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About THE SOUND OF OZ
The Sound of Oz is a new documentary feature film that tells the story of the songs written for The Wizard of Oz and how lyricist E.Y. “Yip” Harburg and composer Harold Arlen crafted words and melodies that not only launched the golden era of movie musicals but coalesced as well into a score that now transcends iconic status. "Over the Rainbow," "We're Off to See the Wizard," "If I Only Had a Brain," "Ding-Dong! the Witch is Dead," and all the others are not only immediately recognizable; they are legendary cornerstones of worldwide film and popular culture.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's The Wizard of Oz – the movie project that employed and inspired the Arlen/Harburg team in 1938 – is now regarded as the most-familiar and best-loved motion picture of all time. Across the 75 years since its premiere, it has entertained, thrilled, and captivated theater, television, and home video audiences of all ages, and it continues to maintain a virtually unprecedented cross-generational appeal.
Beyond their basic recognition factor, however, the songs from Oz also established -- from first hearing -- a deeply personal connection with their listeners. The combined talents of Arlen and Harburg thus have enriched the emotions and memories of countless billions. Yet the names of composer and lyricist (and the work process by which they created the timeless Sound of Oz) remain unfamiliar to most people.
This documentary corrects that historical omission. Conceived and produced by Aaron Harburg (great-grandson of the Oz lyricist) and Ryan Jay (nationally-syndicated film critic and Oz historian), The Sound of Oz celebrates the mastery of the men behind the music and words. It tells of their professional partnership, and of the balance of abilities and diverse personalities that enabled two distinct individuals to collaborate to such extraordinary effect.
The process of creation is an oft-told tale. But when that creation yields as much abiding magic as does the score of The Wizard of Oz, its detailed progression needs to be examined and shared. The Sound of Oz benefits from a built-in, already-enamored audience -- well attuned to the final product of its songs but with no sense of the previously untold back-story of how they first came to be, and why they've endured.
Given his family background, Aaron Harburg possesses a unique bond with those whose lives have been impacted by Oz, as well as with those who knew and worked with his great-grandfather and with composer Arlen. He is matched in perception by Ryan Jay, whose exemplary knowledge of film history and contemporary artists is invaluable in tracing the arc of Oz influence on past and present entertainment.
The Wizard of Oz recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. Its power to captivate shows no sign of waver or wear, and with additional anniversaries and future partisans assured, there can be no better moment to prepare this first, in-depth, and enlightening examination of the men who wrote its songs. Their musical numbers are -- and will remain -- among the most potent and resonant compositions in history.
THE REWARDS: UPDATES, AND POSTERS, AND T-SHIRTS OH MY!
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These posters and T-shirts have been designed by Aaron Harburg, great-grandson of “Yip” Harburg. They are officially licensed, limited edition products and available as incentive and reward for your generosity. T-shirts are available in multiple sizes and cuts. These will make superlative gifts!
The official documentary poster will be available as a full-size print:
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The first design is a rebus (visual puzzle) was inspired by the most famous song lyric in the world, "somewhere over the rainbow," the second design features the lyric of “If I Only Had a Brain,” shaped into the visual image of a brain both are available as prints:
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Designs also available as a T-Shirt:
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The Production Team
AARON HARBURG, Executive Producer
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Aaron Harburg is the great-grandson of lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg, who wrote all of the lyrics for The Wizard of Oz, including “Over the Rainbow.” From a very young age, Aaron was fascinated by music and cinema. He eventually came to discover that he was the first in generations of his family to professionally pursue media arts – the first, in fact, since his great-grandfather. This interest now culminates in his desire to produce a documentary about the songs of Oz. Harburg has already amassed extensive experience in video production, music, and visual design, and much of this work has benefited the technological industry. His side projects, however, reveal a sense of fun and ingenuity that would have delighted “Yip” Harburg; they include the recent production,
Of Love and Zombies, which won the Los Angeles Indie Film Festival Award for "Best Comedic Short." (Not surprisingly, it features homage to one of his great-grandfather's beloved songs from The Wizard of Oz.) With The Sound of Oz, he hopes to carry on his family legacy and tradition and, most especially, to provide long overdue recognition for both his great-grandfather and Yip’s frequent colleague, Harold Arlen.
RYAN JAY, Director/Producer
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Ryan Jay is an award-winning director, producer, writer, and editor with over two decades of professional experience. His credits encompass production of major pop culture entertainment (in the reality, documentary, live, and live-to-tape categories); field shoots; red carpet segments; TV series and clip shows; and programming for Bravo, Showtime, Nickelodeon, TLC, MTV, VH1, Logo, and The Sundance Channel. He has worked for several nationally-syndicated talk shows, including Jerry Springer, and he interned at Entertainment Tonight.
Ryan holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. On air, he is one of America’s most popular, nationally-syndicated radio film critics. On behalf of his website, RyanJayReviews.com, he can be heard “live” every Friday morning on FM stations across the country, in addition to his prerecorded weekly movie review segments for Premiere Radio Networks. He is also the featured, weekly resident film critic ofThe Morning Blend on the NBC-TV affiliate in Milwaukee, WI. Ryan is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association which annually recognizes motion picture excellence at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. During his frequent appearances on the red carpet at movie premieres and events, he has interviewed many of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities. Most notably, he worked with the cast and filmmakers of Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful and the filmmakers of Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return during the respective press weeks of their world premieres. Ryan can be found every other week in the pages of Us Weekly magazine as Fashion Police.
Aaron and Ryan are available for press inquiries, please contact Jeff Dorta at Project Publicity: JeffDorta@ProjectPublicity.com
YOUR CONTRIBUTION MATTERS!
(OR AS ANOTHER E. Y. “YIP” HARBURG LYRIC PUT IT: “BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?”)
The Sound of Oz is a total “passion project” and labor-of-love for all members of its production team. At this stage, the stated goal is to raise enough money to capture excellent interview footage with the most knowledgeable and impactful subjects available. This translates into the hiring of professional crews, an abundance of travel, and a multitude of on-location filming. Such production costs can very quickly mount, and the immediate desire is to avoid incurring overwhelming debt in the process. These pie graphs estimate the dispersal of contributions and what – specifically – the production expenses will entail.
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Contributions above and beyond the initial target amount will go toward post-production, distribution, and marketing expenses. With their combined decades of experience, Aaron Harburg and Ryan Jay will themselves edit the first cut of the film. Once an exemplary rough draft is in place, they anticipate the contributions of further investors, at which time a world-class editor will be employed to make The Sound of Oz both literally and figuratively picture-perfect. (If enough people contribute on this initial level of Indiegogo, the entire project might be realized with that support.)
If anybody today is asked if they know the film
The Wizard of Oz or any of its songs, there’s little doubt that they will answer “yes” – and often a very enthusiastic and delighted “yes!” But if asked who wrote those songs, their reaction is most likely a blank and apologetic stare. It is thus appropriate that the immeasurable talents of the creators of those melodies and lyrics are brought to the forefront, especially given the more-than-seven decades in which they have warmed the hearts and uplifted the minds of billions. It’s far from uncommon, of course, that the geniuses behind and responsible for entertainment history are unknown and unsung (pun intended).
The Sound of Oz is clearly intended to allow those whose lives have been indelibly touched by the
Oz work of Harold Arlen and “Yip” Harburg to reflect on that influence. It is also hoped that
The Sound of Oz will inspire others to promote public awareness and perception of additional creative giants.
Risks & Challenges
There are a number of well-known entertainers, songwriters, and musicians who have been deeply moved and motivated by the songs of
Oz. The documentary team will select those best poised and most qualified to discuss the cultural and historical import of these melodies and lyrics. A major challenge, however, comes in gaining access to such artists, whose professional commitments keep them isolated. Yet the respect many possess for the Arlen/Harburg output – and the explicit good that output has done them – provides a unique entrée in these cases. A further challenge comes in the eventual distribution and marketing of the final film, and in the determination of what can be done to insure that it is afforded the greatest possible “reach.” The initial plea for funding for
The Sound of Oz is being made with an eye toward judicious acquisition and expenditure of capital. Additional resources for marketing and distribution remain a future concern.
If you are unable to directly contribute to the funding for
The Sound of Oz, we enthusiastically request that you share this video and appeal with everyone you know who might be inspired by the project. Please…impart it to your families, discuss it with your coworkers -- and emblazon any and all social media networks with this news and announcement!
Ryan Jay is an award-winning director, producer, writer, and editor with over two decades of professional experience. His credits encompass production of major pop culture entertainment (in the reality, documentary, live, and live-to-tape categories); field shoots; red carpet segments; TV series and clip shows; and programming for Bravo, Showtime, Nickelodeon, TLC, MTV, VH1, Logo, and The Sundance Channel. He has worked for several nationally-syndicated talk shows, including Jerry Springer, and he interned at Entertainment Tonight
