FRENCH SHORT DOCUMENTARY ON OFF THE GRID LIF

[Nick Rosen]

Hey guys,

I am a French TV journalist working for a social/societal program (L’Effet Papillon meaning The Butterfly Effect in French, we tend to focus on how a group actions can impact or inspire a bigger community or a society).
For the purpose of a 15 to 20 minutes feature about people living off the grid – as some people and media says in this country  –  I am looking for an individual, a couple, a family with children or several members of a community that we could meet and stay with for a few days anywhere in the States.

The reason why I am interested in this project is because France, like many other countries is now reaching a point where some people are/need to reinvente their way of living, out of a mould, away from certains rules we choose to follow before.
We have a growing community of people living in self-sufficent communities in France but not so many folks trying to live off the grid on their own, into the wild. Our idea, sponsored by my editors, was to give a inside view of what it can be – thanks to a few stories of folks in the US –  to really step aside from the (sub)urban society and live off the power grid, without connection to direct water, away from electric hardwares, from school and office work too maybe.
Most of all what we are hoping for is to talk and interview the people (you !) that are embracing a different way of life : when did you decide to do so? why (for religious, environemental, economical, education purposes) ? Maybe there’s no particular reasons too.  What was the challenge then when you decide to leave the other life behind, if you did and what are the challenges of your everyday life now? What did you or still do learn from it? What are you hoping or looking for if you are? What is your vision of our society today? and of tomorrow’s world obviously…

If you rely on primitives or minimum skills to eat, heat, drink, cook, take shelter, dress and find/harvest or grow your food, we hoped to learn a little from you if you are willing to share. These are the things we would like to film (following you in the wild, or from a dumpster to another if that’s how you get your food, seeing how you light a fire, how you cook, heat, teach classes to your kids if they are homeschooled, how you tide a hide if you know how to do so, how you spend your spare time too if you have some… Life in the end but your way.

We are eager to learn, to think abour our action and how your experience can inspire us.

I usually work with a very nice camera girl named Charlotte, who has been living for three years in India in a sometimes very tough environments. We are cooled tempered girls, easy going, hoping you’d accept our tiny camera (no big equipment at all) and our enthusiasm for a couple of days to be with you in your homstead or follow your car/house on the road with our rental car if there’s no space for us in yours!

The dates of the shooting would be as soon as possible. I would appreciate to talk to you on the phone or to email you before if you can reach me so we are not complte strangers when we meet. I live in NYC, in Broolyn.

Humbly hoping you’ll be willing to share a bit of your story and experience with us so our modest work can at least inform, give ideas or maybe even inspire or bring a reflexion (even a tiny one) to our French folks watching the program. And obvisouly to Charlotte and I too since we are very much interested in what you do.

Looking forward to talk with you, please email me and I’ll call back if you want to know more about us.
We wish to learn from you !
Best wishes for 2013,

Jennifer
347 781 6332
jenluby1AThotmail.com or lubyjenniferATgmail.com

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