Warning: may stop pipelines and cause spontaneous outbursts of joyous dancing.
21 Sept 2014: We released the #TarFree613 video! http://youtu.be/dXYE6Szi_k0
Solidarity with #PeopleClimateMarch and#PeaceDay2014!
Nov 2013 Update: The shooting of the video is done. Aiming for Summer 2014 release.
10 Oct Update: #TarFree613 track is unleashed! http://velacatalyst.bandcamp.com/track/tarfree613
13 Sept Update: We've started recording! The track will be ready soon!
5 Sept Update: We're funded! THANK YOU! We are so stoked to co-create a music video that will show people saying NO to Tar Sands pipelines and YES to the Future WE define!
What's up?
Like many people in Ottawa, I first heard about the risk of the Tar Sands coming to Canada's capital from an Ecology Ottawa email on 25 June:
"It has just been reported that TransCanada Corp is hoping to build a massive $5 billion pipeline that will transport 850,000 barrels a day of tar sands oil through the south end of the City of Ottawa and across the Rideau River. The plan is to retrofit a natural gas pipeline into a pipeline that will carry crude oil from Alberta’s tar sands to the East Coast of Canada and they want to run the pipeline through our city!" - Ecology Ottawa
This is a Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Idea.
I'm a singer-songwriter called Vela. I'm also a PhD Candidate in Environmental Education nameJulie. As an Artist-Activist, I wanted to help stop this proposed Energy East Pipeline. While sitting in Ecology Ottawa's first public forum about the pipeline on 15 July, I was already writing a song. Then it was announced the twitter hashtag for this campaign is #TarFree613. I thought, "That's a great song title!"
A few days later while making curry for Kevin Guerette and Rebecca Lantz, we jammed on the #TarFree613 Song. In walked Fedor Ilitchev, who just happens to make videos. Kevin just happens to be a music producer and gifted guitarist. Rebecca just happens to be awesome. We realized that in that one kitchen, we had all the ingredients for an awesome project: to record the song and make a music video that will support Ecology Ottawa, The Council of Canadians, 350 Ottawa, and other fabulous organizations, to help get the message out. Well, all the ingredients except one: cash. So a week later, we shot the live demo of the song for this Indiegogo funding campaign (the Pitch Video, above).
The Tar Sands extraction sites are ugly wounds on Mother Earth. Our Resistance is Beautiful. We need to say "NO!" to the Tar Sands on every front, in every community, in every way we can. Communities need to support each other to be strong enough to shut down the Tar Sands. The #TarFree613 Song is part of this creative, collaborative resistance.
More About the Vision for the Video
Please note the Pitch Video, above, shows what we can do with no funding, and no time. All we had was ourselves, the Mud Lake dock, and a video camera. OK, and a beaver, who graced us with cameo appearances.
Imagine what we can do with funding, time, and most importantly, YOU! We'd like the video to be collaborative. Here are just the broad strokes of our plan for the #TarFree613 Video, (the timing is using the above Pitch Video): 1. 0:00-24: Begin as a parody of a News Report (the "finding out" part of the Song, opening that email about the Pipeline). 2. 0:24-0:36: First "TarFree613" chorus, maybe have similar images for the chorus each time. For example, we want to shoot on the old pipeline that TransCanada wants to retrofit! 3. 0:37-0:48 "No to this Pipeline" part - show footage of peaceful resistance so far. 4. 1:01- 1:23 "We don't want" part - footage that illustrates all that we don't want (Eg. We don't want... pipeline spills, dead wildlife, corporate greed, etc). 5. 1:24- 1:30 "Bling part" - we wear gold bellbottom pantsuits and so much Shiny Stuff, it will make Lady Gaga blush. We don't need Stuff to be happy! 6. 1:31- 2:08: Now this is your chance to shine!!! For the "What we want" part, we'd like to show YOU and what YOU want our future to be like! And pretty much up until the end of the song, its about focusing on the beautiful, fair, loving future we want, to leave folks feeling inspired and uplifted. And determined to have a TarFree Future!
Please feel free to post feedback, comments, and ideas about the video in the comment section of the campaign, on the FB Event Wall, or message Vela. If you'd like to be in the video, please email vela.music.project@gmail.com. There will be more details after the funding campaign about collaborating with us.
What We Need & What You Get
We need about $600 to pull this off. And YOU can be in our music video!
Budget
- $350 for studio recording, mixing, and mastering (by Kevin), includes studio rental. To produce radio quality recording to post on bandcamp, ReverbNation, and put on the radio
- $100 honorarium to videographer (Fedor), to create video to post on youtube & vimeo
- $100 for props, travel, or other unforeseen costs to make video
- $50 (approx.) for Indiegogo and PayPal Fees
- Total: $600
Perky Perks
This is no ordinary music video. This will be co-created with our community! Co-created with YOU. The song invites you to think about the future YOU want. When we first launched, we though a fun Perk would be that if you pitch us $10, we'd include a video clip of you holding a sign that says "We want [insert the wonderful thing you want]". Or holding a "#TarFree613" sign. But as we got more and more excited about having lots and lots of people in the video, we realized we want EVERYONE to be included. We want this video to show the beautiful and inspiring diversity of people working together for the future we want. A TarFree Future! So we do not want money to prevent anyone from participating. We also realized we will continue the call out for folks to be in the video after this funding campaign is over. And it wouldn't be fair to have some folks pay and some not pay. So, instead, please make sure we're fully funded so we can pull this off! Give what you can, and share share share! If you're part of an organization or business, let them know that for $50, individuals or organizations will be listed as a supporter, with a link to their website and logo in video credits, video description, and on the song description (on bandcamp & ReverbNation).
What if we don't reach our funding goal?Keep Tar Sands Crude out of the 613 area code. Contribute to the overall creative resistance to make the Tar Sands unprofitable. Have lots of fun doing so.