About
Posted by Mike Hedge
AS THE DUST SETTLES:
A 48 foot man gets caught on fire and crumbles to the ground. 50,000 people watch the raging inferno in silence and every single one of them is having a different experience. Some people were falling in love. Some people were falling out of love. Some had just been married. Some had just gotten a divorce. Some were getting hurt. Some were getting healed. But at one point or another, everybody had fun.
It’s one of the largest parties in the world and it’s called Burning Man. Every year it takes place in middle of the the Nevada Desert and strips away what people thought they knew. It’s about creation. It’s about destruction. It’s about finding equal value in both. For one week life accelerates to light speed. When it’s all over, everyone returns to their default life and as the dust settles, they are reminded that they are alive.
This story is documented from dozens of angles as a team of artists slipped HD cameras into their pockets, strapped video cameras to their foreheads, or threw RED cameras over their shoulders. At one point the director wrote a note on the outside of the RV they had all traveled in that said “Each of us is living in a movie in which each of us is the star” and then he stepped out of his clothes and disappeared from the team for a few days to go learn what this event had to teach him. Yes, the forehead cam was rolling. At this point each persons experience became central to the filmmaking process and not simply documenting everything happening to everyone else.
Since burning man ended on September 1st many people’s lives have dramatically shifted, uncertain if the Dust will ever settle. In the meantime, each person is editing together his/her story from the huge collection of footage that was accumulated.
Another component to the project is a site that has been designed to allow any individual who attended burning man to contribute their photos, videos and edited segments to the project as well as share in any proceeds from the project as well.
Each individual short story will be released across social networks and cell phones and a feature length mash up will be released on Blue-ray and to alternative theatrical venues. The project currently
seeks a buyer who can attach their name to a slate at the beginning of the film as well as other buyers who can attach their name to the beginning of the individual short stories. Also investors interested in putting up money for finishing funds who can then share in the profits made from TV deals, DVD sales and internet monetization. Also cell phone companies interested in short content and television stations interested in the feature length content. And one final way to get involved is as a test audience member who will get invited to screenings and internet streamed rough edits and be able to provide feedback directly to the director and producer of the film.
If interested in getting involved please attend the digital forum at Power to the Pixel 2008 or:
Contact: asthedustsettles @ gmail dot com
About Arin Crumley:
Today The Wall Street Journal lists Arin among the top 20 new media moguls, and applauds the co-creation of the popular independent film and online video series, Four Eyed Monsters. In late 2002, Arin met his future co-director and collaborator, Susan Buice, beginning a relationship that evolved into
the creation of Four Eyed Monsters. The project has become a cult phenomenon. To date, the video podcast has received over two million views and cinemas across America have booked the film due to its online fan-base. The film was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards and, in June 2007, became the first feature film to be posted in its entirety on YouTube. Four Eyed Monsters has since been licensed to IFC TV to air on their channel and be sold in iTunes. A new DVD containing 5 brand new episodes has been released in the UK and Canada where Super Channel is also airing the film.
Arin is also co-founder of a research and development project called From Here to Awesome, which has been uniting filmmakers to create the future models of funding, distribution, and collaboration. Keep track of all of his new projects and ideas on his blog at arincrumley.com.
Synopsis
In August 2008, in the middle of the Nevada desert, 50,000 people met up to celebrate creation, life and destruction. Twelve people decided to capture their experience of this profound social experiment. Surrounded by artistic expression in every direction, they were encouraged to reinvent themselves. A hard look in the mirror brought them to confront their fatal flaws. A 50-foot sculpture of a man catches on fire, the temple burns to the ground, another dust storm hits and as the dust settles you realize you are alive.
Production Notes
The 25-person film team has just returned from Burning Man where we shot on 3 RED cameras in 4K and a number of pocket sized HD camcorders. Editing is currently being done to create this multi-perspective auto-documentary.
Anyone who attended Burning Man 2008 is invited to upload footage to AsTheDustSettles.com and have their material considered for the film.
The planned release is a Blu-ray Disk being sold from the film’s website, alternative venue theatrical release, multiple digital download platforms and a television release all going live the moment the film has it’s festival premiere.
An invite-only rough-cut/sneak-peak will take place in Park City in 2009, and after several more invite-only test-screenings, the film will be ready to submit to a festival in march of 2009 and ready to release on all platforms by May of 2009.
Post-production fundraising is being done through indiegogo.com where anyone can join in the process and become a test-audience member, interacting directly with the Director to provide feedback in exchange for donating money to the project. Companies are being invited to “partner” with the film providing resources and receiving links and logo exposure around the projects marketing and release. There is also an opportunity for a brand to fund free screenings and internet distribution in exchange for brand exposure via a special thanks intro to the film made by the filmmaking team.
The film is also looking for Surround Sound mixing services as well as investors interested in spending money on a viral marketing campaign to create huge internet interest around the film.
Documentary film project to be shot at Burning Man 2008
Announcing: As The Dust Settles - A New Participatory Film from Arin Crumley on Vimeo.
September 5th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
please keep me appraised of progress
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
i was one of your greeters!
i wish you the best of luck and hope to see you when we go home next year!
October 15th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
im checking this for updates whenever i can, keep us informed