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Short Summary
Hello good people. We are Don, Bart and Josh - the filmmakers behind Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents. We've been working on this film for about a year now. We shot a bunch of shows on the 40th Anniversary WoW Tour in the US and Europe and we have interviewed more than 40 people who are connected to The Residents universe...fellow musicians, critics, fans, artists...the whole enchilada.
Enchilada Ingredients Include:
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Les Claypool - Primus
- Penn Jillette - Penn & Teller
- Matt Groening - The creator of The Simpsons
- Jerry Casale - Devo
- Chris Cutler - Henry Cow
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Jerry Harrison - Talking Heads
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Dean Ween - Ween
- John Fishman - Phish
- Beans
- Cheese
- Tortillas
- And much, much more
We've also earned the trust of The Residents management team at The Cryptic Corporation. The Cryptics have opened up their vaults to us and we've unearthed some real treasures. We're looking forward to sharing them with all of you.
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So far we've been paying for the production costs of this film on our credit cards, but now we need your help. We're hoping to create HD transfers of as much of The Residents archival footage as possible and it's a big job. We have 16mm film, B&W videotape, 3/4...basically any format that you can imagine...and all of it needs to be transferred and preserved for future generations of weirdos.
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It's also important to note that all of your contributions are tax-deductible through our non-profit partner Moving Train.
What We Need & What You Get
We have some big expenses in front of us. First, transferring the archival footage ain't cheap. Same goes for post-production (sound-mixing and color correction). We've already struck good deals with some great partners who've agreed to reduce their rates for these services, but we're still talking about thousands and thousands of dollars. That's why we need your help.
Footage Transfer - $6,000
Sound Mixing and Mastering - $5,000
Color-Correction and Mastering - $5,000
Deliverables (Master Tapes, Hard Drives, DCPs) - $4,000
Legal, E&O Insurance - $3,000
Film Festival Submissions and Travel - $2,000
TOTAL--$25,000
We're offering some pretty sweet perks in return for your generous support...tickets to the premiere of the film, one-of-a-kind artwork, private screenings for you and your friends, and much more.
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The Impact
We want to make this film the best it can be. That's what The Residents deserve for all they've given to us over the years. Their creativity and do-it-yourself nature is a true inspiration to us, and probably to many of you as well. Our sincere hope is that this film can serve as a testament to The Residents body of work, while also entertaining longtime fans and hopefully introducing The Residents to new fans too.
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Our track record with our past films is solid. We've had films premiere in major film festivals like SXSW, Toronto, IDFA and Tribeca. Our films have all been well received and distributed in theaters, on TV, DVD and VOD. Once we commit to making a film, we follow through and make it happen.
Please know that we will treat your donations as frugally as we treat our own contributions. Your money will go directly into making this film the best film it can be!
And, once again, all of your contributions are tax-deductible through our non-profit partner Moving Train.
Other Ways You Can Help
Spread the word! Email your friends, Tweet your followers, Share with your minions. Everything helps make Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents a reality.
Thanks very much for your support!
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