More filming today. LMC staff were hard at work by the time I got to the center and had already finished the intake for two of the new turtles.
Though they still have numbers on their carapaces, they now have names like "Frosty" and "Boomer."
The "buzz" and energy level was on high as staff and volunteers measured, weighed and assessed all five of the loggerheads.
A couple of the new patients were already showing signs of their feisty spirit and swam vigorously in their tanks.
It's a good sign, I think, of the road ahead.

Cheers,
-RW

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

Resumption of filming today meant testing out new gear in the "field" and solidifying the direction of the new film.
Along with an additional hour of raw footage, I was able to sit down with LMC staff and chart a course for the final bits of filming before Journey Home 2.0 goes into post-processing.
There will be a rapid succession of filming events and scenes at LMC over the next few weeks. I hope to finish primary filming by mid-January.
And, as insane as it might sound, I hope to deliver a completed film by the end of March.
This is a slightly-accelerated schedule but it is doable...and necessary.
Journey Home needs to be seen. It needs to be talked about. There is no time to wait.  Every day lost is a day we can never get back in the march towards extinction.

*Warning: Thar be preaching ahead!*

The real problem is that we don't see enough of ourselves in them. Sea turtles are easy to marginalize because of it. But that fishing line that snapped, the plastic grocery bag that accidentally flew out the window, that need we had to open up the boat's throttle because it's fun to do so...it kills them. The oil we spill, the encroaching beach side developments, those lights we need along every inch of road...we are killing them. And THIS MOMENT is that one point - that ONE MOMENT IN HISTORY - when we can save or doom an entire species.
I know it sounds "dramatic." I know there are species in more critical danger in places all over the world. But sea turtles CAN be saved. We just have to commit - as a whole society - to do something about it.
I'll exit my soapbox on that.... for now.

Cheers,
-Rick

Just a short post this quiet Sunday.
I will be at LMC filming on-location tomorrow. Some big, important moments are coming up soon and there's still some critical things to be filmed before it happens.
Tomorrow will also be the first "field test" of some of the new gear.
I'm giddy with the prospect of taking the production to a new level!

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