A NEW UPDATE! July 20, 2016
The PROMO REEL is up and running!
See it HERE
PERKS WILL BE SHIPPED ASAP - WE HOPE TO HAVE THEM TO YOU AROUND DECEMBER
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LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!
https://www.facebook.com/paganfolkmetal/?fref=ts
Q&A With Director Olivia Willard
We're so thankful for all the support! Please continue to spread the word and encourage your friends to contribute!
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Check it out! We'll be updating you with videos like these for the duration of this project. Help us meet our next goal: $1,500 in the next SEVEN DAYS! Let's go; we need your help!
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As of February 8, 2016, payments will be accepted via PayPal!
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New Announcement: As of February 4th, 2016, we have reduced our goal to $8,000. Perks remain the same. We still need your help - contribute & share this campaign!
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For just $1, you can help us reach our goal, and get us one step closer to our dream! We urge you to donate more to reap the benefits of other perks available, but any contribution counts. Thanks!
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Hello!
If you answered yes to any of these questions, get on board!
My name is Olivia Willard. I am a student filmmaker at Emerson College and am preparing a feature-length documentary that takes "rockumentary" to a whole new level by making folk metal accessible to a broader audience, and with this accessibility, a new perception of said music. This project stars Dutch pagan folk metal band, Heidevolk. Their music and culture serve as the core theme and prime example of what this genre is. Through this film, we plan to give Heidevolk well-deserved publicity, and provide an insightful, informational folk metal experience for viewers.
The most important aspect of this documentary is its palatability. We've taken into account the diversity of our donor audience. We understand that not everyone is familiar with folk metal. In order for us to reach, educate, and impact on a larger scale, we're making a conscious effort to capture the culture, landscapes, and lore behind the music that plays such a crucial part in its development, and is an integral component in the creation of the folk metal genre.
Donors,
You can be part of history in the making. Bringing Heidevolk's story to light is more than an independent film; it is preserving and building upon a unique style of lyricism (Germanic mythology & folklore) that has fused with the heavy metal sound, which continues to evolve.
As you read on, you will see the project in further detail, as well as exciting perk packages we've put together for you!
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Create a platform for Pagan Folk Metal band:
Heidevolk (Arnhem, Netherlands)
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CREW
Olivia Willard, Patrick Sugar, and Casey McDonough
We are a team of student filmmakers from Emerson College in Boston, MA, and are preparing our first large-scale independent project! We're getting ready to embark on a journey to the Netherlands where we will be producing a feature-length documentary that will change the way people look at and listen to metal. We are aiming to create an expansive platform for Heidevolk, a Pagan Folk Metal band, vast in talent and knowledge, that deserves publicity in the United States.
Hail To Vinland: Heidevolk's Pagan Folk Metal trails Heidevolk as they continue to grow and evolve from humble beginnings. We are following them for part of the summer, from casual practice/studio sessions to the charming chaos of live shows, leading up to the the band's performance at a summer festival. This documentary illustrates the history, prominence, and longevity of this often underrated style of music. Heidevolk has been very welcoming, and allowed us insider access to their lives as musicians.
It is very important to us as filmmakers to deliver a high-quality product. Our documentary encompasses the following...
- Culture and landscapes which provide inspiration to the band and are hugely important in understanding folk metal
- Impact this music has had on its followers
- Vital interaction between the band and their fans that makes Heidevolk so approachable
- Life as a musicians vs. day-job life
- Stage presence
- Rehearsals
- Live shows
- Traveling/ Touring
- Taking part in a metal festival
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Pagan folk metal, in the case of Heidevolk, is a seamless blend of the heavy metal sound with lyrical themes that draw inspiration from Germanic paganism.
Heidevolk's music is very versatile, ranging anywhere from light, folky hymns to the extreme, hard sound characteristic of metal. On top of overdriven guitars, punchy bass, and intense drums, Heidevolk has two male vocalists to provide a catchy, haunting, and diverse clean & harsh vocal span.
Founded in 2002, Heidevolk has since released five albums, covering things such as alliances, betrayal, the wrath and beauty of nature, and dark folklore.
'Urth' off their newest album, Velua, is an excellent example of the attractive combination of dual vocals, melodic guitars, and, of course, their pagan roots:
Check out more of their music on Napalm Records' YouTube Channel!
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(photo: https://www.facebook.com/heidevolkofficial/?fref=ts )
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Olivia Willard & Patrick Sugar
Olivia: Hail to Vinland: Heidevolk's Pagan Folk Metal means the world to me. To have the support and skill of my two crew members and an exceptional band makes this project all the more special. As the writer and director of this film, I can promise we will deliver a cinematically stunning, informative, and engaging feature to non-metalheads and metalheads alike. This film is meant to be viewed and enjoyed by a wide audience.
As a student, this opportunity is particularly appealing. Not only do I get to work with talented musicians and promote a genre of music I love, I also get to have a professional feature under my belt before graduating! I've written, directed, and shot two short films on 16mm, written 5 screenplays, and am enrolled in the BFA Program at Emerson College, seeking to write and direct a 20-30 minute narrative film as my thesis.
If you are interested in speaking to me about this project, or other creative endeavors, feel free to contact me at olivia_willard@emerson.edu or visit my
LinkedIn
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Patrick: I'm a junior at Emerson College majoring in Media Production with a minor in Business. Over the past several years I have worked as a producer on student and independent productions including the Grindhouse-style Cannibal Sasquatch Massacre, Action-Comedy Communism: Absolute Zero, director of music video series The Big Medley, and upcoming superhero black comedy Lazerman. The projects I am drawn to are those with opportunities for creative storytelling. I'm thrilled to start work on this project and think it will be something really special and unique for our viewers.
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To be blunt, we need this money. It is necessary to make travel, production, and an eventual film festival circuit possible.
Movies will always cost money, and we tightened our budget so that the $8,000 we're aiming for covers the bare minimum.
Below is a breakdown of where our funds are going:
-Travel (round-trip plane tickets to Amsterdam cost upwards of $1,500 - as we get closer to takeoff, flight expenses increase)
- Equipment purchases and rentals (we are traveling with our own cameras and some sound equipment, but there are still items we need to rent and/or pick up: SD cards, extra batteries, LAV microphones, etc.)
- Transportation
- Housing
- Food
- WiFi (a portable system)
- International Cellphone Plan (data & text messaging)
- Festival Circuit
- Post-production
- Emergencies
- Administrative expenses
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Here's an outline of what we have to offer you in exchange for your monetary support! We've prepared some very cool packages for you so you can be part of this project.
- $1,000 - Super-Premium Package
- Record a personal message from the band to YOU!
- Signatures from the band professionally etched and burned into a decorative wooden plaque
- Everything everyone else gets (outlined on perks page)
- $750 - Premium Package
- Executive Producer Credit on screen
- T-Shirts/Hoodies
- Handwritten letter from the band, signed by them
- BTS outtakes
- everything everyone else gets (outlined on perks page)
- $500 - Classic Executive
- Executive Producer Credit on screen
- BTS outtakes
- everything everyone else gets (outlined on perks page)
- $250 - Special Thanks
- Special Thanks on screen
- BTS outtake photos
- Handmade finished wooden mug
- everything everyone else gets (outlined on perks page)
- $125 Autographed Package
- Package of autographed miscellany (photos, stickers, cards, guitar picks, etc.)
- everything everyone else gets (outlined on perks page)
- $75 The Scrapbook
- Package of band and crew photos
- Handmade "Hail to Vinland" finished wooden pendant
- everything everyone else gets (outlined on perks page)
- $50 Poster Package
- Movie poster
- everything everyone else gets (outlined on perks page)
- $25 Mini-Merch Bundle
- Single guitar pick or other small piece of merchandise
- Band sticker
- Thank-you card from the crew
- $10 The Sticker Bundle
- Band sticker
- Thank-you card from the crew
- $5 Gold Star
- Thank-you card from the crew
- $1 Mini Digital Package
- Digital copy of the movie poster and a photo-shoot.
If 8,000 people donate just one dollar, we will be able to make a film that has a huge impact!
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Embarking on something like this leaves room for obstacles such as not meeting our $8,000 goal. In that event, we will first use what we make for travel, followed by equipment, followed by transportation, and so on.
We are also facing the pressure to produce a high-caliber film as students. However, our confidence in our work, our experience in the field, and our love of our craft will provide the mindset and passion needed to surmount obstacles and create the best possible product.
Giving a large audience what they want is important! Fans of the band and the genre deserve high quality concert footage and sound, and interviews complete with interesting, original questions. Those new to folk metal deserve an experience that educates, entertains, and excites.
Lastly, the aim of this film is to get Heidevolk's name out there, and give folk metal a huge boost in the States!
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The goal of this campaign is to raise the money we need to travel and film. By donating to this project, you are providing us with all the help we could ask for.