Stillmotion Video: Storytelling with Heart
Stillmotion Video - "When Less Gear is More. A Case Study in Namibia"
Filmmaker's Statement:
"It all started with a phone call. A one hour-long call with a man I’d never met and a story none of us will ever forget.
24 hours later, in a van packed with gear and too many crew members, we arrived in Northern California from Portland. We were exhausted but excited to hear more about this 9-year-old girl who had started a lemonade stand with the goal of freeing 500 children from the grips of slavery.
As amazing as Vivienne Harr’s story sounded, we couldn’t wrap our heads around the idea that children could actually be enslaved somewhere in the world today.
Wasn’t slavery abolished a long time ago?
Nine years ago, in a dorm room in Toronto, Canada, we started our journey as filmmakers with the single goal of telling stories that truly mattered.
We had always wanted to make a documentary that would make a difference, and in those first few moments with Vivienne and her family, something inside us screamed that this was going to be a defining moment.
After spending that day with Vivienne, still a bit unclear about how this would all come together, our entire Stillmotion team joined hands and began fulfilling a dream that began nearly a decade earlier.
As our first day with Vivienne came to a close, we realized that she’s so much more than a cute little girl in a ruffled, pink outfit. Although she could be playing with her little brother Turner at one moment, she could effortlessly transition into an in-depth discussion about child slavery in the next. Her compassion for children half way around the world was genuine and moving, and her understanding of the issue far exceeded ours.
With Vivienne as our inspiration, we learned about a world of exploitation and deception, but also one of hope and action.
Through our journey, we met so many extraordinary people who, like Viv, had devoted their lives to the eradication of an evil so many of us never even knew existed: Lisa Kristine, acclaimed humanitarian photographer, travels the world documenting the front lines of slavery to bring awareness to the issue. Paul Rice shows us how poverty is intimately tied to the issue of slavery and introduces us to the power we each have to cast votes with every dollar we spend when we shop. Maurice Middleberg, Executive Director of Free The Slaves, educates villages and communities around the world how they can protect themselves from the chains of forced labor.
But for us, talking about people who had been victimized wasn’t enough. We needed to talk WITH them.
And so, we continued on our journey. Many vaccinations and flights segments later, we found ourselves talking with currently enslaved children in Ghana, slaves who had been rescued in Nepal, farming communities with sustainable practices in the Dominican Republic, and the noble people of the Himba tribe in Namibia.
We came home changed forever.
We created this film because we believe that this story can really make an impact.
It’s a story that enlightens, yes, but it also inspires action. And even small actions can make a big difference when we come together.
As a team, we have devoted the last 8 months to bringing this story to life. Now it’s your turn to join us.
We are taking this film on the road, to 30 cities across North America, where our team will be at each and every premiere, in the hopes that you will become part of our journey.
We’re a small collection of curious, loud, trouble-making Souls who believe that powerful stories can change the world."
Videos about "The Making of" #standwithme
