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- Issue #2: And 'so much to do...' at Plasm Productions
Issue #2: And 'so much to do...' at Plasm Productions
A Borderless Planet; A Boundless Heart
Thida Nathalie
18 Jul
Issue #2 and ‘so much to do’ of the Plasm Productions Newsletter: a Borderless Planet; a Boundless Heart
If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.
HUMAN STORY
Have you have ever been interested in working on a social or environmental documentary?
We are excited to open a position for associate producer for our short documentary, “EVANESCENCE”. A decision has finally been reached, after a lot of ‘um-ing’ and ‘ar-ing’ over a dozen potentials, but (if we are lucky) we shall be making this film part of a short and most fascinating series in the future.
Please do reach out directly to [email protected] as we would really love to meet you.
Ane (the Ladakhi word for mother) walks her two Dzo to graze on dried hay for the winter.
EMBARKING ON THE PROJECT
In 2016 we visited the oldest monastery in the region of Zanskar; a two and a half thousand year old abode known as Phugtal Ghompa (sometimes spelt Phuktal). It was a second trip to Ladakh but the first time to enter such a remote region, which took us 24-hours via the developing roads that zigzag across the Himalayan region of this part of north India.
PRESS
We are pleased to offer two of our films, ‘Mr Tashi’ and ‘Tribe’, to the diverse readership of Panorama: The Journal of Travel, Place and Nature.
(For more information about each submitter you can join and support their readership.)
  | ❝ Feted filmmaker Thida Nathalie also contributes two short documentaries for this issue. In “Tribe” we meet the Konyaks, whose warrior headhunting past is now ceding to a more contemporary life, receiving tourists, and taking the grandchildren to school. We also hear how “Mr Tashi” charted a new life as a tourist guide for this one-time refugee. |
THE INFINEIGHTS
We are proud to announce our first-ever publication on ‘The InfinEights Series’ is officially out in Autism Parenting Magazine yay!
With spectrum ‘disorders’ increasing exponentially, how can a series like the InfinEights hope to positively impact a greater understanding of such neurodiversities and differences in children who will eventually grow into adults?
‘Autism Warrior’ features a centerfold two-page interview of Thida Nathalie and her experiences that led her to creating the series where ‘different’, neuro-diverse and socially outcast children discover their weaknesses are in fact their super human strengths.
Read the full interview here.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES
We are close to final cut on the 2nd of the InfinEights. It has been an extremely long road…and…we are still not there yet. The costs to superimpose VFX, grade, edit, score and sound correct are still required to complete this film, so please consider making a donation to help us in our endeavors to see children who are ‘different’ in an entirely unique light.
Become part of the production team by making a secure donation today.
MICRO-BUDGET FILMMAKERS
Richard Williams writes ✍🏿:
LIGHTS, CAMERA, TRAILER: YOUR SECRET WEAPON TO FILM FUNDING!
Crafting a high-quality film trailer is crucial for independent filmmakers to win grants, build an audience, and attract investors, donors, and partners. But fear not, for we hold the key to trailer mastery!
Creating a captivating trailer is a unique blend of art and science, telling a compelling story in a concise two-minute timeframe, energized by music. A stellar trailer can make or break your film's fate as a finalist or winner.
(Nonficts presents a list of 20 of the best documentary trailers in the last 20 years… We absolutely loved the trailer for Comedian (2002)…what’s your favourite?)
Crafting your trailer is a journey of self-discovery, where experimentation leads to insights about yourself and your material. Different trailers serve different purposes, like the sizzle reel, which captures the essence and vibe of your film in 30 seconds to two minutes.
Continue here…
 Our latest MBF Podcast with Jason Verney features Gareth Brown, producer at Flyer Films, who shares his experience of funding in the film industry. Please remember to subscribe our channels in order to stay up to date with the latest interviews. |  Missed last Sunday’s online network meeting with Clifford White? You can watch the replays here. Remember to like and subscribe to our channel to stay in the loop with the latest discussions and opportunities. |
SOCIAL PROJECTS
THE LAND OF SMILES
It is 2015 and Plasm Productions is in its pre-birthing stage. Travelling through Nepal, it has been four months since the last earthquake, and the children of Horac are busy cooking, playing and studying for exams.
Invited to visit the orphanage run by a young Tej, we meet 25 children as young as five years old; one, big, happy family. We soon hit it off and begin to document the children over a two week period in their four story building, yet to be cleared from the rubble.
The earthquake known as the ‘Gorkha earthquake’ was one of the worst in magnitude (7.8) hitting close to Kathmandu April 25th 2015, killing around 9,000 people and injuring thousands more. The children’s home was one of 600,000 structures damaged or destroyed, and now they had to find time to collect any salvageable bricks in between their homeworks.  The volunteers were asked to live alongside the children and assist in the orphanage itself, be it cooking, chores, trips into town, birthday surprises, school runs, painting and decorating, you name it. | We became like extended family members overnight with endless smiles and laughter. It was my first time experiencing Nepali culture and I was surprised at just how much chilli they use in their cooking, and how studious the children are. One thing Tej was proud about was the level of freedom the children possessed, unlike other orphanages that had strict living conditions. His played football freely with the children after homework, and laughed all the time. Another unique quality was the maturity of the children, how the elders understood their roles in assisting the youngsters be it dressing, feeding and schoolwork.  |
It was amazing to consider the five-year-old, just recently joined and often crying when tired or sad, be taken in as their smallest brother and kissed and hugged all day long. Surely he might be sad at the loss of his parents, perhaps in the recent disaster (I never asked), yet he had taken to, and been taken in with so much love and care by his new family that his tears were soon replaced by giggles. The love literally emanated through each child’s often stained T-shirt and filled the bareness of the room.  As Andrew in his blog mentions, I thought a lot of these kids become orphaned when their parents are killed in, say, a car accident. However, it appeared that at least half the children had father’s that abandoned the family because of having marital affairs, having a problem with alcohol or just didn’t feel they could take care of the home and walked out. | And their mothers, still alive today, are either too poor to care, left home with another man and can’t take the child, or abandoned their child to an orphanage if they could not send them out to beg on the streets.  I was left wondering about the two other Nepalese groups of people I had heard of, namely the Gurkhas and the Sherpas and how such a poor nation and its hardships could create a race of the most enduring and strong humans on Earth. Yet I also knew how intelligent, kind and loving these people were as I sat and laughed with the children. Is there some correlation between having less and being more…somehow? |
Inspired by the directors of Born Into Brothels we placed the camera in the hands of the the children for more intimate shots and the kids at Horac who began interviewing themselves.
The experience of working with such a large group of children was both overwhelming and satisfying and began the flow of pro-bono film projects for us at Plasm Productions in order to promote the value of community, power of teamwork and generosity, and healing abilities of love.
Plasm Productions is a multi-faceted alliance that supports humanitarian organizations, environmental care, creatives and social inclusion. We are deeply dedicated to practices of self-empowerment, advanced awareness and global altruism.
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