When Roger Met Patty - Phase One
The Goal: To make a superlative documentary feature that would qualify for Academy Award consideration in the feature documentary category, as well as be submitted to numerous film festivals for showing and competition. Only by attaining some form of recognition from one of these venues can a documentary hope to reach a mainstream public and media recognition.
Let’s face it, the people who have interest in anything BF/Sasquatch-related are a small circle of people, including both those for and against the very idea. The mainstream public and media only take note when somebody pulls a major scan, like the Georgia Bigfoot body in the freezer a while back. So about the only impression that reaches the general public and media is the scams and the silly stuff. A serious presentation on the topic invariably falls into the small niche of people with longstanding interest.
How do we break through to the general public and mainstream media with something of merit, something serious, scientific and powerful? Well, there’s always the old sure thing, bring in a body and put it on a slab for scientific dissection. But until that happens, what’s the second most powerful alternative? A documentary that breaks through the niche container and reaches the general public and mainstream media. But a documentary will never do that unless it is set up and positioned to qualify for Academy Award consideration in feature documentaries category, and makes some kind of positive impact on the film festival circuit. That’s my goal, to be the one who produces that breakout documentary. And that’s what I need your help to accomplish.
The impact should bring all the respectful major efforts by various researchers up to a new level of public awareness and media attention, so this project potentially benefits everyone who has any interest or makes any effort to advance our knowledge of this phenomenon we call Bigfoot/Sasquatch. So if you are in any way connected to research efforts, or simply fascinated by the idea and want to see discussions of it taken to a higher and more respectable level, this proposed documentary supports your interest and activity, and thus this project is worthy of your support in return.
The documentary, by it’s vary title, seems to be focused simply on the PGF event, but it will equally give abundant attention to the many other respectful research efforts ongoing today. But an excellent documentary feature tells a story the audience can relate to, and the concept I have chosen is to first take the one most powerful event in Bigfoot/Sasquatch lore and show why, beyond any doubt, it is a real event, and then, with that established, expand the story to the current research efforts, their accomplishments and their challenges as they continue. So the PGF, the event where Roger Patterson met and filmed the entity we call Patty, that is the title centerpiece of this story, and effectively sets up the discussions of current research. So please do not think this project neglects the many fine research endeavors currently ongoing. The PGF focus in the title is simply what in great narrative program structure is referred to as “the hook”, that element which catches the public and mainstream media’s attention and holds on, so they will continue to watch and learn about all the other fine research projects today.
I’ve already got 5 years of concentrated effort in the PGF analysis, some wonderful scientific research that was funded by the Cestone Foundation through the greatly appreciated assistance of Prof. Jef Meldrum, and I’ve got about 15 hours of HD video already accumulated as potential footage for the documentary. So I’m well positioned to reach the goal. But producing a feature documentary that is eligible for Academy Award consideration and festival submission is a major undertaking, and needs some financial support. So that’s what I’m asking for now.
I’ve divided the effort into three phases of funding and activity, so I can get the ball rolling with phase one and build success on success for the funding of phase two and three. Basically, Phase One is the organizational foundation, Phase Two is the actual Documentary production and editing, and Phase Three is the final setup for Academy Award eligibility and festival submission, which includes licenses for rights to footage and stills used in the program.
Elaborating now, Phase One is the organizational set-up of the project.This includes the set-up of the corporate production company, it’s accounting services, and it’s legal counsel (for negotiating contracts, licenses, corporate sponsorship, and a “Name” talent as program host/narrator). Also a part of Phase One is the setup of an aggressive social media presence for the project. Also, preparations for the aggressive fundraising activities of Phase Two and Phase Three will be set up, including the solicitations for corporate sponsorship. So in essence, Phase One establishes the foundation and starts the proverbial ball rolling.
The Documentary Concept
A great documentary tells a story in a focused and concise way, The documentary program concept recognizes that the PGF is the most familiar event in the mind of the general public and media, so the program leads with a definitive summation of why the PGF is real. Then the program branches out to examine the many new technique and new technologies being applied to this elusive entity we call Bigfoot or Sasquatch. I have commitments for interviews with Jeff Meldrum, Brian Brown and the TBRC/TWARC field studies, Bart Cutino and his thermal studies, and The Olympic Project’s remarkably diligent field studies.
Second, the production concept is that researchers, not TV program executives, should control the editing and content decisions. TV Program executives have lost sight of reality and responsible science and can’t resist program eye candy and sensationalism, out of context, over science in context. The story of this remarkably mysterious entity must be told with sincere respect for the real science, the real research, and the real challenges of bringing this entity into a position of biological science recognition. The content decisions and the final edit must be in the hands of researchers. This program will be.
Program Versions
One of the unique aspects of this project is that it recognizes that studies of this topic need different levels of detail and varying presentation times for different audiences, and so the final program result will be set up with four levels of comprehensive information.
Proposed Submissions for Recognition and possible distribution deals:
1. Qualify for eligibility for Academy Award in Feature Documentary category.
2. Toronto Hot Docs Festival (leading North American Documentary Film festival)
3. Tribecca Film festival
4. Sundance Film festival
5. Telluride film festival
6. Toronto Film festival (different from #2 above)
7. Columbus International festival
8. Vail Film Festival
9. San Francisco International festival
10. Seattle Film festival.
A “Name” Host/Narrator
Film media are consistently shown to attract more attention and interest when the potential audience or media sees a name they recognize. And a name which has some connection or relevance to the program subject has enhanced appeal. So the plan is to employ a person who’s name lends some “starpower” in public recognition and media attention. Suffice to say, promising a specific person before anything is contractual is unethical, and I will be running this 100% ethically start to finish, so at this point, I can only say that a “name” person will be employed as host/narrator, and when the arrangement is contractual, that person’s participation will be announced and disclosed.
Accounting:
I’d likely use an accounting company where I live, TripleEdge Financial Services, a reputable accounting firm, and in the project website, in a password protected area, I’ll be publishing the monthly balance sheet the accountants do, so its available for all financial contributors to see and be assured their contributions are being properly and wisely used to make progress toward the goal.
Legal Counsel
The transactional attorneys at
Costa, Abrams & Coate LLP
Santa Monica, CA.
www.cacllp.com
Attorney Natalie Hottle is the one I have retained previously and she’s qualified for the types of transactions the company will be undertaking. She’s listed on the staff page.
They would handle the negotiations and contract for the “Name host”, and any distribution or licensing deals, which is this law firm’s area of expertise.
