Posted by MFM Industry Press on Oct 23, 2013 | 1 comment

[Editor’s Note: Here is a production from one of our microfilmmakers that combines filmmaking, literature, adventure and technology into what promises to be an exciting short documentary. Andy Yardy is a passionate filmmaker that has built a career on telling stories in some of most unlikely places around the world. This film sets out to see if it is possible to make it around the world in just 80 hours using commercial travel. On paper it looks possible but really if you have ever been stuck in an airport waiting for the weather to change so you can take off or for them to fix some stupid mechanical problem you know it just might not be possible. Take that a step further and try to report on the effects of technology in the world while making a movie this just might be the craziest documentary film ever or it could be the best. He is currently seeking funding on kickstarter to go into production on this film in November. As a community of filmmakers this is a project that we should get behind and see what is possible to see of the world in just 80 hours.  -JH]

Technology Revolution

In the middle of the industrial revolution Jules Verne wrote the best selling novel, Around the World in 80 Days. It’s a fantastical adventure that followed an English gentleman around the world. He believed that because of advances in technology, and the reach of the British empire, it was possible to travel around the world in 80 days. While it is primarily an adventure story, it touched on social, economic and political issues that were important in that era. Today, we are in the middle of another revolution: a technological revolution that gives us the power to travel virtually around the world in seconds, and physically in days. It has brought about social, economic, and environmental changes that we are only now beginning to realize.

Technology makes the world a better place. Or does it? The power it has put at our fingertips would have been beyond Jules Verne’s wildest imagination back in the 1800’s. Entertainment, music, communication, navigation, transportation, construction, shopping, government, community, religion, and health are all areas of our lives that have been changed forever because of this technological revolution. Technologies that are now in development may make today’s technological marvels seem as relevant in just a few years. Most of us don’t think twice about shopping on Amazon, searching Google for a place to eat, looking up high school friends on Facebook, watching a movie on Netflix and listening to music on Spotify. We don’t stop to think about who might be watching us because we can’t imagine a life without the convenience.

Around the World in 80 Hours

In the spirit of adventure that Jules Verne’s, Around the World in 80 Days provided, as a video journalist I will set out on an adventure around the world to ask the question: Is the technology revolution making the world a better place? By attempting to travel around the world in 80 hours, stopping in five cities to talk to fellow travelers, experts and the man on the street. Asking questions like: Does technology make the world a better place? Does it make your life better? Can we overcome our social, political, economic and environmental issues through these technological advances, or are we doomed to repeat past mistakes as we rush into a technological future?

Through social media, I will interact with the people supporting this project and the public by including their questions and thoughts in real time as the journey progresses. Through these conversations and locations, I will build a snapshot of what our world looks like in the middle of this technological revolution, and how it is shaping our planet for this and future generations.

The cities I will visit in this documentary were chosen to give as broad as possible of a glimpse into the world today, while capturing a picture of where we as a race have come from and where we are going.

• Los Angeles – The capital of global entertainment. For better or worse this is the one place that sets the standard for entertainment as big business.
• New York – The global financial capital. Wall Street specifically is Ground Zero for the global economy. It is also the home of the event that we all know as 9/11: the moment that brought the war on terror to America.
• Rome – For more than a thousand years, Rome was the center of the world. It is the historic birthplace of many of the ideals that eventually were adopted to what became the American experiment.
• Dubai – This is probably one of the most important cities in the new Middle East. It’s skyscrapers and malls fly in the face of what most Americans think of the Middle East. Still, under all the glamour, it is every bit an Islamic state.
• Hong Kong – For decades, this city was one of the last outposts of the British empire. Today it is a independent Chinese city and a symbol of the Chinese century.

From wheels up in Los Angeles to touch down 80 hours later, there will be 4 to 10 hours in each city to discover how technology is revolutionizing the lives of it’s people. As the story unfolds in airports, planes, trains, sidewalks and cafes, this documentary will not only be a fast-paced adventure that is fun to watch; it will also be snapshots of what it means to be human in the middle of a technological revolution.

You can follow the journey online!

Distribution Plan

In order to get this film seen by as many people as possible, there will be six phases of distribution. Distribution starts with you, the backer, and is followed by film festivals, TV, DVD and streaming outlets. If you would like to know more about the distribution of this film, please send me a message and I will be happy to share more with you.

What will this Kickstarter do?

Kickstarter is all or nothing so the $20,000 budget is the base line to get this project completed. It covers all of the cost of the production including travel, production support in each of the cities, media, and batteries that will last the whole 80 hours. It also covers the basic expenses associated with getting the film edited and ready for distribution. All of the backers rewards will be fulfilled and the Kickstarter fees will be paid.

The rewards for backing this project are unique, and they are ones that you can’t get your hands on every day. Besides being part of the real time social media feed during production, you can also get a physical postcard mailed from one of the stops during filming. If you jump on right away, you may be part of a special screening focus group. This group will get to see a rough draft of the film. So, you can be a part of not only shaping the production, but also part of the post-production of this film.
Stretch Goals

There are some things that can be done to stretch the on-screen value and depth of this production. Some of those things include having a second videographer, helping to pay for editing, color, music and audio production.. As we near the benchmark of $20,000, check back to this page for details on stretch goals and special rewards that will only kick in once we reach the baseline goal.

About Andy Yardy

I spent my teen years living in Manila, one of the largest cities in the world. I was there back in the 80’s when one of the first popular revolutions overthrew an oppressive dictatorship. Back then, the technology that brought out the masses was radio and TV. It wasn’t Twitter, but it worked. In just days, Marcos was overthrown. I saw then the importance of media and technology in how our world was shaped. I eventually became a video journalist and traveled the world using story and pictures to help other organizations tell their story and build support for their causes. I have been to over 50 countries, creating media content through the first years of the technology revolution. I saw cell phones become a way of life for people in Asia and Africa before it did in the west. Much of what I did, I did because of technology and internet advances that made it possible for more and more people to share their own story like never before. I can navigate the globe with a perspective that you don’t get from your first trip abroad. However, I am still someone who lives for the wonder of discovery. I want to share in the adventure of seeing new places and meeting new people. I want this endeavor to be a way I can share with others the importance of seeing the world as a community. I want to look at those big questions about how the technology revolution has changed the global community. Has it brought us together or is it tearing us apart? I think I have a unique perspective that can keep the conversation going, and maybe take it to another level.

Conclusion

As a kid, I loved the books by Jules Verne. I couldn’t get enough of them. I ate up, 20,000 leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and From the Earth to the Moon, but, Around the World in 80 Days sparked my imagination in a unique way. Even then I wondered if it would be possible to make it around the world in 80 hours. Is it possible? YES. Is it possible to do it and learn something important about what makes our world tick? I DON’T KNOW. But the sense of wonder that the book placed in my heart is a challenge that I believe is worth trying. Whatever the outcome, this journalistic endeavor will spark a conversation that we will be having for years to come.

If you’d like to help me make this film a reality, go to the Around the World in 80 Hours Kickstarter Page by November 9th!

MFM Industry Press

This is the division of MicroFilmmaker Magazine that posts press releases about things happening in our industry, films being released, and crowdfunding campaigns about and around our readership!