Mamie's Dream Plan International - Mary Matheson

Mamie’s DreamPlan International

Mary Matheson

Producer/Director

• Journalist – Colombia & Venezuela

• 15 years of NGO film-making specializing in tough environments (eg Pakistan, Haiti, Sierra Leone)

• Innovative & creative ways of story-telling

• Animation & live-action

International child rights charity

Focus on girls’ rights

62 million girls out of school

Because I Am a Girl campaign

Brief – VR Film• Gala dinner and beyond• Walk in my shoes• Real story/real experience• Girls are not victims• Empowering positive image• Tone NOT please help me

MORE LIKE don’t stop me

Sierra Leone - remote, poor, civil war, ebola73% of girls don’t finish their education12% of teachers are womenPlan sets up Learning Assistants programme500 young womenSkills to enter Teacher Training college

The Crew• 3 Surround Vision – sound &

producers • 1 Drone operator from Sky Edge

360• 1 Plan International UK• 2 teams working at the same time • 6 day shoot

1. Find our character• 8 young women 18-23 years• Compelling stories – early

marriage, FGM, displaced war, ebola – all reasons they dropped out of school

• Content must drive the maximum emotional impact, but keep the experience documentary-style

• So minimal edits to keep the content true to real-life

Mamie

23 years old

Refuses FGM, rejected by her family & community

2. Interview & script-writing• On camera interview to

get full story• Paper edit• Work with Mamie on edit• Important – real story, real

words• Record the VO in a pokey

bedroom, 35 degrees, with blankets on the window. Beware of bleating goats.

3. Planning shots• Pre-planning difficult – don’t

know location or story• No black and white – always

complex• POV, buddy, or fly on the wall?• Talking to the camera or VO?• Sequencing out, or is it?• Dynamic shots – Surround Vision

4. A few examplesOpening shot

Moving Shots• Zip wire & fishing reel with

timer• Clear the area, playground shot

midday heat, kids in school, crazy idea

Time-lapseMamie alone

Drone Shots DJI Drone

Golden Nuggets• Bring a headset• Preparation & workflow

are king• Stitch at the end of the

day• Back up cameras – climate

works against you• Crowd control – bring a

clown or a stills camera

Plan International Gala Dinner• 200 guests• 3 volunteers to a table• Google cardboard &

earbuds• In the room• Picturehouse Central,

Difid events etc• High conversion rate to

join the girls’ campaign

[email protected]@Mary_Matheson1

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Mamie’s Dream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnDyI4kN2zU