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  Film Synopsis: My life is not an apology, but a life. -Ralph Waldo Emerson THE FILM If there is a shred of justice in the world, the last shot in this documentary will be of a sailboat bobbing gently off the coast of Thailand. Since I met G. Reed Meyer five years ago in Australia, I've heard him recite his Holy Mantra of Hope a thousand times: finish up school, move someplace tropical, and buy a boat to lay naked on all day long. Reed is a 59 year old Vietnam veteran and a graduate student at the university of Minnesota. For the past eight years he has cashed in on the VA's pledge to fund a college education. In his declared major of Globalization and Sustainable Development, his studies have taken him to Ethiopia, Paris, Venezuela, and Australia. Reed will graduate with a master's degree in December 2007. In June 2008 he will move to Thailand to teach English and enroll in a PhD program at Burapha University, 50 miles southeast of Bangkok. Reed and I studied together in Australia. I used to like to hear him talk about his nautical ambitions because I understood what it meant. Hope. Sometimes I got sad over it, because as a rational man I figured even a thing as powerful as Hope had its limits. The thing I didn't understand about Reed is, hope wasn't just a bright horizon or a mental abstraction. Reed weaponized Hope and used it to beat his way through hell. The crazy thing is, five years later, it seems to be working. This is a film about 59 years of hard luck and bad decisions, and never giving up. Of scouring the world for love in whatever forms it comes; Of an endless thirst for education and understanding; Of seeing people as humans; Of seeking closure, forgiveness and absolution in foreign lands. This is a uniquely American story of Hope, failure, attrition, truth, war, and redemption.  This is the story of G. Reed Meyer, Rotgut Supernova. Two of Reed's kids just got 3 to 10 years in federal prison on drug trafficking and weapons convictions. Somewhere between jumping out of helicopters with the 173rd Airborne in Vietnam and 25 years in the concrete mason's union, his right knee has degenerated to bone on bone grinding. He had a fiancé for two years, a prostitute from northern Thailand named Lili. Her English was pretty bad, but he sent her money every month and bought her a motorcycle. He filed papers to begin the marriage process. Then some other guy knocked her up. They're on the down and out now and things don't look good for the future. Reed found a new girlfriend on his next trip to Thailand. There's no talk of marriage yet but he's optimistic. This will be a documentary with experimental elements. Namely, as a director, I will be deeply involving myself in the film. As a close friend to Reed I will be absorbed into the narrative of the story. This is in part due to necessity, but also to explore a theory of the evolution of Gonzo journalism. I am a writer by trade, looking for solutions in a culture that is moving distinctly away from the literary and toward the more immediate accessibility of the visual world. The story of Reed is important and broadly relevant and as a writer it seems video is the ideal medium through which to tell his story. Through my direct involvement with the film and with the help of my co-director Morgan Myer, I intend to explore what it means to be a writer and a storyteller in a digital age. In February 2008 Morgan and I will fly to Minneapolis to film the first part of the documentary. We will weave a rich and textured back-story through extensive interviews with Reed in his native environment. We also plan to interview key figures in Reed's life, including two of his children still living in the area, his graduate school advisor, and his contact at the VA.  In June 2008 Morgan and I will accompany Reed to Southeast Asia and follow him with a camera crew for a month. We will film Reed as he settles into the doctoral program at Burapha University in Thailand and reunites with his new girlfriend. We will also accompany Reed to Vietnam, where he intends to seek closure and healing from the villages he ravaged there in the war 40 years ago. Reed was young once, and a soldier, just as tens of thousands of young Americans wear the uniform now in Iraq. On some level, Reed represents what war does to people. We will be there as he returns to Vietnam to confront what he lost, and what he took. Reed offers insight on inconceivably high price war that isn't represented on Congressional balance sheets. And now, as America finds itself deep in the masochistic insanity of another self-inflicted war, we need all the lessons we can get, stated as fiercely and belligerently as possible. Also, we will follow Reed to where the ocean meets the land as he attempts to locate and purchase a sailboat. STATEMENT OF NEED  It's estimated that the war in Iraq will end up costing America around 2.2 trillion dollars. As shocking and nauseating as that figure seems, it speaks nothing of the true cost of war - the human cost. Children will grow up parentless. Veterans trying to assimilate back into civilian life after a bomb blew their legs to shreds. Young men with war scarred bodies and souls made to kill on command for reasons opaque. Reed's story must be heard. While this story is primarily a tale of the power of Hope, Reed's life is also a cautionary tale on the human cost of war. For those in the uniform, the war is not over returning home. For some it never ends. Reed still has questions. Forty years after leaving Vietnam, the ghosts are still with him. Through this aspect of the film, Reed's story will inspire fellow veterans of all America's wars past and present. And for civilians, Reed's story helps to put a face on the deeply traumatic experience that war can be. Beyond the trauma of war, there are many prescient and universal themes in motion in this film. The main themes we will focus on are: education, love, forgiveness, friendship and hope. These are the experiences we all endure on some level. As we document Reed's journey through the challenges and victories of his life, these themes will emerge at once both intensely personal and wholly universal. In a sense, Reed's struggle is Our Struggle. Reed's life is brutal and shocking. It is a scarred landscape of hard edges and rough surfaces that have formed over the years to protect whatever it is inside of him that propels him forward. It is within this harsh context we expect a border town of despair, but find an outpost of Hope. 
DESCRIPTION OF INTENDED AUDIENCEThree focus groups were conducted over the course of two days in December 2007. The trailer was screened by groups of 30 test subjects, ages 20 and 21. The subjects were students in marketing classes in a New England liberal arts college. Discussions were held after the trailer was shown and a short survey was conducted. 90% of respondents said they would like to see the movie based on the trailer. 10% of respondents said they would pay to see the movie in a theater. Given these focus groups are representative of 10 million college students in America, this demographic alone would support a theatrical release. The unlikely friendship between Reed and myself makes this film appealing to a number of generations. The Vietnam War had a tremendous impact on all those who came of age in the 60's and 70's. On that level, this film will hold great interest and cathartic potential for a 50-65 year old demographic. WHY I BECAME INVOLVED People need stories of Hope. Reed's story and particular brand of Hope is so shocking and tenacious I could not look away. TREATMENT  The scene opens on the ride from the airport to Reed's apartment in Minneapolis. The temperature hovers around zero. The horizon is swallowed by a sky of bleak, gray clouds. Fields rush past in a monotonous, frozen blur of naked trees and dirty snow. Telephone wires bounce and dip. As we approach the Minneapolis suburbs, gothic industrial parks pop up. Rows of houses huddling in upon themselves against the cold. We pull up to Reed's apartment. Car doors opening, closing. It is a shabby two-story house in a working class neighborhood. There are trashcans on the curb. Two blocks down, the hydraulics of a city bus wheeze at a bus stop. I knock on the door. Reed's apartment is a small second floor space. The lighting is bad. Everything is very neat. There is a desk with an old PC and various textbooks. Reed fills his glass from a box of red wine and offers me a glass. I accept. We sit down. Reed is laughing and joking. "So, tell me about the war," I say. Reed takes a long drink of wine and begins to talk. PRODUCTION PLANS AND TIMELINE
 PERSONNELCo-director, Cinematographer and Editor: Morgan Myer Morgan has worked on four continents and has extensive practical television and film experience in New York City. Morgan garnered national attention for his news documentary series on drug trafficking in Arizona, “Drug Bust,” which won the Society for Professional Journalism award in 2003. Morgan is currently editing his third feature documentary. Co-director, Producer and Writer: Joe Callander Joe has worked as a columnist, freelance writer and freelance creative consultant in New York City. Joe has produced short features for local southern Vermont television, including a three-part satirical children's showed called Happy Hour with Stanley Rainboe and Friends. He has also gained practical experience in Boston working for a video production house. Post Production Supervisor: Sven Falhgren Sven Fahlgren has worked nearly 11 years in Los Angeles for Dreamworks SKG as a post-production supervisor and more recently as TechniColor's chief post-production specialist. He also has written several scripts and contributed to several independent film projects. He currently manages all video advertisement for Hummer, TIAA Cref and Converse Shoes. Assistant Producer and Sound Technician: David Boger David is our hands-on man with the ability to capture key sound from our subjects. He also will serve as a light technician on field shoots. David is also an accomplished musician and will oversee music and sound production. BUDGET BREAKDOWN, BY PHASE  The budget for this documentary should be considered in three parts: Production, Post-Production and Marketing for Film Festivals. Although Post-Production editing facilities have already been secured, common funds for living and finishing fees (production assistants, colorists, etc.) should be considered. All monetary figures in US dollars. Phase One: Production For crew of three, 21 days Airfare for Three to Vietnam $4580 Ground Transportation Accommodations $1260 Meals $1575 Media Stock $500 Equipment Insurance $500 Equipment Rental (Lenses, Tripod, etc) $2500 Miscellaneous travel expense $500  Production expendables (Batteries, bulbs, etc.) $500 TOTAL, Production $13,915 Phase Two: Post Production For Crew of Two, plus freelance production expenses: 3 months Editing Suite $6000 Master recordings/Archiving $1000 Music Licensing (for Film Festivals only) $2500 Digital storage/Archiving $1000 Commissioning Editing Supervisor $2000 Colorist/Master Mixing $1500 TOTAL, Post Production $14,000 Phase Three: Marketing for Festivals The value of a solid film festival run will reap the most financial reward for this caliber of documentary. Distribution houses and producers will bid for this film. Film Festival Application Fees (20) $1000 Digital Transfer to Film (20) $3000 DVD Duplication (500) $1500 TOTAL, Marketing for Festivals $5500 GRAND TOTAL $33,415 We are committed to this story and are cutting personal costs at each opportunity, from finding the least expensive accommodations abroad to utilizing inexpensive guerilla marketing tactics. But we also want this to have the potential to be distributed through various broadcasting and theatrical venues. G. Reed Meyer embodies The American Dream and is a testament to the durability of the Human Spirit. This documentary is the perfect vehicle to bring such a rich and textured story to a mass audience. CONTACTS Morgan Myer phone: (928) 600-4488 email: morgan@capturefeatures.com Joe Callander phone: (646) 732-6958 email: joe@capturefeatures.com |
