MELTING ICE-COLD WAR: a vital climate change film.

Dear supporter,

As you know I had planned to release a short version of Melting Ice - Cold War in a couple of weeks time to coincide with COP26. 

However the idea is still with 3 larger production companies who have all expressed an interest in getting it properly commissioned. One of these companies has required me to enter into what is called in the business a "Shopping Agreement" which means that I'm restricted to what I can release while they are seeking a commission with a broadcaster or SVOD. As a proper commission will ensure a vastly wider audience than a social media release, I have to respect this agreement in the hope that they will finally get the documentary of the ground in a. proper form. This means I cannot release a version of the idea until the agreement expires at the end of the year.

If by the New Year none of the current companies has obtained a commission I will produce a social media version, but in the meantime I am keeping my fingers crossed with my current partners.

As I feel I still want to make some contribution to media participation around COP26 in lieu of Melting Ice, I am producing instead pro-bono some short videos for the British Antarctic Survey which they can use when the RRS "Sir David Attenborough" makes an appearance later this month in the Thames before finally heading to Antarctica. 

I should also report that one of the many companies I've been working with over the past 18 months to obtain a commission took the idea to Discovery Plus. Although the original idea was not accepted, Discovery Plus did say they might be interested in. another "softer" Arctic story, having seen my footage. So the company pitched an alternative Arctic series called "Arctic From Above" looking at just wildlife and climate change. The senior producer at the company freely admitted to me that he wouldn't have obtained that commission if it had not been for the "Melting Ice - Cold War" proposal. So I had hoped Wildcat Films might have received some sort of commission payment as the budget for "Arctic From Above" is considerable. The producer has on occasions mentioned a "thank you" fee, but several months later nothing has materialised and he is not returning my calls.

I mentioned this as an illustration of how hard it is for a small company like Wildcat to make headway in a system now dominated by big players driven by their parent companies and not any desire to disseminate new stories and journalism. 

Finally I am headed back to the other pole in a couple of weeks to film penguins so whatever transpires from the current pitches to broadcasters, I won't be able to post the news until I return at the end of December.

Thanks as ever for your past support which has enabled me to keep the idea alive (against all the odds!).

David