at some of the major cities in China. What about the Nuclear disaster that happened in Chernobyl and the one still bubbling away at Fukushima?

What about the countless wars fought for OIL?

Even if some of the things people in the movement are saying aren't scientifically sound, we STILL need to stop the abuse of our environment and make the planet a safer place to live.

There is an energy crisis and there is no question about that, it is a fact.

The worst thing we can do in regards to this movement is shrug it off because of controversy regarding the man made global warming discussion. The fact of the matter is, our current efforts for sourcing Energy are damaging people and our planet and we need to seek alternatives.

Movements like this can inspire people to make positive changes in the way they treat the environment and the people they share it with.

a reply to: TechUnique

Everybody likes clean and efficient anything.

Show me something that is as efficient as what we have in the West, and that taxpayers don't have to pay bazillions to subsidize and research, and we can talk.

You mentioned Chernobyl, probably as a condemnation of nuclear power. Supposedly a massive problem and disaster. Russia's rolling along quite nicely anyway, thank you. Fukushima? Was that a nuclear power problem or an earthquake problem? There aren't people glowing, or even sick form what I've heard on the US' West Coast. Even the deaths in Japan are not being attributed to radioactivity, but to the destruction of the area and resultant fleeing from the tsunami.

So, what are we putting in place of what we've got, and I'll let you know if I support you.

a reply to: TechUnique

I'm also a documentary film maker and I will attend the March in my local city [if they organize one] and contribute to your effort. But might I make a suggestion? Please get a good mic and get good sound as Usually the sound from the camera sucks and can destroy a project; imo sound is more important than the visuals, A lesson I learned with one of my first docs. Also an extra light or bounce board can improve production quality a lot.

Good Luck with this project.

I'm not one to go to marches or protests, personally. This is something I think could actually achieve something though. Bringing awareness to people. For pretty much the same reasons you posted above in your reply to VoidHawk. I think we will reach a tipping point soon enough, in the demand for alternative, cleaner energy sources. Even then it will take time for a full shift to occur. But I think if these mega corporations saw there was a real demand for change they would take advantage of that and hop on board. Or try even harder to keep us in the old paradigm. Best of luck friend, I hope these events go well.

I look forward to seeing your documentary in the future.

a reply to: TechUnique

What kinda camera did you get? I am wanting to get a good camera for making films (short films and some ideas for docs), but most of my skill is in foley work and sound production. Have a canon eos 90d probably need something better, but it might do well enough.

a reply to: charles1952

You're downplaying how serious an issue this is. Is Fracking one of the 'Western methods' you approve of?

Do you approve of us destroying countries in the middle east to steal oil from them?

What about the exploitation of Africa and the damage that has been inflicted on its people.

20% of the world is powered by renewable energy sources. You're worrying about it costing money all the while I'm worrying about my daughter and her ability to live in a safe environment.

a reply to: olaru12

Please do let me know via private message if it comes together!

I have a fairly decent camcorder, far from professional but the sound quality is surprisingly good and the picture quality is ok.

originally posted by: TechUnique

Don't you agree that we need to stop messing around with energy sources that destroy our environment?

I agree, but aren't lies pollution too?
imo man made global warming is a lie.

originally posted by: TechUnique
Fracking is man made phenomenon that causes damage to the environment and us people. Burning fossil fuels is a major health risk, just look at the major cities in China. What about Chernobyl and Fukushima?

I agree, but they are marching because of a lie, what happens when they discover it really is a lie, will they continue to march?
Much better to start out honest!

originally posted by: TechUnique
There is an energy crisis and there is no question about that, it is a fact.

Thats a manufactured fact.
There's plenty of green energy, look no further than Geothermal or Tidal, both can provide enormous amounts of energy for free, without ANY pollution. Show me the geothermal and tidal generators!!! Why dont they exist?
We dont have an energy crisis, we have an honesty crisis!

originally posted by: TechUnique
Movements like this can inspire people to make positive changes to the way they treat the environment and the beautiful people they share it with.

Fine, but lets not pollute those beautiful people with lies.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: TechUnique

Don't you agree that we need to stop messing around with energy sources that destroy our environment?

I agree, but aren't lies pollution too?
imo man made global warming is a lie.

originally posted by: TechUnique
Fracking is man made phenomenon that causes damage to the environment and us people. Burning fossil fuels is a major health risk, just look at the major cities in China. What about Chernobyl and Fukushima?

I agree, but they are marching because of a lie, what happens when they discover it really is a lie, will they continue to march?
Much better to start out honest!

originally posted by: TechUnique
There is an energy crisis and there is no question about that, it is a fact.

Thats a manufactured fact.
There's plenty of green energy, look no further than Geothermal or Tidal, both can provide enormous amounts of energy for free, without ANY pollution. Show me the geothermal and tidal generators!!! Why dont they exist?
We dont have an energy crisis, we have an honesty crisis!

originally posted by: TechUnique
Movements like this can inspire people to make positive changes to the way they treat the environment and the beautiful people they share it with.

Fine, but lets not pollute those beautiful people with lies.

Do you honestly think I won't be covering the issue in its ENTIRETY?

I will be addressing this issue head on and turning it into a coherent film that makes sense of the situation.

If you're so down with the cause there's no need to be so pessimistic!

a reply to: TechUnique

Dear TechUnique,

I'm sorry that I communicated so badly that it seemed I was downplaying the issue. It also seems that my inability to communicate led you to miss my point.

You ask me three questions in your response, do I approve of getting energy from the ground by fracking, by destroying countries in the Middle East, and by exploiting Africa. Notice that none of your questions have anything to do with using energy, simply how we get the energy.

I don't believe you want to get into a discussion about the relative merits of fracking, it would be difficult for you to display countries we've "destroyed" to "steal" their oil, and a debate on the costs versus benefits to Africa from energy exploration would be beyond the scope of the thread.

Since none of your questions have anything to do with using one form of energy over another, I think I'll let them go.

Yes, I'm worried about cost. Do you have an infinite supply of money? Should we spend a billion dollars to save one person one year of life? Should we spend everything we have to make everything in the country spotless? Or are you thinking "Any amount we spend to prevent a case of asthma is worthwhile?" Of course, money has something to do with it.

Your 20% figure for renewable usage is questionable. Going back to the starting place for Internet research, Wiki, we find that in 2008, energy usage was as follows:

Fossil Fuel 117,076 tera-watts
Nuclear 8,283
Renewables 18,492

Total 143,851

Renewables provided a little less than 13%

en.wikipedia.org...

Even then we can't use windmills to power vehicles yet. Solar and wind power both absolutely require more traditional power plants for backup, some days are cloudy and calm.

Yes, I'm worried about cost. Do you have an infinite supply of money? Should we spend a billion dollars to save one person one year of life? Should we spend everything we have to make everything in the country spotless? Or are you thinking "Any amount we spend to prevent a case of asthma is worthwhile?" Of course, money has something to do with it.

You're worrying about your daughter's living in a safe environment? Do you live in the US? Are we in an unsafe environment? Air quality has been getting better for quite some time now. Back to Wiki:

In 1999, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) replaced the Pollution Standards Index (PSI) with the Air Quality Index (AQI) to incorporate new PM2.5 and Ozone standards.

The effects of these laws have been very positive. In the United States between 1970 and 2006, citizens enjoyed the following reductions in annual pollution emissions:

carbon monoxide emissions fell from 197 million tons to 89 million tons
nitrogen oxide emissions fell from 27 million tons to 19 million tons
sulfur dioxide emissions fell from 31 million tons to 15 million tons
particulate emissions fell by 80%
lead emissions fell by more than 98%

en.wikipedia.org...

So, why are you worried now?

And if you are worried, why not target China which is so incredibly bad that the US has perfectly 99.9999% pure air by comparison?

Here's an interesting site. It ranks countries by a measure called PM10:

Source: World Health Organization
Research Date: 7.8.2014
PM10 represents particles in the air that we consider pollution. These particles might be smoke, dirt, mold, pollen etc. PM10 are the larger course particles that are kicked up into the air and spread around causing severe health effects. PM2.5 represents fine particles such as toxic compounds and heavy metals caused by fires and metal smelting. Below is a list of where each country ranks by PM10 measured in the air.

They then list 91 countries. If we assign the number 1 to the most heavily polluted by PM 10, and 91 to the lowest, the United Sates gets number 84. There are other countries to deal with first.

www.statisticbrain.com...

I may be misunderstanding, but it sounds that your attitude is heavily one sided and biased. I don't know how your documentary will come out though.

So again, show me something that taxpayers don't have to spend billions on before it even starts operating. Whatever it is, if it makes financial sense, our companies will build it without government aid. If it doesn't make financial sense, how much money will you take from me to turn the air from really, really, clean to really, really, really, clean?

a reply to: charles1952

Solar roadways, solar farms, wind power and hydro power.

Yes it will cost a lot of money but doesn't oil, electricity and nuclear fuel enrichment cost a lot of money?

a reply to: TechUnique

?? Can't answer my question?

originally posted by: GogoVicMorrow
a reply to: TechUnique

?? Can't answer my question?

I can only answer for myself but, I'm very happy with my Canon 60D and a couple of lenses but as soon as funds allow I'm moving up to the Canon C100 cinema or Blackmajic. TBS good gear is great but ultimately if the story is strong in concept and character' you can shoot it with your phone and it will work fine. But as I mentioned earlier...sound cannot be compromised.

Good luck with your projects!!

a reply to: GogoVicMorrow

Sorry my bad, Easypix DVC 5227.

It's really nothing special but it does the trick.

a reply to: TechUnique

i think you'll find that you are going about it the wrong way. The earth does not need saving. The earth will be around long after the last human has died. What you should really be asking is, does humanity need saving from itself?

originally posted by: f0xbat
a reply to: TechUnique

i think you'll find that you are going about it the wrong way. The earth does not need saving. The earth will be around long after the last human has died. What you should really be asking is, does humanity need saving from itself?

By Earth I mean the ecosystem and everything living on it. We are more than capable of destroying that, we are already halfway there.

Obviously the planet will still be here long after us

a reply to: TechUnique

I wish someone would go after the real issues like fracking and mining corporations. These are the real problem but progressives could care less about helping the earth it is about control and money.



Think I am crazy......Look at the Gulf oil spill and ask yourself why the silence. It is all a lie and scam. I wish someone would change this simple fact.