REPLAN IT: Exclusive Interview With Rob Hill

25th March 2015

You may have already read a little something about filmmaker Rob Hill’s new TV series RePlan it – which he’s getting up via IndieGoGo – but now we get to hear from the man himself.

They say getting an Independent film up is hard, is it the same for an independent TV pilot?

Yes… Maybe even harder. With a television pilot you’re trying to create something that will be on going, that causes a lot of need for depth in the content. All the commitments, if it is successful, is long term.

Where is RePlan it at? Has the pilot been greenlit and set up with a network?

The pilot episode of RePlan It is completed, it tells Jock’s backstory and the series of events that leads to his first breakthrough technology, the peanut sheller (aka The Universal Nut Sheller). Principle production of episodes two and three are also complete and cover the topics of sustainable agriculture, water, sanitation and health as the Full Belly Project introduces new technologies to underserved communities in the Philippines, India, Cambodia, Kenya and the United States.

We are currently seeking a total of $40,000 to complete 3 half-hour episodes for broadcast nationally on Link TV, on public television in Southern California on KCET, and online via the series website. We have an agreement in place for distribution with KCET/LinkTV and the only thing missing is the ability to finish producing these first three episodes.

How long ago did this journey on RePlan it start for you?

Replan It began as a feature documentary about Jock Brandis in and his groundbreaking work in appropriate technology. Jock invented a manual operated peanut sheller in 2002 for people in developing countries where they spend an enormous amount of time shelling nuts by hand to deliver them to market. I knew Jock from his work in the film industry, in 2006 Jock walk so I asked him if I could do documentary about him and his work. He agreed, and I began following him around the world. After about two years of traveling with Jock, the project hit a wall. I didn’t know how to end the story, and one of the greatest challenges of making a documentary is when to stop filming. I wanted this project to be about global sustainability. That progressed into the idea for a documentary series.

Has the series enabled you to see some of the world? What have been the highlights?

I can’t say there has been one particular highlight. I have seen a lot of the world traveling with Jock Brandis for the last 8+ years. Most of place we travel together are places that most people don’t visit, like the city slums and the impoverished rural areas, and the people we meet are always so welcoming and generous. The monuments that I reflect on are the times that the cameras have been put away I been able to make real connections with people, weather thats a shared home cooked meal or a shared sunset on a hillside, they are connections that will last a lifetime.

Can you tell us about any upcoming movies you have in the works?

For the last several I’ve only been working on RePlan It. If the crowdfunding campaign is successful it will broadcast on KCET and LinkTV in the fall. Who knows? Maybe after that I’ll start working on a feature narrative…

VISIT THE REPLAN IT INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN HERE: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/replan-it–2

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