Short Summary
As a filmmaker working alongside a wonderful but small crew, we have become a team dedicated to getting this passion project off the ground and onto the screen. We are committed to finishing this feature length documentary and have secured artists across the USA, from Mary J. Blige to Susan Tedeschi to Joanna Connor.
Our Grana Louise, asking you for your support.
I started this film about a year ago when I was meant to go on a road trip with my sisters to the South of the USA, for one reason or another, they were unable to go. Being the person I am, I thought, well, that's not going to stop me! I'm still going. And being the filmmaker I am, I thought, well, I'll film it! Film what? Your journey?
One thing lead to another and then it was one of those light bulb moments...I thought wait a minute...USA, Chicago, The South, blues, blues blues...Why don't you document that subject you are so passionate about? The one that you hold dearest to your heart: the blues and the inspirational women that sing them. Tell that story that others NEED to see! On a roll I was, and still am. I found Pieter de Vries, the AWARD-WINNING Director of Photography, to help me. He's a blues lover and a musician and this has been right up his alley. So off we went, to Chicago and Clarksdale, Mississippi to start filming.
What's In It For You?
- A chance to make a difference in these artists' lives.
- Signed CD's, DVD's and film credits are some of the perks you'll get.
- Tickets to shows, red carpet invites and for the contributor
that bids $10,000.00 Australian, an acoustic guitar signed by every
featured artist!
- That beautiful feeling of helping others. We need your help to get their stories told and maybe even help them get
a leg up on their journey to success.
- Good karma :)
- By supporting this film, you are help
them.
The Impact
There are all kinds of people in the world.
Some are carpenters; some are bankers; some are investors, artists, musicians, mothers,
philanthropists, scientists and on it goes. Our story is about women of
all walks of life that have one thing in common: the blues. Their
success ranges from touring all over the world through-out the year, to
self-financing cd's and looking for gigs without a manager. Some are
doing it tough. Some are just starting out. Some of them are looking
to retire. Some of them have performed for President Obama. Some of
them worked alongside Ike Turner. Some of them need a helping hand
getting their name out there. We're committed to them, their music and
their stories.
Why the blues are so important to me
When Pieter de Vries and I started to film our Chicago Blues artists; Deitra Farr, Holle Thee Maxwell, Grana Louise, Mz Peachez Williams, Liz Mandeville, Kimberly Johnson, Joanna Connor, Mary Lane, Shirley Johnson, Peaches Staten, Claudette Miller and Laretha Weathersby, we knew we were onto something good. We went to Clarksdale, Mississippi and filmed Heather Crosse, La La Craig, Dixie Street and Alison Hasen and knew we were onto something extraordinary.
We started filming with no expectations other than hearing great blues, meeting the artists and hearing their stories. We're now committed to getting their stories out there. When you hear them sing, play guitar, keys, drums or bass, and hear what they have been through, who they have sung with and what they have seen; you'll want them to succeed too.
Every person who follows their dreams has a high probability of risky adventures and challenges, ours are mainly financial. Even with the letters of interest from broadcasters and producers, we still need to finish filming this in order to make a rough cut of the film. Once we do that, we'll get into festivals. Once we get into festivals, we'll find our sales agents and distributors. We need to finish filming and then edit it. We need help your doing that.
The Nitty Gritty Details of the Finances
So far, I have personally spent over $60K of borrowed money. Filming this next leg will cost another $60K. The $25K we're asking for will pay for flights, accommodation, food, car rental, gas (petrol), a sound recordist, production stills photographer, equipment, a data wrangler and a production assistant. If you've noticed it doesn't add up, you're right, that's because we're not asking for donations to pay Pieter, that will come from another source like one of the many grants we're applying for and the distribution companies we're reaching out to. After that we'll be in post production from August until November, which is another $50K. Marketing, the music rights, travel allowances to and from festivals and the cost of submitting to festivals will run another $80K.
