Our Story
My name is John Jensen. I am an artist who has worked in almost every medium. I've been working in video for about two years. While on vacation, camping on the Hawai'ian island of Kauai in 2010 I started working on a script for a feature length dramatic film. The film is a romantic quest movie which highlights hula culture. I have worked out most of the story points, but I need to be in Kauai to get language and culture of the people who live there represented truly. As I research and write the script I will be talking to local people, and visiting locations, taking video and sound recordings to be edited into a documentary of the process by which the script was developed. This video will be published and used to promote the full length feature for which the script is written.
The Impact
I have the deepest respect for the Hawai'ian people and their culture. It is with greatest humility I endeavor to give expression to the deep poetry and beauty of their art and lives. If, as an outsider, I can represent the truth about life in Hawai'i without resorting to cliche or exaggeration in the context of an involving story I will feel I have done something to show my gratitude for the spirit of aloha I have always enjoyed when living there. I hope I am not exaggerating when I say peoples everywhere would benefit from learning about this way of life.
What We Need & What You Get
This
project is on shoestring! I'll be camping in public campgrounds and
cooking most of my meals on a portable propane stove. I'll be
shooting 1080p HD video on a Nikon DSLR with a minimum of extra
equipment. I do need to rent a car to get around to talk to people and
get from location to location, I need to fly to get to Kauai, I need to
eat, and I need to buy camping equipment. I'm spending seven weeks researching
this project and that is seven weeks I can't be working make ends meet. I need
time to edit the video. I've already spent hundreds of hours over the
past year researching and writing the outline of the script, so that much is
done and I'm ready to go. I have t-shirts, and art postcards ready to go and are available as perks for your contributions. Copies of the DVD will be available after the documentary film is produced, the screening date is likely to be September.
Other Ways You Can Help
Please share this information with others. If you have an interest in the Hawai'i and her people you may find this movie important. The project and I need very much and will appreciate any links, contacts, or introductions to people living in Kauai who are involved in hula, music, arts, drama, or film.