Do you, or a group that you're involved with, have something to say to the people of New Zealand? Are you involved in something you'd like more people to know about? Would you like to get onto national television?

Open Door is funded by New Zealand On Air and broadcast on TV3. It's a unique form of community-based television that allows groups or individuals to apply to have a documentary program made about an issue - be it family, social, environmental, or whatever - that involves or concerns them. The production company, Morningside Productions, will then work with TV3 to select the successful proposals. There are ten seperate documentaries in the series, each running for about 20 minutes (a TV half hour).

Open Door doesn't make programmes about people, it makes programs for people - our role is to help you tell your own story. All you need is a clear idea of what you want to say; we're looking for firmly held opinions and energetic commitment.

We don't have an agenda about what the programmes should say. We won't deliver the programme to TV3 unless all the people who feature in the show have seen it and approve of what we've done with their material. We won't require people to sign the Release Form that gives us the rights to use that material until they're happy with how we've treated their interview. Before we can work with a group, however, TV3 have to approve your application.

You need to identify clearly whatever the main issues are that you want to be highlighted by the programme, and the people who are best able to talk about them.

These people would have to be prepared to be directly involved and available for interviews.

If possible, identify any events and occasions that will provide visual material for the programe.

But the bottom line is that initially we just need a basic idea that we can expand on. We are happy to help you with everything else. Just give us a call.

The shoot itself will be scheduled for 5 days. If possible, they will be consecutive from a Monday to Friday but if significant events that occur over a period of time are crucial to the programme, the shooting schedule will be tailored around them. The object of all the pre-shoot planning is to ensure that, after 5 days of intensive work with our professional crew, all the material needed for your programme is in the can.

As the programme emerges from the editing process, whoever has been interviewed for the programme will be shown a draft copy to ensure that they are happy with our treatment of their individual interview footage. We also want to make sure that the programme is getting their message across. Then we move on to polish it and do the final edit. Not until the participants are happy that the programme is the best we can make with the resources available do we ask them to sign a release form.