About this project
Intro
MIND THE GAP is a multi-platform documentary project examining the exciting work individuals, advocates and governments are doing to foster sustainable urban transit. The project includes a feature length film, event series, and webisode series. In September 2010 we launched both the event and webisode series. In 2011 we started filming for the documentary, beginning our California story and we have plans to shoot in China at the end of May.
The Inspiration: Public Transportation in Japan
In 1997 I lived in a distant suburb of Japan for ten months while going to college. In spite of being in the suburbs and not having a car, I was able to get almost anywhere in Japan on public transportation. Transportation was safe, affordable, and accessible. The freedom I experienced made me want to find a way to live without a car when I returned to the US. After college, I moved to New York City, and on a smaller scale experienced the joys of being car free – from walking in dense neighborhoods to mixing with people from different walks of life on the subways and buses. I enjoyed the flexibility and affordability that a great public transit system and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods gave me.
Work took me to the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the top regions for public transit in the country, but I found myself needing a car to get to work and move around the area efficiently. Until I started urban biking, I felt trapped by my lack of mobility choices. Having experienced the joys of living in an urban and suburban environment that gave people car free alternatives, I have been passionate about the need for a different transit model in US cities, one that embraces multiple modes of transportation and builds environments that integrate walking, retail, housing, and work. I hope this project will inspire new approaches to developing our urban areas.
The Film: MIND THE GAP
The film is set in California, China, London, and Lima. In each of these cities we plan to follow commuters using various modes of transit, as they walk, bike, and take public transit with varying degrees of ease.
These commutes will serve as a backdrop for examining the new transit initiatives in California. For fifty years transportation investments, policies, and lifestytles have been geared towards the auto as the primary mode of transportation. California birthed this way of life. Now, with ground breaking climate change legislation, California is on track to make history by reversing that trend, changing the way we think about the way we design our transportation, housing and our work/life mix.
The Plan: Filming in China
At the end of May we plan to go to China to film in Beijing and Guangzhou. The timing of the trip was partly motivated by the fact that my friend Ed and his driver will be in Beijing until the end of July. That gives us a home base. Additionally, I’ve been talking to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy who just named the city of Guangzhou the winner of the Sustainable Transport award for 2011. They are very welcoming and will help us understand how Guangzhou got to where they are today, as well as help us find commuters to follow. In Beijing, I am speaking to a local producer who is able to put me in touch with local bike advocates, local commuters, and transit policy people. We will also film an eclectic Beijing native who is a subway engineer by day and is an experimental musician at night.
The Funds: We Need Your Help
Your contribution will help make this shoot possible. As I started researching film production costs in China, I was surprised to learn that prices for shooting are very similar to the US. In addition to hiring a camera person and equipment, I will need to hire a translator. So the budget will mostly cover the cost of filming as well as the cost of travel to China. Any additional funds that come in above our target will be used for more filming days and for editing back in San Francisco.
In exchange for your support, we’ll send you some cool transit themed gifts. If you like our campaign, help us spread the word: post it on facebook, tweet it, blog it. Thank you so much for your support!
THANK YOU GIFTS - See list on right for details.
Tax Deductions
If you would prefer to make a tax deductible donation, you can do so through our fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society. Contributions of $250 or more are eligible for a tax deduction. For more details please contact me or contact the San Francisco Film Society directly.
To contact me email: llukitsch@yahoo.com
To contact the San Francisco Film Society, email: akalkopoulou@sffs.org
Thank you for your support!
FAQ
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on July 5, 2011.
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
Thank you on website and advanced previews of Behind the Scenes China footage.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
Above + Audio copies of Commonwealth Club 2-part program including a discussion with architect and author Peter Calthorpe and a panel discussion about what we are doing in the Bay Area to comply with SB375 (the regional climate change initiative).
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
Above + Car Free Conversation Kit (Car-free themed conversation starters, good for all kids of social occasions, from the dinner table to a first date). PLUS, newly added - POST-CHINA PARTY! Join the film team and other donors and be the first to see the edited China footage. Party to be held in late August or early September in San Francisco. Date TBA.
Pledge $125 or more Pledge $125 or more
Above + Film credit and special addition DVD of MIND THE GAP Webisodes 2011.
Pledge $300 or more Pledge $300 or more
Above + Mini Commuter Kit (including notebook; Earthlust Stainless steel water bottle).
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
Above + Commuter Kit (including Mole Skin notebook; Earthlust Stainless Steel Waterbottle, and Timbuk2 hidden messenger bag) + Opportunity to be featured in a MIND THE GAP Webisode.
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
Above + Commuter Kit (including Mole Skin notebook; Earthlust Stainless Steel Waterbottle, and Timbuk2 Custom Laptop Messenger Bag) + Invitation to year end Webisode wrap party (in San Francisco, transportation not included).
Project By
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Laura J. Lukitsch lived in both Japan and India, experiences which infuse a deep sense of cultural inquiry into her work. She has worked as a filmmaker with artistic, public television and corporate clients. Lukitsch’s first long form documentary, BEARD CLUB, was shot in six countries and twelve cities and explores the social politics of facial hair. It premiered at Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in 2010. She has won numerous grants and awards including a Fleishhacker Foundation grant, the Pacific Pioneer Fund grant, and the San Francisco Film House Residency.
