Short Summary
'E&H' is a love story that transcends time and place. It is a story of hope and family and about coming face to face with a past that haunts you to be better able to deal with life for a better tomorrow. This film is important to me and to this group of artists because it is an opportunity to achieve something really great, the ability to produce a film and be able to tell this incredible story our own way without a studio dictating the terms of funding based on what story they want to tell.
By contributing to our campaign, you will be supporting the voice of some fantastic female writers, Sorel Kairé and Gabriela Lopez de Dennis and an award-winning director, Allison Bergman. The producing team is also comprised of an award-winning group of producers, Stephanie Wiand, Melissa Perl, Michael Perl and myself.
Here is our "Proof of Concept" trailer for the film:
We were able to put something together to give a feel for the film, of course this isn't the actual footage from the movie, just something to show mood and some imagery.
OUR DIRECTOR - ALLISON BERGMAN:
Twitter: @BergmanDirector
She comes from the stage and as such, she gets this script. 'E&H' unfolds from one evening into the dawn. It is a character driven drama and Allison's specialty has always been about extrapolating the nitty-gritty of what makes people tick in a play. In essence, she is the perfect fit to tell this story, her director's eye and experience is just what we need.
*****
THE SCREENWRITERS - GABRIELA LÓPEZ DE DENNIS & SOREL KAIRÉ:
Twitter: @TheGabriela & @leroseriak, respectively
These two ladies wrote the award-winning 'Fixing Paco' starring Gloria Garayua and Paul Rodriguez and then translated all 9 episodes into Spanish. Both versions of this story have received international attention for the groundbreaking work done on the project. We are so very lucky they happened to write this little script of ours with so much depth and clarity.
*****
PRODUCER - MELISSA PERL:
Deep theater roots drivee this artists soul. Her background as an actor, choreographer, and now producer have provided a thorough understanding of the inner workings of production. She just wrapped art direction on an epic web series spanning 5 decades and producing a short film.
*****
PRODUCER - MICHAEL PERL:
Twitter: @MichaelAlanPerl
No stranger to producing, Michael has produced theater, film and an ambitious science fiction web series. As an actor, he has been a series regular and guest star actor on several series over the years as well as worked in the theater. His background will provide an immense knowledge base for our production.
*****
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - STEPHANIE WIAND:
Twitter: @StephanieWiand
Stephanie has produced several award-winning projects over the eyes with 'Fixing Paco' being the most recent, garnering two Imagen Foundation Award Nominations in 2012 & 2013; People's Telly Silver Winner 2013; 2012 Reel Rasquache Film Festival Best
Webisode, Fixing Paco; Official Selection, 2013 Reel Rasquache Film
Festival, Fixing Paco: Changing Lives. Her first feature film as producer, Revenge of the Bimbot Zombie Killers, a B-Movie spoof, took Best Picture honors at the Reel Rasquache Film Festival in 2011. It just got picked up for distribution in the US and Canada and screened to an enthusiastic audience at Comikaze Expo 2014 in Los Angeles.
*****
PRODUCER - JOE CAMARENO:
Twitter: @JoeCamareno
With numerous awards under his belt as a producer and director, and a canon of work spanning from critically-acclaimed theater productions and web series to B-Movie spoofs and in international film shot on two continents, Joe brings a unique perspective to this production. His awards and nominations include: 2006 PARSEC Award, Virgin Falls; 2010 IMAGEN Award, Ylse;
People's Telly Silver Winner 2013, IMAGEN Awards Nominee 2013, 2012
Reel Rasquache Film Festival Best Webisode, Fixing Paco; Official
Selection, 2013 Reel Rasquache Film Festival, Fixing Paco: Changing
Lives; Best Feature, Reel Rasquache Film Festival 2011, Revenge of the
Bimbot Zombie Killers.
*****
OUR DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - GILES ANDREWS:
Hailing from the UK, Giles will be flying in to work on our film. He DP'd the last film that Joe and Stephanie produced together called, 'Tin Holiday.' 'Tin' is still in post and should be finished by the time we start production on 'E&H' this summer. He is also a screenwriter and filmmaker. He plans on making Los Angeles his home as production starts on 'E&H' this summer.
What We Need & What You Get
We need a minimum of $55,000! It's a lot of money, but for a film, it is not much. We are working with a bare-bones crew and plan to shoot this film in 12 days. The writers, director, producers and most of the actors are all donating their time for now, they are working on a deferred pay plan, meaning if the film does well upon being released, and we can recoup some funds, then and only then will they get some money for their work. The only folks getting paid are the crew for production, post-production, rental companies, insurance and of course food to feed the cast and crew. The funding will also pay for some wardrobe and props and a dog sitter.
We have some really great perks from film merchandise like T-shirts and posters to some astrological readings and hypnotherapy sessions and a week stay at an incredible location in Guatemala. The owner of this property has offered up a room in her AirBnB registered home that is quite popular on their site. She is excited about our project that she offered up her space as a perk. We will feature this perk in a few weeks. :)
If we don't make our goal, we will probably still go ahead, but it will be on our credit cards and while that isn't the most prudent way to do things, it would be the most efficient as far as getting it done. We are looking to private investors, but so far we have been unable to secure funding.
The Impact
This project is different because we are making a film in a very non-traditional way for Hollywood. If this film had made it's way through the Hollywood machine, it would have never made it past the reader. It would never have been cast with these fine actors and our director would never have been given this opportunity and the writers would probably have never had a chance to even get their work produced. Why? Not because it isn't good. It is. It is a fantastic script, but because it isn't a film about cliches and the expected pretty cast of 20 somethings. It is an adult story with adult circumstances, there's no sex, or violence. It is a story of the human condition and connection and family that is being told from a very unique perspective, a different perspective with a traditional indie film vibe.
Your contribution will help us tell this story. And this story should be told if not to give the brilliant female writers and director an opportunity to shine in a male dominated industry. Yes, I am male, but I do believe in shining the light on talent in whatever form that talent takes. This film is worth your contribution. Personally, I am a multi-award-winning producer and director. I do not like talking about myself this way, but I know and understand that awards do mean something. It means someone has approved of your work, you have been vetted. My first film 'Revenge of the Bimbot Zombie Killers' was crowdfunded successfully in 2011 and took Best Feature honors at a Los Angeles film festival. It was picked up for distribution and is now available for streaming and download. 'Bimbots' is a Mel Brooks type B-movie spoof, which screened at Comikaze Expo in 2014 to a very enthusiastic audience. My web series 'Fixing Paco' starring legendary comedian, Paul Rodriguez, has garnered several awards for direction and producing including a Telly Award and two nominations for an Imagen Award in 2013 & 2014.
Help us tell the story in 'Edith & Harvey' and be part of our success. We can't do it without you!
Risks & Challenges
As producers of lower budget productions, we've always been able to find a way to do things and make it happen. We've learned to be very careful with money and budget wisely to make the money we have designated for specific line items on a film to last, which is why we can make this film for so little. Believe it when we say we could use a whole lot more, and if we do surpass our goal, the folks volunteering of their time will get something for their troubles as it were. So your hard earned money will go to great use!
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't contribute for whatever reason and the story of our film resonates with you, you can help us by sharing our link with your friends and family. You can do this easily by using the Indiegogo share tools on this page. Share on FB, Twitter or email the link. It's easy!
Thanks for reading this tome! :) And I hope you will help us make this awesome film and be part of our success!