Documentary

From the outset of this project it became apparent that there were two alternative approaches which could be used to tell the story of John Brown and Zion Oil.

We could make an open ended documentary in a “fly on the wall” style or we could make a feature length drama in which we would re-create the story so far and dramatise the events which are yet to unfold.

However, deciding which film to shoot was giving me sleepless nights as I could see the myriad merits in both. It wasn’t until my first visit to Israel and my wonderful meeting with John Brown that I realised that not only could we make both, but in a sense we must make both to bring this story to the widest audience possible.

In “A Question of Faith”, it is our intention to make a one Hour documentary chronicling the journey of John Brown and Zion Oil from the start of the momentous journey some thirty years ago right through to the present day.

As in the trailer, the film will not rely heavily on masses of archive footage, which can make for a somewhat piecemeal film, but on a gripping narrative delivered by means of a collection of interview pieces to camera and of candid footage. In this way we will produce a film that departs from the tried and tested format using a mixture of archive, rostrum shots and new images against the backdrop of a voiceover. We intent to make a vibrant and visually exciting film which explains this complex and compelling tale in the simplest way possible. It will be told by those who are involved.

When we came to Israel to shoot the trailer back in November 2009, my Camera Operator Jim asked me about my script for the piece. I had to tell him that I didn’t have one, all I had in fact was a list of three questions which I intended to ask everyone. Jim was a little unsure about this approach, it is a bit unorthodox, but I asked him to bear with me. After all I had the ace up my sleeve that I had met these people before and I knew exactly what they were capable of achieving on camera.

My three questions were these: “Who are you?”, “How did you come to be involved in Zion Oil?” and “Will you find oil (based on faith or science)?” I had absolute faith that by using this simple framework we would ignite the passion that exists in each and every person that comes in contact with John Brown and Zion Oil. It turns out that I was right, each interviewee picks up the narrative and passes it seamlessly to the next and what was meant to be a shoot to get five to ten minutes, ended up yielding more than thirty minutes of useable and wonderful footage.

We are seeking a commission with one of the mainstream broadcasters who have a relevant strand that this film will fit into comfortably and thus reach a worldwide audience. We plan to commence shooting just as soon as we can in order that we don’t miss any of the momentous milestones that Zion Oil will inevitably pass in the weeks and months to come. If oil is discovered whilst we film then that will be fantastic, if not then I really don’t believe that this will detract from the piece.

Not only will this film be a wonderful stand alone piece of work crafted by Charter Films and award winning film maker Jim Owen (Sundance 2010), but it will be a focal point for all who are interested in the movie “49:1 – The Zion Story”. It is inevitable that we will realise finance and a release platform for this in advance of achieving the same for the movie and it will, I believe, whet peoples appetite for the vision as a whole.

This is a film not just about oil exploration but about people, faith, human endeavour and achievement against the odds. These are things that we, as fellow humans, respond to well and are ever keen to see.

I have had absolute faith in this project from the word go and have in many cases and against my better judgment, as a producer, let the “tide” take us in new directions. In every instance, to date, this has yielded great results and as such I will follow this “faith” path throughout the project until we have a fantastic finished film to be proud of.