ABOUT THIS PROJECT
"His playing is shockingly deep," wrote AllMusic Guide about blues
guitarist and singer/songwriter Sean Costello (1979-2008). Blues Man: The
Life and Times of Sean Costello will not only cover Sean's life and his career, but
will also take a look at the modern musician's lifestyle and the possible links
between creativity, mental illness, and substance abuse.
This film is currently in pre-production, which means I am actively seeking
funding to bring the project from concept to reality. This Kickstarter campaign,
if funded, will produce a promo reel for the film. This 7-10 minute sneak peek
will be included in grant proposals and other funding requests as I gear up my
overall fundraising campaign. It will give this film a leg up on the competition.
Grassroots support for this project continues to grow. Our Facebook fan page
adds an average of 5 members per week, without any marketing scheme or concerted
effort to recruit fans. Sean's family has pledged their support and indie film
goddess Allison Anders has signed on as the project mentor. I'm asking you to
consider supporting this project in any way you can.
You can help take this project from Facebook fandom to reality in three major
ways:
By donating cash to the project. Donations begin at $1, and rewards are being
offered!
By spreading the word about this Kickstarter campaign to anyone who might be
interested.
By sharing your love of Sean's life and music with others.
Thanks in advance for your support.
(Video clip of Sean playing "Don't Pass Me By" courtesy of Anthony
Pepitone.)
January 20, 2011
Big Thank You!
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped make this fundraising
campaign a success. Thanks to your generosity, we now have the funds to make
a short trailer for our film. This is an invaluable tool to help us raise production
funds from investors, backers, and grant funders.
What happens next? Well, over the next two weeks, Amazon will be collecting
the pledges and holding them in our Amazon account. Kickstarter will provide
me with a list of your names and addresses so I can put together your rewards
and send them your way.
I've already had a discussion with Elaina Archer, my co-producer on the project,
and Todd Friedrichson, our editor. We have starting putting ideas out there for
the trailer--what we want it to sound like, look like, and what point we want
to make in the few brief moments that the trailer will allow. What do we want
to say about Sean? How do we want to say it? It's a somewhat daunting, but rewarding
process.
In March I will meet with Elaina and Todd in Los Angeles to work on the rough
cut of the film. The entire process, from the first edits through the final cut,
should take about three months. This should give us plenty of time to have the
trailer completed by the next grant cycle, which starts this summer.
I will keep you updated along the way with pictures, video, and other cool stuff.
Thanks again for your support.
Sarah Baker
January 7, 2011
We Made It--10 Days to Go!
Wow, we raised nearly $1500 in the past twenty-four
hours or so, putting us even beyond the goal I had set.
This is an amazing show of support for the project that
has made it a reality. We have ten days left--who knows?
Maybe we can raise even more! I am going to keep trying.
Check it out--the Kickstarter site actually says "This project WILL be
funded on January 18th." That's an amazing statement. Now the real work
begins. Now is the time I begin collecting stills and footage, songs and memorabilia,
in the hopes of distilling Sean's life story into one 10 minute reel of film.
It's a challenge, and I am ready for it, but I will need your help.
As my backers, I would like for you to have exclusive involvement in the making
of this reel. What songs resonate most with you? Which images should I include?
What do I need to share about Sean? This is your chance to tell me more about
who Sean Costello was, and what his legacy should be. Feel free to email me at
sariejack@gmail.com or call me at 817-995-2852.
There's one song on Sean's last album that at first I didn't pay much attention
to, but it has really grown on me over time and now it's one of my favorites--"All
This Time." In that song, Sean pleads "Count on me so I can count on
you" and later he adds, "And I'll never give up."
That's exactly how I feel about this project, its backers, and Sean himself.
Thanks for your support.
Sarah
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