Sunday, January 6, 2013

05:01:2013 -- Seed is not just the source of life. It is the very foundation of our being. - Vandana Shiva

Dear Friends,

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1165887134/seed-the-untold-story-documentary-film

Be Well.
David

Inspiring film that unearths the dramatic story of seeds. From the creators of QUEEN OF THE SUN & REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN.

Seed is not just the source of life. It is the very foundation of our being. - Vandana Shiva

SEED: The Untold Story will investigate the dramatic story of seeds, the basis of life on earth. For 12,000 years man has been nurturing and cultivating seeds to form the backbone of civilization. Now, 94% of our seed varieties have been lost and many more are nearing extinction.

SEED unveils a David and Goliath battle for the future of our seeds by examining how five chemical corporations have taken control of seeds through patents, copyrights and genetic modification. These companies are placing ownership on the seeds, literally stealing the genetic material from our ancestors who nurtured these seeds for thousands of years. As Vandana Shiva says “the threat to seed freedom impacts the very fabric of human life and life on the planet.”

Entertaining and engaging, SEED follows heroes working tirelessly to preserve agricultural diversity as well as the rich knowledge held by indigenous cultures. These farmers, scientists, and seed collectors such as Gary Paul Nabhan, Bill McDorman, Vandana Shiva, Harold Hoven, Native American Emigdio Ballon and Winona LaDuke are the visionaries and caretakers of many of the world’s remaining seeds. On an absorbing journey following a diverse cast of characters, we will witness a brave new movement as these heroes struggle to create a vibrant web of biodiversity and resilience.

SEED will reveal the awe, wonder and hidden beauty of seeds. It will ignite the imagination of audiences, inspiring them to be part of a new movement to help sustain seed diversity. We will unearth the resilience and power that all seeds have to sustain, enliven and enrich our humanity.

Dr. Vandana Shiva among the finger millet at Navdanya's Seed Bank in Dehradun, India

OUR GOAL

Our goal with SEED is to make an inspiring, uplifting film that will encourage communities to take action and create positive change. SEED will be the third film in a trilogy that began with the award-winning films Real Dirt On Farmer John & Queen of the Sun. Through SEED, audiences will witness the beginnings of a new movement. In numerous agricultural centers around the world, SEED will follow farmers taking back their rights to seed, food and their land. SEED will inspire local communities to reverse an impending global food crisis by reclaiming seeds that can be freely dispersed, and adapted to their own conditions and culture.

SEED will be an active community-driven film that will engage and inspire audiences around the world through broadcast, theatrical release, film festivals, community screenings, educational markets, Home DVD and video on demand. Collective Eye will also develop an educational curriculum for SEED and prepare for the distribution to K-12 schools, colleges, universities, public libraries, and other non-profit organizations. SEED will follow a similar but more robustly developed Educational Outreach model that we developed with REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN and QUEEN OF THE SUN. Working with our non-profit Collective Eye Films we will strategize with a global network to help relay the urgency of this global issue. SEED will be used as a tool to bolster advocacy for direct action that ranges from saving native seeds and habitats and implementing community initiatives, to creating national and international policy change.

Heirloom Pumpkins, Squash and Melons in all shapes and sizes

IS MY DONATION TAX-DEDUCTIBLE?

All donations made to SEED: The Untold Story are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! This is because we are sponsored through our non-profit Collective Eye Films. We’ll send out e-mails with your receipt at the end of the campaign. For larger donations, feel free to contact us at jon@collectiveeye.org with any questions.

A community farmer in India holds freshly threshed Basmati Rice Seed

HOW WILL THE MONEY BE USED?

We urgently need to raise $50,000 in order to keep production going for SEED so that the film can be completed in 2013. With the rapid decline of seed varieties, and the threat of genetically modified seeds contaminating traditional seeds, the public must be aware of this issue so that civic discourse and action can continue and make change before it’s too late.

The ground work has been set, we’ve already filmed incredible footage in India and the Southwest. In the coming months we will travel to Mexico & return to the Southwest U.S. (where ancient Maize is under threat by GMO corn). We will go to Turkey (the origin place of wheat), Germany, Ethiopia, the different regions in the U.S. In all of these places, we will be filming amazing seedbanks, seed collectors, biodynamic farmers, scientists and philosophers. We will also work with animators and macro-photography to begin bringing essential parts of the SEED story to life.

THE BUDGET

$25,000: This is to continue paying a dedicated production crew, translators and researchers who all deserve being paid for the amazing work they doing as we continue filming.

$10,000: For travel, field research, securing local translators and other help.

$7,000: This is to pay a great editor and transcriptionists who will be helping to build a rough-cut that guides the story of the film.

$5,000: This is to pay for key animators to begin bringing essential parts of the SEED story to life.

$3,000: To website development, so we can soon launch an online hub to share enduring stories about seeds with a broad audience.

Lieutenant Louie Hena of the Tesuque Pueblo says a prayer for his communities native corn fields

WHO ARE WE?

TAGGART SIEGEL (Director/Producer)

Taggart Siegel has been making award winning documentaries for 25 years. His recent film, QUEEN OF THE SUN: What are the Bees Telling Us?, winner of 11 international film festival awards, received critical-acclaim during its theatrical release. Roger Ebert calls it “Remarkable documentary that’s also one of the most beautiful nature films I’ve ever seen.” Siegel is also known for the grassroots hit REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN, winner of 31 international film festivals awards and broadcast and theatrically released worldwide.

JON BETZ (Director/Producer)

Jon Betz is an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker. He was the producer and editor for the multi-award winning QUEEN OF THE SUN: What Are the Bees Telling Us? which was critically- acclaimed during it’s U.S. theatrical release and was heralded by The New York Times as “Revelatory! A Critic’s Pick” His previous film, MEMORIZE YOU SAW IT, is an intimate documentary about former-child soldiers in Eastern Uganda. Betz is a graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design and is the director of Collective Eye Films.

WHO IS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO?

We give our thanks to the individuals featured in our Kickstarter Video: Bill McDorman (Executive Director, Native Seeds/SEARCH), Author and Activist Dr. Vandana Shiva (Navdanya), Bija Didi (Navdanya), Emigdio Ballon (Tesuque Pueblo Seed Bank), Author and “Father of the Local Food Movement” Gary Paul Nabhan, Jeffrey Smith (Institute for Responsible Technology), Ronnie Cummins (Organic Consumers Association), Suman (Navdanya), Jere Gettle (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds) and Paul Wallace (Petaluma Seed Bank & Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds).

We also give special thanks to Jami Sieber for allowing us to use her incredible music in our video!

There are so many incredible people doing wonderful work in the world of seeds. Many more stories and characters will be in the finished feature-length film.

HOW DOES KICKSTARTER WORK?

Just choose your donation level and rewards you would like to recieve and donate by entering payment information. It’s that easy! If you choose a reward that requires shipping (many do), be sure to leave your address. We’ll be in touch!

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

SEED is being made through our non-profit Collective Eye Films where we created REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN and QUEEN OF THE SUN: What are the Bees Telling Us? Making films independently is always a huge challenge, from financing to completion, but we are committed to finishing SEED in a timely manner, and this is why we’re asking for your help.

We are excited about giving these fun gifts for your pledges and are eager to deliver these gifts promptly according to their estimated delivery dates. We’ll keep you posted with our Kickstarter updates and hope you join us on this exciting adventure!

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MUFON

How to Digitally Record/Video a UFO sighting:

Como registar digitalmente ou gravar um vídeo de um avistamento de um UFO:

Stabilize the camera on a tripod. If there is no tripod, then set it on top of a stable, flat surface. If that is not possible lean against a wall to stabilize your body and prevent the camera from filming in a shaky, unsteady manner.

Estabilize a camera com um tripé. Se não tiver um tripé, então coloque-a em cima de uma superfície estável. Se não for possível, então encoste-se a uma parede para estabilizar o corpo e evitar que a camera registe de maneira tremida e instável.

Provide visual reference points for comparison. This includes the horizon, treetops, lampposts, houses, and geographical landmarks (i.e., Horsetooth Reservoir, Mt. Adams, etc.) Provide this in the video whenever is appropriate and doesn’t detract from what your focus is, the UFO.

Forneça pontos visuais de referência para comparação. Isso inclui o horizonte, cimo das árvores, postes de iluminação, pontos de referência geográficos (como o Reservatório de Horsetooth, Mone Adams, etc) Forneça esses pontos no vídeo sempre que for apropriado e não se distraia do que é o seu foco, o UFO/a Nave.

Narrate your videotape. Provide details of the date, time, location, and direction (N,S,E,W) you are looking in. Provide your observations on the weather, including approximate temperature, windspeed, any visible cloud cover or noticeable weather anomalies or events. Narrate on the shape, size, color, movements, approximate altitude of the UFO, etc and what it appears to be doing. Also include any unusual physical, psychological or emotional sensations you might have. Narrate any visual reference points on camera so they correlate with what the viewer will see, and thereby will be better able to understand.

Faça a narração do vídeo. Forneça pormenores sobre a data, hora, local e direcção (Norte, Sul, Este, Oeste) que está a observar. Faça observações sobre as condições atmosféricas, incluindo a temperatura aproximada, velocidade do vento, quantidade de nuvens, anomalias ou acontecimentos meteorológicos evidentes. Descreva a forma, o tamanho, a cor, os movimentos, a altitude aproximada onde se encontra o UFO/nave, etc e o que aparenta estar a fazer. Inclua também quaisquer aspectos pouco habituais de sensações físicas, psicológicas ou emocionais que possa ter. Faça a narração de todos os pontos de referência visual que o espectador irá ver e que, deste modo, será capaz de compreender melhor.

Be persistent and consistent. Return to the scene to videotape and record at this same location. If you have been successful once, the UFO sightings may be occurring in this region regularly, perhaps for specific reasons unknown, and you may be successful again. You may also wish to return to the same location at a different time of day (daylight hours) for better orientation and reference. Film just a minute or two under “normal” circumstances for comparison. Write down what you remember immediately after. As soon as you are done recording the experience/event, immediately write down your impressions, memories, thoughts, emotions, etc. so it is on the record in writing. If there were other witnesses, have them independently record their own impressions, thoughts, etc. Include in this exercise any drawings, sketches, or diagrams. Make sure you date and sign your documentation.

Seja persistente e não contraditório. Volte ao local da cena e registe o mesmo local. Se foi bem sucedido uma vez, pode ser que nessa região ocorram avistamentos de UFOs/naves com regularidade, talvez por razões específicas desconhecidas, e talvez possa ser novamente bem sucedido. Pode também desejar voltar ao mesmo lugar a horas diferentes do dia (durante as horas de luz)para ter uma orientação e referência melhor. Filme apenas um ,inuto ou dois em circunstâncias “normais” para ter um termo de comparação. Escreva tudo o que viu imediatamente após o acontecimento. Logo após ter feito o registo da experiência/acontecimento, escreva imediatamente as impressões, memórias, pensamentos, emoções, etc para que fiquem registadas por escrito. Se houver outras testemunhas, peça-lhes para registar independentemente as suas próprias impressões, pensamentos, etc. Inclua quaisquer desenhos, esbolos, diagramas. Certifique-se que data e assina o seu documento/testemunho.

Always be prepared. Have a digital camera or better yet a video camera with you, charged and ready to go, at all times. Make sure you know how to use your camera (and your cell phone video/photo camera) quickly and properly. These events can occur suddenly, unexpectedly, and often quite randomly, so you will need to be prepared.

Esteja sempre preparado, Tenha sempre uma camera digital, melhor ainda, uma camera vídeo consigo, carregada e pronta a usar sempre que necessário. Certifique-se que sabe como lidar com a sua camera (ou com o seu celular/camera fotográfica) rápida e adequadamente. Esses acontecimentos podem acontecer súbita e inesperadamente e, por vezes, acidentalmente, por isso, necessita estar preparado.

Look up. Be prepared. Report. Share.

Olhe para cima, Esteja preparado, Relate, Partilhe.

MUFON.COM