SEA CHANGE will be a highly ambitious and commercial documentary. We have a unique opportunity in the way this film can be made by hybridizing the authentic intimacy of Maiden Trip with the thematic relationship of separate conservation efforts through Rancher Farmer Fisherman, and the cinematic environmental epicness of Chasing Coral. We plan to achieve this by taking advantage of this film’s greatest logistical challenge, its scope.

This is truly a global film. This will work greatly to our advantage by allowing us to show a rich and deeply human story that shows the global scale of the problem and the global scale of the solution. This will be reflected in the personal content captured by Tripp and Zach on their own and the epic cinematography captured by a film crew at key locations along their route. The diverse imagery will be enhanced by a rich soundscape and music that reflect the film’s epic scale.

Due to intense interest in climate-related topics and growing success of documentary content on streaming, we intend to target the youth and young adult audience for this film because their interest in climate change and awareness of its possible solutions represents an existential necessity. By targeting a younger audience, we will also access their families and 30+ adult viewers who are engaged with the thematic content and who work with young people. 

Tripp Brower is the Founder and Executive Director of the Lowcountry Maritime Society, an extended education non-profit organization dedicated to partnering with Charleston-area schools to connect children with their maritime environment through traditional wooden boatbuilding and nautical exploration.

Zach Bjur is a Wildlife Biologist and Science Educator for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, specializing in marine biology and ecology. Through the South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement (SCORE) program, Zach works with community members and biologists to restore regional oyster populations while enhancing habitat for fish, shrimp, and crabs, improving water quality of estuarine areas, and informing and educating children, industry, and the general public about the value of keystone species like oysters to marine environments.

WAYS TO HELP

We believe that the solution to climate change starts at the community level. Through a grassroots effort on a global scale with partnerships from foundations and international organizations, we can work to protect our world from the harmful effects of climate change.

This is why we choose to model our documentary project like one of the initiatives that we will be covering. It all starts with you. With Donate2It, we hope to gather a community around this project and include each of you in the process of its creation. With your help, we can produce a high-quality story that we can share with the world and you will be a part of that story in helping bring it to life.

We estimate that the entire film will cost about $1 million over 3.5 years of development, production, and completion.

With your help, we hope to fund the first quarter of the journey. These costs will include: 

Completing Research and Development for Stages 1-3 – $12,000

Hiring a Travel Coordinator – $1,200

Production Equipment Rentals and Purchases for the entirety of the project – $50,000

On-Vessel Documentation and Production – $10,000

Crew Fees and Expenses – $77,500

Travel and Housing Expenses – $50,000

Insurance – $4,000

TOTAL – $204,700

Please donate what you can. Whether that is $5 or $5000, your contribution will go a long way towards helping to bring people together and increase education about how communities can use the existing natural systems around them to make a difference against climate change.