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Act 5

Help us introduce Shakespeare to African American youth as we film Act 5 of "Measure for Measure"

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Act 5

Act 5

Act 5

Act 5

Act 5

Help us introduce Shakespeare to African American youth as we film Act 5 of "Measure for Measure"

Help us introduce Shakespeare to African American youth as we film Act 5 of "Measure for Measure"

Help us introduce Shakespeare to African American youth as we film Act 5 of "Measure for Measure"

Help us introduce Shakespeare to African American youth as we film Act 5 of "Measure for Measure"

Frederick Mead
Frederick Mead
Frederick Mead
Frederick Mead
1 Campaign |
New Orleans, United States
$205 USD 10 backers
14% of $1,400 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Choose your Perk

Youtube video of Act 5 movie

$10 USD
Est. Shipping
March 2015
3 claimed

Short Summary

By helping director Frederick Mead film Act 5 of "Measure for Measure", you help his audience of African American youth understand Shakespeare. Filming Act 5 is an innovative technique that can decode the lofty Elizabethan language and reveal major themes: the role and abuses of government in the lives of ordinary citizens.

  • New Orleans stage director, Frederick Mead, serves on the Big Easy Theater Award committee, is a founding member  of Gulf Coast Playwrights, and Artistic Director of the Louisiana History Alive theater ensemble.
  • In Frederick's vision of Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure", the Duke of Vienna is an auteur movie director (a la Otto Preminger) who moves behind the scenes in disguise,  filming other characters, and setting the plot in motion. 
  • Act 5 of the play *is* the movie the Duke has made. When other actors reveal a movie screen, the audience watches the concluding act as an old-tyme, black-and-white movie. At a climactic moment, the film "melts".

What We Need & What You Get

Our ACT 5 film will play in an auditorium. Sound must be good (so the audience can hear and decipher Shakespearean language.) A few SFX will dramatize climactic moments.

  • Using two 60d cameras, we will pay $100 apeice to an experienced film director and D.P. with a second operator on camera B.

  • To save a few hundred dollars on renting lights, we will shoot outside in the morning, at a local New Orleans park. $0.

  • An SFX editor will add titles, the "melt" effect, and other smaller SFX for $200

  • For professional quality sound, including equipment and talent, we have budgeted a very minimal $300. 

  • To produce a 15 minute video, we estimate 30 hours of editing (transcoding to Pro Res from H.264, sound mixing, sound design). Our editor has agreed to work for a flat rate of $700.

  • Total is $ 1,400.

The Impact

  • The play (and the Act 5 movie) will be presented at the Anthony Bean Community Theater, the only African-American theater producing company in New Orleans. 
  • In recognition of the company's 15-year anniversary (and a recent Community Arts Award), we are producing our first-ever Shakespeare play, "Measure for Measure".
  • This audience of African American youth and adults has never seen Shakespeare on this stage (and perhaps never at all.) 
  • Staging ACT 5 as a movie will help decode the Elizabethan language and lofty themes of this oddly contemporary morality play. The themes of social justice, abuse of governmental power, and the need for a genuine spirituality are timely topics that will speak clearly and resonate with the experiences of many African-Americans in our audience.

Risks & Challenges

Time-management is always the biggest risk to any successful project. The play has 15 actors, a director, and stage manager. The film director/D.P.,  the second camera operator, and the boom/sound engineer are all in demand, with multiple projects. Here in New Orleans, Mardi Gras also falls within our rehearsal period.

  • To overcome the challenges of time-management, director Frederick Mead brings business acumen and project management experience to the work. In his previous career, Frederick was Director of Documentation and Training for high-tech Silicon Valley corporations, including Oracle and Adobe.
  • Frederick has managed teams of 100 employees, with tight, fast-paced schedules, and millions of dollars at stake.
  • The key to successful projects is clear communication and trust. Frederick has assembled a top-notch team he can trust to deliver work on time and who take personal pride in its quality.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you can't contribute, but want to help:

  • Help get the word out and make some noise about our campaign!
  • Reminder: Use the Indiegogo share tools! Share our hyperlink on Facebook, Twitter, email.

We'll save you an aisle seat.

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