Hi fans!
I thought I would throw up a quick blog to let everyone know...well, not much, really.
The reason you haven't heard much out of me for the past couple of weeks is simply due to the fact that I have nothing "new and exciting" to tell you.
I'm still working on the post production for the doc and, at this moment, I'm in a slight holding pattern while waiting for music. After the music tracks are delivered, then I'll start putting the "rough cut" together. Once the rough cut is finished, I will screen the film with Loggerhead's staff and get final approval to officially release Journey Home.
The release date is still on track for the End of March or very early April.
So, right now, if you don't hear anything out of me, just remember, "no news is good news."

Cheers,
-Rick

As I've worked on Journey Home - and, as I work on other productions - I'm being confronted more and more with questions about "how" someone goes about making an independent film for less than $10K.
The short answer is that you don't need more than an HD camera and a solid idea to make a film. The slightly longer version of that answer is that, if you want distribution...revenue...awards at film fests, well, then you'll need more than basic talent and a camera.
In some ways I feel I was lucky to not know some of the "facts" that I know now. The daunting nature of the various legalities, associated costs, logistical imperatives and certain necessary steps might have made me over think my plan to film my doc from scratch, by myself and raise the funding as I went.
I simply took my idea of wanting to film sea turtle rehab, got permission to film and started right-in on doing it. It never occurred to me that I had much to be concerned with.
Some lessons I would learn as i went along. During the original filming phase and post production of Journey Home (euphemistically called, "Journey Home 1.0"), I got it in my mind to score part of the film to a song I loved by recording artist Loreena McKinnett. So, having never done this sort of thing before, I took it upon myself to look up contact info for her recording label, write a detailed proposal for the usage and then ask if they could "donate" its use to the film.
Sounds crazy, right?
Well, it actually worked. The song "Dante's Prayer" was given special permission and licensing approval for (at least) the first wave of DVDs to be used by Loggerhead Marinelife Center. In all, it took five months of work, wonderful and considerate assistance from Quinlan Road records and a a bit of luck (though, some would say "sweet talking") to get it into the film. Sadly, the necessitated re-shooting of the entire documentary made it impossible to simply "re-do" the agreement. The song was dropped from the sequence (heck, even the sequence was dropped) and the new version of the film will have only original scoring by Mike White.
The next thing I came across was the fact that I wanted underwater footage of the turtles that was shot directly and not from the porthole in their rehab tanks. For that and a few other pieces of gear (all stuff that I had no preconceived notion I would need), I would need to raise money.
So, I Googled, "Raising funds for film." Lo and behold, there were websites to do just that. I settled on Kickstarter because I liked their business model and I felt like it would reach the maximum audience for "pledgers."
Kickstarter is a HUGE resource for independent and low-budget artists. Last year alone, projects on the crowd-funding website raised more than $319 Million. I will reiterate that for effect: $319 Million from people pledging mostly $10 here...$100 there...heck, Journey Home (1.0 and 2.0) raised slightly more than $4 K using Kickstarter. By the way, and this may surprise many of my fans (some of whom pledged on BOTH Kickstarter campaigns), the largest, single pledges came from absolute strangers who stumbled upon the project.
I can honestly say that without it, there would be no film.
When it came to legality, I again learned as I went along. There are a lot of resources online these days and I think I may have tapped into all of them when it comes to filming permissions, releases and distribution rights. My standard release form is simple and was modeled after a template provided for free on the On MY Block Films website.
Now, keep in mind I have worked on this doc for 15-months and none of these "lessons" happened overnight. I also sought out and read (so far) eight books on independent filmmaking and directing. When it comes to something you're passionate about, there is no such thing as "too much knowledge."
To that end, I am also currently enrolled in film classes at Indian River State College in their "film track" program.
AT some point, after I have the new, finished, 2.0 version of the film completed, I promise I will create a more in-depth "how-to" guide on this website. Because I want to inspire and encourage others to make films, tell unique and important stories and help change the world, I'm committed to sharing what I know.
Making a film is NOT an easy task. But, if it's done well, it impacts people to their cores.
With great filmmaking comes great responsibility...or something like that.

Cheers,
-Rick

I finally got around to rendering a new trailer for the documentary re-shoot. There are just a couple of fine tuning items I'll need to finish before it's ready to go live. Having said that, I'm pretty sure it'll be done tomorrow!
One can only hope, anyway.
In the meantime enjoy these stills from the production.
Cheers,
-Rick

As the U.S. Coast Guard C-130 taxied towards the small crowd of sea turtle rehab personnel, you could almost hear Samuel L. Jackson dealing out a profanity-ridden line involving turtles on a plane.
The operation undertaken today in Orlando involved more than a dozen federal, state, local and private organizations.
When the wheels of the plane skidded to a halt and the ramp came down, USCG crew members were preparing for New England Aquarium staffers to begin the unloading process.
35 cold stunned sea turtles rescued on the shores of Cape Cod are now finding hope (and much warmer weather) in Florida.
The massive operation unfolded without a hitch and Loggerhead Marinelife Center received five loggerhead turtles from the flight. LMC staff moved quickly to secure and transport the new patients back to the center in Juno.
I was lucky enough to have a "front-row seat" for the events today and filmed it all. The footage conveys how coordinated and expertly executed the operation was from the flight arrival to landing and offloading to ground transport of all of the turtles in less than 40 minutes.
I can't describe how proud I am to see that kind of cooperation and effort.

Turtle Power!!!

Cheers,
-Rick

Here is the first taste of the some of what is to come in the final version of Journey Home. My lifelong friend (and wildly talented artist) Mike White is doing all of the music for the film. "Lost at Sea" was the first one he'd completed for me earlier this year. The video below will be the "final cut" for the music video that will also be on the DVD.
Enjoy and please let me know what you think!

Cheers,
-Rick

Happy post-Thanksgiving for all of our American fans!
I thought I would take a sec and show you folks a "sneak peek" at some of the great new equipment that has already arrived.
I'll post new video soon!

Cheers,
-Rick

With the fundraising success of the last Kickstarter campaign, we now have the equipment and ability to secure the licensing for the film. During the "lean times" that just passed, all work on the film centered on conceptual reworking of the story, roughing a few animated sequences and continued research.
Now, it's "go" time.
This will be the final leg of a very incredible journey. The scenes that are left to be filmed will be done with equipment I didn't think I would ever have access for with this production. To say that it's a game-changer is a gross understatement.
Everything - from sound to the look of the film - gets bumped up a notch or two. As a director, I can't wait to get behind the camera and make it happen. Also, I will be getting in front of the camera...but I'm not quite as excited about that.
I have a face that was made for radio. lol
This week is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States. It's a holiday in which we take a moment to pause and reflect on all of the things in our lives we should be grateful for. From the profound to the trivial, we collectively give thanks for what is "good" in the world.
This year, for me, I feel a special gratitude for all of those who have supported my film in one way or another. From those who have now donated more than $4,000 to the production to those who have worked behind the scenes and to those dedicated folks and the courageous turtles in their care, on which the film is based, I am profoundly thankful.
So, onward and upwards!

Cheers,
-Rick

A second fundraising effort via Kickstarter is wrapping up today and the goal, $1,100, has been met...and then some.
I've said it before, I am truly grateful to each and every person who has shown (or will show) "Journey Home" support.
Now, I've got a few critical pieces of equipment to order, music rights to purchase and to finish primary re-filming.
I think the biggest thing I've learned as a new director is that NO FILM HAPPENS ALONE. It takes many people, working behind the scenes or showing their support, to produce any film of value. In the beginning I'd erroneously thought of myself as a one-man band. Nothing could be further from the truth, though.
So, the good news is we are back in business! The only "not-so-good" news is that we are slightly behind the timeline I was hoping to stick to. It's a self-imposed deadline, really...but one that matters for a few film fests I hope to enter "Journey Home" into.
I guess it just means we'll be working faster and smarter from here on out.

Cheers,
-Rick

19 minutes and 25 seconds of the final film...complete!
There's still a lot of work ahead but the most "difficult" scenes to edit are now behind me.
My obvious problem is cutting the audio (being that I'm completely deaf in my right ear and have significant hearing loss in my left). I have to strain to hear the "highs and lows" of each track in the clip. Still, no matter how long it takes me, I do it.
Now, as I look at roughly half the completed film (and truly some very, very beautiful scenes), I think I can feel that slight tug of a smile at the corner of my mouth.
One interesting thing has been working on special effects in post production. Now you might be tempted to say, "wtf, special FX in a sea turtle doc???"...but - trust me - these additions work wonderfully in the segments. 
I would post more clips here but I'm going to make you wait for it. You don't have much longer to wait, though. I am on schedule to deliver the film by Aug. 25.

Cheers,
-Rick