Boat build! TV casting request

[rapidriverswinding]

Hey all,

 

I hope you don't mind me posting here - it seemed directly relevant to the thread! 

 

I’m a producer with Barcroft Productions, a London-based production company. We produce a wide variety of factual full length documentaries for networks including the BBC, Netflix and Discovery. 

 

We’re currently making a homes series for a very well-known online platform and we’d love to include a person/couple who live on a residential boat in the UK. The only thing that makes it tricky is that it needs to be:

 

1. Ideally a boat that is still being worked on but that will be finished in August (although one that has just been finished might also work), and 

2. The boat itself probably needs to be quite impressive, luxurious or visually striking on the inside for it to work for the series. 

 

Is anyone in the midst of a major build or refit that might fit the bill? Or know anyone else who is? We’re on quite a tight turnaround time so I’m open to suggestions, any help at all would be massively appreciated! 

 

Just to stress, it doesn’t necessarily need to be a lavishly expensive boat. We recently made a show for Netflix called Amazing Interiors that featured a young couple who lived on the Thames who had saved up to do a DIY refurb on their boat but used a lot of salvaged materials to cut costs, the main thing is that the end product looks really nice. Link here if you want to check it out, it’s the main story in episode one: https://www.netflix.com/title/80184067

 

If you're interested, you can contact me at thomas@barcroftmedia.com 

 

Thanks!

 

Tom 

Edited July 27, 2018 by rapidriverswinding

[Tony Brooks]

[Athy]

Welcome, Mr. Winding. I hope you'll find a boat and crew which fits the bill.

Not sure what ails our Mr. Brooks, he appears to be tired, it must be this hot weather.

[Tony Brooks]

I could have legitimately replied "not again". It seems every few month a media type comes on here (a free service paid for by members) and asks for assistance with their pet project. No mention of payment or quid pro quo. At least the OP was polite and gave plenty of info, more than can be said for some.

[Movin' on]

Do we really need another TV programme encouraging people to live on the canals

 

Why not for a change do a programme on people who tried to live the dream (as a result of the OPs programmes) and for whom it sadly went wrong ☹️

Edited July 27, 2018 by Halsey

[OldGoat]

Old adage -

Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story....

[Nightwatch]

Impressive, yes.  luxurious. That's knocked us out of it then.

Edited July 27, 2018 by Nightwatch

[MtB]

58 minutes ago, rapidriverswinding said:

Hey all,

 

I hope you don't mind me posting here - it seemed directly relevant to the thread! 

 

I’m a producer with Barcroft Productions, a London-based production company. We produce a wide variety of factual full length documentaries for networks including the BBC, Netflix and Discovery. 

 

We’re currently making a homes series for a very well-known online platform and we’d love to include a person/couple who live on a residential boat in the UK. The only thing that makes it tricky is that it needs to be:

 

1. Ideally a boat that is still being worked on but that will be finished in August (although one that has just been finished might also work), and 

2. The boat itself probably needs to be quite impressive, luxurious or visually striking on the inside for it to work for the series. 

 

Is anyone in the midst of a major build or refit that might fit the bill? Or know anyone else who is? We’re on quite a tight turnaround time so I’m open to suggestions, any help at all would be massively appreciated! 

 

Just to stress, it doesn’t necessarily need to be a lavishly expensive boat. We recently made a show for Netflix called Amazing Interiors that featured a young couple who lived on the Thames who had saved up to do a DIY refurb on their boat but used a lot of salvaged materials to cut costs, the main thing is that the end product looks really nice. Link here if you want to check it out, it’s the main story in episode one: https://www.netflix.com/title/80184067

 

If you're interested, you can contact me at thomas@barcroftmedia.com 

 

Thanks!

 

Tom 

 

 

Welcome to the forum Tom,

 

The response has been luke warm because we haven't had a request like this for several weeks now, otherwise it might have been far more acerbic.

 

It might seem like a bright and original idea to you, but here it is something of a trope, sorry! I'm sure you have tropes in your field of expertise too.

 

 

[MtB]

I've got a FAR more original idea for you. How about a 'fly on the wall' type of TV programme, a day (or week) in the life of a typical marina with a hire fleet, maintenance workshops and dry dock? 

[Athy]

5 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

I've got a FAR more original idea for you. How about a 'fly on the wall' type of TV programme, a day (or week) in the life of a typical marina with a hire fleet, maintenance workshops and dry dock? 

That would be interesting, and I can't recall it being done before, or at least not recently. But it may not fit Tom's company's agenda.

I also like Halsey's suggestion - this would be good, realistic T.V.

[X Alan W]

The statement it has to be impressive,  luxurious ,visually impressive & reasonably priced doesn't usually follow

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, X Alan W said:

The statement it has to be impressive,  luxurious ,visually impressive & reasonably priced doesn't usually follow

Hence my yawn. Typical media type bullshine.

[MtB]

If Tom could outline how much money they are paying it might lure one or two candidates out into the open. A four figure sum I'd suggest would be a suitable contribution to compensate for the considerable disruption to their renovation schedule having a film crew always at their elbow in the confined space of a boat will cause.

 

And probably not a sum beginning with '1', or a '2'  

Edited July 27, 2018 by Mike the Boilerman

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your search, Halsey and Mike the Boilerman have some good ideas there to research for any future productions.

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

If Tom could outline how much money they are paying it might lure one or two candidates out into the open. A four figure sum I'd suggest would be a suitable contribution to compensate for the considerable disruption to their renovation schedule. And probably not beginning with '1', or '2'   

Plus a written contract that the boater ha the right to refuse permission to transmit/publish/sell on once they have seen the completed programme. Seems to me that far too often the editing makes the subjects come across in a way that suits the company and is not a reflection of the truth.  As you can tell I have;learned not to have a high opinion of media types.

[MtB]

19 minutes ago, Meanderingviking said:

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your search, Halsey and Mike the Boilerman have some good ideas there to research for any future productions.

 

Actually I have another idea. How about Tom himself buys a boat to renovate and films himself undertaking the project? 

 

He would get shedloads of advice on here about how to do it and earn considerable towpath cred.

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, Halsey said:

Do we really need another TV programme encouraging people to live on the canals

 

Why not for a change do a programme on people who tried to live the dream (as a result of the OPs programmes) and for whom it sadly went wrong ☹️

Of which I have met countless numbers of over the last 30 years.

[rusty69]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Actually I have another idea. How about Tom himself buys a boat to renovate and films himself undertaking the project? 

 

He would get shedloads of advice on here about how to do it and earn considerable towpath cred.

With a weekly guest appearance from a forum member ."Expert" in their field. Smartgauge installation for you. Rubbish jokes for me.

[WotEver]

49 minutes ago, X Alan W said:

The statement it has to be impressive,  luxurious ,visually impressive & reasonably priced doesn't usually follow

Yup, its a bit like the old adage “Good, fast, cheap, pick any two”. 

[rapidriverswinding]

Hi all, 

 

Thanks for all the responses thus far (even the snarky ones haha)! No, I appreciate that people get media fatigue, a lot of people move to the canals and rivers for a bit of tranquility and don't want TV producers sniffing around their mooring. I get that. Just to clear up a couple of misconceptions that I've seen though:

 

1. The show is about homes in general, all of the other case studies are on dry land, we're not making a show "encouraging" people to sell up and buy a canalboat (in fact the couple who appeared in our Netflix doc had been living on their boat for some time, we just filmed them renovating it to make it more homely).

 

2. I'm aware that quality doesn't come cheaply. I wasn't suggesting that we'd find something "luxurious" on a shoe-string budget, I just wanted to emphasise that we're not only looking for something ridiculously high-end. Again, the phrase I used was "impressive, luxurious or visually striking". Could be an unusual-looking boat, or one with a really historic past, or a no-expenses spared vessel fit for a king.

 

Love the idea of a reality doc about a marina - Nat Geo actually made a series in the US a couple of years back called 'The Yard' about shipyards and marine salvage in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. 

 

Oh, and happy to film a doc with me renovating a boat, as long as someone can lend me the money ?

 

Anyone interested in participating or knows someone else who might be, would love to hear from you. 

 

Thanks, 

 

Tom

 

 

 

[nbfiresprite]

56 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Actually I have another idea. How about Tom himself buys a boat to renovate and films himself undertaking the project? 

 

He would get shedloads of advice on here about how to do it and earn considerable towpath cred.

Call it 'A Narrowboat is born' and have it presented by Mark Evans. This format did start with a Car and went on from there. So the format does work. Plus he lives on the River Wey.

 

A Car Is Born (build of an AC Cobra replica) - 15 episodes

A Plane Is Born (build of a 200 mph kit aeroplane) - 15 episodes

A Car Is Reborn (total restoration of an E Type Jaguar) - 15 episodes

A Chopper Is Born (build of a kit, two-seater helicopter) - 15 episodes

A Bike Is Born - Harley (restoration of a Harley WLC45) - 5 episodes

A Bike Is Born - Bonneville (restoration of a Triumph Bonneville T120R) - 5 episodes

A Bike Is Born - Trike (build of a Boom Power Trike) - 5 episodes

A Race Car Is Born (build of a Westfield race car) - 15 episodes

A 4x4 Is Born (build of an extreme off-road Land Rover) - 15 episodes

An MG Is Born (restoration of an MGB Roadster) - 10 episodes

Edited July 27, 2018 by nbfiresprite

[Nut]

try this gent best I've seen superb is a word used often but it befits this guy

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnT-VVQqid7A_ZaBkZb6_XA

[dmr]

We were approached (via a canal society) a few years ago to appear on our boat for a TV programme. The incentive was that we would get to appear with the presenter who was a big name, think it was Jimmy Young or maybe Tony Blackburn or somebody like that, don't think it was Jimmy Saville ?. We were later told that this presenter demanded such a huge fee that no money was left over for the sidekicks like us. After a few milliseconds of thought we declined this offer. I was told that the canal society continued to support the project but eventually gave up after continuing demand for them to do the "historic research" for the program but with zero payment. Like "Loud and aggressive" people "TV Types" are also best avoided.

 

......Dave

[Robbo]

1 hour ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Actually I have another idea. How about Tom himself buys a boat to renovate and films himself undertaking the project? 

 

He would get shedloads of advice on here about how to do it and earn considerable towpath cred.

You could call it “Re-Restoring Dover”

[reg]

It was my impression from the start that this was never really a programme about boats but more a programme about interiors, in this case the interest would be on the boats interior and 'interesting' fit out and personalities. 

So not really a boat programme more a lifestyle programme. 

Would this be a correct assessment? 

Might be useful to those who may wish to get involved if this is clarified. 

 

Just as a bit of background there has been a number of programmes, some ok'ish and others that have been downright awful. The editing in some cases has been done to turn some perfectly decent people into the producers idea of a canal character for the amusement of the general public and without any thought of the effect on those involved. 

 

I am fully aware that the digital dross box has an insatiable appetite. Can we be assured that anyone getting involved will be treated with respect and will be portrayed as they are and not edited to fit a pre determined agenda? 

 

Good luck with the project. Hope I can be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.