Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Food Sovereignty Documentary

Producer Proposal

4K video quality

Exceptional interview, b-roll and drone footage

Innovative

Multiple videos

Overview

The goal of this proposal is to create an engaging documentary/series highlighting the innovative food security initiatives in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The film will speak internally to beneficiaries and externally to the wider world. The groundbreaking work of the Inuvialuit in this area is a compelling story that combines traditional knowledge & practice, sovereignty and advocacy. A profile of a foundational aspect of territorial health will be timely and powerful. This multi-language production (Inuvialuktun and English) may also serve as a programming foundation for a series of subsequent documentaries examining each part of the food security initiative (husbandry, gardening, harvesting, processing, distribution, food preparation).

For the moment, the focus is on the initial anchor production, a ~30-minute documentary. What follows includes an initial cost and a high-level critical path to grow this project to release.

I introduce myself near the end and throughout you will find samples of videos I have shot, edited, scripted and produced as well as articles I have written. 

approach

Article on the world’s
largest caribou herd

There are three broad stages to bringing this film to life. Within each are countless specifications and details, many of which are context dependent and often reveal themselves only once the project is underway. The focus of this initial proposal is on the primary building blocks required to create a video. At present it is impossible to offer a costing for this project apart from an estimate for the initial visits and discussions in Inuvik. Those meetings will yield the information needed to build the global budget.

Part 1: Development

Pre-production notes

Relationship is key. Pre-interviews are vital for script development and story boarding. Relationship building prior to putting a camera in front of someone yields a better result. Seeing the shooting challenges on the ground will inform gear preparation. Distilling key messages, script writing and strategy flows from a thorough knowledge of the project’s challenges, successes and wider implications.

This begins with visits to Inuvik and possibly ISR communities for the purposes of:

  • meeting key IRC and ICEDO people
  • strategy discussions
  • meeting local production people to determine capacity and explore partnership options
  • location scouting – Inuvik, ICEDO facilities, offices, reindeer herd
  • pre-interviews
  • story board discussions
  • distribution and format discussions
  • shoot b-roll as opportunities present themselves (calving, June distribution, harvesting and some cookbook tour video); ideally this will be done by local partners augmented with supplemental shooting by Bramwell. If local input is not available, Bram will be the primary videographer.
  • current thinking is that there will be two pre-production trips (April/May and June) to capitalize on specific opportunities

Part 2 of pre-production is remote work for:

  • story board preparation and sign-off
  • gear acquisition and training
  • logistics – scheduling, booking
  • budgeting

Part 2: Production

Canadian Living article

This is the shooting and interviewing stage and will likely happen during several different production windows. Scheduling depends on harvest timetables, distribution opportunities and local production availability. This is the most intense stage of the project and few specifics will be available until after the initial meetings in the development stage.

It is anticipated that all video will be gathered (and edited) in 4K. Quality lighting and exceptional audio are baseline expectations. The use of drone footage will add drama to the film as will evocative music.

Production notes

This stage is the one in which the unexpected can frequently make an appearance. Weather, scheduling issues, gear breakdowns and serendipity can all contribute to both opportunities and delays.

Part 3: Post-production

Once the media (video, photos, audio, music, graphics) have been gathered, this stage sees the scripting and editing process bring the film to life. There will be a mix of in-person and remote production which will result in a captivating film ready for broadcast, distribution via social media and other channels.

As the video comes together rough cuts will be provided to IRC for input and changes. Before final rendering, sign-off will be required.

Post-production notes

Remote collaboration is possible at this stage of production however it is dependent on bandwidth and capacity. The editing and mastering may begin locally and then be sent elsewhere for final polishing.

Cost Estimates

Corporate Work | Portfolio Samples

The budget estimates to the right are sparse because many aspects of this assignment have yet to be sketched in detail. After the initial pre-production visits to Inuvik a global project budget will be created.

Part 1:

Two trips to Inuvik
Travel: ~$2,000 x 2 = $4,000
Misc expenses: $1,000
Producer: $7,000

Total: $12,000

— — —

Part 2:
Local production costs: $TBD
Producer: $TBD
Travel & expenses: $TBD

Total: $TBD

— — —

Part 3:
Travel: $TBD
Local production costs: $TBD
Producer: $TBD
External shooting, editing, mastering and graphics: $TBD
Distribution: $TBD

Total: $TBD

Producer profile: Bramwell Ryan

 

I have been a content creator throughout my career. Starting as a writer/journalist then moved in to broadcast media and eventually to online production. Along the way I was a newspaper publisher, magazine editor, television reporter, freelance journalist and filmmaker. I have started several communication agencies where we worked on a vast range of collateral.

In video and film production I have been a producer, shooter, editor and script writer. Many videos I have created were produced in less than ideal circumstances and I have long experience delivering regardless of conditions.

Perhaps most critical for this project, I have a knack for managing creatives –  choreographing the dance of ego, skill and inspiration to deliver excellence on deadline. A recent producing credit is a five part animated video series my dispersed team created for a national client. For this complex assignment I led twelve people in delighting our client with a tool that is used daily across the country.

I have had the privilege of working in the north, researching and writing a major article on the George River caribou herd in Nunavik. I produced two stories for national magazines in Nunavut and created video and audio packages on Ellesmere Island (I was the first journalist to visit CFB Alert) and Greenland.

I would welcome the opportunity to bring my producing skills to this important project. The self-sufficiency, innovation informed by tradition and collaborative solution finding embedded in your food security initiatives demand excellence and passion in the telling of the story.

My resume is available here. I can be found on LinkedIn. Samples of my work are available elsewhere on this website, on bramwellryan.com (my personal site) and dispatches.ca (my journalism site).

Bramwell Ryan | mail@bramwellryan.com | 204-298-4932