Bang for your Buck - The movie

And the winner is...

2011-02-23T02:36:00.000+01:00

That's it! votes are closed and the Shooting Poverty competition has its first winner: BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!!!

You can read the communiqué from the Shooting Poverty website and an "exclusive" interview here.

So that's one thing, and a big one! But the journey is not over yet!
We'll keep posting about the movie, which entered a couple of festivals and we'll let you know about our future projects. Stay tuned!

Bozeman Chronicle Article

2011-02-12T16:43:00.002+01:00

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Click the Share button to see the bozeman chronicle article on the film, film makers, and the competition.

Bang!

2011-01-20T11:49:00.008+01:00

Bang For Your Buck from ShootingPoverty on Vimeo.

So Bang for your buck is now translated in four languages and has been viewed in more than 68 countries around the world. We're coming to the last leg of the competition while just beginning the festival circuit. If you haven't yet voted for the film, you can vote until February 15th at:

http://shootingpoverty.org/

So far the film has been entered in: Seattle, Boston, TriBeCa, South by Southwest, HotDocs, and Sheffield. And we're a finalist in the Africa World Documentary Film Festival. So things are moving forward and so far we're happy with the direction. On the 31st of January if you're hanging around London and have nothing big going on... why not check out the three films and have a good q and a followed by some pints at the frontline club. You can book here if you're up for it:

http://frontlineclub.com/

You just scroll down to the "shooting poverty" event. If you can make it... I'd love to see you there and shake your hand to thank you personally for your support.

A DOCUMENTARY ON OUR DOCUMENTARY

2010-12-15T14:44:00.005+01:00

As my good friend Adam forbes says, "documentary on documentary tastic!"

Check out the documentary on us "the Burundi team" the brazilian team, and the East Indian team, and what it was like to "film violence." It sort of makes you want to watch the videos. I'd like to thank Daniel for putting this together. Great work.

Filming Violence (Full Documentary, 14 minutes) from HELO Magazine on Vimeo.

VOTE OF DIE!

2010-10-31T06:07:00.005+01:00

It's not actually that serious but, "c'est grave". We are in the final lap "Bangers". We are currently leading the charge but that can change in an instant. We put all of your names in the credits of the film because you are faithful "Bang" followers, or as we like to call "Bangers". And we're super happy that you have joined us on this mission. The latest news is that you can vote once a week. Which is quite a bit more voting then we're used too, even during intense election years. Also for everyone who is worried that voting scenarios are always rigged... we're quite sure that this vote isn't rigged, so give it a shot. Here's the link where you can vote:

http://www.shootingpoverty.org/

We just finished screening the film at the UN, DCTV, a school in Brooklyn, and last but not least Tribeca. Now we're promoting the film in an effort to let the world know that these weapons need to be regulated. Now that the film has been inaugurated in New York, we'll now work to get it seen around the world. We'd love it if you shared your story of how you've been impacted by armed violence. You can share it on the "shooting poverty" website and that story will circulate in tandem with the films in an effort to pass the Arms Trade Treaty. I'd love it if you all shared your stories, and I'll even share mine if you share yours. Brice doesn't have any armed violence stories because of his posh and safe lifestyle. But the rest of us may have some stories and this would be the time to share them if you want to have an impact on regulating arms trade... how often does this sort of opportunity present itself. So come on team, let's vote and share.

Join the fight to regulate weapons by sharing your story.

2010-10-31T05:49:00.002+01:00

This week, Oxfam International premiered its latest advocacy effort for arms control and violence prevention with a unique new project called ShootingPoverty.org.

The project allows you - yes, you! - to send in your videos and links to form part of the movement to curb violence globally.

What? How? One wonders whether only those with funds, nice cameras and training will be able to contribute. But filmmaking is getting easier every year with community centers, libraries and universities sharing their tools, and the project really is open and accessible to almost anyone.

You can be anywhere from 7 to 157 years old, computer illiterate or living in a rural area, but if you have a good point to make which persuades a few people at the local college or library with access a simple camera, you can contribute to the movement. If not, then hey, just enjoy the films on the website and tell friends about it and what it means for preventing violence.

To kick off the Shooting Poverty project this year, Oxfam called for youth around the world to submit documentary film proposals, selected the top three, and then had a producer fly out to meet them with funds and equipment to make the short films.

Last night Oxfam premiered the winning films at the Tribeca Cinema. Under the guidance of Executive Producer Oistein Thorsen and Producer Lucas Gath (Sins of My Father), the films included: Grosso Calibre, a film on illegal funk written about violence in Brazilian favelas by Guilherme Arruda and Ludmila Curi, journalists from Rio de Janeiro; Bang for Your Buck, about the plague of grenade killings in Burundi by Seth Chase, a media producer, and Brice Blondel, a UN political affairs guru; and April 6th, about how battles between Indian security forces and rebels have led to many families losing breadwinners to assassination, by Chandam Netraj.

In the former film, Grosso Calibre, we meet MC Smith, a Brazilian funk performer who's attitude simply does not quit. Rapping about how drug dealers ignite fights with the police, who then over-retaliate by laying siege to entire neighborhoods where the dealers are holding out, MC Smith performs on a line similar to that of American gangsta rappers who are simultaneously against gun violence and the hawks in the government, yet in contrast are outspoken champions of macho, tough-guy gun culture. Curi, a charismatic intellectual full of vitality who produces video journalism, and Arruda, a shy and thoughtful news editor, have already considered approaching other funk musicians in the favelas for a deeper feature version of their film.

Bang for Your Buck features Teddy Mazina, a Burundian human rights advocate and reporter who wakes up with a rifle next to his bed, combs out his hair and reports stories about how the after-effects of the civil war in the 1990s are still killing people.

For those readers who are interested in hearing more, HELO Magazine (where I work) was given exclusive behind-the-scenes with the filmmakers this week, the product of which will be added to ShootingPoverty.org and the DVD promo for the project.

To participate in Oxfam's latest anti-violence campaign, check out the site at ShootingPoverty.org. Then, bombard your congresspeople with links to the films. Encourage them to support the latest US and UN arms control efforts.

Photo: Daniel J Gerstle (Guilherme Arruda and Ludmila Curi in Brooklyn).

The FILMS preview

2010-09-22T11:18:00.000+02:00

A month ahead of the release, get a feel of what the three movies (India, Brazil and Burundi) will look like!

The Film Preview

2010-09-18T14:06:00.001+02:00

Shooting scenes

2010-08-24T14:24:00.004+02:00

Life on 1 grenade/day

2010-08-23T22:18:00.002+02:00

It is Monday morning. Burundi was ranked 3rd most exposed country by an international study on food insecurity published last week. But here like elsewhere*, poverty is not the only-child of the years of civil war; it goes hand in hand with rampant armed violence, which corrupts social relations and leaves little hope for development. Most reports on the country mention that a vast majority of Burundians live on less than a dollar a day; they could also say that the country lives on more than a grenade a day.

Last week I was not in the office as we traveled in the country to shoot interviews for the documentary. Today I am back to work and I am reading the news of the weekend to prepare for a morning meeting.

In three days three grenade attacks.

The first one was in Muyinga, at the border with Rwanda and Tanzania. A 36 year-old mother and her 6 month-old baby were killed by a grenade thrown through the window of their house. According to the report, because of a land dispute.

The second one happened in Rumonge, about 50km south of Bujumbura. This time, the grenade was thrown into the house of a family who had just been granted the property of its land by the commission in charge of arbitrating land disputes.

The third one in Gitega, right at the center of the country. Three young men, working as taxi-velo (bicycle taxis) were injured by the explosion. One of them will have a leg amputated.

As it happened we were in two of theses places (Rumonge and Gitega) last week to meet other victims and film their testimonies. Talking to these people for a few hours only allowed us to imagine the horror of their situation. In Gitega the person we interviewed was getting married when his brother threw a grenade right in the middle of the crowd. Seventeen kids and two adults died in the explosion. This story is not unique, and after this weekend only, testimonies like his could come from three more persons.

_________

*According to a study published on 19th August by Maplecroft, in collaboration with the World Food Programme, the ten countries with the highest risk of food crisis are: (1) Afganistan, (2) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (3) Burundi, (4) Eritrea, (5) Sudan, (6) Ethiopia, (7) Angola, (8) Liberia, (9) Chad and (10) Zimbabwe.

STEP 3: Re-writing whilst shooting!

2010-08-23T21:02:00.003+02:00

Is a script ever final, when it's a documentary script? I don't know really, it's the first time I've tried to write a script for a documentary, then shoot that script verbatim. As you know... there are talking head interviews, and we don't really know what they(the interviewers) will say. So sometimes the story must adjust to content. We are in the middle of learning this dance. And I think we're at worst fumbling along... at best, performing "triple sow cows" with occasional wipe outs(don't know if that's a real move). So the third version is written, as well as a 4th idea that's being developed. It's a journey and we hope the destination is worth the travel. As Brice as cleverly photo journaled below, we have shot two news casts thus far, in addition to 4 interviews, as well as a "weapons destruction sequence." We've met with judges, prison directors, a myriad of experts. But what does it all mean, how will it all go together. That's what we're hoping to discover. Moreover, we're hoping to stay sane in the process. Teddy is winning the sanity aspect of the process so far, followed by Brice, and I'm in last place just out pacing the psych ward.

STEP 2: Shooting it!

2010-08-23T21:00:00.002+02:00

STEP 1: Re-writing the script...

2010-08-23T20:55:00.002+02:00

After hearing that we were finalists in the "shooting poverty" film competition, the first thing we knew we needed to do was, revisit the script. I thought it needed some changes, as did Brice. The producer, Lucas Gath offered some valuable input, and it wasn't long before we decided to take a weekend off, and re-write the script entirely, though saving a few key elements/themes that we thought were sound. Brice ended up researching, then reading, then condensing all the material that has been written on the topic of small arms and light weapons in Burundi. We spent a week meeting with Government, United Nations, NGO's, and other experts who shared their input with us on the "small arms disease." Then like Doctor Dre, I got my pen and my pad, and and I hit the lab. Brice and I shut ourselves off to the world for two days. It was a profitable two days. We also improved our skills at the game "doodle jump" for Iphone/Itouch. But after the two days were over, we emerged with way too much information on small arms, along with a second draft of the script, in addition to some pretty savvy high scores on "doodle jump" which we later posted to our facebook profiles. A few days later I met with Teddy, and showed him the second version of the script. He would have a bigger roll to play in the second version, and I wanted to know if he'd sign off on the new direction/material. No problem, by the end of happy hour at a local restaurant next to his house... he was on board. He added some dialog to the second draft, and now I'm back in the lab, half way through writing the third draft of the script. Like anything you've written, you start second guessing everything a few days after you finish whatever it is you're writing. It's so hard to be completely satisfied with your work, and such is the case with this film. I'm getting there, I'm happy with a lot of it... but it still needs work.