Project research

Research.

Different aspects of this project require a lot of research to ensure that we are portraying events accurately, even if they are fictional.

Content

We carried out research into the content, particularly revolving around Martin's arrest to ensure that we got our facts straight about that process.
We were able to use these documents that detail the law about drink driving:

This document from the sentencing council details the kind of sentence that an offender can expect. For Martin's crime of causing death by driving under the influence of drink, the maximum sentence is 14 years. For Martin, we decided that his sentence would be 5 years with the same in rehabilitation, a ban from driving, and community sentence (this can include things such as cleaning graffiti and cleaning streets, among other services).
We decided on this because it was in line with this document, but also made sense with the age of Rob. We wanted him to be around the age of 16 and then for him to be 21 when Martin exits prison, this represents a very key period in Rob's life.
We also got in contact with the Prison Reform Trust. They were able to advise us on the process that the family also have to go through when a family member goes to prison. This helped us to understand what Rob must have gone through in the past and helps us to know how he would be feeling towards the situation.

Location

When it came to deciding on our main location, we carried out multiple location recces to know we were choosing the right place. We also contacted a few halls for the AA meeting scene, however struggled to find a place that had availability. We decided we would look into halls in Medway and shoot those scenes at a later date.
When we were on our location recce, we also found a pub that would be perfect for the pub location. We asked them in person and I then got in contact via their website, where I discussed the shoot with a member of Shepherd Neame. They were happy for us to go ahead and we now just have to work with the owner of the pub to arrange this.

Platform

We also needed to decide on the platform of our show. We decided early on to go for Channel 4's Random Acts, that gives a platform to independent filmmakers. Their brief for producers outlines that the films should 'push boundaries and provoke thought' which is certainly something that I want to achieve with High Tide, including a topical subject such as alcoholism and manslaughter, but focusing in on the familial aspects and the ripple effect that these events have.

Comments

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