Project Pawprint

[Vikaryous]

All I'm saying is that this needs to be done carefully. Careful that it's done objectively and educationally, not in a cheesy/dangerous light like how the History channel and Animal Planet have portrayed us in the past. It's a great idea for the community itself to take on, we just need to be cautious, that's all.

I think it's safe to assume that if the community is taking this project upon itself, the portrayal will be pretty spot-on. What would be the purpose of giving ourselves bad press?

I can see your point on personal exposure though. I've told three people, and I'm not planning on telling anyone else. I would contribute on the process on developing the film, or advertising it, or whatever, but I am not terribly interested in being a part of it, except for maybe a voice clip or something similar

[terrorwolf]

Careful is my middle name (Well... not really)
I present to you questions to ask yourself before you even remotely think about doing this:

What background/training do you have in documentary film making?
What slant are you persuing here? Spiritual, psychological, etc.?
Are you prepared to invest serious money into this project or look for investors?
How is the documentary going to flow? Chronlogically, thought-wise, etc.
Are you prepared to deal with differing view points? If so, HOW will you handle them?
Are you prepared to retain legal counsel for the purposes of contracts, licensing, copyrights, etc.?
Are you prepared to devote major amounts of time, frustration, and pain/suffering/emotions into this?
Do you plan on shopping this out to networks? Small-time production companies?

Basically these questions are presented to get the OPs feel to how serious they will be with this. To do this right, one really needs to be quite serious. Most of these questions are QUITE important for an online thing and something done on video.

~TW

[Kyte]

What background/training do you have in documentary film making?Yes...that was my college career. So does all my crew.
What slant are you persuing here? Spiritual, psychological, etc.? I am looking to explain spiritual, mental, and physical sides.
Are you prepared to invest serious money into this project or look for investors? I am looking for investors and grants. You don;t have to have $20,000 to make something look good if you have the know how and equipment.
How is the documentary going to flow? Chronlogically, thought-wise, etc. Thoughtwise. I'm working on a time-line now.
Are you prepared to deal with differing view points? If so, HOW will you handle them?That is still up in the air. It will have to be dealt with because no one person sees the exact same thing.
Are you prepared to retain legal counsel for the purposes of contracts, licensing, copyrights, etc.?I have alot of the paperwork already worked out and in the process of a business license. Depending on how it is shown and supplied to the public would decide on the paperwork needed.
Are you prepared to devote major amounts of time, frustration, and pain/suffering/emotions into this?I am used to it. I'm working on a TV show as of now, so it won't be much different.
Do you plan on shopping this out to networks? Small-time production companies?I already have contacts with local networks, such as PBS, and I own a small time production company, and have people for every part of the process.

[terrorwolf]

You definitely have yourself an impressive CV there
Best of luck. (Which PBS affiliate may I ask?)

[Kyte]

I work with Ghost Hunters (NOT TAPS!) and have contact through them. PBS is desperate for new material and will take just about anything right now. I am working on a show about Myths, Legends, and the Unknown.
I wasn't going to try and take on the project, especially something like this if I didn't think I could pull it off.

[SouthPaw]

Who is the audience for this project?

Knowing that will dictate what the goals should be and what bullet points need to be hit in the documentary. If your hope is to create something that transcends the previous crap documentaries produced for mainstream tv, then you're going to have to make some decisions about how to get through to that audience.

If you want to explain therianthropy properly to mainstreamers and convince them that being a Therian and being insane is not mutually inclusive ( which sounds like the intention ), then you're going to have to present visual evidence, in addition to any factual data. They will need to see proof of sanity in Therians. Individuals going about their daily routines, with their therianthropy imposing various degrees of influence on their lives.

You will have to show that Therians have the same gripes and pressures as anyone else. You will have to show that they also deal with the same relationship issues with friends and family. They pay the same bills and taxes every year, they vote, they get married, raise and nurtur kids, and get divorced like everyone else. They have personal hang ups and they have profound accomplishments that may or may not benefit society.

They have a strong sense of community both online and offline. Depending on the situation, their therianthropy can be either a benefit or a crutch in their lifestyle.

Ideally you should pick interview subjects who demonstrate a range of character in the social spectrum - highschool, college, blue collar, white collar, different income levels. I think your biggest hurdle won't be production itself, so much as getting volunteers to expose themselves to the publicity...

----

On a side note, you might consider additional avenues of getting the message out that involve a combination of production and marketing. Youtube is already a great way for people to present their own voice. People are using the site now to speak out for and against therianthropy and Otherkin, but most cases are presented unprofessionally. Youtube might offer an inexpensive start at voicing some information.

Obviously, web forums are already being taken advantage of to spread information, but where is THE portal that mainstreamers can go to for a crash course in "Therianthropy and What It's About" whenever the urge suits them? A friendly, inviting, no-obligation site, specifically designed for the purpose of providing information to anyone who seeks it - not far removed from an encyclopedia. Where parents and their children, friends, family, and coworkers can point others to when a person's therianthropy is suspected or discovered. Where anyone can be formally educated with some objective courtesy.

Radio, podcasts, blogs, t-shirts, coffee mugs, novels, children's books, etc. Seriously. There are a lot of ways to market your message, but whatever you end up doing, make sure it all ties together. Post a link in your documentary film to a website, and plug the film on the site. Include links to youtube.

Build a strong, connected network of information that expands beyond the documentary, and make it very easy for mainstreamers to navigate through it. Consider appealing to and leaving an impression on youth today so they can establish a better understanding and respect for therianthropy in their years.

I'm rambling at this point, so I'll stop...

[Arawn]

If I was watching this from a non-therian standpoint [which for the most part I am], I would want a clarification on the various shifting methods. But I would want the clarification so I don't come off thinking therians are crazy folks.

The same goes if I'm watching this from a therian/otherkin stand-point.

[PhelanVelvel]

I would be happy to help out in any way I can, as I have previously stated. I would love to see something like this accomplished. If I were a non-therian, I would definitely want to have therianthropy explained to me in a clear and rational way, hear possible causes for it, as well as the ways in which different people experience it. Sort of the same attitude as when you explain it to a friend in real life and you do your best to seem the least insane that you possibly can, while remaining truthful...

If it's done properly, I think therianthropy could be seen, for many viewers, as an interesting area of scientific/spiritual study, rather than something invented by a bunch of crazies. And people love that shit. I think a big documentary on television would be badass. You could definitely show it online, too, so it would be good to have it in both places, I think.

[Kyte]

Very good points SouthPaw. I didn't think you were rambling.

[Agita]

Hell yeah. If anyone's going to release this kind of content, then surely it makes more sense for us to do it rather than mainstreamers to grab the nuttiest animal people they can find and end up saying, 'See, you've heard it from them, they are crazy!'

Rectifying, that is a good way to put it. Whatever you've seen on Animal Planet or whatever is flawed... here it is, the truth! Obviously no one is the almighty authority on therianthropy, but we can make a damned good effort at explaining it in a coherent way.

I would jump at the chance to give you an interview or whatever. I know I sound like an overexcited newbie-pup, but the material out there just doesn't satisfy me. I'd love there to be a program I can reference to help people understand and back myself up with.

If I was watchng as a therian I'd want it to be made absolutely clear that therians are not furries and therianthropy is more than liking an animal too much or whatever, but a deeply personal thing that is not a choice.

If I were watching as a non therian, I'd like to see the similarities and differences between therians and werewolves etc from both modern times and old literature.