*January 17, 2018 Update*
We Bring You Good News!
We're happy to announce that after a two-year hiatus and with the generous help of our supporters and your contributions, we were finally able to get CBC on board to help us finish this project. Seen & Heard will now be an 8 part CBC short-doc web series following the ups, downs, and showstoppers of Canada’s unique mixed Deaf and hearing theater troupe.
This could have never been possible without the donations of our Indiegogo contributors, so we cannot thank you enough! We don't have a release date yet but its looking like late 2018. So follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more news to come as we further progress in post-production. You can also consult our website at www.seenandhearddoc.com.
Exclusive First Peak!
"Seen and Heard" is a new thought-provoking documentary currently being filmed following the backstage and performance exploits of a unique Canadian amateur theatre group where Deaf, hard of hearing and hearing cast and crew members collaborate. We document the members of Seeing Voices Montreal as they rehearse and then perform a Deaf-themed version of "The Little Mermaid". In this retelling, Ariel, a Deaf mermaid from the undersea world of Atlantis falls in love with a man from the land-based hearing world against her father’s wishes.
Not only will this film focused on the challenges of mounting a unique theatrical production for both deaf and hearing audiences, but we also track the obstacles the Deaf cast and crew members face in a majority hearing world. We shadow the Deaf members as they try to find work, learn to drive in a special Deaf adapted class and strive to gain the approval of a hearing mate’s parents. Meanwhile the hearing cast and crew members navigate being a minority for the first time among the Deaf, while all work to communicate with their troupe members in four languages: English, French, LSQ (langue des signes québécoise), and ASL (American Sign Language).And then the curtains rise...prepare to be uplifted, moved and inspired by Seen & Heard!
We've been filming with the amazing people in this troupe for over seven months with our camera and editing crew working on large salary deferrals. But now we need to cover many hard costs.
We'll use the funds to finish filming throughout the summer and fall, and then to head into the edit suite to cut and sound mix short trailers. We’ll use these seductive short edits as part of grant applications and to show Canadian and international television broadcasters who can license the film and eventually get it to your TV and small device screens!
This film is already gaining attention in the media at home and abroad. Now we need your help (in exchange for awesome perks and gifts!) to lift the curtains back and bring this talented theatre group and their important message of Deaf awareness into the spotlight.
With $20,000 we will be able to cover the costs for these aspects of the film:
Sign language interpreters (ASL & LSQ) during filming & editing
Purchase of back-up hard drives
Equipment rentals
Camera and sound crew partially deferred salaries
Transcription of 80+ hours of filmed footage
Trailer Post-Production (assistant editor and editor)
Indiegogo fees
Perks & shipping cost
Social media and publicity 3%
Our wonderful team has dedicated so much time and resources to this project already. We believe in this film and we hope that you will too. Help us reach this funding goal and get the film widely seen!
The Deaf community in Canada is much like the underwater world of Atlantis in this adaptation of “The Little Mermaid”. This documentary aims to mirror that story and change misperceptions about the Deaf community in an entertaining way. This film will also be available for educational use in classrooms, and we are planning a strong distribution and promotion strategy to make it widely available to educate, inform and inspire action among community groups and among the larger worldwide Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
A long format documentary like this has many inherent challenges. We’ve cleared the first hurdle of access - we’ve been given fantastic entry into the lives and challenges of the people in Seeing Voices Montreal and their families.
The second challenge is getting the funds needed to complete the film. Making any feature length documentary is expensive - crew costs, music licensing, editing, insurance costs add up quickly- and we have the added expenses of sign language interpretation and closed-captioning in two languages. But we have an excellent track record of completing over 15 documentaries and getting them onto TV screens and into festivals.We’ve already completed more than half of the filming and are committed to completing this film. Picture This Productions is a highly reputable company with a proven track record of getting our high quality documentaries to television and festivals - but this time we need your help to make that splash.
Picture This Productions is a Montreal-based production company that has been making award winning television programming since 1995. They have produced over 15 documentaries for Canadian broadcasters as diverse as History TV, CTV, Global, Rogers/OMNI, CBC, Knowledge Network, TVOntario, Canal D, Historia, Société Radio-Canada and APTN. It has also be aired on broadcasters throughout the US, Israel and Europe. Our work has won Gold and Silver prizes at Worldfests Flagstaff and Houston, the Golden Sheaf Award at Yorkton, the Chris Award at the Columbus Film and Video Festival and a Best Social Issue Documentary nomination at Hot Docs. The principals, David Finch and Maureen Marovitch, have also written and directed for many other television series. We have a special passion for social issue documentaries that engage and entertain!
What happens if you don’t reach your fundraising goal?
In Indiegogo, the filmmakers always receive all donations, whether or not the final goal is reached. However, Indiegogo does receive a larger percentage of the total if we don’t reach our final goal.
Will You Still Finish the Film No Matter What Happens In This Crowdfunding Campaign?
Yes! With whatever funds we receive, we will be using the many hours of footage we have so far shot to edit a teaser that we will pitch to broadcasters, and also use to apply for various grants and filmmaking subsidies. It will be much more challenging and take much longer without the full resources, though.
When Will The Film Be Finished?
We have a rough production calendar in place that looks like this:
Finishing up filming with some of the cast and crew this summer
Following the theatre group into the early fall as they tour
Edit a ‘teaser’ in early fall and prepare a new written pitch document
Pitch at specific film at film markets in the fall and connect with select broadcasters.
Post-production (editing) is currently slated for January-July 2016
The film‘s release is planned for fall 2016.
What happens if you surpass your fundraising goal?
We jump for joy! And then we send cosmic hugs to all of our donors. But in fact, we set the goal lower than the actual amount we need to hopefully not have to pay a higher percentage for not reaching our goal. But we have many more expenses than those listed here that we would definitely use the additional funds for: travel to meet with broadcasters at film markets, outstanding deferrals, grant writing, and more. So we are allowed to set 'stretch goals' which enable us to fundraise further.
Can you give tax receipts?
Unfortunately we are not a non-profit nor are we aligned with one, so we cannot offer tax receipts.