Finally I Sea

Overview

 

Finally I Sea is an emotional portrait of a child who has never been given the opportunity to experience a magical day at the seaside. It will be an intimate, human-led story which will use interviews, raw conversations with children and beautiful shots of the British coast to paint a picture of how important it is for children to have the opportunity to experience the natural world.

 

It will be a simple, feel-good film focussing on the joy that a day by the ocean can create. However, there will be a much deeper, underlying message: children in the world today are the most critical generation in the fight to protect our planet, yet they are the least connected to it due to barriers linked to income, race and disabilities.

 

I am working with a primary school in Hackney, London, for this film. The children involved are 9-11 years old and have never had the opportunity to see the sea or even leave inner-city London. I aim to change that, and this will be made possible with your generous donations.

 

About me

 

 

My name is Alice Geary, and I am currently studying for a Master's in Wildlife Filmmaking at the University of the West of England, in partnership with the BBC Natural History Unit. As part of my Master's, I am producing this short documentary which will eventually be screened to industry experts in late 2022 in Bristol and submitted to film festivals worldwide.

 

I am originally from Leicestershire and grew up loving music, writing, travel, art, the outdoors and photography. So when I realised that Wildlife Filmmaking was a viable career, I was ecstatic as it perfectly blended all of my passions into one exciting and important job. I feel very lucky that this industry not only incorporates these elements but also gives me the chance to make a difference.

 

Once I had figured out that this was the career for me, I moved to Bristol to do my undergraduate degree in Zoology. During these 3 years, I had so many amazing opportunities. I worked as a researcher for multiple wildlife film companies, produced my first wildlife documentary with a great team of students and travelled to the Peruvian Amazon as a research assistant. My main interests are human-wildlife interactions and herpetology (specifically chameleons, as I wrote my dissertation on chameleon colour change). I’m also very passionate about music and believe that sound has the power to immerse an audience fully.

 

I love to capture happy and beautiful moments on camera, but my main aim is to create documentaries that elicit change. Programmes that connect with the viewer and make them feel something so deeply that they become inspired to do more.

 

Why Now?

 

Recent scientific reports reveal that we are falling short on tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, with climate change becoming the biggest threat to security that modern humans have ever faced. The young people of the world today may be the last generation that can save our planet, so it is vital that they connect to it, love it, and fight to protect it.

 

However, modern life has caused many of this generation to be disconnected from nature. Connecting to nature should be part of every child’s life as it is mutually beneficial for the child and the planet. But for many reasons, this relationship is being forgotten.

 

Urbanisation allowed many natural areas to be swallowed up, cutting people off from natural surroundings; technological change created a new form of entertainment, causing people to stay inside looking at screens; and nature is becoming inaccessible to many due to socio-economic inequality.

 

This disconnect is a huge issue that has never been more important to address. We must work towards solving this issue to protect our planet, and this is the underlying message that I want to project through Finally I Sea.

 

Why donate?

 

Your donation will go towards the production costs of this film and will enable a group of children to have a fun day at a UK beach for the very first time.

 

Below are donation targets alongside what I will be able to afford when reaching that goal:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The film will be finished by October 2022, and will be available to watch for free online. Any donation's are hugely appreciated and will make a huge difference in making this passion project become a reality. Thank you so much for your support and please spread the word.

 

If I am unable to make Finally I Sea due to unforeseen circumstances, the funds will be used to produce an alternate short film as part of my Master's.