7. The Plot Thickens

I am well and truly in the think of it. In two weeks I have to pitch my film idea to my class in the hope that someone will love it so much that they will just be itching to join me in making it. My only other option is to give up my dreams of swimming with the whales and instead, team up with someone whose idea trumps mine...NEVER!

I am in panic mode. I am still trying to track down information, articles, ideas, conclusions and pictures. But more to the point I am still trying to schmooze with the right people in an attempt to convince someone to take me out to film whales. Admittedly my film idea is about fossil whales and I don't really need footage of live ones, but it just wouldn't feel complete with out the real thing.

Not only this, but my pitch, I have been informed, must use audiovisual aids where appropriate. I am still trying to work out when their use would not be appropriate, in the hope that I can somehow forgo them. I still can't work out how to upload a picture to this irritable blog never mind incorporate them into a fancy presentation. Gasp!

Added to the tangle in my web and the knot in my knickers is a rather interesting revelation about my tale of the ancient whales. My story starts in Australia with a young paleontologist and his newly found 25 million year old whale fossil, and takes me to New Zealand where there just happens to live the world's leading expert on whale evolution, Dr Ewan Fordyce.

I thought when I went to interview him the other day that it would simply be to check facts and maybe get some good quotes to use in the pitch. I could not have been more wrong. To my horror his version of events was in total contrast to the Australian scientist's version. They know each other well and they have agreed to disagree.

At first this threw me and I started to hyperventilate as I pictured my Natural History Documentary, my baby, crumbling to my feet or rather exploding in an almighty bang! It soon dawned on me however, that my plot had just thickened. Any good storyteller knows that conflict is by far the tastiest piece.

Now my story spans 25 million years, the Tasman Sea, at least two generations of scientist AND it has a hint of tension, a simmering debate or maybe it’s just a gentleman’s disagreement. Whatever it is, I like it!

Alas, my excitement at this new found twist was sadly marred by the realisation that my mid-semester break which was going to be a blissful week on the white hills of Wanaka will instead be a week of blood, sweat and tears as I try to conjure up a breath taking, mind blowing, awe inspiring audiovisual bonanza without any whale footage.