Monday, December 27, 2010
The Banjo Project
I wanted to let you know about what's happening with The Banjo Project documentary. Our post-production has been slowed down by budget cuts and programming changes at PBS and other cable channels, so we launched an innovative online funding campaign to raise the rest of the $$$ we need to complete the program. The funding platform is on Kickstarter.com -- the link is tinyurl.com/banjoproj -- and the success of the campaign is dependent on social networking and getting the word out to online communities and audiences. There's a video message from Tony Trischka and myself and all kinds of pledge incentives.
So far, the outpouring of support has been nothing less than stunning. We met our Kickstarter goal in under 30 days! -- but the campaign to finish The Banjo Project documentary is far from over. You can see the progress at http://tinyurl.com/banjoproj .
Over the past few months, I've also done a makeover on The Banjo Project website (thebanjoproject.org) with performance clips of Abby Washburn & Bela Fleck, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Don Vappie, Cynthia Sayer and a conversation at Barr's Fiddle Shop in Galax. In the coming months, I'll be posting more of the riches from our filming, including Ralph Stanley, Cheick Hamala Diabate and some great jazz players, Buddy Wachter and Eddy Davis. Ultimately, I plan to create a resource website that will be an online museum of banjo history, with all of the video I've collected, archival stills and footage, material from Greg Adams' Banjo Sightings Database, interactive timeline and social network features. If you haven't already joined our lively Facebook page -- http://www.facebook.com/thebanjoproject -- it's now over 2000 fans and still growing.
What's most exciting is the enthusiastic support from almost 300 backers. There are at least three good reasons for trying to get as many backers as possible beyond the original goal: 1) the target amount is the minimum necessary for finishing the editing, but with a bigger budget we can work with a professional sound mixer; 2) we can include more and higher quality archival film footage, recordings and stills and license them for home video and film festivals, and 3) more backers will make a more persuasive argument to potential broadcasters. We still need to show potential broadcasters (like PBS and Smithsonian Channel) that there IS an audience for serious cultural documentaries like ours, despite what some broadcast execs may claim.
Im hoping that your reader will make a pledge on Kickstarter -- there are some fun gift incentives and it's tax-deductible (minus the cost of the gift). Please help spread the word through your social networks, website and online affiliations. It would be especially helpful to get music/cultural bloggers to write about The Banjo Project.
On behalf of Tony Trischka and the Banjo Project team, I want to thank you for your interest and support.
Best of everything in the coming year --
Marc Fields
Producer
The Banjo Project
So far, the outpouring of support has been nothing less than stunning. We met our Kickstarter goal in under 30 days! -- but the campaign to finish The Banjo Project documentary is far from over. You can see the progress at http://tinyurl.com/banjoproj .
Over the past few months, I've also done a makeover on The Banjo Project website (thebanjoproject.org) with performance clips of Abby Washburn & Bela Fleck, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Don Vappie, Cynthia Sayer and a conversation at Barr's Fiddle Shop in Galax. In the coming months, I'll be posting more of the riches from our filming, including Ralph Stanley, Cheick Hamala Diabate and some great jazz players, Buddy Wachter and Eddy Davis. Ultimately, I plan to create a resource website that will be an online museum of banjo history, with all of the video I've collected, archival stills and footage, material from Greg Adams' Banjo Sightings Database, interactive timeline and social network features. If you haven't already joined our lively Facebook page -- http://www.facebook.com/thebanjoproject -- it's now over 2000 fans and still growing.
What's most exciting is the enthusiastic support from almost 300 backers. There are at least three good reasons for trying to get as many backers as possible beyond the original goal: 1) the target amount is the minimum necessary for finishing the editing, but with a bigger budget we can work with a professional sound mixer; 2) we can include more and higher quality archival film footage, recordings and stills and license them for home video and film festivals, and 3) more backers will make a more persuasive argument to potential broadcasters. We still need to show potential broadcasters (like PBS and Smithsonian Channel) that there IS an audience for serious cultural documentaries like ours, despite what some broadcast execs may claim.
Im hoping that your reader will make a pledge on Kickstarter -- there are some fun gift incentives and it's tax-deductible (minus the cost of the gift). Please help spread the word through your social networks, website and online affiliations. It would be especially helpful to get music/cultural bloggers to write about The Banjo Project.
On behalf of Tony Trischka and the Banjo Project team, I want to thank you for your interest and support.
Best of everything in the coming year --
Marc Fields
Producer
The Banjo Project
