Gone Fishing

UPDATE - THIS OFFER IS NOW CLOSED

Help Make the Impossible, a Reality...
As many of you know, we here at Living Spirit Pictures, have spent our life in the pursuit of movies and of excellence. We have had tremendous success with our feature length films, The Runner, White Angel and Urban Ghost Story. And also with our books, The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook series, which have now helped thousands of new film makers to chase their own dreams, often with great success. However, while having come tantalisingly close several times, we have yet to achieve the success that we have dared to dream of, to tirelessly work toward… a real BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE…

But that, we hope, is about to change. And we need YOUR help to do it.

We are asking for your financial support. But this is not an investment proposal, it is an opportunity to be a big part of something truly amazing. Read on...

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LIVING SPIRIT

The Problem
Here is our difficulty. We have written and prepared a Screenplay for a movie called Rocketboy, a family film about first love between two young outsiders. The story follows Connor, a young boy who spends his time with his grandfather, building rockets, as they plan to be the first Scotsmen to reach space. Into this world comes a writer and his daughter, who the kids all call The Vampire, as she is paper white and is only seen at night… Her name is Becky, and it’s only a matter of time before Connor meets her in the twilight, to discover that she is in fact not a vampire, but has a complex genetic disorder manifesting in many problems, including light sensitivity.

Together they embark upon the journey to adulthood, first love, and space…

In this section you can see some of the concept artwork we have produced for the movie, images that capture the excitement and magic of the story.

In our experience, the positive response to the screenplay is unprecedented, with major actors and producers vying for position over the project. This is a very exciting development and it will ensure that Rocketboy will be made at the scale and budget needed to punch through to Screen 1 of every multiplex in the UK, USA and worldwide. We now believe that Rocketboy will be shot in the Summer of 2008, with major stars, and on a budget of $20 million.

That scale of production also carries a down side. While writer and director Chris Jones has now made three independent feature films, the proposed backers of Rocketboy want to hire a director who has made something ‘bigger and more Hollywood…’ Given this scale of movie the nervousness of any investor is understandable, unless you know Chris that is, in which case you will have experienced his passion, depth of knowledge and downright determination to succeed. You will also know that he is more than capable of helming this project, not least as he has been both edging the movie forward and writing it now for close to a decade!

With your help, we aim to passionately and professionally demonstrate that Chris is not only the best director for the job, but it would be a tragic mistake for Rocketboy to not choose him. No-one is more enthusiastic or better prepared to direct this extraordinary movie.

EXPERT COMMENT

‘Rocketboy is one of the most promising projects around right now and we’d love to see it get made’
Marc Samuelson
Producer Stormbreaker and Arlington Road

EXPERT COMMENT

‘What a truly wonderful screenplay! Knowing Chris and his abilities, I have no doubt that this short film will deliver and I can’t wait for the premiere!’
Henry Fitzherbert
Film Critic,
The Sunday Express

EXPERT COMMENT

‘Most Hollywood feature films are edited on an Avid system, and we are always keen to support the most talented film makers. We have followed Chris and his career for some time and I am sure we will be able to help him with his current project’
Hans Venmans
Avid Technologies

EXPERT COMMENT

'Chris is an exceptionally talented writer-director. I can't wait to cut Gone Fishing, I know it will be an outstanding short film, and certainly prove to everyone that Chris is the right director to bring the magic of Rocketboy to life on the big screen.'
Eddie Hamilton
Film Editor

EXPERT COMMENT

‘Such a magical and enchanting screenplay is bound to attract major stars. I look forward to getting involved and casting Gone Fishing’
Catherine Arton
Casting Director

The Solution... ‘Gone Fishing’
With your help, we will produce a short movie that will rival any Hollywood blockbuster in scale, production value, visual flair and emotional impact. The story, which is tonally similar to Rocketboy, is called Gone Fishing. It is a touching tale about a young boy and old man dealing with death, through their shared love of fishing. This tiny epic will prove to the Rocketboy Investors that Chris is a director of ‘A list’ calibre.

We will also enter Gone Fishing into International Film Festivals where we expect it will collect numerous awards. We are also confident that it will gain an Oscar nomination at the 2008 Academy Awards for Best Short Film. We plan on winning.

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This short film is going to cost £15k to produce. We can raise £5k through help and by using our own savings, but we will hit a ceiling. We need a further £10k. So we are asking you to help. We need 200 people to give us £50 each. If you can stretch to more, then great. Just by asking around, so far we have already got the first 25 and raised £1,250, alongside significant pledges of help and support from equipment suppliers and labs. We all want to see this movie made!

Above - Director Chris Jones on the set of 'Gone Fishing'

What will your money will be spent on?
All of your money will be spent on the film production of Gone Fishing. No-one in the crew will be taking a professional fee, just expenses. Each major actor will be a household name who you will recognise. This is key to the success of the film.

Every penny will be up there on the screen for you and everyone else to see.

Gone Fishing will be shot on 35mm film, sound-mixed in Dolby and presented Digitally at a Leicester Sq., cinema (central London) within six months of today. You are of course invited to this landmark Premiere, and the party that will follow, where you will get a chance to meet up with the cast and crew.

You will also be credited on the end roller of the film as an Associate Producer. At this screening you will be presented with your own DVD of Gone Fishing, which if you like, you can ask the cast and crew to sign as a personal memento. If you are unable to attend the premiere, we will forward the DVD to you.

If we do get Oscar nominated, we will host a special Oscar Party where we will watch the Oscars live and prepare to celebrate, should we win. Of course, you will be invited.

Come to the central London premiere and meet the stars and film makers... And then, if we are lucky, we will get an Oscar nomination and the Oscars party will follow!

Investment Returns?
So will you get any money back? As we stated earlier, no. This is for a number of reasons, but chiefly it is because short films rarely make any money, and when they do, it’s at best in the hundreds of pounds. If we do make any sales though, all the money will be re-invested into distribution and marketing of Gone Fishing and the bid for the Oscars.

This is an investment in being part of our dream, and where possible, we aim to involve you fully in that journey. We will regularly update our online Blog, so you are always in touch with where we are in the production.

Take The Leap!
If you want to be part of this exciting adventure and come along with us, send with a cheque payable to Hard Copy, to Living Spirit, Ealing Studios, Ealing Green, London, W5 5EP with your name and contact details (we will be in touch). Or you can make an online direct payment with PayPal or your credit card at here. (NOTE - OFFER IS NOW CLOSED)

The adventure begins now…

Are you a film maker?
Do you want access to how the whole project was made? We are offering a limited amount of ‘Film Maker’ packages which will include all the things in the Associate Producer package, such as tickets to the premiere, your own DVD etc., plus a whole raft of other stuff you will find useful, inspirational and instructional. This package costs £100 and includes...

1. A seat at a one day seminar held at Ealing Studios later this year (or early next year, depending on timing) where we will explain the whole process. This event will be run by Chris Jones and will examine the whole process, including looking at various versions through script, shoot and post production. There will also be viewing of comparative camera tests to compare various HD and film formats.

2. Access to all documents such as budget, script, schedule, storyboards, directors notes etc. This will be formalised into a booklet for attendees to take home with them.

3. Limited access (on a first come first serve basis) to various post production stages (such as visits to the cutting room, the final 2k grading sessions, and sound mixing).

4. Access to all rushes so you can edit your own version of the film – some restrictions will apply for the first 18 months after completion.

5. Possible access to the set, depending on the needs of the production.

Plus anything else we encounter on our journey, that we know will be of use to film makers. Remember, we wrote The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook, so useful information is at the top of our agenda for you.