Made a couple of cosmetic changes, which also changed the URL information. Here's the revised link: www.vimeo.com/26680440

Sorry for the unintended confusion. Enjoy :)

Rus

Greetings, all! Just completed a teaser video of sorts for the greater Different Skies documentary. Consider this one of the likely DVD extras on disc 2. For now, I just wanted to let all of you patient contributors get an idea of what the final product might look like, both in composition and in style. 

Here's the link: www.vimeo.com/26660574

Due to its length, it exceeded the max size restriction for Facebook, so I had to upload it to a colleague's Vimeo Plus account :)   Feel free to post comments and/or email me with feedback.  

Rus

Anyway, that's pretty much where things stand for now. The projected (and revised) release date for the documentary will be just prior to Different Skies 2012, which will help raise awareness and perhaps even increase artist sales. I'm looking forward to capturing more footage this year on all levels, knowing it be much better than last year ;)

Dear Different Skies documentary supporters,

Many of you have already agreed to redirect donations directly to my Paypal account, which I both appreciate and applaud. The response has been quick and enthusiastic, with lots of folks rallying to the cause almost immediately! Again, thanks. There still remains just a few hundred dollars left to reach the revised funding goal, and I appeal to the remaining supporters to help us cross the finish line. We're close enough to warrant a final push from contributors. Let's make this Different Skies dream come true!

P.S. If you originally pledged $100 or more at the Kickstarter site, your redirected donations to my Paypal account will be the most immediately effective method of reaching this objective.

Much gratitude,

Rus Foster

By the way, if you don't want to incur any Paypal charges, be sure to select the GIFT option rather than the PURCHASE option. With the Gift choice, no fees are imposed :)

Rus Foster

Well, here we are at the end of the line. So....what does this mean?

Essentially, it means that the party is over. According to Kickstarter policy, if the funding goal is not fully met (i.e. $5000.00), all funds are returned back to the contributors. This means that all bets are off and the Kickstarter project officially comes to halt, thus ending all interaction with the Kickstarter fundraising site.

If I simply accept that fate and stop there, the Different Skies documentary doesn't happen, plain and simple.

My reaction to this dilemma was to take the reins myself and devise a separate, but viable, Plan B so that the project might still be salvageable (and attainable) with the funds raised so far. This a significantly scaled-down plan, employing a relatively inexpensive HD camera with no additional frills. This is the smallest and least expensive manner in which I can imagine filming the project, while still retaining a minimal level of acceptable image quality. Again, no frills or additional professional rented gear will be possible with this budget. However, this particular camera can capture superb HD video footage, which I believe is worth all the other necessary compromises.

So far, Kickstarter contributors have pledged a little over $2100.00. This was not enough to cover expenses for the original plan of course, but it will fully cover expenses for Plan B. Now that the Kickstarter fundraising campaing is over, I simply ask existing contributors to now strongly consider directing their pledged funds to my Paypal account directly, especially if you still strongly support getting the official Different Skies documentary produced once and for all. I've already received positive responses from a handful of existing contributors, who have cheerfully agreed to the new plan. And one, in fact, has already sent a generous donation to get the ball rolling!

Simply put: your pledged contributions through the Kickstarter site are now void, and have been returned back to the donors. You can revive this project by sending those same contributions directly to me through Paypal, using this email address: paintswithsound@hotmail.com

I wish to thank each and every one of you for your support and enthusiasm for the project thus far. Let's please make this happen on our own terms now :)

Cordially,

Rus

I received a very pleasant inquiry about what this Plan B means, compared to the initial Plan A. This led me to suspect that a number of other contributors may be asking the same question. Here is a simplified breakdown of the implications and related consequences:

Plan A (original fundraising goal)
This initial plan involved the use of a specialized HD video camera, the quality of which is considered standard protocol for the film and video industry. For that film 'look', a special adapter is required in order to use standard 35mm camera lenses on a digital video camera. This included professional camera accessories such as a matte box, follow focus, filters, heavy duty tripod, camera monitor, and high-end professional prime lenses. Also involved in the package was the use of specialized lighting, optimized for the purposes of interviews. In addition to that, it included the use of camera dollies and track systems, for fluid camera movement.

Plan B
This is the lowest possible reduction of equipment, that is capable of a minimum level of acceptable quality. This plan involves just the Canon 7D camera, with none of the additional frills described above. This means NO specialized professional lighting systems, camera dollies, camera accessories, prime lenses or camera monitors. I would no doubt have to reign in some of my more ambitious shooting ideas and opt for a more frugal approach. But, it can still be done. This also means that a lot of the work saved in Plan A will now translate to a lot of extra editing in Plan B that is both tedious and very time-consuming. The upside is that at least I'll still have stunning footage to work with.

Any other filming demands (like dolly shots) will have to be of the DIY variety, done onsite, and with whatever nearby materials I can gather. It'll be a true guerilla independent effort, with respect to technical behind-the-scenes issues :) Again, it can be done, as Robert Rodriguez demonstrated in El Mariachi with an ordinary shopping cart :)

Hope this clear things up, as the contrast between the two options is rather stark. This means that the project can still be produced and completed, using the most fundamentally basic equipment possible. This cuts almost every corner possible, with the exception of the camera itself. Well, that and a decent general purpose lens that comes bundled with the camera. All other tools and equipment will simply have to be scrounged, hand-built or hastily re-engineered onsite.

I will be posting a final message to all participants tomorrow, after the deadline is officially met. I'll share a couple of brief thoughts, and make a final appeal for adopting Plan B, as the necessary amount has now officially been met!

See you all again in about 22 hours :)

Rus

Greetings, project supporters. Apologies for the delay in updates, as I have been battling bronchitis for the past 3 weeks or so. Finally showing signs of improvement, which means my typing will at least be intelligible! Mucho thanks to all new contributors who have joined the project since the last update. Your support and encouragement continues to buoy creative spirits.

Currently, I am still comparing prices and packages among several potential equipment vendors. Might even have to do a little mix-n-match to cover all the necessary bases! I'm just so glad (appreciative) to have such incredibly capable gear available to average consumers for projects like this. It can literally compete with traditional film production, in terms of final product. The technological leaps in product quality in the past few years has been utterly jaw-dropping. And incredibly affordable. I sense one of those filmmaking 'revolutions' coming on, as industry wonks are often too eager to proclaim. Truly independent filmmaking is just around the corner, freeing many from the shackles of traditional studio-based productions.

Now, if only there were an equally cutting-edge Distribution revolution in the works!

All for now. Continued thanks to all project supporters, as always!

Rus

Thanks go out to 2 new generous donors, which also triggered an interesting question. For those who may be curious about the donation 'packages' you have opted for and how they might be distributed, I'll offer a brief explanation here. As a general Kickstarter rule, all fundraising parties (that would be me) are personally responsible for distributing any and all award packages, as they relate to the various levels of contribution. As such, I am keeping detailed records of all donors and their respective contributions.

If you have donated the minimum amount for receiving Different Skies-related items, send me an email message with your shipping address. All shipping information will remain accurately logged and private. New contributors can send a message with their shipping information at the time of their donation, killing two birds with one stone :)

Some items will obviously take longer than others to fulfill. For example, the completed Different Skies documentary (on DVD/Blue Ray) will be available around April/May of 2011. On the other hand, items such as t-shirts and official DS baseball caps can be shipped as early as this Christmas. If you are set to receive a package that includes items such as a t shirt and the forthcoming DS documentary, you can opt for receiving the t shirt earlier than the completed documentary, or you can opt for having the entire package sent when all ingredients are ready. Just be sure to enter all relevant information on your message, detailing your preferences.

Thanks again go out to all supporters and interested parties thus far. Please help spread the word among your friends, colleagues and family. Don't be dissuaded by thinking that a modest donation is of little significance. Every little bit genuinely does help!

Cordially,

Rus

Been busy working on some potential 3d animation stuff for Different Skies visuals during the show. Also been re-acquainting myself with VJ software for the same purposes. I'm still hoping to fully participate musically this year, while also running visuals from the stage. In the meantime, I've also been submitting the fundraising link to more outlets, trying to spread the word. Only 30+ days remaining!

Cordially,

Russell