A Story of Our Hero - To 1930 & Beyond!

Click here to see A Story of Our Hero (to 1910), which is the short we're expanding to 1930.

Who Are We?

Change Before Going Productions (CBGP) is a group of independent artists and artisans based around Atlanta, Georgia. One of our core values is supporting other indie artists/artisans and small businesses in the spirit of building community. Specific to this Indiegogo campaign is Chris Giddens, writer/director of A Story of Our Hero, and overall movie buff/nerd/obsessive. 

What Is A Story of Our Hero?

Y'know how we said Chris was obsessed with movies? Perhaps we understated...

A few years ago, Chris decided he wanted to make a new movie that showed off the acting talents of co-conspirator, Erik Reeves...just a little story about a man who returns to his hometown after a lengthy absence and finds that both he and the townsfolk have drastically changed over the years. Simple enough, right? Ehhh, not exactly.

This, for lack of a better word, ambitious filmmaker wants to tell the story via the history of cinema -- more precisely, by using the techniques and film grammar as they advanced in the movie business. For example, the movie starts as a silent film, and we gradually add in elements such as sound, color, widescreen, different camera angles and shots, editing techniques, and other special effects.

Why Do We Need Your Help?

To quote Walt Disney: "We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies"

Likewise, we do what we do not to make profit, but out of love, passion, and a desire to create.

But as everyone knows, filmmaking is not cheap. We received a stark reminder of this in the month of July when our editing station finally sputtered its final time. [moment of silence]

Similarly, the camera we have used thus far is also showing its age in the form of quirky technical glitches. It has done us well in filming A Story of Our Hero (to 1910), thanks in large to the primitive appearance and minimal sound of this opening segment of our movie. But now we are moving into more advanced stages and so will need to gradually meet higher expectations of video/audio quality.

Further below, we have itemized exactly how funds will be spent.

What Do You Get Out Of This?

Besides the obvious -- that feeling like no other that comes from helping others achieve their goals and fulfill their dreams -- we also have a nice selection of perks, some of them quite unique!

The other reward for you depends upon your feelings towards the project. Is this a movie idea you would like to see become a reality? Would you like to play an integral role in making that happen? By contributing, you will!

Here are examples of the shout-outs you get from the $1 Herzog Level:

On Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

Here's an example of the perk available at Godard Level and higher:

YouTube Haiku Round 1

YouTube Haiku Round 2

YouTube Haiku Round 3

We also have T-Shirts! (Kubrick Level and above). Colors available:

Here is the content on the "CBGP DVD Vol. 1 - Primordial Ooze" perk available at The Lynch level and higher:

CBGP SHORT FILMS:
The Reapers
I Land in the Sun
A Story of Our Hero (to 1910)

CBGP MUSIC VIDEOS:
Dirty Ear
The Infernal Cakewalk is Alright
Flatline
Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing a Tiny Purple Dinosaur
Jollification: Heart o’ the Seagulls

SILENT FILMS with CBGP MUSICAL SCORES:
The Devil’s Castle (1896)
The Devil in a Convent (1899)
Cinderella (1899)
Namo Village, Panorama from a Rickshaw (1900)
Going to Bed Under Difficulties (1900)
Pierrette’s Escapades (1900)
The Christmas Dream (1900)
Scrooge; or Marley’s Ghost (1901)
Building Up & Demolishing the Star Theater (1901)
Gulliver’s Travels (1902)
The Living Playing Cards (1904)
The Untamable Whiskers (1904)
Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906)
The Hasher’s Delirium (1910)
Suspense (1913)

EXTRAS:
“The Reapers” as Old Men
"A Story of Our Hero” Trailer
Plus Outtakes and more!

As an example of the storyboards available to those who fund at The Bunuel level and higher:

As an example of the caricatures available to those who fund at The Jodorowsky level and higher:

For those interested in the Music Video available at The Scorsese level, here are 2 examples for the musician option:

Jollification: Heart o' the Seagulls and The Infernal Cakewalk is Alright

And here is the painting available to the 1st person who funds at The Melies level.  This painting was used as the background in a surreal sequence of A Story our Hero (as seen below), and will be hand-delivered to you by the Director, Chris Giddens. It will also be signed by the artist, Samantha Giddens, pictured in the image with her painting:

How Exactly Will the $ Be Spent?

It will be based upon how much we raise. Listed in order of importance, with individual costs for each item (the 1st 6 in bold are critical for this stage):

• $1000 - New editing station w/ external HD storage/backup
• $1000 - Newer camera w/ lenses
•  $500 - Selection of mics (wireless, boom, etc.)
•  $250 - Costume and Prop costs (to 1930)
•  $250 - Location costs (to 1930)
•  $500 - Track and dolly. 
•  $500 - Film Festival Application entry fees (to 1930)
• $1000 - 2nd camera of the same type as above
• $2000 - The 2 cameras purchased will be of higher quality.
• $1000 - Additional effects software.
• $1000 - A render effects computer station
• $1000 - Steadicam
• $2000 - The 2 cameras purchased will be of even higher quality.

Anything beyond that will go towards securing costumes, props, and locations for filming beyond 1930, unless we are lucky enough to receive funds that would allow us to buy 2 of the highest-end prosumer cameras.

As you can see, even if we do not hit our target, any amount is a tremendous help for which we are grateful.

And if you pass on financially backing, please consider sharing this campaign via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, etc. We'll be using and checking #GoGoHero and #BeAHero on Twitter :)

A sincere "Thank You" to everyone,

CBGP