ABOUT THIS PROJECT
“Africa West Coast to East Coast By Train -- a documentary travelogue”
Context: I recently produced a self-made travelogue documentary on my journey from the south to the north of Africa (Cape to Cairo By Train) and now I plan to travel from Africa’s west coast to east coast by train, to again produce a self-made travelogue documentary.
The route: The historic Benguela Railway line running from the Angolan Atlantic coast into the centre of Africa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was only recently rebuilt following Angola’s long war. Parts of the old colonial-era railway line then continue through DR Congo leading down to Zambia’s copperbelt region where a railway link leads down to the classic TAZARA line which runs from central Zambia all the way to Dar es Salaam on Africa’s Indian Ocean east coast.
The story: I will undertake this rail-themed journey, giving my take on the the various rail networks, exploring some of the interesting and unique cultural and geographical highlights, but most of all meeting and talking to fellow rail passengers -- I believe everyone has a story to tell. I’ll make the travelogue as a one-man team: cameraman, presenter and editor. I will also be stretching my language skills to the maximum: aside from English -- French and Portuguese!
THE BACKGROUND
I have been making travel and other documentaries in Africa since 1999 (YouTube and website) with the goal of entertaining and educating viewers with my travelogues.
THE PLAN
The plan is to create a travelogue documentary as an immersive experience. This will be armchair travel to places you'll probably never experience otherwise. The story will unfold in a way that you, the viewer, are a direct part of the journey.
The plan is to produce the Coast to Coast travelogue in January-February 2024. My established travel and adventure YouTube channel is an assured outlet for the travelogue documentary, although other broadcast opportunities will also be sought.
YOUR REWARDS
Note that the rewards are indicated in South African Rands. Exchange rates are approximately: 1 US$ = R19; 1 Euro = R20; 1 UK Pound = R23.50.
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Pledge R150 = Reward #1: Basic
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- You’ll receive a credit at the end of the documentary as a thank you.
- Every contribution is appreciated
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Pledge R500 = Reward #2: Junior
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- You’ll receive a credit at the end of the documentary as a thank you.
- You’ll receive a postcard from somewhere along the Coast to Coast rail route.
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Pledge R1000 = Reward #3: Intermediate
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- You’ll receive a credit at the end of the documentary as a thank you.
- You’ll receive a postcard from somewhere along the Coast-to-Coast route
- You’ll receive updates sent during the course of the Coast-to-Coast journey
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Pledge R5000 = Reward #4: Senior
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- You’ll receive a postcard from somewhere along the Coast-to-Coast route
- You’ll receive a credit at the end of the documentary as a thank you & you have the opportunity to have a business logo shown at the end of the documentary.
- I can remotely produce a short video for you of up to three minutes length, using your footage/photos.
- You’ll receive updates sent during the course of the Coast-to-Coast journey.
- You’ll get to see the travelogue on a private link one week before the official launch
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Pledge R10,000 = Reward #5: Co-Producer
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- You’ll receive a postcard from somewhere along the Coast-to-Coast route.
- You’ll receive a credit as a Co-Producer at the end of the documentary.
- You have the opportunity to have a business logo shown at the end of the documentary
- You’ll be listed on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) as a Co-Producer
- I can remotely produce a short video for you of up to four minutes length, using your footage/photos.
- You’ll receive updates sent during the course of the Coast to Coast journey.
- You’ll get to see the travelogue on a private link one week before the official launch
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Pledge R20,000 = Reward #6: Co-Executive Producer
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- You’ll receive a postcard from somewhere along the Coast-to-Coast route.
- You have the opportunity to have a business logo shown at the end of the documentary
- You’ll receive a credit as a Co-Executive Producer at the end of the documentary.
- You’ll be listed on the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) as a co-Executive Producer.
- I can remotely produce a short video for you of up to five minutes length, using your footage/photos.
- You’ll receive updates sent during the course of the Coast to Coast journey.
- You’ll receive exclusive access to the production and post-production process via video updates sent on private links.
- You’ll get to see the travelogue on a private link one week before the official launch.
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Pledge R35,000 = Reward #7: Executive Producer
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- You’ll receive a postcard from somewhere along the Coast-to-Coast route.
- You’ll receive a credit as an Executive Producer at the end of the documentary
- You’ll be listed on the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) as an Executive Producer.
- You’ll receive updates sent during the course of the Coast to Coast journey.
- I can remotely produce a short video for you of up to six minutes length, using your footage/photos.
- You’ll receive exclusive access to the production and post-production process via video updates sent on private links.
- You’ll get to see the travelogue on a private link one week before the official launch.
Updates
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to making Africa West Coast To East Coast By Train travelogue happen!
Watch this space (or my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/@NeilShawTravels) for the video…
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Project FAQ
I’d like to make a pledge/contribution, but I don’t want my name to be displayed publicly on the ‘Backers’ list. How do I remove my name?
- While we can’t remove your pledge from the list you can change your display name to 'Anonymous' or any other name you wish to. In order to do this you will need to:
- Click on My Account
- Then click on Account
- Scroll down and replace Display name with a display name of your choice
- Click Update Profile at the bottom of the page to save your changes
Who am I?
- I am a documentary filmmaker and video journalist with 24 years of experience, having lived, travelled and worked in 34 African countries.
- I am fascinated by African history, society, politics, culture… and everything else too! I’ve produced content for Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, the United Nations, MNET’s Carte Blanche, various TV broadcasters, NGOs, and governments.
- I have also written a book about all these experiences. I started out my career by making a micro-budget travel documentary in 1999, and I have kept coming back where possible to the travelogue-style documentary.
- The idea is to entertain and inform the audience, and take them to places they would not have the opportunity to go in person.
Where am I based?
- Since the pandemic, I have spent a lot of time in Europe, although Cape Town is my home town.
Why Crowdfunding?
- To retain full independence and creative control over the production.
What is the plan once 100% funding is received?
- Kick into action the myriad logistics that a trip like this needs: visas, vaccines, and shots, stay abreast of train schedules to assist with trip planning, continue research into the trains, the countries, and potential interesting side stories to cover during the journey.
- Preparing rewards for donors
- If I manage to surpass my budget goal?
- The R35,000 budget goal is a bare-bones budget. If I crowdfund over that amount, it will help the project in many ways, for example being able to film more interesting stories during the journey which often require additional funds (such as national park entrance, and guide fees, as examples).
- If I surpass the R35k goal, I’ll also be able to improve the production value of the travelogue by buying some better equipment (which is an expensive business!)
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to making Africa West Coast To East Coast By Train travelogue happen!
Watch this space (or my youtube channel/NeilShawTravels) for the video…