Email: To A Local Film Group

Just found out about a local film group, sent them a message, hoping to learn and make new friends. Gosh I have lots of time to write long long emails! Got to love security nightshift for that. The pay is not great but boy do I have more freedom than most folks.

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To the --- Film Group

Hi, found out about you folks tonight while doing a search here in Edmonton during my nightshift. I was very happy to see your page. Will research it more tonight but wanted to send you this note first.

Your involved with film making in Edmonton? Hold meetings? Classes? General exchange of ideas between members?  I have to check for when and where you meet, would love to come down and see you all.

A bit about me. I am brand new to film, video, film making etc. Being brand new and of semi sound mind I have decided to jump in head first and make my first documentary in South East Asia later this year (hope this does not conflict with your groups only Edmonton angle). I am taking a 6 month

leave from work to go to Thailand and make my film.

I was wondering if I could come down and talk to people in your group, to gain knowledge and experience before I go. I would love to become a member and learn from you all. I have about 7 months before I leave and need to become as proficient as I can in regards to film making, shooting video cameras, recording audio.

I picked up a package off EBay that included 2 BMPCCs and  various other gear. Also got a field recorder to do audio separately, then sync in post (Adobe Premiere CS6). My thinking is to shoot everything in the BMPCC RAW mode to get as much range as I can (I have read the BMPCC gives 13 stops of dynamic range).

My project is Burmese refugee families living and working in a garbage dump in Thailand. I am going to try and tell their story.

Now I am not a complete newby when it comes to documentary work. I have been to Thai over 20 times, speak some of the language. I have been doing still work (film,darkroom) for over 30 years (am 52 now). I have been photographing the families in the dump since 2013. Now I want to do a documentary film on that same subject, those same lives (many are friends now).

What do you think? Could I come on down and meet you all? Learn from your vast experience? Anything at this point that I learn is a huge positive and will make later shooting that much easier.

Thanks for taking the time for reading my long email, working nights (security) gives me time to be rather verbose!

Gerry

(included some links of the dump and previous still efforts).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJEVN8yh9Q
https://www.youtube.com/user/gerryyaum/videos
https://vimeo.com/user19672993/videos

www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com (10 years of blog photo and other writings)

www.gerryyaumfilms.blogspot.com (brand new film blog about only this years doc film project)