Independent Documentary Film Making Means.....

Buying a HD camera and other equipment way out of your price range, on finance.

Having the person who agreed to operate the HD camera for the 2 and a half years it would take to film your documentary, pull out after the first weekend shoot. Coincidentally, this was also the person who convinced you to purchase the more expensive brand because they refused to use anything cheaper. After the purchase it was disclosed that this brand had extreme compatibility issues which halted post-production for a year.

Discovering that your crew would amount to 2 people in total and that 1 of you would need to learn how to use the expensive HD camera immediately, as of the following weekend. That person would also need to direct the film and ask the interviewees questions while operating the camera at all times.

Discovering that being the Producer means you wipe down bmx bikes, pull out stray weeds in a countryside shoot, take still shots, discuss framing and lighting issues, sit by the feet of an interviewee holding a microphone out of shot, use the 'B' camera, hold umbrellas over subjects on a hot track during interviews whilst standing in direct sun in a black T-shirt.

Being the first to an event and the very last leave. And not eating for the majority of that time.

Extending your credit cards to buy tickets to China, for a showcase event of the Olympic bmx track, only to discover the day before you fly out that to film in China, you have to be invited by a Chinese government agency. Making numerous phone calls to the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee to receive permission and an invitation only to hear that this will take days to organise and you're scheduled to leave the next morning. Being vouched for by the President of the Australian BMX association as well as the International Cycling Union, both of whom are in China at that very moment and have invited you to the event. Racing to the Chinese consulate the night before you're due to fly out, to receive a fax that invites you to China, which results in having your visas revoked because the permission you've received isn't high enough.

Realising that you won't be at the show case event which was so important for your film and scurrying around to convince the airline to refund your tickets. Receiving a 40% refund and thinking that you've just paid thousands of dollars to sit at home, depressed.

Getting a loan to travel to the U.S. to follow bmxers competing at the AST Dew Tour, followed up by a trip to China where you have been officially invited months after the above debacle, to film the empty Olympic BMX track. While in the U.S., a day before you're due to leave for China, receiving an email from the Olympic committee in China advising that China is in national holiday mode and all offices will be unattended for the duration that you'd planned to stay there and that it will be impossible for you to film the Olympic BMX track as scheduled. Then having to go to China anyway, because that's the only way to get home.

Having American Airlines lose your expensive HD camera on the flight from the U.S. to China and they can't tell you if it made it's way onto the connecting flight to Germany or not. Discovering that your camera will arrive in China a day and a half after you so even if you had been able to film the Olympic bmx track, you couldn't have because you didn't have a camera.

Finding your camera in 2 pieces after it's been through Chinese customs because it's a communist country and they don't really like people filming there anyway.

The Director's uncle loaning you $10 000 so half of the crew can get to Spain to film an event in Madrid. Which means 1 person is directing and producing the documentary by themselves in a foreign country while the other person is stuck in Australia.

Asking for permission from the International Olympic Committee to use the word "Olympic" in the title of your film, and being refused. No ifs, buts or maybes. The title you were going to use will never be.

Having all sponsorship proposals refused. Any attempt at raising funds for production being turned down with bmx companies really interested but having no money and mainstream companies just saying no.

Refusing to apply for funding from film funding agencies because it will mean that the funding body has to be paid back first and they own a slice of your film. The film you poured your blood, sweat and tears into. And the only other person who understands how much it means to you is the other half of your crew, the only other person who has put everything they have into it, the same as you. Even after everything, we love this film.

Being independent is worth it.