Why?

"A Greater Binghamton Area" isn't only a film about the economic troubles of a small area in New York, it is a glimpse into the future for many parts of the United States that have recently been affected by the recession.

Lately everyone has seen, heard, and experienced the story of loss, but my goal is not to tell you how impoverished this region is, about people who have lost their jobs, or who didn't have jobs before and still don't. I want to show you a region that has all of those problems and plenty more, but despite its wounds is climbing back up.

I have lived, worked, and learned in Binghamton for the past few years, and have come to truly appreciate the area. Learning how to capture life and reality as I learned about my new environment really makes this an exciting project for me. The Greater Binghamton Area has influenced my craft and now I am using those skills to share the story of Binghamton with the rest of the world.

Hope is contagious, hope is inspirational, and in this economy everyone can use a little encouragement. Nothing improves without hope.

How?

Over the course of the next year I will be interviewing experts in the fields of history, the environment, and economics to puzzle together the story of where the Greater Binghamton Area has been and how living quality of an area is the sum of both economic and environmental health. I will also be exploring what it will take for this area to once again become prosperous.

This documentary is not going to be your run-of-the-mill seventy five minutes of "talking heads" coupled with b-roll and edited together to tell you guys the story I want to get across.

I have something much more challenging in mind for myself as a filmmaker, but also for you as a viewer. I would be lying if I said I won't have any "talking heads" but the bulk of my documentary is going to consist of real life. I will present you with three to five video portraits of people from different ages, races, creeds, and economic standing. Together, these portraits will mesh together into a mural.

Between each video portrait will be a sequence of "experimental cinema". I will be shooting these sequences on film and editing the film itself then sending it away to be digitized so I can use it in the documentary. In my opinion, something like a transition can be depicted much more accurately and effectively through experimental techniques than through dialogue.

Cost

I have already emptied my bank account in order to buy my camera and some audio equipment, but there is so much more that I need to pay for, so here is an estimated break-down of my expenses (and I am budgeting for getting the best prices I can):

Basic Gear (camera, lenses, Audio equipment): $5,000

Lighting equipment: $500 - $800

Getting a website designed and paying for domain space: $2,000 - 3,000

Festival submissions: $2,000

Original music from very generous friends: $300

Marketing: $400

Taxis/Bus: $150

Transferring Film to Digital (for transitions): $500

Pressing DVDs: 2,000

Miscellaneous (small costs here and there that really add up): $1,000 - $2,000

I have been told I won't be able to get through pre-production, production, and post production with any less than $20,000. However, I've been trained for shoe-string budgeting and am confident I will be able to make $15,000 work.