The second Dominica Film Challenge UK team boasts expertise gained from the BBC Academy and the London Film Academy.
“I relish new and exciting opportunities and even though I’ve seen a lot of the world I had never heard about Dominica. For me that is reason enough alone to say ‘I must discover this place.’ When I watched the behind the scenes footage and saw the photos of it my thought became: I have to take on the [Dominica Film Challenge].” These are the words of Nathalie Chiappori, of Team UK, currently on the island of Dominica participating in the annual Dominica Film Challenge.
Having been trained at the BBC Academy in the UK, she is well experienced in journalism and production and always on the hunt to discover the undiscovered to captivate an audience with a compelling visual feast. Her teammate, Francesco Napoli, is equally talented having studied at the London Film Academy. He traveled across continents for various shooting projects and his portfolio includes photography and editing.
Damien Bour and Adrien Bessac of Riot House Productions, a film production company based in France are first time participants in the 2nd Dominica Film Challenge. Bessac and Bour’s projects have brought them all over the world from Hong Kong to Hawaii, Dubai, Taiwan, and Europe. A passionate explorer, Damien always travels when he can, taking his camera and looking at what the world as to offer. Adrien is a passionate director of photography who enjoys the outdoors and a perfectionist when it comes to editing.
Initial reports on social media postings about the Challenge reveal that there are between 1,518,298 and about 2,500,000 direct impressions. Shares and re-shares will increase the number of impressions. The teams are presently shooting films and stills on large cameras this year and doing post production work at nights.
The six participating teams from the UK, USA, France and Canada are assigned a local film consultant to assist in planning their schedules. Teams are not limited in their choices of sites and activities while on island. On day one of the challenge, Team UK ventured out to Middleham Falls and Ti Kwen Glo Cho in the Roseau Valley and Champagne Reef in the south.
Not only are the contestants talented, but they also have an amazing social media following and influence – their combined following is well over 3 million people! Follow their journey in photos and videos through social media networks Twitter (@DominicaStory), Instagram (#dominicachallenge) and Facebook (#dominicachallenge).
Countless agencies and businesses joined forces to provide the teams with an authentic and inspirational travel experience including: Anchorage Hotel Whale Watch and Dive Center, Castle Comfort Lodge, Evergreen Hotel, Picard Beach Cottages, Portsmouth Beach Hotel, Calibishie Lodges, Fort Young Hotel, Rosalie Bay Resort, The Champs Hotel Restaurant and Bar, LIAT, Seaborne Airlines, Winair, Waitukubuli National Trail, Cobra Yacht Services and Tours, Kalinago Barana Aute, Champagne Reef Dive and Snorkel, Kubuli Beer, Old Stone Bar & Grill, Talie’s Pot Organic Products, as well as LIME Dominica, who provided SIM cards loaded with data and credit, so the teams are able to share their experiences in Dominica.
