Hello!!
We’re the filmmakers of the award-winning documentary, Headwaters Down, an environmental adventure film about one of the most polluted rivers in American history: Virginia’s own James River.
Headwaters Down is a story of the James River told through the eyes of five friends. Filmed over 13 days and across 250 miles of river, this canoe journey recasts the polluted James as a monument to a river’s innate resilience and the incredible progress that can be made when we try to heal our rivers instead of commoditize them.
Our next installment, Headwaters Down Part II: The Lower James, will continue the journey we started in the first film and take us into the widest section of the James River—from Richmond to the Chesapeake Bay—where we will explore the most significant environmental issues facing the James. As we paddle down the river and camp on its shores, we will include the voices of people who live, work, and rely on the James in so many different ways.
But to do cinematic justice to the river, its history, and the issues threatening it today, we need your help!
Why continuing this project is important and urgent...
Shortly after completing our first film, the James River Association released its biannual State of the James report, which concluded that the health of the river has declined in the past two years. The James is Virginia’s largest source of drinking water, and after decades of improvement, this is cause for serious concern.
While healthier than it was fifty years ago, the James continues to be threatened by a multitude of issues and it remains an ailing river. This is what inspired us to start this project, and this is what pushes us to complete the story of the James—issues that are timely, urgent, and negatively affecting the millions of Virginians who live within the James River watershed.
What makes Headwaters Down special…
Headwaters Down is more than an environmental film. In its purest sense, it is a love letter to the James River. Each crew member holds the James close to their hearts and a vital aspect of this project is showing the many different ways in which anyone can get out and experience the beauty, history, and awesome power of this under-appreciated river.
Balancing environmental issues with the adventure the river provides allows the film to achieve a profound narrative. All of Headwaters Down can be experienced first-hand by anyone willing to take a trip to the river; it is a living documentation of the current state of the James.
While we are the main characters in these films, at their core they are universal stories about a river that is the heart and soul of the communities and residents that reside along its banks.
These films hope to educate and inspire those who love Virginia's waterways so that we can work together to bring about positive change for these incredible natural resources.
Why the James River is amazing! (and why you should care)…
- It is Virginia’s largest source of drinking water! And yet…
- Every day, nearly 700 million gallons of wastewater are dumped into the James from dozens of treatment plants
- Billions of gallons of untreated sewage enter the James annually from Lynchburg's and Richmond’s Civil War-era sewage systems
- Over 50% of the streams and rivers in the James River watershed are on the EPA’s “Dirty Water” list
- The James River watershed covers 10,000 square miles, is home to one third of Virginia’s residents, and drains directly into the Chesapeake Bay
- The James has been the site of incredible environmental stories, both heartbreaking and uplifting:
- the Kepone chemical disaster of the 1970s was one of the worst environmental disasters in United States history and closed commercial fishing on the James for 13 years, decimating river-based businesses and economies
- the reemergence of the Bald eagle on the James is one of the great ecological success stories in Virginia: while there were zero Bald eagles nesting 40 years ago, the James is now the largest Bald eagle roosting area on the eastern seaboard
- The Lower James is the only verified habitat of significant population density for the critically endangered Atlantic sturgeon, an epic living fossil that can exceed 15 feet in length and weigh 800 pounds
- The Fall Line in Richmond is the only stretch of urban whitewater in America with sustained class III and IV rapids
- The James is not only the longest river in Virginia at 348 miles, it’s the longest major river in America to start and end within the same state
Why we need your help…
Headwaters Down was the definition of a passion project, requiring a level of personal and financial sacrifice that is frankly not repeatable. It was entirely conceived, funded, created, researched, written, directed, filmed, scored, narrated, and edited by members of the crew. All of the above require enormous amounts of time and often enormous amounts of money.
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Let’s walk through the filmmaking process, and how your contribution will help make that happen.
Pre-production: We’re putting in this work right now. We’re researching, sketching out the story outline, doing camera tests, contacting potential sites, and assembling a team of experts we’ll be meeting along the river during our trip. By the time you donate, we’ll be just a few short weeks away from getting on the river. In the days leading up to our journey’s start on the Richmond rapids, we’ll assemble all of the gear we’ve rented and purchased for the trip. This includes sea kayaks, camping equipment, cameras, batteries, hard drives, audio equipment, and a bevy of other accessories to support our filmmaking vision.
Production: Prep is done and we’re under way! This is the fun part. We’ll load up our boats with gear, water, and enough food for nine days on the river. Roll camera!
Post-production: This is the longest and most work intensive part. We’re going to comb through countless hours of footage and pick the best sequences, slowly crafting a story that captures the spirit of our adventure and tells the story of the Lower James. We’ll write voiceover, write, record, and produce a soundtrack, color the footage, make graphics, and mix and master the final audio tracks. By our rough estimate, it takes 15-20 man-hours of post-production work for each minute of film in the final cut. For a 90 minute film, that’s around 1500 hours! In our first film, we did 98% of that work ourselves. In Part II, we plan to employ more expertise for the nuanced areas of editing and sound work, but it will still be predominantly an in-house labor of love.
Marketing and Festivals: When the picture is locked and the final cut is printed, we'll begin reaching out to local exhibitors, submitting to festivals, interviewing with local mags and newspapers, and spreading the word in any way we can. We’ll make theatrical trailers, cinematic teasers, posters, and more.
The Premiere: Finally! Our first premiere will be for the crew, friends, family, and our generous donors. We’ll work with a local exhibitor to put on an event to remember, and we can’t wait to see you there!
Proven Success
Our first feature-length film, Headwaters Down, won the Virginia Environmental Film Contest and is up for awards consideration at the Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF), where it will headline RIFF’s local spotlight at the historic Byrd Theater on June 8th, 7 pm. Tickets for the red-carpet event can be found here.
The community’s response to Headwaters Down has been greater than any award. People of all ages and walks of life have reached out to us to share their personal stories of the James River. There has been an overwhelming amount of gratitude for the film, the issues it discusses, and the way it communicates the spirit of the James.
Perhaps most importantly, the film has inspired folks who haven’t visited the river in a long time to get back out there. The bonds we have created with total strangers over this film have reminded us of the communal nature of our waterways and the indelible mark they leave on anyone who experiences them. To say we are humbled by these successes and bonds is a deep understatement.
Headwaters Down will have a widespread release this fall. In the meantime, view our trailer below, come see us at the Byrd on June 8th, and check out our linktree for more information.
From the riverbed of our hearts, thank you for supporting this project. Please help us spread the word by sharing this campaign with water lovers everywhere. (Indiegogo’s share tools make this easy ; )
And remember… the greatest perk of all is a better educated public and a cleaner James River for all of us to enjoy!
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