Somewhere Between Now and Then is a documentary about the Zimbabwe War of Liberation (Rhodesian Bush War/Second Chimurenga) fought from 1962-1980. The main aim is to put a human face on this conflict, explain how both sides justified their actions during this unique war. We will achieve this by interviewing ZIPRA and ZANLA fighters, former Rhodesian soldiers, and everyday citizens. Though there are comprehensive books on the subject, virtually no documentaries in current circulation on this subject exist. The political landscape of modern Zimbabwe was formed, in part, by issues that were left over from this conflict such as the use of violence to further a political agenda. We are deeply interested in the experiences of the common man and woman; those who fought as citizen soldiers and people who were affected by a state in conflict.
The aim is to shoot a 90min documentary with seven interviewees to be shown on the worldwide film festival circuit. The demographic of this project is men and women interested in Africa and/or politics. The film will not only raise awareness of the tragedies in the past, but also discuss how they affect the current state of Zimbabwe. The team’s personal goal is to pose a level of humanity to both black (ZANLA, ZIPRA and Rhodesian) and white sides of the war.
The film will begin with a stylised re-enactment and a historian’s voice-over that describes the historical perspective and will later tie up the interviews. The subject will progress chronologically between historical events and personal accounts. We will interview our subjects in a darkened studio environment with visuals cutting between the interviews and photos, uniforms and personal effects of those who were there. We will end with a final voiceover from our historian and a final stylised re- enactment and then outro music.
Mugabe and The White African and An African Election have both proved that documentaries based on African politics and history has a wide viewership and the possibility for financial success.
This documentary is especially important because combatants on both sides are becoming older, and in the near future we may not have another chance to capture their stories.
I have enough experience to know first-hand that sound for films is largely overlooked. Image gets priority over sound, and rightly so, the image is the most important thing. Sound however makes the experience immersive by subconsciously tricking the watcher into believing that they are inside the world of the film. It is for this reason that sound must be perfect all the time, if not, we risk breaking the illusion of the picture. Directors or producers that overlook sound for their film do so at their folly. Keith Kopp (Director) and Emma Horton (Producer) on “Somewhere Between Now and Then” gladly understand the importance of sound and want to get the best sound equipment possible for this shoot, so the stories to be told will be captured to the highest quality. The power of these stories is so great, it would be foolish to overlook the quality of my work.
Chris Light - Sound
"I feel it's really important to establish the beauty of this continent; coupled with the devastation that has affected so many lives, musical speaking, will make for a very conflicting aura and audible experience. At this stage, I am currently experimenting with ideas whilst balancing authentic instrumentation - suiting both intended experiences. Composing music of this style and genre brings with it a challenge that MUST be met - this traditional music swims with ancestry & spiritual meaning; to not treat this music with complete respect would be a criminal sin.
I want to remain true to authentic elements of this music, the usage of specific modes and scales, instrumentation and rhythm, together with choral work in a contemporary guise will really add the needed flavour. The 30 second teaser is to portray waking in a beautiful African setting, but being quickly reminded of the surrounding conflict which threatens everything.
This documentary and soundtrack have the potential to capture the thoughts, feelings, stories and raw emotion of all those involved - it's great to be part of the team!"
Matthew Walker- Composer on his 30 second sample track for Somewhere Between Now and Then.
Have a listen to the sample track that our composer Matt Walker has created for a our feature documentary. He has been researching African music to come up with new and creative ways to make a unique soundtrack to this very important Southern African saga.
We are only 3 days into our 60 day funding campaign, and already we have 10 percent of the overall funds. Thank you all for your emotional as well as financial support! I had a meeting today with the Musician T.I.N (Things I’M Not) who was raised in a Black Rhodesian family. We discussed her father serving with the Rhodesian forces and her mother backing the Guerrilla army. To raise further awareness of our project we are going to make a 90 second documentary with T.I.N. for the Bristol Encounter’s 90 second competition. Stay tuned and we'll post it as soon as it’s edited.
-Keith Kopp
