The project of putting together a full-length feature film about Dogpatch USA is a very personal one to our families and so many of those who got to experience the park first-hand. The stories need to be preserved and shared, so we have taken on this project to try and do just that. Our desire is to give a historic account from the lips of those who lived it out while adding amazing technological effects to enhance the experience and take viewers back into the park that existed in the 1970s. To fully understand the depth of this project, you will need a little history lesson and some personal stories.
Dogpatch USA
Dogpatch USA was a very unique place that utilized the characters directly from Al Capp's Li'l Abner comic strip that ran in newspapers worldwide from 1934-1977. The characters from the comic strip were very popular and well-known when the theme park opened just outside of Harrison, Arkansas in 1968. Around the world, most everyone knew the names Li'L Abner and Daisy Mae. One of the unique things about the park were the characters that were portrayed by actors inside the park. These characters brought Dogpatch to life straight from the comic strip and made the experience of Dogpatch a very unique one. In addition to the characters there were rides and shows with amazing talent.
"My name is Jeff Carter. My wife, Heather and I are the owners/filmmakers for Jeff Carter Productions. In 2010 I completed film school after splitting my time between Los Angeles and my home in Arkansas. My background is in the audio and video industry. In 2000, my wife and I started a live production company and traveled, running sound for concerts and events until 2005 when we settled down and transitioned to technology integration. After film school, I worked for 7 years completing smaller film projects and sharpening my skills. Then I started looking for an opportunity to work on a full-feature film project. We moved to the northwest Arkansas area in 2014 and through that process I discovered an old photograph of my dad and I in the car ride at the Dogpatch theme park in 1975. This peaked my interest and so began my research on the history of Dogpatch USA.
After discussing the project with Heather, we discovered that she had even more memories of spending time in the park with family. As I researched more and more information about the park, I found that as a child in Arkansas in the 1970s and 80s, so many of us would have those great memories of Dogpatch as visitors and as employees. Not only that, but across the country and throughout the world, there is an interest in the amazing story of Dogpatch USA.
Over the last 10 months, we have interviewed dozens of people who worked in the park from 1968 to when it closed in 1993. The film will be fully narrated through these unique, first person stories. But the edited images and 3-D graphics are what will really bring the film all together.
What We Need
Remaining Filming and Travel Expenses: Most of the filming has been completed, but we still have a few critical stories to capture. Most of our budget to this point has been spent on travel to different locations to capture the important stories of those who were a part of the park, especially in the early years.
Graphic Image Editing: Working over the past several months, the filming of most of the interviews has been completed. We have over 26 hours of interview footage from people who worked in the park from the early days to the day it closed. We also have gathered and scanned thousands of images and historical documents, videos, and recordings. All of these pictures have to be cleaned up, edited, and animated. Our desire is to create an experience with the images that brings you into the film.
3D digital Animation: We also now have an opportunity to completely re-create the park in a 3-D digital model with a talented graphic artist and 3-D designer. This is an exciting time for graphic editing to be able to take you, the audience directly back into the park as it looked when it was at it's height. Watching the film will be like taking a walk through the park again. This funding campaign will help with all of the post-production costs. Unlike many films, most of our work is just now beginning. The graphics editing is time-consuming and takes experienced graphic editors to bring it to completion.
Film Festivals: Once the film is completed this Spring we will take the film to some film festivals throughout the region and see how it performs. Entry fees and promotional materials will be a part of our budget.
A Premiere Party: Once the film is completed, our desire is to launch in May of this year. We discovered a few months ago that the 50th anniversary of opening day of the park is May 18th, 2018. We want to have a giant Dogpatch weekend Premiere party for everyone who has been involved with the film and those who love the project with us. We want to give you the opportunity to be a part of that epic weekend of parties, panels, premiere's, stories, recollections, and connections!
What You Get
We have several amazing perks that we are starting out with. One of the ones we are most excited about is the private Facebook group. For any donation amount, you will be added to this exclusive group where you will get access to unseen footage and pictures from the thousands we have gathered. You will also be the first to receive any news about the project, tickets to events, promotional materials, downloads, and discounts.
We are also including a variety of ticket options to our premiere weekend event in Harrison Arkansas at different donation amounts. We have already made arrangements with The historical Lyric theater in Harrison to premiere the film throughout the weekend of May 18th, as well as provide an exclusive "shindig" at the Friday night premiere showing.
For larger donations you will have the opportunity to have a personal photo of you or a family member from the park in the closing credits of the film or even receive a producer or executive producer credit.
If you have an idea for a perk you would like to see, drop us a line and maybe we can add it in.
Risks & Challenges
It has been amazing to see the response we have gotten already on this project. Our Dogpatch contacts have become like family! The interviews and collection of historical documents has been very smooth. But with a project like this, post-production is even more critical than the initial filming. One of the biggest challenges we have faced is managing the project in addition to managing our normal lives. We have spent many weekends on location filming and many nights trying to edit photos and edit the footage we have so far. We want to add a couple of full-time graphic designers to help us finish on time. With the funds we raise here we will really be able to make the film visually more appealing and exciting to watch. Not just a typical historical documentary, but a full, time-traveling experience for the viewer.
Completed Film
We have been so blessed to have the full support and assistance of the Boone County Museum in Harrison, AR. We have used their facility for filming, connections, and historical support. Once the film has premiered, copies of all of the pictures and historical documents we have digitally scanned will be donated to the museum for their Dogpatch USA Display. We will continue to work with them at whatever capacity they desire to make their display the best it can be.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you have read this and followed along with us, we appreciate you so much!! Help us with this campaign by sharing it and spreading the word! Join us on Facebook by connecting to our page and keeping up with all of our news. THANK YOU!!!
Meet Our Current Crew
Jeff Carter is the owner and director for Jeff Carter Productions. Jeff started working in live event production in 2000. For 5 years, his company traveled and provided sound and lighting for large events and concerts. In 2005 he converted his company over to technology integration. Since then he has designed, installed, and trained people on audio visual systems for churches, homes, and commercial businesses. In 2010 Jeff graduated from film school. He spent that last year of school traveling to Los Angeles and working on a variety film sets with his mentor. Since that time he has continued to build his company, expanding into various short film projects.
Executive Producer, Heather Carter currently holds her Bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership. Heather has worked side by side with her husband Jeff for over 20 years in the audio visual industry. She is a musician and has experience working behind the scenes in video production, photoshop, video editing, sound mixing, sound recording, event planning, and managing the day to day operations of the business.
Producer Danielle Keller has her Bachelor's Degree from John Brown University in Digital Media Arts, Cinema. Danielle has completed several film projects and currently works as a photographer and filmmaker in northwest Arkansas where she lives with her husband and 2 children. Danielle is also a board member for Silver Spark Productions and has completed video projects for the Arkansas Public Theater.
3D Graphic designer and editor, Aaron Ray. A fellow Arkansan, Aaron is a full time graphic designer by day, and comedian, improv teacher, and actor by night. With his plate always full, he loves helping out inspiring filmmakers in any way possible. Whether it be through art, design, or acting, he's always willing to go the extra mile to make sure his passion shows through in his work.
Graphics Editor, Caleb Hoenshell Caleb graduated from John Brown University with his Bachelor's degree in Digital Cinema. He has past experience in video directing, sound production, director of photography, lighting, gaffing as well as many post production processes like editing, sound editing and color correction. Caleb is working working with Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and Adobe After Effects to bring the most out of the thousands of images we have been given.
Sound Production Adam Carter. Adam has several years of experience in working on production sets with Jeff Carter Productions. As the son of Jeff and Heather, he has grown up in the middle of the audio-visual technology world. He is gifted and experienced in the area of sound production, mixing, and digital music creation.