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BELOW ZERO - A Short Documentary
Brighton, United Kingdom
Aim
We are creating a short documentary about the Icelandic Search and rescue which are composed of highly devoted and skilled volunteers.
WHAT IS BELOW ZERO?
Iceland is a place like no other. The vast landscapes bring beauty to those that surround it but the weather is ruthless and unpredictable. Once the snow settles, the country turns into a painting that an artist can only dream of capturing. Stories from those who bring love to their homeland but in the same breath, bring tragic stories about the cruel nature of the world we live in.
These fragments are the foundation of which our ideas for the documentary is built upon. To tell a raw, human story about the human spirit and the will to survive is our main objective. We are looking to hopefully put forward our documentary to the film festivals and we believe we can achieve this goal. The team has ambition but most importantly passion to craft this project.
WHO ARE WE?
We are documentary film students at the University of Sussex. This documentary is our final graduation project. We have come to this point as a result of all of our diligent effort, studying, and practise perfecting our skill. Producing this documentary as amazing as we know it can be makes us incredibly excited!
WHAT IS THE STORY?
The documentary will be organised around several central themes, including the beginning and history of the ICE-SAR, the credentials and training that takes place to be qualified enough to become a member, and the various types of operations undertaken by the team. The documentary will also go into the personal lives of the individual team members, focusing on their motives for joining the service in the first place as well as their work experience.
In addition to these specific topics, the film will delve deep into the broader context of search and rescue efforts in the Icelandic environment, including the growing techniques and tools employed by the crew, as well as the logistical and environmental constraints that the team encounter.
The Icelanders are incredibly proud of the ICE-SAR. The rescue crews are quite competent and have received praise from other countries for their excellent efforts. In Iceland, there are roughly 100 search and rescue teams spread out over the nation, totaling about 4000 people who are on duty all year long and are all volunteers. The film will also examine the role of the ICE-SAR within the wider community, showcasing their contributions to public safety and the profound sense of respect and pride they have garnered from the people they serve.
How to donate to the ICE-SAR Voluntary Team:
Visit their website: https://www.landsbjorg.is
OUR VISION IN THE DISTANCE:
We are going to make a grounded but also heartwarming, loving film which looks at the ICE-SAR in a way that may have us reflecting upon who we are, upon our behaviours, truths, actions and daily existence. We want to establish why the teams are so successful and how they operate for 365 days a year.
We want the audience to be rooting for the ICE-SAR. We will structure the film so we establish the different members of the team, who we will be closely working with early on to get an idea of who they are as people. This will create an understanding between them and the reasons why they work with the Icelandic association for search, rescue & injury prevention including showing their training and operations they have to carry out.
From there we shift focus and bear down on the survivors. These interviews will show the ICE-SAR from the victims perspective that will help show how important the system, which has been in place for so many years, has continued to save many lives since 1918.
These screenshots are taken from several different documentary films created by YouTuber 'Mark Bone'. We'll push the cinematic craft of our film but keep the images grounded in reality. We want this to feel real, true to life and not overly polished. We'll be aiming for the intimacy of the recent music documentary, Shawn Mendes: In Wonder as it embraces our characters struggles, but with the added cinematic texture of a nuanced film like Nomadland.
MEET THE CREW:
Ethan Peck - Director & Cinematographer
Hi! I’m Ethan and i’m a 21 year old filmmaker from the United Kingdom who has a love for direction and cinematography. This project is for my teams final major project at university. The idea to focus on the Icelandic search and rescue originally came from my want to document some aspect of helping those in need whilst also capturing a visually interesting film. I’ve always have had a dream to shoot in Iceland and so i thought this might be one of my best opportunities.
Olivia Lajos - Editor & Sound
Hi there! It’s Olivia from Budapest. I’m glad to be part of this beautiful project and work together with such a diligent team. As a person who works behind the scene of this documentary the main purpose for my work is to show the Rescue Team marvellous work combining together the visual and sound elements to bring alive their heroic acts on the screen. By making this documentary we want to give voice to these everyday heroes and so the public will be more aware of the their selfless voluntary work. I hope people will be encouraged to show their gratitude towards the volunteers by donating directly to the ICE-SAR organisation.
Katherine Wong - Producer
Hey! My name is Katherine and I'm from Hong Kong . The producer in BELOW - ZERO. I hope that through watching this documentary, viewers would appreciate how difficult it was for the ICE-SAR members. They come from all areas of life in Iceland, and I find it admirable they are willing to spare more energy and time in their daily life to contribute their own strength and save many lives, I sincerely hope that more people will join in supporting them.
Your donation will be used to cover our 7 days trip in Iceland
- and anything extra goes to the ICE-SAR voluntary organisation-
- Transportation
- Car hire
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Equipment hire: cine lenses, filters and any other kit.
How else can You help?
To continue supporting this project, please
#shareus
#tagus
#loveus
Our Crowdfunder page:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/below-zero
Our Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/belowzerodocumentary_2023/
Our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/people/Ethan-Peck/100090025215835/
Please don't hesitate to DM us if you would like to know even more about our project or have further questions :)
Any remaining donations to the project will be donated to the heroic volunteers of the Icelandic Search and Rescue Teams!
Thank you! We can't wait to share with you guys our final documentary project!!
This project successfully funded on 27th March 2023