Desert Microlight Odyssey is a cross-cultural adventure story of two young couples travelling 5000km across Australia in two Microlight aircraft (Powered Hang-gliders) and a four-wheel drive.
The aim of the project is to share through a documentary the positive stories of the diversity of characters living and working in remote Australia. We are hoping to engage with youth, through schools, with a travelling group canvas themed ‘positivity’. With the positive motto of the journey we hope to fundraise and create further awareness for Youth Suicide Prevention, Royal Flying Doctors and Western Desert Dialysis.
Promoting Youth Wellness
Fact: Suicide kills more Australian men under 24 years old than those who die in road accidents. In 2010, the most recent figures available, 2191 people took their own lives, while the annual road toll has now fallen below 1400 (ABS Statistics - Causes of death). This project aims to engage and network youth through a combined group canvas to explore the positive aspects of life. We believe by focusing on positivity we aid in inspiring youth to value life and to work towards achieving their dreams.
Our team will take a large blank canvas to each of the towns and communities they visit. It would be an opportunity for each individual along the journey to express what keeps them positive and strong in their daily lives. This may vary from a word, a picture, a colour, or hand print. As the young people read what others have expressed from each town and community, we hope it creates a sense of feeling connected as a broader community. Slowly the canvas will become a vibrant collage of positive messages, created by a diversity of people from pre-school aged children to grandparents.
The Flight Path
Desert Microlight Odyssey will take off in May 2013 from Hindmarsh Island approximately 80km south of Adelaide and finish in Brome WA. The journey will take approximately 9 weeks and encompass 5000km, 5 deserts and some of the continent’s most remote and crazy towns including from south to north:
Port Augusta; Oodnadatta; Finke; Alice Springs; Papunya plus the Western McDonald Rangers; Kintore; Balgo; Tanami Gold; Supple-Jack Station; Bungle Bungles; Fitzroy Crossing and Broome.
The Documentary With development support from Film Victoria and some private equity investment we have now completed two years of development for the project. This has seen us undertake a number of exploratory shoots, create pitch assets, and develop the synopsis and series treatment.
In June 2012, we undertook a three week reconnaissance driving the entire route which the team will fly on their adventure. Without doubt, this recce was a crucial step in actualizing the project and allowed us to visit most of the locations in our story and meet people and discuss involvement in the series. Carroll Karpany, our indigenous subject consultant, joined us to ask shooting permissions of all of the traditional owners along the route. We have been unanimously invited back. ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE May 2013 | pre-production June - July 2013 | production Aug - Dec 2013 | post-production Feb 2014 | Delivery
Please find an excerpt of the documentary treatment and attached. For legal and confidentiality reasons we cannot distribute the complete document. Below is a confidential link and password to explore the documentary pitch teaser.
JOHN CHERRY | Producer Intafusion Films John Cherry is an award-winning producer who has made films for clients internationally. He produced feature documentary STRANGE BIRDS IN PARADISE (2009) (IDFA premiere, Inside Film Award winner Best Documentary 2010, four Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award nominations including Best Feature Documentary 2010, SBS TV 2012). He produced and directed documentary YOU CAN DO I CAN DO (2009) and multimedia film project LIVING WITH DEMENTIA – A VIETNAMESE FAMILY STORY (2008). Cherry produced and co-directed documentaries EACH GRAIN OF RICE (2003), LIKE MY OWN FAMILY (2006) and HOPE & PEACE (2005), produced the official coverage of 2004 Adelaide Arts Festival’s UNIVERSAL PLAYGROUND and tour documentary THE BEN FOLDS FIVE PROJECT for Sony NY in 1998. John is the director of HIDDEN HISTORY which screened on SBS Television and the Australia Network in March 2012. CHARLIE HILL-SMITH | Writer & Director When writer and director Charlie Hill-Smith first visited West Papua in 1999 he knew little about the history of this troubled country or its people. Ten years later, AFI nominated and IF Award winning STRANGE BIRDS IN PARADISE (2009), his first feature-length documentary, tells the story of this troubled land. In 2005 he was the Camera Operator on SBS Independent documentary MAKING OF TEN CANOES, he wrote and directed INDONESIA - ART, ACTIVISM AND ROCK N’ ROLL for SBS in 2003, the shorts S11 MELBOURNE and UNDER GROUND ART for ABC Asia in 2001, WOKABOUT WEST PAPUA in 2000, and HONG KONG FOOEY & THE GREAT CHINESE TAKEAWAY in 1997. He produced a sketch comedy pilot RED MONKEY COMEDY (2002), a music video NINE STEPS DOWN in 2001, the EPK for the independent feature film SAMPLE PEOPLE (1999), and directed a documentary for Sony New York in 1998 on the BEN FOLDS FIVE Australian tour. Hill-Smith was born in Adelaide and is now based in Melbourne. He has a Bachelor of Business in Marketing from the University of South Australia He was a director of the cultural exchange program Indonesia Australia United Artists from 2000 to 2005. DAVID TILEY | Script Editor
Since 2005, David Tiley has been editor of Screen Hub, online newsletter for the film and television industry. Through this time, David has worked as project developer, co-writer, script editor and mentor on a variety of documentaries. He is currently involved in Philippe Charluet's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, and TRIXER, with Diane Perelstejn. He was script editor for Rachael Thompson's THE ART OF LISTENING and Nicholas Hansen's documentary on local journalists in Timor. Tiley wrote narration for fifty-minute documentaries LAST STAND AT NYMBOIDA and THE FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIANS. He co-wrote STRANGE BIRDS IN PARADISE, and wrote LIONEL, both feature length documentaries.
CARROLL KARPANY | Indigenous Subject Consultant
Carroll Karpany has a long career spanning Strategic Planning, Finance, Marketing, and Human Resources management and continues to actively pursue and demonstrate that Aboriginal culture can be compatible in mainstream business activities with maintenance of integrity. Through theatre and art, he pursues initiatives for the resurrection and the renaissance of the Aboriginal song, music and dance in Australia and internationally. Carroll’s career highlights include ongoing work as the Managing Director of Indigenous Performers Management (IPM) a theatre company specialising in dance productions for the corporate sector, Industry Advisor for the South Australian Tourism Commission (2002–2005), Executive Project Office for the City of Marion (1999–2002), Music Manager for the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (1999–2000), Managing Director of Ngarindjeri–Narungga Dreaming Pty Ltd (1990–1997), working for the SA Department of State Aboriginal Affairs and Aboriginal Employment Development Branch (1994–1995) and project-specifically for Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute from 1984–1994.
Simon Nasht is a Logie winning filmmaker whose work has been shown by major broadcasters around the world. He has produced and directed some of the ABC's most successful documentaries of recent years including; THE BRIDGE, ADDICTED TO MONEY, the Eureka Prize winning HOW KEVIN BACON CURED CANCER and the recently broadcast DICK SMITH'S POPULATION PUZZLE. Simon is producer at Smith&Nasht, and previously was a co-producer at Essential Media, partner at Gabriel Films, New York, joint MD at Pilot Productions, teacher at European Film College, producer at Beyond International Group and a reporter at ABC TV.
RUTH CROSS | Executive Producer
Ruth Cross is Head of Development for Smith&Nasht - a new Australian media partnership between investor and entrepreneur Dick Smith and filmmaker Simon Nasht. Over the past 18 years, Ruth has worked in many capacities across media industries internationally. She holds an MA in Documentary Production and her credits include writing, directing and producing the feature documentary TRES PESOS funded by Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and UK Film Council. She has worked as a programmer for 2009 Adelaide Film Festival and from 2009 – 2011 was the Australian International Documentary Conferenceʼs Marketplace Manager where she ran its flagship pitching event MeetMarket, as well as managing and programming the First Factual Films Festival (F4). She also worked with the 2011 Sheffield Doc/Fest team to produce the UK MeetMarket and from 2004-2007 was founder and company director of UK based production company Paradocs Films.
DAVID BRIDIE | Music Supervisor
Seven time ARIA award winning songwriter and composer David Bridie has enjoyed a distinguished career as one of Australia’s most innovative artists. As lead vocalist, keyboard player, co-composer and co-producer of critically acclaimed band Not Drowning, Waving, David built a world-wide reputation through the six albums and two soundtracks that the band released during its illustrious career. With My Friend The Chocolate Cake, David ventured on a different musical journey, an all-acoustic outfit, teaming up with cellist Helen Mountfort and continuing to make music that appeals to a broad audience in a variety of countries. David is also well-known for his solo work (Act of Free Choice and Hotel Radio), and for composing countless feature film, documentary and television scores, including the recent APRA AGSC award winning RAN soundtrack. He worked as composer on STRANGE BIRDS IN PARADISE and has just released that film’s soundtrack album.
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