Just so you know where I am, here are the sections on the documentary from the last few days of my personal blog (http://christiandarkin.blogspot.com/)

I was trying to put all my work into one, but I've now split it up, and this blog deals with my documentary filmmaking work.

I've decided to make a 50 minute documentary for television. I'm going to do it entirely off my own bat with no funding and no backing in the hope that I can offer it to a distributor who will sell it to TV channels around the world. I'll then get royalties on it.

Apparently, this is a dumb idea because you don't make nearly as much money out of selling stuff that's already been made as you'd make out of convincing a TV channel to fund you (apparently 2-3000 for a showing of a pre-made documentary vs 100,000 for making one!)

so why do it like this?2 reasons:

1) I can make just whatever I like. I can follow my interests and I've got nobody telling me to sex it up, dumb it down or hire ant and dec to present it.

2) I don't have to spend 5 years (not an exaggeration) trying to convince people to fund my idea - I can have the idea today and start working on it tomorrow. I've just finished my first documentary (http://www.electricsky.com/catalogue_detail.aspx?program=1694) done this way (on the evolution of sharks) and I'm pleased with the results.

Did it make money? I don't know - the distributor has taken it to an international TV market in Cannes and is trying to sell it now... stay tuned to find out whether I have any success.

meanwhile I've decided to make another.... "Going to Gliese" (www.darkin.demon.co.uk/gliese)if you've ever wondered whether mankind will ever make the leap from this solar system to colonise planets in other star systems, Going to Gliese is the documentary for you! it'll outline the challenge and talk to leading experts in the various technologies needed to colonise the stars.

I'm going to make this programme using interviews and 3d animation - and I'm going to do it in High definition. so nothing too ambitious, then...


it turns out that the British Interplanetary Society (a name which sounds like it's from an HG Wells novel - can't wait to meet them) are organising a symposium on the science of faster than light travel for next week. This means there will be a lot of experts from around the world there - all of them potentially great interviewees for my documentary "going to gliese". I've written to the organiser and the society who both seem happy for me to come along and film. In return, I've offered to video the event and turn it into a dvd for their archives or their website.

Offering favours like this is a great way to get co-operation for your film project. They're getting something out of it, so they're happy to be involved. it'll take me some time to do, but it'll keep everyone happy.

I'll let you know how I get on in hyperspace next Thursday....

News from my previous documentary, Shark Story (on prehistoric sharks): I approached CurrentTV -http://www.current.com/ a tv channel set up by Al Gore to 'democratise TV' - the idea being that you submit short (up to 10 minute) documentaries which, if they like, they pay for and transmit. I met someone from the channel and sent them my doc which they thought would be great edited down to 10 minutes.

Just heard back from the channel's Head of Accusitions who turned it down.

That's a pity - but she did say I could contact her next week about other projects, so I don't think it's the quality of the programme she's concerned about. I'll have to find out a little more about what her criterior is because the channel seems like a useful outlet.more on that next week...