Kickstarter

Dear Kickstarter Family:

This is it! Just a few days left and we are so very close.  I’m getting lots of email from  people who are checking the site all day long.  Who will be the one to push us over the top?  All we need are a couple more people to make it happen, either with new contributors, or if a few people increase their contribution by a few dollars we can get there.

We could not have gotten this far without an incredible network all over the world not only contributing but also posting the Kickstarter link everywhere.  We have been all over Facebook, twitter, some wonderful blogs and electronic bulletin boards.  It all happened because of our Kickstarter family. 

Everyone receiving this update is part of the family, and by helping us reach the goal and spreading the word about Kickstarter, we are all keeping the promise made by a little boy to always tell the story of what happened in Bergen-Belsen. We are all part of bringing this story of hope for the future to a national TV audience.  We are so close!

Behind the Scenes:  My favorite shot in the film

I never really thought about my favorite single shot in the documentary, until Astronaut Garrett Reisman told me a personal story about his own experience flying off into space.  I am certain he’s been asked this question many times, but I wanted to know about the emotions he felt just before launch.  After years of training and anticipation, it must be an incredible moment.  He said for him that moment came just before boarding the shuttle.  He told me how he stood alone just staring up at the huge orbiter and solid rocket boosters, thinking about what he was about to experience. 

Then I realized, that we had put a shot in the film that captures this moment. It is the shot of Astronaut Kalpana Chawla gazing up at the Columbia in a very solitary moment.  She pauses and looks up, seemingly alone, contemplating the launch about to take place.  She is, after all, about to take the journey she has been training for, waiting for, for years. Her crewmates are with her, but she is alone in that moment. 

The next shot in the film is equally dramatic, as we see Ilan Ramon walk across the access arm to the orbiter, the sunlight perfectly reflecting in his face. 

These wonderful, intimate scenes were made possible because Astronaut Dave Brown was with his crewmates, filming, and his brother, Doug Brown, gave me access to the footage. These scenes, along with Blake Neely’s wonderful music, bring home to us the intensity of the moments before the crew lifts off. Check out the clip below.

I hope that my next update is: Success!!!