After stranding themselves on a remote island in Alaska, a retired outdoorsman and his grandson confront the reality of the present, through the eyes of his adventurous past.
SYNOPSIS
After traveling to a remote island in the Alaskan wilderness, Max, a fresh-faced filmmaker, and his grandfather Chuck, an old man who’s lost his life of exploration, seek to finish an adventure film Chuck started 50 years ago before they no longer have the chance. As they settle into life on the island, they dive deep into the frames of Chuck's world through the lens of his Super 16mm camera. We see glimpses of Chuck’s adventures; flying bush planes to the North Pole, hunting grizzly bears on Kodiak Island, skiing the glaciers of Denali National Park, and more.
Days into editing, Max and Chuck begin to lose focus on finishing the film, and instead embrace the spirit of the footage by recreating memories from Chuck’s past. In doing so, Max and Chuck explore what it means to face the present, by diving deep into all qualities of Chuck Wirschem's soul.
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Over the past two years, Juliette Benedetto and Max Sauerbrey have co-directed and collaborated on a variety of projects; commercial, documentary, and everything in between. After meeting and graduating from film school last June, we've set out to tell uncommon stories all over the world, changing it for the better.
OUR WORK: 239projects.com
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In making THE WAY IT WAS, we are reaching out to those who feel inspired by what Chuck represents, and are creating a way for them to contribute to sharing his story. Below is a breakdown of what we will do with the money we raise.
BUDGET GOALS
MINUMUM: $5,000
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IDEAL: $10,000
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DREAM: $32,659
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We are making this film because if Chuck’s stories aren’t told, they die with him. Though it is incredible by itself, Chuck’s footage would forever be just that, footage, without the man behind the camera telling the true story of what happened. A lifetime of wisdom, hard lessons, and laughter would forever be lost, unless we take the opportunity to make something of it all, before we lose the chance forever. Ultimately, we want this film to inspire all people to sit down with their grandparents and ask them for more than their inheritance. We want those who watch the film to start a conversation, to listen, and to learn, from those that that love them most.
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The largest risk that we’re taking is that we’re relying on crowdfunding to finance a large portion of the film. In that dollar amount includes funding integral parts of the story such as the inclusion of the Super 16mm camera in the film, travel fees to the remote island, maintaining an adequate infrastructure to support the creation of the film while we’re there, and paying our collaborators. Many have asked us why we’re pushing to film as soon as possible, and our answer is simple. Chuck is aging, and his health and wellbeing grows ever more unpredictable by the month, and we would hate to miss out on the opportunity to tell his story while we still can because we thought we “didn’t have enough money”. Regardless of how much money we ultimately raise or put in ourselves, we are going to Alaska on April 27th, to put it all on the line in making the best film we’ve ever made.
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If you can’t contribute financially, we appreciate you spreading the word in any way shape or form possible. Reposting on social platforms, telling your friends and family about THE WAY IT WAS, and ultimately watching the final film are all appreciated. Thanks for checking out what we’re trying to do and we hope you follow us along our journey in making THE WAY IT WAS.
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Chuck and Kelly (Chuck's wife) make their own art that they sell to friends, family, and vendors. They call their pieces SHELLNANIGANS. To raise money for this project, we are offering different pieces, small and large, with some other trinkets here and there, as perks for your support. We attached photos specific to each perk below...
THE FRIEND: $5
You're probably one of our friends or you follow us on insta or somethin'. You're young, full of passion and excitement to explore the world, and you're most likely broke. THAT'S FINE, because anything helps. Thanks for the five bucks!
A FACETIME HIGH FIVE (or fist bump): $15
Thanks for the $15, let's FaceTime and high five without saying a word...
GLOP: $25
Chuck's signature Fox Farm dish is called GLOP. We don't even really know what it is... but if you want to make it yourself, we can send you the recipe.
THE FANTASTIC FILM PHOTO: $50
Receive a surprise framed film photo Chuck (or of Chuck) taken from one of many adventures over the decades in Alaska
Some examples (there's a lot more than this):
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THE GOLDEN TICKET: $75
Backers will receive a VIP invitation to the premiere of THE WAY IT WAS. We have some ideas of WHERE and WHEN but a lot depends on where the film ends up. Regardless, it's going to be very special.
DA CLAM: $100
This one's a little smaller, less fragile, still custom, and a frickin' BEAUT of a cool gift, ornament, ring holder, airpod storage unit, whatever does it for ya.
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A glass starfish inside of a clam? Must be seaception...
(we're filmmakers not comedians)
DA STARFISH: $150
This is Max's personal starfish, like the clam each one would be similar to this but have it's own look: different colors, shell types, shapes, sizes, all of the above. The starfish are more fragile, but are also more rare and are harder to make, so that is why we're making less of them!
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Example of DA STARFISH
YOUR OWN HARMONICA SONG: $300
Chuck creates a handcrafted, custom made, completely original harmonica tune based completely on you and your personality. We'll send you a video of him playing the tune for you, and an audio file to go with it that you can use for your ringtone, alarm clock, or pump up song.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: $1000
That's right! The special seat, the super cool slot, you are an executive producer of the film, nuff' said.
A bit of a price bump from here upwards, but these pieces take a lot more time/effort/love to put together.
THE LITTLE MERMAIDS: $2,500
Hang her from a wall to show off to your friends, or take her swimming with you amongst the waves, these beauties won't be around forever. Only 3 are available!
Azure: She exudes confidence to her mermaid friends.
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Aqua: Her favorite hobby is swimming :)
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Miss Hale: Short for "Halelehua", Hawaiian for mermaid.
MAMA O and BABY OOO: $9500
The magnum opus! This is Chuck and Kelly's most time consuming, intricate, and valuable piece of work that they create. We're only offering one because each takes months to create, but we're super excited to give the opportunity to someone who wants something really special. This is a large commitment, and we understand that, so if you have any other questions about what purchasing the piece would entail feel free to reach out!
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Chuck with one of his (and Kelly's) masterpieces.
THANK YOU!