Hi and welcome to the $1 Movie Project.
I'm Mitchell Speers and I'm the Director of The Michigan Film Alliance, LLC. Like so many others, I stumbled into filmmaking. For me it was writing a screenplay, then finding myself getting calls from Hollywood agents and having no idea what I was doing. But there was something about filmmaking, the creative process, that I couldn't get out of my blood. Something that made sleeping in my car for three nights, just to have a small extra role in DIE HARD ll, worth all that tossing and turning.
I stumbled onto Curwood in much the same way. I grew up in his backyard, yet I really knew nothing about his story. I knew he had written some books, but I had never read one. I had walked past his writing studio plenty of times, but never really paid much attention to it. I had seen the Jean Jacques Annaud movie, The Bear, but it didn't really tell me much about the man...at least that was what I thought at the time.
Then I started working at his desk, started reading his books, researching his life and I couldn't get enough. It was then that I realized that his life story was far more powerful than anything he had ever written.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4xueqvdb-8
The Film and why it should be made.
God’s Country: The James Oliver Curwood Story is a documentary which explores the life of a man who has been largely forgotten. The irony is that he did so much in brief time he was here; wrote 33 books (21 of which were made into films), wrote numerous short stories and screenplay scenarios which became nearly 200 produced films, owned three production studios, remained at the top of the best sellers list for over a decade, for years was the bestselling US author in the UK, was considered one of greatest conservationist of his time and so much more. So the question has to be asked, "Why don't we know about this guy?"
At the time of his death in 1927, Curwood was the highest paid writer in the world, on a per word basis...why don't we know about this guy?
William Randolph Hearst would travel to Michigan to see Curwood, not the other way around...why don't we know about this guy?
Presidents and other world leaders would ask to meet with him...why don't we know about this guy?
The Izaak Walton League honored him for his conservation work at their annual dinner and thousands attended...why don't we know about this guy?
Lon Chaney, Buster Keaton, Nell Shipman, Rock Hudson, John Wayne, Bette Davis...well almost, Kirby Grant, Milburn Stone, Rin-Tin-Tin and more, all starred in films based on his work...why don't we know this guy?
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Interesting, but why make a film about the guy?
For me the answer is simple…it’s a great story. I was still a teenager when I picked up a copy of, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and I couldn’t put it down. It was one of those books that I found myself talking about with friends and passing on copies for others to read. That is exactly what happened when I began to delve into the life of James Oliver Curwood. Few of us will ever put so much into such a short life span as this man did, yet sadly, so few of us know this story.
Bang For The Buck!
It would be fair to call our "$1 movie project" a bit of a gimmick. It will take a LOT of those $1 donations to get this film made. This campaign will allow us to complete a significant portion of the principle filming and will cover the cost of travel for the crew. But don't underestimate the power of a buck.
If the budget for this project comes in $1 at a time, it will show distributors that there are thousands of people out there who want to see this film. I can live with that. If every student in your class gave $1, if every member of your church or civic group gave $1, if every athlete on your team gave $1...point is, all those dollar bills add up.
Bang For The Buck Part ll
While we won’t need to travel to each and every location, there are several that are a must. These include British Columbia where Curwood spent time with the Otto brothers and where the story for the film, The Bear, took place. This is a case where we need to be there because the story is there…the people, the places, the events.
It should be noted that we will not be making road trips, simply for the sake of seeing new sites. We have already begun making arrangements to have local film crews shoot some of the interviews needed for our documentary. As much as I would like to sit down with each and every one of these people, it just doesn’t make sense financially. By hiring a local crew, we save travel cost, lodging and food cost for two or more people. The more we save, the more we can put back into making this a better documentary.
On those occasions when travel is a must, whenever possible our trips will be coordinated to knock out as many interviews and as much material as possible in a single trip. For instance, there are several interviews we need to get on the west coast of both the US and Canada and my plan is to get them all at once.
Where the money goes.
Most of the costs involved are common to the film industry, i.e. camera, light and audio rental equipment. I am fortunate to share the Producer title with Jeremy Hull of Cinescope Productions. I say that because he is a talented and gifted camera man, even if he doesn’t fully realize it…plus I can pay him in lunches and gas money. In all seriousness, my DP, audio person, and editor will receive the lion’s share of the crew salaries. Notice I didn't say the writer/director, meaning me.
What happens if we don't meet our goal?
Everything goes into the film. By not reaching our goal, we will be forced to cut back in areas, but we won’t cut back on the story. Here in Michigan alone, there is a wealth of material to get our hands on. There are dozens of interviews to be conducted, numerous locations to be filmed and a host storylines to follow up on. For only a few more dollars we can throw in day trips to Toronto and Chicago, places where Curwood spent time and is still known today.
Top Perk
Ah, the perks! For $20,000 you can be an Executive Producer. It’s a lot of money, I know, but I refuse to just give it away after so many people have put so much hard work into this project. Of course you get all of the previous perks and yes, you must pay your own way to the event. If there aren’t any takers at this level, then I will become the Executive Producer and my face will be slapped on everything…and believe me, nobody wants that.
Why not give more "rewards" at the lower levels...because a LOT of money! Money that should go to tell the story, not to get you another T=shirt you don't really need.
Risks & Challenges
The greatest challenge we face is whittling the story down to a 90 minute to two hour film. There is so much material to work with, but we have a great team, years of research invested and a passion to share his story. We will make it happen.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you have photos of James Oliver Curwood or his family members, if you have articles or books, if you know stories we haven't heard, we want it all.
Also:
- Please spread the word and make some noise about our campaign.
- And use the Indiegogo share tools!
A Special Thanks to everyone who has pitched in so far:
Jeremy Hull, Tom Leaf, Denice Grace, Krista Ried, Anika Ried, Diane Schroeder, Travis Hayward, Sean Smith, Clint Bakakian, Owosso City Manager/Don Crawford, Owosso Mayor/Ben Frederick, Anna Marie Rodriguez, Gregory and Anna Salava and Keyes!
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