If not Happy Valley, then what?

So we have a one-on-one interviews with Mike Rubbo on Tuesday. To discuss the multitude of filming fantasties we have brewing quietly away in the back of our minds. Hopefully, as an practised storyteller, he'll show me how to hone bloated doco dreams into well-rounded storylines... I wish him luck with that! I guess in the meantime I ought really to outline what else I'm dreaming of...

A dark screen. Then a light, a white sheet, an eager face deep in concentration. A black shape fluttering, mesmerised, closer and closer to the light, until the light fills the whole screen. A quick movement, a net, a pottle, and the moth is imprisoned, captor elated. "Look how beautiful he is! Look at his wings! Ooo, be careful, don't want to destroy them - need them whole for mounting". Green velvet meets plastic again and again - the imprisoned is helpless. New Zealand has over 1800 named Lepidoptera species, 90% of which are endemic, and over 98% of which are moths. New Zealand also has some very passionate Lepidoterists and Entomological Society members, many of whom will go to extraordinaty lengths to collect that perfect specimen. Imagine spending your weekend nights perched on an exposed hill top staring at the darkness around your light trap! Recently concern has been expressed about the decline in population numbers and distribution of two formerly common and widespread Geometrid moth speices. The documentary could use this as its main storyline, following Lepidopterists as they try to track the reason for this, whilst delving into the almost untouched world of New Zealand moths.

Quote of the week -
'Personally, I won't need to buy drugs anymore' - Mark, on discovering the video fx options menu on imovie.