Not going to do the VOA interview

After thinking about it a while I decided not to do the interview with VOA. The U.S. government has it's reasons for doing the broadcasts and I just don't want to get mixed up in anything political. Racing Heart is not trying to make a statement and since I can't control how the VOA uses my interview, I think it's better to just stay out of it.

I think that there are going to be more opportunities to get the word out about Racing Heart in that part of the world at a later time.

Contacts, Contacts, Contacts.

Well, I've spent the past few days lying on the couch ill. But that can't stop an independent filmmaker from moving forward!

I did a lot of searching for Laos media outlets and organizations, in order to get the word out that this documentary is in the works. I emailed a few, so hopefully that helps.

There are some 500,000 people in the United States that can trace their heritage back to Laos. That's much larger than I realized and I am sure a lot of them would be excited that two brothers from Laos are being featured in a documentary. You just don't see many Laotians in the media, especially film!

So I sent some emails in hopes of getting the word out. An independent film needs good contacts!

Voice of America Interview

The Voice of America Lao service wants to interview me and The Brothers about the documentary. They will air it on their daily 30 minute news program that they beam into Laos.

Now, I have to admit I'm a little iffy about this and I'll tell you why. As a documentary filmmaker it is important to me that my doc not cause problems for the subjects.

You see, The Brothers are citizens of Laos, and are welcome back there anytime right now.

I would hate for anything to get in the way of that. As true and honest documentarian I will not let Racing Heart be a political statement from the outset.

If Racing Heart makes a political statement it will do so on it's own accord and not because it was forced upon the story.

I won't speak for all citizens in my country, but I firmly believe that each country has a right to its own sovereign laws and culture.

It should be a cause for concern when the U.S. government tries to interfere with the sovereign rights of other nations and am not quite sure I agree with using a radio service to export American values.

I just want to let the world know about my film without stirring up any negative sentiment. I consider it not my business what type of government the Laos people have. It is their right to determine for themselves what that should be.

Storyboarding Under Way!

Well, I posted a huge white plastic board on a wall in the studio. I am going to write the scenes across the top and then list all of the audio/visual elements we will need for each scene on 3x5 cards.

I can use this as a tool to arrange the story. This should prove to be pretty useful during the editing phase.

This is a method that I learned from Barry Hampe's book Making Documentary Films and Videos, which is a great resource for any of you interested in learning about making documentaries.

Craigslist Ad Worked!

I put and ad on craigslist.org in hopes of finding some hidden talent here in the Midwest. Well, it worked!

We now have a great roster of people who wish to work on the doc with us. I set up a Google Document to share with everyone on the team the schedule and the roster with everyone's contact information.

I just want to thank everyone for your support. It is because of you that this documentary is going to have the extra professional touch it needs to get some attention when it comes out.

The Racing Heart Production Journal

Well, this is it! We are well underway to having a great year. This is THE place for the latest news on the documentary Racing Heart, now being filmed.

I am the director, Chris Williamson, and this will be my journal as I work to complete my first feature-length documentary. I hope it's a good read and you enjoy following me on this interesting journey.