Daniel Everitt-Lock on Making a Powerful Nuclear Documentary

British documentary filmmaker and award-winning cinematographer Daniel Everitt-Lock joins Talent Freaks to discuss directing the 2026 feature Our Planet, The People, My Blood, centered on nuclear veterans advocate Alan Owen’s fight against the UK Ministry of Defence for justice and compensation while connecting impacted communities across four continents. Daniel shares how a short film about nuclear weapons tests sparked the project, why he expanded the story beyond test veterans to include downwinders, uranium miners, Marshallese communities, and Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivors, and how governments place the burden of proof on victims. He breaks down the realities of making a global, shoestring documentary—traveling 150,000 km, interviewing 50 people, self-editing after losing an editor, and managing 100+ TB of footage—plus the film’s May 14 UK theatrical release, social strategy, educational use, and plans to give footage to Lab Rats.If you’re interested in documentary filmmaking, cinematography, activism, or powerful human stories, this conversation is for you.Episode 12 of Talent Freaks.Follow Daniel Everitt-Lock's work:Website: https://everlockproductions.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everittlock/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everlockproductions/Connect with Host Andy and Talent Freaks:🌐 Website: https://www.talentfreaks.com/📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talent.freaks▶️ YouTube: / @talentfreaks🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talent.freaks🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talent-freaks-podcast/id1796292842🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ELhgo3t9d4J2jT1V3dV70?si=c89a8c13991041a400:00 Trailer | Our Planet, The People, My Blood 01:45 Meet The Filmmaker03:18 Origin Of The Story06:40 Shoestring Global Production09:08 Research And Interview Style13:39 From Veterans To Global Chain16:25 Cut Threads And Credibility19:51 Activism And Extra Footage26:26 Distribution And Social Push28:37 Government Side And Hanford37:31 Editing The Feature Alone39:49 Editing Marathon Lessons40:29 Finding the Narrative Thread42:17 Next Projects and Creative Balance43:44 Parliament Screening Impact44:30 Festival Rejections Reality45:23 DIY Theatrical Release49:10 Why Nuclear Stories Sell50:49 Desert Screening Ideas52:36 Origin Story as Filmmaker57:15 Cinematography Joy and Craft01:02:26 Hardest Parts and Setbacks01:05:10 Release Plans and Call to Action01:09:04 Final Thanks and Wrap Up