Episode: Making Our First Sea Film (and Surviving It) — with filmmaker Zoe East What it’s about: behind the scenes of our mini-documentary about Ash, a female fisherman. Two women, one working boat, the hottest day of the year, and a very real lesson in saying yes before you’re “ready.”You’ll hear about:The films Michelle & Zoe have already made together (rowers, stonemasons, adventurers) and why this one felt different.How the Ash film finally happened after five years of red tape.Filming on a live working boat: zero seating, tight wheelhouse, fuel fumes, safety zones, and why some shots were “off the cuff.”Sea-sickness roulette: ginger shots, mindset, the wheelhouse of doom, who threw up (and who didn’t), and how to keep shooting when your horizon won’t sit still.The drone saga: trees, no-fly zones, ND filter chaos, and missing “the one job” harbour shot.What actually gets kept vs thrown back (and why fishermen get an unfair rap).Doing the dares: banding lobsters and mackerel fishing while trying not to die.The long steam home, the graveyard camper stopover, and the infamous Co-op pants.What’s next: festivals, sponsors, and building She Who Dares Wins Productions — films about women, by women.Key takeaways:You don’t need perfect conditions to make a great film — you need respect, adaptability, and momentum.Boundaries keep you alive on a working boat; they also keep your story sharp.“Confidence” isn’t the absence of nausea — it’s doing the job while you feel it.Fishermen are far more regulated than most people think; sustainability was front and centre.Minimum crew, maximum story: say yes, keep it simple, solve one problem at a time.Gear & constraints (for the film nerds):Small crew, limited kit, prioritising safety & workflow over perfection.No flying at sea (signal risk), attempted harbour drone shot foiled by ND filter & timing.Interviews split: land day + light top-ups at sea.Timestamps (light, skimmable):0:00 — Why Zoe’s back + our past films1:25 — The Ash idea: 5 years of “maybe” to “let’s do it”2:53 — Planning vs reality: tourists, heat, off-the-cuff shooting4:08 — Ginger shots & mindset: the seasick strategy6:23 — Wheelhouse hell + safety on a working deck9:35 — Missing shots, saving the story12:01 — What gets thrown back: sustainability in action14:20 — The mackerel dare & keeping morale up18:30 — Harbour return, drone fail, tourist chaos21:10 — Camper van, graveyard, and the Co-op pants23:30 — What’s next: festivals, sponsors, more women-led films Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.