There’s something you should know about making movies. It’s pretty easy. Kind of like making pasta, putting on socks, riding a bike. Oh, wait, that's right - it's SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!
You see, even the smallest, shortest, and simplest of films take hours upon hours of work, planning, development, and creating. Everything from long sleepless nights of work, blood, sweat, and computers go into making a movie in today's day and age. On top of that, if you want to make your dream movie, you need to do some hardcore networking and take a few classes on bank robbing OR have deep pockets; because they cost a lotta dolla billz.
As some of you might be aware, Michigan's legislature recently just slaughtered the budget of the Michigan Film Office. What does that mean? Well that means the funds available to the Film Office to award to local crews and movies being made here in our great state has been axed and starting in just a few months all funds remaining with the office will revert back to the State. They plan on taking away resources that help make movies in Michigan. Why? To fix roads...not the worst reason, but it still is a sucker punch to the gut for us filmmakers!
Don't get us wrong, we are not protesting here; it is just a bit disappointing. But you know what - we are local filmmakers and we believe in the power of storytelling in our community - and West Michigan is that community. The news sent shock waves throughout the industry just two weeks back when the announcement was made, and many of the indie filmmakers here in the area have already noted they are packing up shop and moving elsewhere - but this is our home, our community, and we aren't ready to abandon it.
While the next few years are unclear, and what happens to the narrative industry is still to tell, we aren't running; we are digging in, now more than ever, and we are determined to make the dream happen here. We believe in telling stories in Grand Rapids, in West Michigan, in Michigan period, and we are setting out to do just that this summer with our project, Garden Party!
We are stepping out onto the front lines and trying to tell a story in the most creative, funny, and professional way we know how. Despite it being hard, tough, and a lot of work, we are so excited to make a movie and we are doing it regardless of the obstacles. Heck, we are still making the movie even if we don't raise all of our funds through IndieGoGo - which is kind of scary, but hey, we believe in storytelling.
So, who is Garden Party for? You! Grand Rapids! Michigan! The world! We are so excited to be making a film that can bring so many competing ideas together in a funny and interesting way. It's truly the physical embodiment of what the Incentives were meant for all along. So please, consider joining our efforts to make something awesome by checking out our IndieGoGo campaign. We aren't just looking for cash donors--we are looking for people to get in on the experience. Our perks for supporting Garden Party actually make you a part of something bigger.
So yes, our state cut critical incentives to help local filmmakers like us tell stories to share with you, our friends. But we aren't going anywhere - we are sticking here, digging our feet in, and setting out to continue the dream of storytelling. Help us in doing so with this story, and the many others we are setting out to tell!