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Update #7: Quick update on our progress...
Hello Friends!
Sorry to be away so long. Hopefully I've added most of you to our master email list and you're getting extra updates off site. If I've neglected to do so, I wanted to drop a line to let you know that Herman & Shelly will begin a theatrical tour of the U.S. on October 27th through the first quarter of 2012 when it will become available on DVD and Video On Demand. I've listed our confirmed dates below and will keep you posted as more theaters are booked. For the immediate future please do spread the word about our upcoming premiere at The Picture House in Pelham, NY on October 27th and we'll continue to keep you updated on the website (www.hermanandshelly.com) and the facebook page (www.facebook.com/hermanandshelly).
Lots of love!
Bridget & Vicky
October 27th @ 7:30pm: The Picture House, 175 Wolfs Lane, Pelham, NY (www.thepicturehouse.org/content/herman-shelly)
November 3rd @ 7:00pm: YES Cinema, Columbus, IN (yescinema.org/news.php?id=425)
December 1st @ 7:30pm: Olde Mistick Village Art Cinema, Mystic, CT (http://oldemistickflicks.com/blog1/coming-soon/)
January 31st @ 7:00pm: Cable Car Cinema, Providence, RI (http://www.cablecarcinema.com/)
Update #6: 24 hours to go!
One day! One day is all we have left in this campaign and we're so close to our goal of 20K. Right now we need $4,400 more to make it and I believe it's possible. I will be on the computer and the phone all day to reach out for those last pledges and I can use your help. If you can post on your facebook page, shout us out on twitter or encourage your friends to check out HERMAN & SHELLY by old fashioned word of mouth it will help us immensely in reaching 20K. Stay tuned, it's going to be a great ride!
Sincerely,
Bridget
Update #5: 3 DAYS!
Hello Savvy Supporters!
What a week! We've locked our Production Designer, Sonia Li (www.soniali.com), an amazing, creative force of nature and our Director of Photography, Danny Vecchione (danielvecchione.com) who is beyond phenomenal. Danny Musengo (http://www.myspace.com/dandelionwine1) will play the part of Charles and his voice is like heaven. Harper Dill will play the role of Fallah--if you do a search for her on youtube you will glimpse how talented and hilarious she is.
I had hoped to have some songs for you this week but we will all have to wait a little bit longer. There are 4 songs that are about 95% complete and they are all incredible, thanks to our music supervisor/composer Dan Teicher (www.danteicher.com). Stay tuned--they will be beautiful.
3 days left in our long and exciting campaign! Spread the word as far and wide as you can!
THANK YOU!
Bridget
Update #4: One week left!
With 7 days left and a little under 10K to raise we could spend our time feeling anxious but as the saying goes, we're too blessed to be stressed. We feel enormous gratitude for your support and encouragement and excitement at all that's to come! Please continue to spread the word about Herman & Shelly and I look forward to celebrating with you all (if not in real time, virtually) next Sunday.
We got another nice bit of publicity last week on indiewire.com's "In the Works" section:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/in_the_works_housing_horror_wandering_skater_bad_ass_texan_adult_artists_so/
Sincerely,
Team Herman & Shelly
Update #3: Herman & Shelly in the Fairfield County Weekly!
Check out the article in Fairfield County Weekly today.
http://67.192.206.194/arts/film/fund-my-movie
Fund My Movie
Written by Kristen Cusato
Tuesday, 18 May 2010 14:00
Stamford filmmaker Bridget Stokes is relying on users of a web application to bank her first feature
Bridget Stokes has finished writing her script. The lead roles have been cast. She’s secured several locations on the Connecticut shoreline for filming; she has her permits and her shooting dates. There’s just one thing this fledgling filmmaker is missing: the money to pay for it all.
The 28-year-old, who lives in Stamford, started writing Herman and Shelly in 2008 and set herself a goal: to make the movie by 2010. She has raised some of the $150,000 she estimates she’ll need for production. “An investor pledged $7,500, and then, well, we’ve got credit cards,” Stokes says with a laugh.
Hence the reason she has embarked on a unique fundraising tool, the online platform Kickstarter. Herman and Shelly’s Kickstarter profile includes a plot outline, a pledge form and a video of Stokes asking people to invest in her movie. That video features her one-year-old daughter, Lua, cooing adorably.
“It’s hard to get people on board. Anyone who’s worked in low-budget film is savvy as to how quickly things can fall apart, but we know [the movie] will happen.” She’s also working to harness the power of social media to market Herman and Shelly. “I’m active on Facebook and Twitter and Foursquare. I can build my own fan base. And Kickstarter will get a bunch of people who’ve committed to being interested in the project.”
Herman and Shelly is about two quirky teens who meet in middle school and form a fast, strong friendship. It flashes forward to adulthood as Herman, a writer, and Shelly, a filmmaker, struggle with a common dilemma: the dream career vs. the job that will earn you money to survive.
A bit of art imitating life for Stokes? “It’s hard to write anything other than what you know. Everyone who’s come on board has said ‘You know what spoke to me? The part about following your passion even if it’s not gonna pay the bills.’”
Being involved in the film industry has actually helped pay Stokes’ bills for years. She worked in the production, sales and distribution ends of several companies, including IFC Films, and recently started her own company which purchased the distribution rights to two independent films. Being in her position puts her ahead of the game for her own film. “We are the distributor, we are cutting out a huge middleman and saving money.”
The 18-day shoot is set for late August and early September at several restaurants and school sites in Stamford. Stokes could have shot the film in New York City, but she wanted to work where she lives. “I’m turning over every leaf to find out how Connecticut can be a more viable place to shoot.”
Stokes is also holding fund-raisers with the real musicians she’s cast as fictional band “Zeitgeist.”
Through it all, Stokes says she wants to do what’s best for the film financially. “It’s not more important to get my name in the ether so I will get my next big project in Hollywood. I want to be true to the process and honest with my investors.”
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on May 30, 2010.
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Receive my deepest gratitude and email updates on the film and its progress over the course of the next two years from production through distribution.
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Your name will be Included in the “SUPPORTERS” section of the email updates. Woo hoo!
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All of the above and your name will be included in the “Special Thanks” section of the credits. Your name. Immortalized.
Pledge $75 or more Pledge $75 or more
All of the above and a portrait of you (or the person of your choosing) in the style of the film. Close your eyes and think about watercolors, indie film and portraits--yeah, it will be like that.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
All of the above and an autographed Herman & Shelly DVD. My name. Immortalized on your DVD.
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
All of the above and a Herman & Shelly ironic T-shirt. I'm a great T-shirt designer. I've never designed one but have total confidence in my ability to create a shirt that your friends will be envious of.
Pledge $300 or more Pledge $300 or more
A short film (30s-2m). You choose a theme, I make the film and send you a digital file. Way better than a greeting card.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
All of the above and an invitation to a test screening of the film. You will watch one of the first cuts of the film, before everyone else! Give us your opinion on what we did wrong and what we did oh so right.
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
All of the above and the opportunity to be an extra on the film. Whaaaaaaaaat? That's something to show the grandkids.
Pledge $10,000 or more Pledge $10,000 or more
All of the above and an Associate Producer credit. You bet.
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Bridget Stokes most recently produced the short film Oui Oui Non Non, written and directed by Vicky Wight. Prior to this, Stokes produced the short, Coffee, also written and directed by Wight. Coffee was an official selection at 2008’s SXSW Film Festival and screened at New York’s IFC Center.
Bridget started working in film distribution at IFC Films where she worked on the release of over 25 films. She expanded her knowledge of the film industry at independent film production, distribution and sales company, Elephant Eye Films. As Director of Production/Development & Distribution, she helped to release Billy The Kid, directed by Jennifer Venditti and Benson Lee’s Planet B-Boy and worked on Elephant Eye's slate of projects in development. After Elephant Eye, Bridget worked as the Research Coordinator on an Untitled Bob Marley documentary and subsequently launched a freelance business consulting on and executing theatrical and semi-theatrical releases of independent films.
