Seychelles NDC at COP26

About the Seychelles NDC at COP26 film

A Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is the document countries use to communicate their contribution towards the global temperature goal and the global goal for adaptation. Seychelles submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution in 2015 and revised it in early 2021, ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

This film puts that pledge into plain language and pictures for an international audience. It was an honour to have a video I made represent the nation of Seychelles and be shown to the 38,457 delegates who attended COP26.

The team behind the film

The film was commissioned by the World Bank, the University of Seychelles and Deltares. It was produced by Bas Bolman and Stuart Laing, with a scenario written by Bas Bolman, Stuart Laing, Daniel Etongo, Jérome Harlay, Sophie Vergouwen and Kelly Hoareau. Angelique Pouponneau voices the narration, and the film features Sabrina Dodin, Keith André, Wills Agricole, Flavian Joubert and Angelique Pouponneau.

What I did

I handled direction, editing and cinematography, and shot all of the Seychelles, underwater and interview footage myself. International and climate-change footage was added from NASA, Bellergy, Elsa Luebing, The Videvo Team, Beachfront B-Roll, Mattia Lo Bianco and the US Fish & Wildlife Service, with map data from Google. Bringing local footage and global material into one clear story was the main editing challenge.

Climate and policy films that explain

Policy documents rarely make good viewing, which is why this kind of film matters. If you need a short film that explains something complex to a wide audience, see my video editing and DP services in Zurich or browse more of my video projects.

How I make films like Seychelles NDC at COP26

My approach is the same whether the film is a documentary, an advert or a social campaign. I start with what the film has to achieve and who will watch it, plan the shoot around that, film what the story needs and edit it to the point. Because I usually write, direct, film and edit myself, there are fewer hand-offs, the decisions stay consistent from first idea to final file and the client deals with one person. I deliver the formats each channel needs, from broadcast files to vertical cuts for social media. To see more films like Seychelles NDC at COP26, browse my video production portfolio or get in touch about your own project.