DVD Fundraising Appeal

Date 9th Oct 2003
Submitted by Anonymous on 9 October 2003 - 12:00am

We have three weeks to raise £7650 if we're going to produce the Drowned Out DVD in time for Christmas. Can you help?

Update, 8th October: £2400 raised in the first week of the appeal ! Wow. Only £5000 more to go...

The Spanner Films crew returned to the Narmada valley during August 2003, to film updates, commentaries and new scenes for the Drowned Out DVD.

We didn't decide to make a DVD because we're obsessed with the story and can't leave it alone (although we are and we can't), but because DVDs are now the primary means of distribution in the US, India and other countries. If we're really going to get the Narmada villagers' stories out as far as possible, we need to jump through just one last hoop.

Also, the DVD format works really well for a complex and ever-changing story like the 20 year fight against the Narmada dam - we are going to be able to include all sorts of different angles and perspectives that had to be stripped out of the original film before it became a 6 hour epic. (See below for what the DVD will contain).

The original plan was to pay a DVD company to do the whole thing, but the quotes we received soon put a stop to that idea. Plus it makes more sense to invest in the equipment so we'll be able to make DVDs of our future films too. So now we are trying raise enough money to make it ourselves - with a little help from a friendly DVD expert or two.

 The total cash needed - as most of the work will be done by volunteers - is £7650 (see below for breakdown). And we've got only two or three weeks to raise it, if we're going to be able to get the DVD ready in time for Christmas.

If you are able to support the project - even a few pounds, dollars or rupees will help - please warm up your credit card and head over to the donations page or send a cheque made out to 'Spanner Films' to Spanner Films, BCM Spanner Films, London, WC1N 3XX

Anyone donating 200 dollars or more will receive a copy of the DVD as soon as it's finished. Please let us know where to send it (as a Christmas present??). Thanks.

 

 DVD CONTENT

Drowned Out - 75 minute documentary
- English version
- Hindi version
- French version
- Italian version

Commentaries
- Luhariya, main character
- Franny, Director
- Chris Brierley, Composer

What Happened Next - updates filmed 2003
- Luhariya, Bulgi & Jalsindhi village
- Jabalpur slums
- Indira Sagar dam

Extended Interviews
- Luhariya & Bulgi
- Medha Patkar
- Arundhati Roy
- Jay Narayan Vyas
- Hugh Brody

Making Of
- Short film. Taking the film back to Narmada, 2003
- Interview with Franny Armstrong, Director
- Articles, press, awards etc

Deleted scenes
- Medha's London protest against Siemens

Songs
- selection of music/ songs from Narmada

Trailers
- McLibel
- Baked Alaska
- Diesel pump appeal
DVD BUDGET Apple Mac G5 computer = £2500
DVD Studio software = £350
Hard drives = £300
Tapes/ CDs/ consumables = £200
Volunteers/ Actors/ Translators expenses = £800
Postage/ travel/ phone/ other expenses = £500
Graphic designer = £400
Editor = £400
Sound Editor = £400
DVD consultant = £400
Duplication - 1000 copies = £700
Printing - 1000 covers = £400
Cases - 1000 cases = £300
Total = £7650

DVD TIMETABLE

October 1st-17th
Raise funds. Finish translations. Start editing new scenes.
October 18th - November 20th
Buy new computer & software. Design menus, covers, structure. Add subtitles, graphics, music. Link all sections.
November 20th
Master DVD to duplicators. Covers to printers.
December 1st
DVD ready for sale.