Help Out!
In this round your tax deductible donation will go directly to pay the salaries and expenses of our cast. Contribute as much as you can. We'll put it to good use. You'll see every dollar on the screen!
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The Picture
"Hot
Wind" is a project born from the
classical neo-realism of directors like Vittoria De Sica, Roberto Rossellini and Francesco Rossi. Hot Wind strips away shallow artifice and Hollywood luster as it ventures into debating the subjects that the tinsel town clan consider taboo!
Ellory, a weathered cowboy, and his androgynous
companion Dregger, an ex-prostitute, are a pair of bounty hunters turned innocent outlaw who
find themselves hiding-out somewhere in the wilds of northern New
Mexico, waiting....
Set
during the infamous Dust Bowl of the Dirty Thirties, Ellory reveals
that he believes free will can never exist while an omnipotent
creator is in charge. He's also convinced that God has selected them
to assassinate him so that humanity can finally enjoy free will,
which, up until now has been merely an illusion linked to his
omnipotence. Before they can complete their mission, they encounter a
pair of young Native American hunters, a hobo, a sheriff and his
lovely, mute daughter who complicate Ellory's plans. As the plot
unfolds the Natives inform them the Almighty spends his days riding a
steam train in the guise of an old man. As they track God, age-old
questions and mysteries are put to test, confounding the very notion
of God and free will.
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A WINDING ROAD snakes out of the desert, into higher ground where trees are now visible. Out from a wall of DUSTY WIND, like a ghost melting out of the shadows, comes a 1927 convertible MODEL A Ford car with the top down. It races towards us where we see a rough-looking MAN driving fast beside a WOMAN in the passenger seat.
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The Model A comes to a stop in a swirl of dust as we see LOCUSTS landing on the hood of the car. ELLORY, 50s, an ex-cowboy from old Spanish stock, now at the first third of the new century, in a Stetson and frayed suit gets out of the car, pacing around, walking off the nerves.
ELLORY
God damned!
(stops pacing)
Son of a bitch!
WOMAN (O.S.)
We lost ‘em. Calm down, Ell.
The Cast
David encourages all of our collaborators to "embrace impermanence." This to say, we love our cast while recognizing the shifting nature of the winds filling everyone's sails. In this way, the cast may shift subject to their availability.
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The Locations
A lot has been done thus far. When we begin shooting in Northern New Mexico in late August or early September, many of our scenes will be set in an actual vintage operating steam rail yard.
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Our team filming the video pitch at the rail yard, July, 2014
Dust storm at the Valley of the Gods
Beyond, the monumental vistas of the desert Southwest surrounding us. These incredible landscapes, manmade and natural are woven into the story. They're not just background, they tell the tale of a time and place where character was measured not by possessions, but by action in an immense world not always forgiving of human foibles.
Funding Strategy
Our funding strategy brings many benefits. First, every dollar you donate is tax deductible for you. Second, you get to participate in making a great independent film at the same time as supporting the arts activities of the Metta Theatre. One of Metta's missions is to bring disadvantaged kids into the world of theater and into the larger universe of what the creative endeavor can generate in their lives.
We also have a more traditional model involving individual investors. In this too your crowd funding money has been crucial. In our first Indiegogo campaign we raised $10K. With that you enabled us to establish our legal framework, finish the script, find our locations, secure key people, the list continues. This is in turn helped us with our private fund raising!
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How the $25K cast budget will be apportioned.
All of the money you donate NOW will be placed in escrow,
to be spent on the cast and only the cast.
Who
in tarnation are we?
David
Jean Schweitzer, Story, Co-Writer, Director - Last fall, the International Cinematographer’s Guild ECA honored David
as an emerging talent in Los Angeles and New York, where he was feted
by the greatest living cinematographers, along with nine other
international honorees. He also has worked for master
cinematographers Gordon Willis, ASC, Bruce Surtees, ASC and Dariusz
Wolski, ASC.
"Hot Wind" will be David’s third
feature-length project acting as the director. His ECA submission received 10
awards, was selected by 28 film festivals and has screened in ten countries. In addition, his projects have been official selections at major
international film festivals in Torino, East Hampton, Cartagena,
Galway, New York, Los Angeles, Mill Valley, Rhode Island, Newport
Beach and others.
Adam McLean, Story, Co-Writer, Producer - A Canadian now based in Los Angeles, Adam worked as an actor in film and TV before founding the production company Sane Asylum Syndicate. He has produced numerous award-winning plays, films and music videos. His films include "Potage de Ma Mere," "Shedding Skin (2007)," and the controversial, "The Pardoner's Tale (2009)," an ultra-low budget film which he wrote, directed and starred in.
Joshua Michael Stern, Co-Writer -
Joshua is a director, producer and screenwriter best known for his
movies "Jobs (2013)," "Swing Vote (2008)" and
"Neverwas (2005)." Six of his feature screenplays have been
produced and in addition to "Hot Wind," three more are in
development. Joshua currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
Chee
Ho, Producer - Born
and raised in Vancouver, Chee moved to Los Angeles to work in Film
and Television Production while studying at the UCLA Screenwriting
Program. Currently a resident of New Mexico working as a
Location Manager and Line Producer. He has participated in such
varied projects as “American Beauty” and last year's “Drunktown's
Finest” executive produced by Robert Redford. His
extensive experience working in the world of ultra low budget feature
production brings an essential skill set to “Hot Wind”.
He's also venturing into the world of children's books so that his
child can actually see something that he's worked on.
Gustav
Alsina, Production Designer - Gustav
is originally from Buenos Aires and studied at the École
des Beaux-Arts,
Paris with continued studies at the American School of Art in NYC.
Gustav also taught art at UCLA and was awarded teacher of the year.
He is now living and working in New Mexico and has worked on numerous
motion picture productions as a Production Designer.
Keith McIntosh, Producer – Keith studied film and anthropology (not necessarily
in that order), worked in film in NYC. Then he moved to New Mexico
(not to be confused with "Old Mexico” a music video he wrote, then
directed and realized with the incredibly creative collaboration with David. Keith worked with the New
Mexico Film Intensive and on many commercial and documentary
projects.
Nathan
Wilson, Director of Photography
- Nathan is originally from Chimayo, NM and has previously been
honored by the International Cinematographer’s Guild as an Emerging
Cinematographer. An acclaimed action shooter, he has lensed more than
a dozen feature films. Nathan has not only developed a fine eye but
is one of the fastest DPs in the West. David and Nathan have
worked together and are teaming up to create a distinctive look for
"Hot Wind".
Justin Geoffroy, Editor - Justin grew
up in Austin and attended film school at the University of Texas.
Working with Terrence Malick as a picture editor on "The
New World (2005)"
was a formative experience and continues to influence his editing
knowledge and style. Justin also co-edited the feature film "Spoken
Word (2009)" with
acclaimed indie director Victor Nunez. His recent credits as
Assistant Editor include Tommy Lee Jones new film "The
Homesman (2014)"
and Steven Soderbergh's "Haywire
(2012)."
Justin has collaborated on 2 projects with members of our team.
Stryder Simms,
Executive Producer- Has written three novels, seven feature film
scripts, over a dozen shorts and been integrally involved in the
making of twenty films. His motion picture experience began in 1989
at Grassroots Television in Aspen, Colorado. He partook in a year
long post-graduate intensive in screenwriting. Since 2008, Stryder
has been employed continuously in the movie business and has written
and directed prize-winning short films. He maintains a monthly blog, contributes
reviews and festival coverage to international film festivals.
Metta
Theater
We
have adopted a non-profit funding model so that all donations are
tax-deductible. That is one payback we encourage all donors, everyone
to take advantage of. We are proud to be working in cooperation with
Metta Theater, which has been training actors and producing plays and
film in Taos, New Mexico since 1999. This tax-exempt 501(c)(3)
organization produces and promotes all aspects of theater in the
local community; offers free acting classes for 7th-12th graders in
local schools and acting workshops for kids aged 13–early 20s;
develops and produces plays by local playwrights; films by local
filmmakers; and offers regular presentations of published one-act and
full-length plays under the stewardship of veteran stage, screen and
TV actor/director Bruce McIntosh.
The Perks
We
take none of your donations for granted and will send an
acknowledgement.
We
intend to make a picture that will reach people at the level of
hearts and dreams. So thank you for helping us make these dreams we
share a reality. We deliberately did not spend precious funds on a
bunch of imported logo merchandise for you. Instead we will devote
each dollar to the light, shadow and color that will bring every
moment of this film to life. Sitting in the theater when the lights
come up you will see the experience of our collaboration on the faces
of those near you. Removed in time and distance you can imagine that
those far away will feel what you felt and be touched by the gift
you've offered. The specific magic of film is this ability to
project the best of us into decades and centuries beyond our lives.
The
greatest perk we have to offer is the satisfaction of opening a
doorway between a worthy motion picture and a hungry audience, and
the peace of mind that results in placing the most powerful
technology ever invented for accelerating human intelligence into the
hands of a tight-knit group of seasoned practitioners of cinematic
art. We hope you look forward to partaking in the fruits of our
labors as much as we do.