Not For Resale is a new feature length documentary, one about video games and the mom-and-pop independent retail stores that still sell them in the face of an increasingly digital marketplace.

Featuring interviews with over a dozen independent video game shops across the United States and Canada, the Library of Congress, and leading video game developers, Not For Resale examines our relationship with physical media as we see what could be its final days.

We’re seeking a minimum of $12,000 to get our production finished. Our initial year-long stretch of shooting has been funded entirely out of pocket.  While our skeleton crew has gotten great material for the film, what we've gotten on camera has been limited to where we could travel by car from our homes in Boston and New York. 

With a fully funded production, we would be able to travel across the US to film interviews, shoot on location, and get this story on camera. We are currently finalizing plans to shoot in Southern California and Texas to interview video game developers, historians, preservationists and retro gaming enthusiasts. Funding would go towards flights, rental cars, hotels and feeding ourselves on the road.

Also, our budget would be used towards additional crew and equipment. As of now, the entire production consists of only two people.  Having dedicated sound mixers, additional camera operators and production support for more demanding shoots will help alleviate the stress of keeping the quality of our production as high as possible while pursuing the story we want to tell. Plus, we could license a great soundtrack and bring in an original composer.

On top of all that, we've scheduled with a few organizations we'd love to go and interview if we hit a certain budget tier:

Kevin J. James - Director / Producer / Editor
IMDb | Website

Having spent a decade working in short films, television, and corporate video, movie making is both a profession and passion for Kevin. He has worked on editorial and camera departments for shows on TLC, Lifetime, and A&E and was most recently Shell TechWorks's video producer in Boston. Kevin co-directed Computer Fighters in 2016 and directed the award winning horror comedy The Creed previously. While he'll always be a Genesis boy at heart, Kevin's original PlayStation is basically the reason this film is happening. 

Thomas Chalifour - Director of Photography / Producer
IMDb | Website

Thomas is a veteran camera operator and assistant from Brooklyn, NY.  He has worked in documentary, reality, and narrative television production for over eight years.  His work has been featured on Food Network, Travel Channel, A&E, Discovery, MTV, TLC, Esquire and more.  His first video game system was an old school NES shared with his siblings, but he misses his old Xbox from college the most.

Brendan Mertens - Producer
IMDb

The director of Netflix's Ghostheads, Brendan is the documentarian behind Don't Quit Your Day Job Films in Ontario, Canada.

With $12,000 we can cross the finish line and deliver a feature-length film! This will involve us shooting with mostly a skeleton crew for the remainder of the project. Here are some examples of where that money would go:

• Equipment rentals
• Original score
• Additional crew members
• Production insurance & clearances
• Travel costs for trips to a game developer and an additional store

With $16,000, we would be able to afford a trip to Limited Run Games in Apex, North Carolina, to interview a team that manufactures and publishes physical versions of games that were previously only available through virtual marketplaces. Not For Resale wants to discuss the demand for tangible versions of media people can already access through digital channels.

"We focus on bringing games that were previously only available in a digital format to a physical medium. We're game collectors and players who fear the prophesied all-digital future. We hope that we're not crazy to think that there are other people like us that still want physical games."

-Limited Run Games

With $24,000, Not For Resale would benefit from having some licensed music! We have been in touch with a few music acts and would love to bring some of their work into the film. Hitting $24,000 would also mean that affording original animations, production insurance, and even a colorist would become much easier for us behind the scenes. This tier would also provide us the chance to return to a store we've visited or potentially see a new one. Additional funds give the movie a larger safety net to prevent delays caused by financial hurdles, too.

The world of documentary film making can be a risky one. Costs add up, interviews and locations fall through, and the story itself can change in real life - throwing the narrative we’ve been filming completely on its head and pushing a completion date back.

As of this campaign, we expect to be shooting throughout 2017 and  have a final cut completed in spring 2018. We have months of shooting ahead to tell the story this film warrants. Our biggest risk is simply lacking the budget to complete the film in a timely fashion.

Unable to spare a few bucks? Why not support the project on social media? Films like Not For Resale thrive on word of mouth.

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And remember, contributing even a small amount will keep you in the loop as our production marches forward!