2006
(pdf)
The Australian Submarine Corporation, located in Adelaide at the Osborne Maritime Centre, has been awarded the contract to provide the Australian Government with three air warfare destroyers, the first is to be delivered by June 2009(?). This is a $6 billion contract. Each destroyer will weigh 60,000 tonnes and will take 3.8 million man-hours to consolidate 600,000 parts supplied by 1500 firms.
As this is an immense national, industrial/military undertaking, every step and every person involved in every significant industry/craft needs to be documented and honoured.
The project will be shot with a small crew on digital beta over several years with a focus on how people, machines and material combine to create a 60,000 tonne killing machine. Time will be spent to look and listen; inclusive, neutral framing and editing strategies will be employed: no voiceover or music or editorializing will be used in the documentation of the building of the destroyer. It is the filmmaker's intention to create a framework that enlightens the viewer in order that he/she is able to assess the human, societal and moral costs of this military industrial undertaking.
We are seeking funds to assemble a 'pitch-package' in order that we might procure funds to document the building of the first of these vessels. Much research into this long and complex production needs to be done.
Where is the steel sourced from and how is it mined and who does it? Who smelts and rolls the steel?
Who/how is it transported?
etc
We are looking for/have support from the following:
MUA
(related unions - truckers, miners, electricians, janitors etc) The Australian Industry and Defense Network
Australian Submarine Corp.
Navy