Film Spree with the BBC

We were contacted last month by an English film company that produces documentaries for the BBC. After several email exchanges, followed by several lengthy phone conversations, we agreed to be filmed. For photos, see our Facebook album.

This is the first time we've ever agreed to be on film. We've turned down Dateline NBC, the Tyra Banks show, and others programs as being too sensational. BBC explained that they wanted to shoot a documentary, and not a news story. That meant they weren't going to seek out contrasting point of views, but rather intended to tell our story to the world. "Ok," we agreed, "let's go for it!"

The director, Ian, arrived from England, and the film crew from San Francisco. We'd never seen so many lights and sound equipment (but only one camera). The film crew holed up in a nearby town, but it seemed as if they were with us day and night, or at least 12 hours a day for three days. The schedule was intensive-- change clothes, change location, get miked, setup lights, camera rolling, answer a lot of difficult questions, have some fun, and start all over again. And again. You can see my stepsons (right) taking their part in the film.

The BBC is a class act. They got permission from boutiques in Kirkland to film us shopping, and rented an entire dance studio to film us dancing. That was a trip! After shopping, we were to count to five, then exit the shop, turn right, hold hands, and walk down the street a block or so. The camera was set up outside in a parking space.

We had to repeat this "take" about twelve times! Sometime we turned the wrong way (or at least one of us did), and once an entire busload of seniors emptied out in front of us, many of them gawking at the cameras. And just when we thought the coast was finally clear, a motorized wheelchair zipped by and almost collided with us.

We felt the filming went very well, and are dying to see the results. The film is currently being edited in England, and should air February 6th or so. Sorry, but it will not be broadcast in the United States, a condition we insisted on. We'll tell you more about the program as soon as we've had a chance to see it ourselves.

Would we do it again? Yes! But not quite yet. It was a lot of fun, and it's great to feel special and appreciated-- and to believe that we're playing a part to change the world by letting people know that for some relationships, consensual polygamy is a real and viable and a fine alternative to monogamy.