Just a short post today.
I've been busy cutting a demo video all day. I can say this much, if all goes well, Journey Home will have an incredible music track, scoring the emotional ending of the film. I can't say who the track is from or what song it is...but think BIG! :)

Peace,
-RW

OK, here's my new teaser poster for the film, hot off the computer! It's a large image and should print at 11 x 18 size very nicely! Consider this an early holidays gift from me to you! ;)

Even after only spending a couple of months working on this film a few things have become very clear.
First, there are many, MANY turtles out in the oceans that are sick and injured. Second, the majority of the
sick/injured turtles are in poor shape as a direct result of human actions.
I'm not getting preachy here...just a fact.
Discarded filament fishing line, hooks, plastic flotsam, boat propeller strikes and other manmade perils account
for the majority of rehab animals currently at LMC.

When you think about the fact that sea turtles, which have been around more than 130 million years – they watched the frickin dinosaurs go extinct for Pete’s sake – are now greatly endangered primarily because of factors related to man, it should give you pause.

Part of what I hope to accomplish with Journey Home is education.
If I do the film well enough, maybe it’ll even be a call to action for some viewers.

Even if you don’t think about sea turtle conservation in terms of their benefit, there’s also a more self-centered
impetus for rescuing and preserving these creatures. Saving them equates to saving ourselves in the wider picture.  The loss of any species, especially one that has been a part of our oceans’ eco system for hundreds of millions of years, is likely to reap dire consequences on the resources we depend on for our lives.

Just a thought…I could be wrong.

Cheers,
-Rick


 

So, when I started this project I didn't really set a budget for it. Lesson number one in filmmaking: set a budget, you goober!
To date I've purchased the camera gear, computers, lighting  and audio gear. Add into that the software, transportation costs and many other "small" items, and suddenly the numbers get kind of large.
To offset the cost (but neither to fully fund nor pay myself), I have Journey Home listed on Kickstarter.com for fundraising.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1994564730/a-sea-turtles-journey-home

Every dime of revenue from this film will go to Loggerhead MarineLife Center, so, if you would like to support the turtles and my film, please go to the link above and pledge $10, $25, $50...whatever and help me meet my goal!
If I meet the goal and get the funding, it will go to producing the DVDs for LMC's gift shop and helping to roll out the film when it is completed. A small portion will also go to the purchase of a waterproof 1080p camcorder to film underwater sequences.

Thank you and best wishes,
-Rick

If I were a turtle, I'd probably love the weather right now. The rain seems endless. Just when I think there's a break in the dark, looming clouds (and I race to collect my gear and head out for some B-roll), the next wave of rain pours down.
I find myself indoors today. I have enough video to go through to last me quite awhile.
What's really starting to take shape is my finalized shot list and script.

Just an FYI, I'll try to post new pics every time I make a trip out to film.

Here's one of the newest patients at LMC.

So, I guess two months into filming is about as good as any time to start the film's blog. lol
Welcome to my film's page and blog!
Here you'll find me posting a kind of "behind the scenes" look at the process of making "Journey Home."
Here's a quick synopsis of what's happened so far:
I've been working on the film since October 10, 2011.
So far, there's more than 4.5 hours of raw footage.
Since I've been filming LMC, the center has taken in 9 new turtles (not including a few hatchlings).
...there's more but I'll save that for my next blog.

Cheers,
-Rick