ASTRIX
A documentary project about a journey to space.
Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu. It’s the feathers that allow the bird to fly.
Meaning, as we become more enabled and empowered, we can fly to greater heights
Background to the idea:
Astrix Astronautics (Fia Jones, Will Hunter, and Max Daniels) are young innovators on the path to space for the first time - via their satellite power generation device. This is a film about that journey.
I was first interested in following this story because, to me, Astrix Astronautics challenges a whole lot of assumptions I held about the space industry. I assumed the industry was entirely large companies run by pale, male, stale leaders. Fia, Will, and Max, show that you don’t have to be established to innovate, you don’t have to be old to get opportunities, and you can genuinely represent the diversity of NZ.
However, as with any story where a group of dedicated folk are trying something new, the story deepens beyond the initial newsworthy headlines. I’d like to dive into this story by exploring and explaining; the nuts and bolts of how your tech works, the fun and messy reality of startup life, and the excitement and adventure in chasing the chance to send your tech into space.
To sum it up in a word, “demystifying” is what I hope this film will be.
I’d like to work with you to demystify the world of space tech, startups, and entrepreneurs, and bring it all back down to earth. That way, people watching will get a sense of how real the opportunities and prospects are in this field, and for some, that they could genuinely see themselves working in this industry too. I’d like people to walk away thinking “I can see how it all works now, it’s it’s even more awesome than I’d imagined”.
So, I guess the question is, are you still happy to share a bit of the real world in your sector?
The story outline:
Writing a documentary is a bit of a strange practice. So, the below is my best estimate as to what I’ll be looking out for. However, consider this all with an open mind, as we’ll need to find where the story goes while making it. That means we’ll film what we can and build the story as we go.
Among the things I will be looking out, there are three key themes that will be mixed into the final story throughout.
Theme 1. A thorough and nerdy exploration of the technology that Astrix is innovating.
I’d like to film an explanation of the tech you’re building, but also the history of previous solutions, the reason why solutions are needed, and what the future in this space could be like. Think of this as being a bit like a vox explainer video.
I’d like to go really deep on the specificity of the problem, and the solution your team is bringing into the world. This will all be within the level of any commercial sensitivity you need to stick within, and verifying the video is safe to release will all be cleared before anything leaves the studio. But, if I can explain to the audience what the technology is in layman's terms, that will bring them along the journey so they will be excited to see it all hopefully come to fruition at the launch.
To film this component I’ll need you guys to talk me through as much as you’re happy to share about how it all works. I’ll get footage that I’m OK to use of the device, and we can animate or show designs in other ways to demonstrate how it works in simplistic terms.
The audience I aim for is 15+. So, we’ll be explaining it in a way that a highschool student would be able to understand, to keep it accessible for everyone.
Theme 2. A portrait of life in a space-tech startup.
This theme is a focus on the personalities within the story, and showcasing you all in as authentic and real of a way as you’re happy with.
I’d like to include plenty of coverage of your co-founders, your work culture, and your family and friends. Showcasing the moments that make up a day/week/year in your life.
To film this element I’ll join you for both regular days in the office, and the special occasions on the journey. You mentioned you take breaks from work to swim at the beach, and that your family has gotten to know your coworkers well. This is all the kind of interesting detail I’d like to include. There’s a quote I always follow when telling stories, which is that “the universal is found in the specific”. That is to say, the more specifically we can show how you guys run your company and how you relate to the people around you, the more the audience will be able to see commonalities to their own lives. They might not have the same situations as you, but they might see the personality of a colleague and think “that reminds me of my sibling” or something like that.
As discussed, you can just let me know when cool things are happening, and also boring or frustrating things, and I’ll basically just pop along to film it.
One additional goal I have with this theme is that I believe entrepreneurs are too often painted as exceptional lone heroes. I think we should do what we can to put a few cracks in that image, as I don’t think it’s a useful way to view the world. We can do that by simply being a bit more real, and showing all the hard work and difficulties, alongside the achievements and successes.
Theme 3. The story of the launch.
This is the final piece of the puzzle, and it’s also the most straightforward one. We will achieve this by following any developments in the lead-up to the launch. For me, it’s useful if we include all parts of this story. Changes, difficulties, and last-minute adjustments are all helpful in taking people along on the journey that you’re experiencing.
Ideally, this would also include launch day, though as discussed I’m aware that isn’t a given. I will begin working on what might help with that, and we can figure out a contingency if needed.
Imagery
As we go through the process of filming and gathering material, we’ll hone the further and introduce any additional elements that become obvious they should be included.
The story will be driven by cinematic documentary footage, but we’ll also incorporate other features if needed, like animation, cartoons, and anything we need to help tell the story.
This is a bit of a look book for references the final film may draw from.
Thanks for your enthusiasm towards this project. Hopefully we’re on the same page about the majority of it, but please let me know if there are any concerns or queries you have at this stage.
I will keep this page live, and tweak it as needed, so that anybody you need to explain the film to can read this and get in touch with me directly if needed.
From here we’re pretty much ready to launch (promise I won’t make so many puns throughout the filming process).
Benj, 0210666288, benj@popular.nz