Hey there!

I am currently in the process of making a short (15 minute) documentary
about the popularity of the Mini. As such, I would love some suggestions
as to who would be natural to interview. For logistical reasons, it
would be a great advantage if the people who need to be interviewed are
based in the north-west of England, BUT I am also looking for people
from abroad.

1) Do you know any "key figures" in the UK mini scene, whom I should
approach to do an interview?

2) Are you, yoruself, a key figure in the scene, whom i should interview? ;)

3) Are you part of a vibrant mini-community abroad, do you have access
to a video camera and a microphone, and know someone who would be
willing to do an interview? (I am happy to pay for tapes and postage,
but as this is an university assigned documentary, it will be extremely
low-budget)

4) Does anyone know of any upcoming large-ish events, which would be
natural to cover, as an illustration to the mini-fanaticism that is
still well and truly alive?

.. Any help is appreciated! Feel free to email me (mini@kamps.org) or
post a reply in this post. For more info, read the production pitch in
the bottom of this document, or contact me!

Cheers, everyone!

haje Jan

Documentary production pitch
-----------------------
A MINI PHENOMENON
A short documentary by Haje Jan Kamps
Running length: 15 min

How many cars can you think of that are no longer in production, but
that still have more than half a dozen dedicated dealerships in the UK
alone? How many cars can you think of that does not just have one, but
two magazines discussing only that car model?

How many car owners drive to the Wirral from as far north as Scotland,
and as far south as London, just so they can drive in convoy with more
than 150 other car owners, with whom they only have one thing in common:
The car model?

When the Mini was introduced the end of August 1959. In the 45th
anniversary year of the birth of the Mini, a tightly knotted core of
thousands of Mini drivers and enthusiasts still spend hours in their
garages, swearing and sweating, just so they can spend the summer
driving around in one of the smallest production-cars ever made.

A MINI PHENOMENON will discover why this obsession exists, and what
people like so much about these particular cars. The documentary will
explain why people driving Fiestas and Clios and Civics fail where the
Mini succeeds in making the owners feel an emotional bond that – by the
owners themselves – can only be described as love.

The movie will be based most heavily on original interviews with key
figures in the UK Mini scene, possibly augmented with comments from the
International scene (Australia, Norway and the US, most notably). It
will further rely on original footage from upcoming events, and short
archive clips from famous Mini-drivers (Mr. Bean, Pink Panther and clips
from The Italian Job, most notably). We are currently negotiating the
usage of a clip of original 1960s footage of minis as well.