Tuesday, November 21, 2017

My Personal Thank You's to 55 Awesome Peeps...


It's taken a village to put together a film. 'Deaners' (short documentary on the fans of James Dean) had about 55 people who had a hand in helping make it happen. I've made sure to typically share the link to the credits to acknowledge these folks. But wanted to delve a little deeper into thanking all personally, as we speed towards 'Deaners' being shared online this coming December 4, 2017




It's hard to believe the idea for the film came up in February 2015, when pre-production began. Quick timeline: 

September 2015: The shoot in Fairmount, Indiana.
March 2016: Film is completed & film festival submissions begin
April 2016: Private Screening party in LA
October 2016: World Premiere at 1st film festival (Louisville International)
November 2017: 12th and final official film festival screening
December 4, 2017: 'Deaners' will be released online




And now, some personal Thank-Yous to the members of this team who helped make the film happen... : 


Sam Webb: My right hand man through this whole process. ‘I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you’ is quite an understatement. To my Director of Photography and Editor, and all around great guy- So glad that I found you on the world wide web. I lucked out in your answering the call. So many laughs and good times through the process, the conversations, and quality all the way. Hope to cross paths again soon, and to maybe even have an excuse to work together again on something.

Dan Mehta: I’m so glad that Ringo had referred me to you to do the score. A one-stop shop and one-man band, you added a great deal to the film tonally, and it was a good time working with you through the process, getting to know you, and hanging out.

Tom Bottelsen: My friend, my brother, my musical muse. The time, thought, and effort you put into creating a song specifically for the film is so appreciated. Love it so much. ‘Riding with Jimmy and me’ is so good and worthy of having a montage, then on thru the credits (to be fully played in it’s entirety in the film). You done real good. #greatearworm

Ryan Kerchner, Ryan London, Kevin Asami: For a 2nd time around, I’m so bowled over by your musical prowess and assist to create a song for a film I’ve done, and I have yet to meet you. I wanted to let you know I’m so appreciative that ‘Riding with Jimmy and Me’ sounds SO great. Top notch quality good stuff. #shouldbeasingle

Scott Gutierrez (Gute Productions): You cleaned up and smoothed out the sound to make it seamless, and in a few cases where I didn’t want to scrap the moment, you worked some miracles to make it happen. Thankful.

Walter Volpatto: Thanks so much for doing color consulting for ‘Deaners’. With a full-time job with kids, I’m so thankful that you squeezed in the time to be able to help out. It looks great, pops with color, and I’m very appreciative that you had reached out to see if I needed help along those lines. Some crafty dodges, my friend!

Rachel Yonda: Thanks so much for lending your graphics prowess to ‘Deaners’! Enhancing the photos in the opening, adding titles, and creating the marquee nameplate template adding flair to the project in introducing all of our Deaners. Much appreciated for adding to the look of the film.

Russell Anthony Stewart: So glad the Sound guy we had previously scheduled for the shoot had to cancel shortly before we started. That made room for Sam to recommend that we have you join the team. Such a great, positive, and fun energy you have, and diligently getting the job done in a great way. Had a lot of fun with you, and have been fortunate to stay in touch and hang as you did your Conan O’Brien internship in LA the following summer. Kudos for your NYC job, as well. Thanks for helping make it a fun shoot, and will look forward to our paths crossing again someday, some way.

Rachael Collins: Thank you so much for your help on the busiest day of the shoot (full festival mode). Glad you could make it out… had a lotta laughs with you, Sam, and Russell, and thanks for being a go-getter in nabbing people to do interviews, for getting paperwork signed off on, and for holding an umbrella awwwwllll day in case it rained. J

Chad Hanna: Thank you so much for all those many phone conversations in ‘pre-production’ where I was getting a lay of the land, how the festival goes, who might be great Deaners with interesting stories to interview, and for helping out during the shoot itself, giving us an idea of where everything is, when events happen, coordinating a location for us to film an interview in, and more. Much appreciated.

Nolan Karwoski: So glad we got you on camera right before the lookalike contest, for your sharing of your experiences in being a Deaner and on visiting Fairmount, and ALSO for creating the poster and artwork for marketing for ‘Deaners’! It’s a great shot of you, and proud to have you be the face of the film. Much appreciated, and great to see you in Indianapolis on the eve of our first film festival (in Louisville, Kentucky). Hope to see ya again someday, some way.

Jay J. Levy: Thank you for being a sounding board thru the process of the film, for giving notes/suggestions for an early cut of the film, and for lending your wordsmith expertise in formulating the sentences that are seen in the very beginning of the film. Much appreciated.

David Loehr & Lenny Prussack (of the James Dean Gallery): Thank you so much for letting us shoot inside of the Gallery a couple of times… 1 of the times we were just there on the doorstep at the crack of business hours beginning. We were lucky to shoot in there first without the crowds, then later with. Also, being able to use a few of your James Dean images (that were in the film) was very helpful to make sure we did have him in there somehow, someway. AND, being able to use the drone footage that you had secured not long before our shoot was a huge assist. It really takes the film up a notch and adds an impressive element to it. Very thankful for everything.

Clint Hemstalk: Thanks for agreeing to chat on camera. It was our first attempt at nabbing someone from a crowd to talk. Your willingness and openness was much appreciated. And cool tat.

Cole Reeves (of the Fairmount Historical Museum): Gosh, Cole…thanks so much for getting up so early to open up the Fairmount Historical Museum at dawn (as the sun was rising) allowing us to film in there before crowds showed up from the festival, and for taking us on a tour of the museum on camera, sharing about your experiences with Deaners who visit. Good notable moments throughout.

Evan Derry: Thanks for agreeing to be on camera so last minute just before the lookalike contest! As 1 of 3 lookalikes we interviewed, you gave a good idea of how much effort can go in to being a James Dean lookalike. Hope to see you in Fairmount again sometime.

Gregory Swenson: What a treat it was to be able to have you on camera and talking about your recipe book, ‘Recipes for Rebels’, with recipes from James Dean family or famous costars…which I’ve tried a couple already! Your moment is one of my favorites that gets a good reaction in screenings. Will look forward to seeing you in Fairmount again someday.

James and Dean: So thankful to have you both be interviewed on camera, sharing your stories and about the festival and your music. Thanks for coming out from Las Vegas to catch the private screening in LA. Look forward to catching your next project, your finished album!

Janet O’Dare: As Peter Gallo’s friend, we didn’t get a chance to hear you on camera, but your smiling face along with the Jimmy shirt you have on lends a great presence. Thank you.

Jason Carpenter: Thanks for agreeing to have some of your emceeing skills used for our film. Rip roaring and fun, you add to the entertainment of the lookalike contest. Much appreciated.

Jason Naylor: So glad that you made it out to the Lookalike contest in the nick of time, and that we got to interview you on camera. Great moment captured of the group shot of lookalikes including you, and I will look forward to crossing paths again in Fairmount someday.

Jerry Payne: We never got a chance to come back for sausage, potatoes and green beans. But what a tremendously sweet hospitality we caught on camera. Will have to take you up on the offer next time I’m there for a visit to Fairmount. And would love to hear more of your stories.

JR Dziengel: So glad to have met you in Fairmount, and have you be interviewed on camera. Thanks for an assist with camera batteries to help us out during the shoot, and for giving notes/suggestions in an early cut of the film. Glad to have forged a friendship in LA with you to hang, have good times, and spend time with your fam.

Lee Raskin: Honored to have you in the film, Lee… loved both of your books ‘At Speed’ and ‘The Road to Salinas’, and your help in double checking on a couple of facts for the film. It’s admirable, your helping lead a crusade to fact check James Dean info in general, laying the groundwork for generations to come of new James Dean fans.

Mark Kinnaman: Thank you for being a great ambassador to the Deaner community…for opening your home to us, sharing your story in being a Deaner, showing us your collection, for leading a night walking tour every year of the Fairmount Jimmy sites, and for supporting the film at the River Bend Film festival in Goshen, Indiana with a carload of Deaners to catch the screening!

Marlin Wilson: Thanks so much for not only talking on camera about your James Dean picture collection, etc., but for also sharing some photos from your childhood and thru the years of going to Fairmount, Indiana (that we ended up using some for the opening of ‘Deaners’). Much appreciated!

Naomi Yamada: We’re so lucky to have you share on camera about being a Deaner, and about the creation of your handmade paper cranes for the grave bouquet. Love your energy, excitement, and sweetness in being a part of the Deaner community. And what dedication you have in going back each year (to Fairmount) for the festival. Will look forward to seeing you again sometime in the future.

Olivia Winslow: So fun and spirited, so happy to get you on camera for the film! And cool to get to know you a little more in the last trip to Fairmount. Good luck with school and your own documentary project on being Jimmy’s cousin. Whatever we can do to help, let us know. 

Pamela Crawford: We’re glad to have a snippet of you in the film. Although brief, happy to have you in there. Thanks for the sharing of the film’s info and successes along the way through the Deanzine, etc. Hope to catch you in Fairmount in the future.

Pamela Des Barres: So many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed on camera for ‘Deaners’, and sharing so eloquently about James Dean, being a fan, and about the community. Glad to also have you there for both of the LA screenings. Thanks for taking part in the Q&A at the Valley Film Festival, as well!

Peter Gallo: Hope we didn’t come off as stalkers seeing you first at the gravesite, and then having to stop you and chat with you and Janet on camera, visiting all the way from NYC for the festival. Hope to cross paths again someday.

Phil Zeigler:  A bucket of thanks to you for being interviewed on camera, for showing us your James Dean collection, for giving us a tour of the barn and garage of the farmhouse James Dean grew up in, for pointing towards good spots to catch the lookalike contest on film, and more. Generosity, good-naturedness, and a spitfire sense of humor lit us up and made it a good time to hang out with you. Happy to know ya, and thank you!

Scott Brimigion: What a stroke of luck and good fortune it was that Russell (who recorded sound) spotted you in the ‘Rebel’ look in front of James Dean’s farmhouse as we were driving by that day. So glad we stopped and interviewed you for the film.

Shirley Payne: We never got a chance to come back for sausage, potatoes and green beans. But what a tremendously sweet hospitality we caught on camera. Will have to take you up on the offer next time I’m there for a visit to Fairmount.

Ted Bernal Guevara: As brief a snippet we had of you in the film, I’m glad to have you featured in it. Good luck with the continued writings of James Dean stories, etc.

Tom Berghuis: Thanks for agreeing to be in the film. We were able to catch a snippet of you at the memorial service shortly after the festival, with nuggets of wisdom that makes you think.

David Scott: Thank you so much for agreeing to bring the boys (James and Dean) to us for an interview, for being so supportive, and coming all the way from Las Vegas (while there with the boys recording an album) to Los Angeles for our private (first) screening back in April 2016. And thanks for the use of the image of the boys from when they were little (dressed as James Dean)!

Thomas Wenck: I’m appreciative that you provided some photos of your experiences in Fairmount, that a couple had made their way into the opening of the film.

Rob Jarrell (of R. Christopher Entertainment): Thank you for being on top of communications early on (in pre-production) for coordinating James and Dean for an interview for the film before and during. I appreciate having gotten to meet you and learn a little more on R. Christopher Entertainment.

Andrew Kadikian: Thank you for creating the template for the credits at the end of the film ‘Deaners’, and adding them in. Also, I’m appreciative of your mastering all of the offerings for the private LA screening in April of 2016. To have it be seamless with the shorts, trailers, and all worked out nicely.

Ashleigh Boiros: Thank you for giving notes/suggestion for an early cut of ‘Deaners’, and all the while helping produce ‘The Parallel Project’! You’ve also got some real creative ideas that came out in marketing that I’m very appreciative of.

Barrett Gregory: What a great experience it was to have us on a filmmaking journey together at the same time, mine with ‘Deaners’ alongside your filmmaking journey of ‘The Parallel Project’. To share in the hard work that we were putting in through all of a film’s stages, and finally to share in our project’s successes! Thank you for being a sounding board and for giving notes/suggestions to an early cut of the film.

Charles Paul Waters:  I’m in appreciation of your taking the time to answer some questions in keeping the integrity of James Dean and his legacy with your expansive knowledge.

Christopher Comeau: Thank you for checking in through different steps of the process, and for giving notes/suggestions for an early cut of the film. Your ear and knowledge lent muchly to the process.

Colin Campbell: So glad to work with you again, if but briefly, to utilize your film background and have your eyes on ‘Deaners’. Awesome that I had an Oscar-nominated Director take a look-see! Much appreciated.

Eric Mofford: Thank you so much for giving helpful suggestions / notes for the film in it’s early stages. I am appreciative to be able to access your experience early on in the film’s post-production process.

Kathi Solms: So kind of you to open up your home so that we could film an interview in it. Acts of generosity like this go a long way in terms of producing a film, and are certainly most appreciated.

Matt Landis (of the Fairmount Camp): You were so helpful at Fairmount Camp, accommodating me with a cabin to rent that would be a good size for our film’s ‘base camp’ and also for helping providing another location at the Camp (another cabin) to shoot an interview, and for other acts of helpfulness here and there…an extension cord to borrow, and offering help whenever you saw me/us.

Ryan Stockstad: Wow. It all started with a conversation with you back in February 2015 when I was considering just going to the James Dean festival in Fairmount to experience it. Your recommendation to shoot a documentary on the experience was obviously the spark that got me definitively going to make it happen. Thanks also for giving notes/suggestions during a rough cut of the film to help towards shaping it.

Sean T. James: Thank you for being a champion for the film, for cheering me on and being encouraging, and giving me some assignments on the side to help fund the shooting of the film. 


Stuart Atkinson: Thank you for giving notes on an early cut of the film, and making (amongst your suggestions) 1 in particular that helped shape and change up the flow of the film, by moving a couple large parts around.


And, last but certainly not least... anyone who has attended a screening of 'Deaners', who has 'liked' the film page on facebook, or even shared about the film with others... your support is very much appreciated. Thank you!

Best,

David Garry  (Director / Producer of 'Deaners')

Website: www.deanersthemovie.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/deanersthemovie
Instagram: instagram.com/deaners_the_movie