South African Film students interested in documentary about mail order brides

[SAsearcher]

Hi I am a young film student that will be travelling through Europe and heading towards Moscow. In moscow a friend (also on forum: Bernard) and I are going to shoot a documentary on "mail order brides" and we are trying to find out a few things from the actual brides-to-be and future grooms. we are planing to be in moscow around the beginning of May 07 and we have only recently started our research. We are final year students so this is no big budget documentary, we are going to find out as much as we can and hopefully be asking some of the willing members to answer about past experiences or to give opinions.

We will appreciate any stories and idea suggestions and look forward to finding out the entire story of the mail order bride system.

We are in no way trying to make a negative documentary about this industry we are merely trying to tell the honest story and therefore want to hear from as many sides as possible.

Thank you and feel free to email me

Zunaid Green

email: zunaid_g@yahoo.com

[ScottinCrimea]

If you are only going to spend time in Moscow, you're going to have a very limited view of this issue.

[SANDRO43]

We will appreciate any stories and idea suggestions and look forward to finding out the entire story of the mail order bride system.

Have a look at the Trip Report section. There are also a couple of Ozzie members here (one in the field in Ukraine at the moment), that might share some of their real-life experiences.

[tim 360]

Going to Moscow to shoot???  Bring lottsa $$$.

[Vaughn]

   ....and maybe hang around the US Embassy gate to interview prospective brides
from a vast area. Note carefully their expectations, talk with as many as you can,
and compare the consensus with reality as reported on this site by others who
went through that gate years ago....

[Maxx2]

What kind of camera are you going to be using? I use a Panasonic HVX 200 (high def 1080i or 720p) all digital with it's 16X9 aspect ratio and usually set at 720p 24fps. 

To get a real feel for this M.O.B. business I would travel outside of Moscow. You could do some shooting of the usual Moscow sites but I would extend this to taking a train to another regional city. You might get some real help from a couple of agency owners that post here, Marc Dayton and Richard Wright. Richard (Canadian) lives in Tver which is a few hours north of Moscow by car.

Maxx

[El Rock]

I was in SF , Capetown  , this time last year .
Did a   4 day  safari on the  Kruger  reserve .
I have a lot to say about South Africans Whites , I keep it to my self  , here

[I/O]

I would strongly urge you to get in touch with Elena Petrova from "Elenas Models" website.  She is ex-pat Russian who married a guy from South Africa and now lives here in Aus.  She is far from the be-all and end-all on the matter, but she does have a reasonable reputation within the industry and a good deal of experience.

I/O

[LEGAL]

My husband, LEGAL, has been traveling to and living in Russia for the past three years. He has a good experience as a film maker and as world traveler and as man who has Russian wife  . But he decided to make documentary  about Russian - American marriages not long ago, since he is very well versed on  this subject and received sufficient experience.
He understand the significance of presence of this documentary, difficulties which are bound up with making a documentary and all responsibility. There has been many other  documentaries in the past that have portraid my country woman in a very bad lite and in Russia there also have been documentaries portraying American men also in a  bad lite. This is why my husband I and our friends have decided to produce a real documentary, with co producer consultants that are married or very well experienced in this subject.  This will ensure that viewers of this documentary will not be shown a slanted view.
ScottinCrimea is right in his post: "If you are only going to spend time in Moscow, you're going to have a very limited view of this issue".
A very limited view can be to the detriment to many Russian woman who are married to American men, as well as the documentary itself.

My standpoint is: there is not  enough just good idea and inspiration to convert this idea into a fact but you have  to be well prepared  for it, know a subject and have your own clearness of purpose - for what and for whom.

Olga.

[I/O]

My husband, LEGAL, has been traveling to and living in Russia for the past three years. He has a good experience as a film maker and as world traveler and as man who has Russian wife  . But he decided to make documentary  about Russian - American marriages not long ago, since he is very well versed on  this subject and received sufficient experience.

Ahhhhhhhhhh   

I/O

[SAsearcher]

Thank you everybody for your input. We are not only going to be in Moscow, we are travelling through Europe and then around Russia. Our exact countries have still not been decided but maybe there might be a few suggestion that could help. The Varsity that i attend is paying for us to go through so its not like we have a lot of money for anything else besides shooting, food, accommodation and travel. So I'll pass on the $$$ in Moscow 
LEGAL - I'm very interested in the work that you and your husband will be doing and am thankful for your advice and would like to hear from you and your husband if possible? We are prepairing ourselves everyday with more info and we do realize this is going to be a difficult  documentary if we are going to do a fair and unbias few of it, which is our intention.

Thank you again and feel free to email me if there is anyhing else you would like me to know or research. 

Zunaid Green
e-mail - zunaid_g@yahoo.com