• Although we've spent most of our time interviewing people at the conference, we felt that the real action was at a parallel gathering of over 130 grassroots organizations from all corners of the world.

    They were working together because they knew that no matter what diplomats agree on in Paris, the policies necessary to avert catastrophic, runaway global warming will only be implemented if civil society forces change.

    In this alternative global assembly, we've seen activists from Hong-Kong through Lagos to Brooklyn forming alliances, sharing best practices and discussing the science, ethics, and strategy of the actions they needed to take.

    People coming from the frontlines of climate change, from the Arctic to the island nations of the Pacific, have carried a sense of urgency with them that proved to be contagious—just like their excitement and eagerness to share their experiences and plans with a community that understood their struggle and was ready to take action.




    We've been filming throughout the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris for clients that spanned the globe, from the Australian Conservation Foundation to the State of New York.
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    Background
    Background
    We've been filming throughout the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris for clients that spanned the globe, from the Australian Conservation Foundation to the State of New York.

    Although we've spent most of our time interviewing people at the conference, we felt that the real action was at a parallel gathering of over 130 grassroots organizations from all corners of the world.

    They were working together because they knew that no matter what diplomats agree on in Paris, the policies necessary to avert catastrophic, runaway global warming will only be implemented if civil society forces change.
    In this alternative global assembly, we've seen activists from Hong-Kong through Lagos to Brooklyn forming alliances, sharing best practices and discussing the science, ethics, and strategy of the actions they needed to take.

    People coming from the frontlines of climate change, from the Arctic to the island nations of the Pacific, have carried a sense of urgency with them that proved to be contagious—just like their excitement and eagerness to share their experiences and plans with a community that understood their struggle and was ready to take action.
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  • They didn't shape the way the movement thought about itself. They didn't build a genuine identity that climate activists could embrace, and that could strengthen cohesion among their varied groups. We believed that the Paris conference was a great opportunity to start doing that work.

    We wanted to show the world, but most of all activists themselves, that the catastrophe they're fighting to avert should not define them. They're about much more.

    They're a community bursting with passion, humour, creativity, life. We wanted to hold up an image that was true to them, and that they could draw energy from in the days ahead.

    Because of the recent, tragic terror attacks, there was a state of emergency in effect in France, which prohibited mass gatherings in public spaces. Despite this, activists were preparing for a massive march through the middle of Paris on December 12th, at the closing of the conference. We knew that this was our chance to give back to the movement—to create a gift in the form of a video that captures their imagination and élan.




    We felt that existing videos of the climate movement were usually formulaic, predictable affairs that haven't reflected the personalities, experiences, and imagination of the people who were contributing to it.
    Challenge
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    Challenge
    We felt that existing videos of the climate movement were usually formulaic, predictable affairs that haven't reflected the personalities, experiences, and imagination of the people who were contributing to it.

    They didn't shape the way the movement thought about itself. They didn't build a genuine identity that climate activists could embrace, and that could strengthen cohesion among their varied groups. We believed that the Paris conference was a great opportunity to start doing that work.

    We wanted to show the world, but most of all activists themselves, that the catastrophe they're fighting to avert should not define them. They're about much more.
    They're a community bursting with passion, humour, creativity, life. We wanted to hold up an image that was true to them, and that they could draw energy from in the days ahead.

    Because of the recent, tragic terror attacks, there was a state of emergency in effect in France, which prohibited mass gatherings in public spaces. Despite this, activists were preparing for a massive march through the middle of Paris on December 12th, at the closing of the conference. We knew that this was our chance to give back to the movement—to create a gift in the form of a video that captures their imagination and élan.
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  • D12: RED LINES
    A Memento for the Movement





    Bikers circling the Arc Du'Triomphe following a megaphone the size of a truck, blasting romantic French disco hits, clowns running through the crowd, animating people with pantomime... Marching bands on the right, tribal drummers on the left, diplomats and anarchists rolling giant inflatable cubes overhead—and at the front, all of it led by a series of cathartic theatre performances.

    We were constantly on the move, exploring faces, actions, and sounds, timing our paths to the major pre-planned events that the organizers had let us know about, while keeping a finger on the pulse of the crowd, feeling out where the next random outburst of fun was about to take place.

    The unusual shoot was complemented by unconventional editing. We realized that a single music track couldn't do justice to the diversity we'd been witnessing, and decided to assemble the soundscape from the myriad songs, instruments and noises that we had recorded on the scene. Turning the standard process around, we built the arc of the story from sound and let it dictate the sights.




    The march was, in essence, a collection of a thousand micro-events, each with their own tunes, dances, costumes, and signs—everything happening in parallel, stretching kilometres down the wide boulevards of the capital.
    Our Answers
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    Our Answers
    The march was, in essence, a collection of a thousand micro-events, each with their own tunes, dances, costumes, and signs—everything happening in parallel, stretching kilometres down the wide boulevards of the capital.

    Bikers circling the Arc Du'Triomphe following a megaphone the size of a truck, blasting romantic French disco hits, clowns running through the crowd, animating people with pantomime... Marching bands on the right, tribal drummers on the left, diplomats and anarchists rolling giant inflatable cubes overhead—and at the front, all of it led by a series of cathartic theatre performances.
    We were constantly on the move, exploring faces, actions, and sounds, timing our paths to the major pre-planned events that the organizers had let us know about, while keeping a finger on the pulse of the crowd, feeling out where the next random outburst of fun was about to take place.

    The unusual shoot was complemented by unconventional editing. We realized that a single music track couldn't do justice to the diversity we'd been witnessing, and decided to assemble the soundscape from the myriad songs and sounds that we had recorded on the scene. Turning the normal process around, we built the arc of the story from the audio and let it dictate the sights.
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  • D12: RED LINES
    A Memento for the Movement





    ...more than that, to see their philosophy of "d'avancer dans la joie" reflected on screen—the ethos of "moving forward with joy," taking action for a better world while creating that better world among us. Lead organizers said goodbye to us with the following words... "The best video of the demonstration I've seen—captures the mood, the energy, the solemnity, the joy, the imagery, the messaging and the amazing inflatable cobblestones. 'This is the energy that makes another world possible...' Brought a little tear to my eye!" - Kara Mara "It’s really beautiful. Gave me goosebumps, which is always the sign of good aesthetics and politics. Organising D12 was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done given the circumstances, and when I see such videos it makes it all worth it — thank you." - John Jordan





    Our approach resonated strongly with the people who had taken part. Many of them expressed how happy they felt to see the energy of the movement from an outside perspective, more than that, to...
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    Reception
    Reception
    Our approach resonated strongly with the people who had taken part.

    Many of them expressed how happy they felt to see the energy of the movement from an outside perspective, more than that, to see their philosophy of "d'avancer dans la joie" reflected on screen—the ethos of "moving forward with joy," taking action for a better world while creating that better world among us. Lead organizers said goodbye to us with the following words...
    "The best video of the demonstration I've seen—captures the mood, the energy, the solemnity, the joy, the imagery, the messaging and the amazing inflatable cobblestones. 'This is the energy that makes another world possible...' Brought a little tear to my eye!" - Kara Mara

    "It’s really beautiful. Gave me goosebumps, which is always the sign of good aesthetics and politics. Organising D12 was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done given the circumstances, and when I see such videos it makes it all worth it — thank you." - John Jordan
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