Seeking POSTPRODUCTION for our movie set during Nixon's 1970 Cambodian Incursion, prepping now to shoot in Cambodia.
"Looking for a good indie film to support? Read about this one" - Linda Nelson, Hollywood Producer, (and Freedom Deal contributor)
"Though set during the Indochina war years of the 1970s, this story remains highly relevant today. The plight of refugees, the danger of landmines to innocent civilians - this film powerfully confronts these issues head on, while at the same spinning an entertaining yarn." - Raymond Leos, Dean and Professor of Communications, Faculty of Communications & Media Arts, Pannasastra University of Cambodia
FREEDOM DEAL is a Cambodia-based effort, with a mixed local-international team. Our primary team is now in Cambodia, prepping to shoot based on successful earlier fundraising efforts! This Kickstarter campaign is intended to raise funds for POSTPRODUCTION costs after we shoot - Editing, Color Correction, Music and Archival Footage Licensing, Festival Application Fees and Postage, and associated Promotional Materials (because we'll have basically no funding left after shooting & getting the movie 'in the can' - please see details below regarding our POSTPRODUCTION needs.)
We are listed on Kickstarter as a 'Los Angeles' project location, because a) one of our international outreach team members is based there, and b) there's no 'Search by City' option for Phnom Penh or Cambodia on the Kickstarter homepage. Contact us at [855] 011 736 206 in Cambodia if you'd like to discuss further, as we are now here prepping to shoot our first sequences based on previous fundraising efforts.
★ THE STORY
"You are 14 years old. An uninvited war spilled across your border, into your village, taking away your family and everyone you know, destroying your home, leaving you totally alone. What would you do? Where would you go?"
Camerado's 3rd feature, FREEDOM DEAL is set during the expansion of the US-Vietnam conflict during Nixon's 1970 'Cambodia Incursion' into otherwise neutral Cambodia, to locate and destroy North Vietnamese and Viet Cong sanctuaries across the Vietnam-Cambodia border.
Uniquely, our drama is told primarily from the point of view of a young Cambodian refugee named Samnang ('Lucky')
FREEDOM DEAL: The first ever movie about of a little known part of US history, taking place during Nixon's 1970 military expansion of the Vietnam war into Cambodia - an event that led to the shootings of unarmed students at Kent State University who were protesting the incursion.
This never-before depicted part of US-Asian history is now told uniquely from a Cambodian point of view, through the eyes of a Cambodian youth as he flees the conflict on his border.
Consider playing the above audio while reviewing our Kickstarter goals...
The secretly undertaken 1970 US-ARVN (Army of South Vietnam) incursion into Cambodia, in search of hidden North Vietnamese and Viet Cong sanctuaries, led to enormous outrage and civil unrest in the USA, as the military operation had been seen as an expansion of the Vietnam war.
Revelations of the military's expansion of the war into neutral Cambodia culminated in the shooting of unarmed students at Kent State and Jackson State Universities, and the eventual disengagement of the US from the Vietnam conflict.
Several dramas and documentaries have been made about the US side of this chapter in American history, at Kent State and beyond.
But no dramatization has ever been made about the story on the ground in Cambodia during Nixon's 1970 'Cambodian Incursion' - in Cambodia, a country caught up in a devastating civil war that ultimately gave rise to the brutal Khmer Rouge regime.
The 'Freedom Deal' story is told from the point of view of a Cambodian youth, a refugee named Samnang ('Lucky'), who embarks on a journey through his wartorn country in search of his last remaining relative, his uncle Ramy in the provincial capital.
Unlike some visiting foreign productions which may spend only a limited time in Cambodia, the 'Freedom Deal' team has been working here for years, experiencing complete cultural and historical immersion while researching this story.
Our Cambodian team members, of course, have lived here all their lives and are providing constant feedback and guidance to maintain historical and cultural accuracy in the production.
The primary foreign producer on the team, US filmmaker and 'Freedom Deal' writer Jason Rosette (IMDB; principal of Camerado & Camerado SE Asia Movies & Media) has spent nearly six years living full time in Cambodia as an independent freelance filmmaker, producer, teacher, and media trainer.
He has during this time learned the Khmer language and researched the 'Freedom Deal' story firsthand, visiting formerly ultra-secret B52 MENU strike areas and incursion entry points, while conducting interviews with Cambodian locals who experienced the US-Vietnam conflict on their border.
'Freedom Deal' is a true hybrid project - a pioneering international co-production on the progressive cutting edge of global indie filmmaking, happening in a country where the film industry is still just starting to re-establish itself.
* SEE our Cambodian and International TEAM MEMBERS HERE
* WATCH a Video about the challenges and rewards of producing 'Freedom Deal' in the Cambodian developing environment
* READ a Writeup about the 'Freedom Deal' project in the online film journal, 'The Independent'
* VIEW (and download or print) an ebook about the making of 'Freedom Deal'
* OUR TRACK RECORD is strong and well established! SEE Camerado's previous successfully completed projects HERE
★ WHAT WE'RE SEEKING
Our team is already in Cambodia, following a successful PRODUCTION fundraising campaign, to shoot a standalone short film (10 min. approx.) based on a section of the completed 'Freedom Deal' feature screenplay.
This standalone short movie, based on a key scene of the completed 'Freedom Deal' feature story, will screen at international festivals and other venues, gaining exposure and publicity to leverage financing for the full length feature production.
Our goal is to raise $5019 for POSTPRODUCTION, EDITING, AUDIO PRODUCTION and MIX, and FESTIVAL APPLICATION COSTS and PR for the current short film component of the 'Freedom Deal' feature we are now producing.
Please note the following cost breakdown (some rates may be below Western standard, but are normal for this environment)
- 3 weeks picture and sound editing; gear is owned by Camerado SE Asia in Phnom Penh, so no outright rental fee will apply (see maintenance fee below)
- 3 weeks picture and sound editing; modest equipment maintenance contingency fee of $150/week = $450
- Editor, 3 weeks; pro bono and at-cost, with only $40 per day to cover rent and living expenses in Cambodia = $720
- Cambodian editing assistant; paid far above local scale @ $30/day for 3 weeks = $540
- Allow 1 day pickup shooting on location in case issues arise with content during the edit requiring any re-shoot = $300
- Archival footage research and licensing, primarily local (Cambodian & Vietnamese), US military, and US antiwar protest footage for brief intro/outro sequences and montages = $500
- DVD design, including menus, cover, graphics = $250
- Festival application fees (@ 25 * $35 per submission) = $875
- Postage and Shipping = $250
- Ancillary materials such as poster, onesheet & flyer design = $500
Estimated Rewards fulfillment costs & Kickstarter & Amazon fees
- Total Kickstarter & Amazon Fees = $4385 x 9% = 394.65
- Shipping or rewards DVDs (allow 40 units @ $6 per from Cambodia = $240)
As with all of Camerado SE Asia's projects, we collaborate with and train local staff in our productions all the way down the line!
FOR EXAMPLE, see how we worked with a local youth group in Kampot, Cambodia during another one of our projects, the CamboFest, Cambodia Film Festival, HERE
Your participation in this component of the 'Freedom Deal' movie project therefore also contributes to the re-development of the Cambodian cinema industry, which was completely shredded during the Khmer Rouge regime and is still recovering today.
Screen testing local (Cambodian) talent in Phnom Penh, April 28, 2012
IF WE EXCEED our goal on Kickstarter we will roll over any additional funding towards the next stage(s) of our production, including:
1) A 2nd short film section, based on the FREEDOM DEAL script (to eventually be edited together with this first, and other, completed sections in step-by step fashion)
~ and/or (depending on future variables) ~
2) Surplus funding will be applied to the production of the full-length 'Freedom Deal' feature itself if the current short film component is capable of driving sufficient interest and co-production involvement.
★ THE REWARDS: What do you get for your support & participation?
Support the 'Freedom Deal' effort and get great REWARDS, ranging from: a limited edition DVD of the short movie // your own customized 'video thank you card' from Cambodia // VIP contributor-only online access to the completed short before general public release // invites to festival screenings // a credit in the completed short film as it circulates internationally at festivals and other media events - including a potential associate producer, consulting producer, or even co-producer credit! and participation.
★ THE IMPACT
- Your participation in this post-production and festival distribution phase of our adapted short component of FREEDOM DEAL is a vital step in helping us get the full length social issue feature drama of 'Freedom Deal' made.
- 'Freedom Deal' is currently the only independent feature film project being produced (and crowdfunded) in Cambodia; your contribution will directly and positively impact the development of the re-emerging Cambodian film industry, which was completely wiped out during the Khmer Rouge regime.
"I am very pleased having received the script of FREEDOM DEAL The Story of Samnang. The Department of Cinema and Cultural Diffusion totally supports your initiation into film production." - Mr. Sin Chan Saya, Director, Department of Cinema and Cultural Diffusion, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Your support of 'Freedom Deal' will help tell a story that's never been dramatized on screen from a local (Asian) perspective - about a secret part of US history, set during the expansion of the Vietnam conflict into neighboring Cambodia in 1970, as seen through the eyes of a Cambodian youth IDP/refugee.
- Your support of 'Freedom Deal', which is above all a UNIVERSAL ANTI-WAR movie, will also raise awareness about ongoing conflicts worldwide, while highlighting the humanitarian impacts on IDP/refugees in particular.
The challenges of making a movie in a developing production environment like Cambodia - where there are no government rebates, no tax incentives, no grants or local funding, and an under-developed cinema infrastructure - are enormous.
We value your consideration, participation and contribution to the utmost!
Members of the 'Freedom Deal' team at a local casting session in Phnom Penh, Cambodia April 28 2012.
★ ADDITIONAL WAYS YOU CAN PARTICIPATE
Besides making a financial contribution, there are other ways you can join in and boost our efforts here in SE Asia:
- SHARE our Free eBook, the 'Making of a Movie in the Developing World', which discusses the background of the 'Freedom Deal' project with movie and media bloggers, journalists, philanthropists...everyone you know!
- RETWEET our TWEETS! Our primary producer can be found on Twitter at @kingcamerado, with frequent updates about the 'Freedom Deal' project
Feel free to email camerado@camerado.com with any further questions or inquiries, or Skype kingcamerado / phone 855 011 736 206 (in Cambodia; though we may not answer right away if we're in the field scouting or shooting)
All the Best,
FAQ
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We are currently producing a short film based on a section of the completed 'Freedom Deal' screenplay. As other challenging indie films have done in the past, like 'Slingblade', 'Bottle Rockets' or 'Stranger than Paradise', a short based on the envisioned full length feature is a compelling - and affordable, for the producer - way to get an essential part of the overall vision out into the world, while eliciting further interest, support, and co-funding for the full length feature project. So, we're making a manageable short now to raise interest and funding for the more expensive and complex feature film down the road a bit.
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Funding Unsuccessful This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on July 30, 2012.
Funding period
Jun 30, 2012 -
Jul 30, 2012
(30 days)
- 2 created · 1 backed
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Pledge $1 or more
0 backers
WATERBEARER: $1 buys 8 small bottles of water for the crew. So, we'll toast in your name with each 8-pack we guzzle on location!
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $4 or more
0 backers
HELPER: Hey - thanks for helping! $4 is lunch for two editorial staff in Cambodia. All helpers will receive a group 'video thank you' Youtube postcard from Cambodia and a listing in the credits of the completed short.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $9 or more
0 backers
FRIEND: Your participation of $9 rewards you with a credit in this short movie component of 'Freedom Deal' as a 'Friend', a 'thank you video' from Cambodia with other participating Friends, and an exclusive VIP password-protected link to view the movie online after it's been completed, before the general public has access (*after it has had its initial festival screenings - this is a regulation required by many fests). Some rewards will come sooner than others...we estimate the short will have enjoyed its first festival exposure by March 2013.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013Pledge $25 or more
2 backers
CONTRIBUTOR: Your participation of $25 will reward you with a credit in this short film component of 'Freedom Deal' as "Contributor", your own individualized 'thank you video' from Cambodia, and an exclusive VIP password-protected link to view the movie online after it's been completed, before the general public has access (*after it has had its initial festival screenings - this is a regulation required by many fests). Some rewards will come sooner than others...we estimate the short will have enjoyed its first festival exposure by March 2013.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013Pledge $50 or more
1 backer
PARTICIPANT: Your participation of $50 rewards you with a credit as a 'Participant' in this short film component of 'Freedom Deal'; you'll receive a credit in the movie as "Participant". You'll also receive your own individualized 'thank you video' from Cambodia, and a special contributor-only version of this short version of 'Freedom Deal' on DVD after it's been completed, before the general public has access (*after it has had its initial festival screenings - this is a regulation required by many fests). Some rewards will come sooner than others...we estimate the short will have enjoyed its first festival exposure by March 2013.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013Pledge $99 or more
0 backers
PATRON: Your participation of $99 rewards you with the credit of 'Patron' in the making of this short film component of the 'Freedom Deal' feature ::::::: You'll immediately receive your own individualized 'thank you video' from Cambodia, and a special contributor-only version of this short version of 'Freedom Deal' on DVD after it's been completed (*after it has had its initial festival screenings - this is a regulation required by many fests) ::::::: As an ADDED BONUS, you'll get a signed copy of the director's 1st award winning feature documentary ('Terrific' - LA Times), BOOKWARS on DVD ::::::: You'll ALSO receive two tickets to a screening of the movie at a festival or venue nearest you. (transportation or lodging not included) Some rewards will come sooner than others...we estimate the short will have enjoyed its first festival exposure by March 2013.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013Pledge $249 or more
0 backers
BENEFACTOR: Your participation of $249 rewards you with the credit of 'Benefactor' in the making of this short film component of the 'Freedom Deal' feature. You'll receive your own individualized 'thank you video' from Cambodia, and a special contributor-only version of this short version of 'Freedom Deal' on DVD after it's been completed, before the general public has access (*after it has had its initial festival screenings - this is a regulation required by many fests)::::::: As an ADDED BONUS, you'll get a signed copy of the director's 1st award winning feature documentary ('Terrific' - LA Times), BOOKWARS on DVD ::::::: You'll ALSO receive two tickets to a screening of the movie at a festival or venue nearest you. (transportation or lodging not included) AND...You'll receive an Official *Associate Producer* credit for this short component in its credits, which you can freely display as you please in your CV and elsewhere. Some rewards will come sooner than others...we estimate the short will have enjoyed its first festival exposure by March 2013.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013Pledge $495 or more
0 backers
CHAMPION: Your participation of $495 rewards you with the credit of 'Champion' in the making of this short film component of the 'Freedom Deal' feature. You'll receive your own individualized 'thank you video' from Cambodia, and a special contributor-only version of this short version of 'Freedom Deal' on DVD after it's been completed, before the general public has access (*after it has had its initial festival screenings - this is a regulation required by many fests). ::::::: As an ADDED BONUS, you'll get a signed copy of the director's 1st award winning feature documentary ('Terrific' - LA Times), BOOKWARS on DVD ::::::: You'll ALSO receive two tickets to a screening of the movie at a festival or venue nearest you. (transportation or lodging not included) AND...You'll receive an Official *Consulting Producer* credit for this short component in its credits, which you can freely display as you please in your CV and elsewhere. Some rewards will come sooner than others...we estimate the short will have enjoyed its first festival exposure by March 2013.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013Pledge $999 or more
0 backers
BONG CINEMA (Roughly "Cinema Boss" in Khmer language): Your participation of $999 rewards you with the credit of 'Bong Cinema'' in the making of this short film component of the 'Freedom Deal' feature. You'll receive your own individualized 'thank you video' from Cambodia, and a special contributor-only version of this short version of 'Freedom Deal' on DVD after it's been completed, before the general public has access (*after it has had its initial festival screenings - this is a regulation required by many fests). ::::::: As an ADDED BONUS, you'll get a signed copy of the director's 1st award winning feature documentary ('Terrific' - LA Times), BOOKWARS on DVD ::::::: You'll ALSO receive two tickets to a screening of the movie at a festival or venue nearest you. (transportation or lodging not included) AND...You'll receive an Official *Co-Producer* credit for this short component in its credits, which you can freely display as you please in your CV and elsewhere (with other forms of actual participation in the movie and future feature to be discussed). Some rewards will come sooner than others...we estimate the short will have enjoyed its first festival exposure by March 2013.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013
