Call for Filmmakers: Lives in Transit series
Currently accepting inquiries!
The Global Lives Project is currently seeking filmmakers worldwide to contribute to its new curated series of ten 24-hour films — Lives in Transit.
From our first round, we are reviewing projects from more than twenty countries around the world. But we are still accepting Inquiries on a rolling basis. So, if you have not had the chance to submit, now is the time.
In particular, to ensure that the Lives in Transit series of ten shoots is globally representative, we have specific needs that are high priority in our selection process. We especially encourage new submissions from Eastern Asia, specifically from China, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea* and Mongolia.
Lives in Transit will document 24 continuous hours in the lives of ten transportation workers around the world. From ticket collectors to water taxi drivers to pilots to shepherds, the Lives in Transit series will build on our growing open source video library of human life experience.
The Global Lives Project is produced by a worldwide collective of filmmakers, producers, translators, and media artists. The participants featured in our video library roughly represent current global demographics. This curated series will document the lives of transportation workers, including:
- six individuals in Asia, and one in Africa, North America, South America, and Europe
- five urban and five rural workers;
- five men and five women;
- workers who represent the real income distribution of the world,
- the real age distribution of the world,
- the real religious distribution of the world.
We welcome inquiries from filmmakers who want to work with a dynamic collective of global artists to produce this curated series of transit workers around the world today.
Specifics:
- Filmmakers should produce a shoot that works with our unique filmmaking methodology — 24 continuous, unedited hours of an average day in the life. To familiarize yourself, please read our Production Overview, also under “Resources”.
- The timeline for production and post-production is as follows:
- Deadline for inquiries: March 17, 2013, midnight (GMT)
- Deadline for full proposal: April 9, 2013
- Notification of final approval: April 19, 2013
- Production and filming: April 19 to June 30, 2013
- Post-production, transcription and translation: July 1 to Sept 31, 2013
- Global Lives Project is a volunteer-driven initiative, as such the financial support for each shoot is limited.
- Global Lives shoots are expected to receive financial and in-kind support from multiple sources. The Global Lives Project nonprofit organization allocates up to a maximum of $1,500 to support production on curated shoots. For shoots with extenuating circumstances (i.e., extremely remote locations, endangered languages, complex production logistics), we will be willing to consider providing additional funds.
- All producers and crew members volunteer their time for production and post-production. Producers generally use their own or borrowed equipment.
- The approved amount will be disbursed in two payments, 50% after the contract is signed and 50% upon completion of all post-production requirements.
- Global Lives can facilitate, but not be responsible for, any additional fundraising. For more information, see page three of “Pre-Production Guide.”
- Contact us for a sample budget.
- Filmmakers should have a clear plan for transcription and translation into English.
- To avoid replicating the work of our first curated series, we will not accept proposals for films in the following countries: U.S., Brazil, Malawi, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Indonesia, Japan.
- We are particularly interested in proposals for shoots in Spanish and French, in addition to any other languages that are not yet represented in our collection, including endangered languages.
- We are also interested in having the class and socioeconomic status of our on-screen participants defy traditional stereotypes, i.e., we welcome proposals for higher-income individuals in lower-income countries and vice-versa.
- What is a “life in transit”? Be creative! This is a beginning list of possibilities. Contact us to see if your idea might fit. It’s ok to list multiple options in your inquiry form.
- autorickshaw driver
- pedi-rickshaw driver
- airplane pilot
- mail carrier
- water taxi driver
- river/canal barge captain
- ferry operator
- submarine sailor
- moto-taxi driver
- jeepney driver or ticket collector
- bus driver or ticket collector
- hunter/gatherer
- subway driver
- traveling carnival/circus
- bike courier
- astronaut
- hot air balloon pilot
- shepherd/cowherd
- long distance train worker (food, tickets, conductor, etc.)
- a coyote (someone who smuggles people across borders)
- animal transport (elephant, horses, camels, sled dog)
- refugee
- porter
- mobile food cart driver/cook
Global Lives Collective and staff members are excited to communicate with interested filmmakers about their ideas over email or skype. Please contact us with any questions at production [at] globallives [dot] org. Also, see our recent blog post about producing one of the first ten GLP shoots.
Lives in Transit is a project of the Global Lives Project, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in San Francisco. Lives in Transit is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and hundreds of individual donors like you.
*Due to US law, we will lamentably not be able to send financial support to crews working in North Korea, though we still encourage submissions and can advise producers on how to execute shoots at minimal cost.