Bluegrass: The Long Journey Home
Funds Needed for Completion: $ 165,000.00
Estimated Completion Date: 03/15/2010
Synopsis
Comprehensive documentary film about the history of Bluegrass music.
Bluegrass: The Long Journey Home will fill a void in the bluegrass market by making the complete story of bluegrass available in an informative and entertaining documentary film. Though there have been films made about bluegrass - documentaries, biopics and concert DVDs - there has never been a definitive film that presents the story of bluegrass from its inception to the present in a professional, historical documentary style. We expect our film to resonate with musicians, film buffs, educators, families, friends and arm chair historians alike. Bluegrass: The Long Journey Home will resonate with enthusiasts and the curious alike while preserving a vastly important part of American history.
Budget:
$ 165,000.00
Project's Financial Needs
Renting camera, lighting and sound equipment for production. Minimal lighting equipment required. Stock photo and footage research and licensing/procurement. Legal music clearances, licensing and Editorial. Some travel and living expenses.
Other financial Support
None as of yet.
Current stage of production
Pre-Production
Estimated Completion Date
03/15/2010
Background
* 1911 Bill Monroe is born September 13 near Rosine, Kentucky. Youngest of 8 Children.
* 1920's Radio and Records bring music to rural America
* 1922 First "Country" recording featuring fiddler Eck Robertson.
* 1925 Radio Station WSM is formed and includes a "barn dance."
* 1927 Grand Ole Opry grows from the WSM barn dance.
* 1927 Jimmy Rodgers and the Carter family record the first "hillbilly" records.
* 1930s Barn Dance Radio Programs and Record sales grow for "rural" musicians
* 1935 Monroe Brothers are a huge success with high vocals, fast tunes, and fiery mandolin.
* 1936 Monroe Brothers Record biggest hit: "What Would You Give in Exchange"
* 1938 Monroe Brothers Split.
* 1939 Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys join the Grand Ole Opry in October.
* 1940's Elements of Bluegrass come together
* 1943 Bill buys Gibson Lloyd Loar F-5 mandolin (#73987) in a barber shop in Florida for $150.
* 1944 Lester Flatt joins Bill's band.
* 1945 Stringbean leaves and Earl Scruggs joins.
* 1946 First Bluegrass recording by Bill, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise, and
Howard Watts.
* 1947 Stanley Brothers start their career.
* 1948 Flatt & Scruggs leave Bill Monroe. Stanley Brothers release Molly and Tenbrooks, the
first recorded copy of Bill's style.
* 1950s "bluegrass" becomes a genre with a name, rock causes problems, bluegrass
dabbles in rock.
* 1951 Reno & Smiley. Tons of songs and tunes. Reno has a new banjo style and flatpicks the
guitar.
* 1952 Jim & Jesse. Jesse crosspicks the mandolin. Their harmonies inspire the Beatles.
* 1954 Jimmy Martin forms band with the Osborne Brothers.
* 1954 Elvis records and plays Blue Moon of Kentucky on the Grand Old Opry.
* 1955 Flatt & Scruggs add Josh Graves on Dobro.
* 1957 Country Gentlemen. Seeds of Newgrass.
* 1960s Beginning of the Folk Revival.
* 1960 Doc Watson "discovered" by Ralph Rinzler.
* 1961 Bluegrass Day at Luray, VA. (a one day festival).
* 1962 Ralph Rinzler becomes Monroe's manager. Markets him as the "Father of Bluegrass."
* 1962 Beverly Hillbillies brings Flatt & Scruggs back to TV.
* 1963 "High Lonesome" coined.
* 1963 Bill Keith becomes the first "Yankee revivalist" in Bill's band. Melodic banjo licks.
* 1963 The Dillards play the Darlings on the Andy Griffith show.
* 1964 Clarence White with the Kentucky Colonels. Clarence advances on Doc Watson's guitar.
* 1965 Carlton Haney holds first bluegrass festival near Roanoke, Virginia,
* 1965 Jerry Garcia gives up bluegrass to do other things, electric folk passes up acoustic folk.
* 1966 Bluegrass Unlimited begins publishing.
* 1966 Carter Stanley dies. Ralph Stanley continues on.
* 1966 Osborne Brothers add an electric bass.
* 1967 Bonnie and Clyde brings Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Flatt & Scruggs mainstream.
* 1969 Flatt & Scruggs split.
* 1970's Beginning of the Festivals, Newgrass takes off
* 1972 Deliverance brings "Dueling Banjos" and "squeal like a pig into American culture.
* 1973 Clarence White dies. Tony Rice later takes Clarence's guitar to the next level.
* 1973 Mademoiselle include bluegrass festivals in a list of ideas for fashionable vacations.
* 1980s Beginning of Nashville New Traditionalists: Skaggs, Stuart, Whitley, Gill.
* 1982 Skaggs & Rice album brings the brother duet to the next level.
* 1985 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
* 1990s Beginning of Alternative Country and Americana Radio.
* 1994 Doyle Lawson brings back the single mike.
* 1995 Alison Krauss makes millions doing crossover bluegrass/country/pop.
* 1996 Bill Monroe dies on September 9, 1996.
* 2000s Internet fuels bluegrass discussions and web site info.
* 2001 O,Brother Where Art Thou? send bluegrass/old-time to new commercial heights.
* 2006 California legend Vern Williams passes away on June 6, 2006.
Timeline
While the bluegrass music industry does not necessarily follow a seasonal timeframe the summer months provide the best environments in which to hold Bluegrass Festivals. Therefore we would like to use this as a general production guideline/schedule:
Pre-Production:
March 1 - May 31
Production:
April 1 - October 31 (non-consecutive shooting)
Post-Production:
September 1 - December 20
Go dark for the Christmas and New Years Holidays
Finish Post-Production / the film January 15 of the following year.
Treatment
Bluegrass: the Long Journey Home is a documentary feature film conceptualized by producers Rich Ostella and Garian Vigil that will explore the origins of bluegrass music and bridge these origins with the present day bluegrass music scene. Though there have been films made about bluegrass - documentaries, biopics and concert DVDs - there has never been a definitive film that presents the story of bluegrass from its inception to the present in a professional, historical documentary style.
In the early 20th century, country music enjoyed some popularity as country singers started to spread their craft in the cities. Country music, also known as mountain music, was so-called because it had evolved in rural towns and villages, and was characterized by two or three-part harmonies sung over acoustic instrumentation.
In the 1920s, the Monroe Brothers - considered pre-bluegrass - from Kentucky rose into the public eye, playing barn dances and radio programs well into the next decade. They featured Charlie Monroe on guitar and his brother Bill on mandolin. Finally in 1938, the brothers split to form their own separate bands.
Having hailed from Kentucky - the Blue Grass State - Bill named his band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. After appearing on the Grand Ole Opry in 1939, Bill and the Blue Grass Boys enjoyed success as they forged their unique style.
This original bluegrass band combined elements of gospel, work songs, folk music, country, and blues music, and showcased vocal harmonies-particularly duos and trios. The Blue Grass Boys experimented with many acoustic variations, but eventually settled on guitar, bass, fiddle, mandolin and banjo, which is considered the standard instrumentation for bluegrass bands to this day.
By the time the 1950s rolled around, bluegrass music had begun enjoying extensive popularity, and Bill Monroe was, and still is, considered the father of the genre.
Throughout the years, bluegrass in the mainstream has experienced an ebb and flow depending on its inclusion in popular media of the day. During the Folk Rivival period of the 1950s and 60s, television programs like the Andy Griffith Show and the Beverly Hillbillies showcased the bluegrass sound to new and younger audiences. In the 1970s, the films Bonnie and Clyde, which featured a soundtrack by former Blue Grass Boys Flatt & Scruggs, and Deliverance, with its eerily memorable "Dueling Banjos" scene, created a new flurry of interest in bluegrass. In 2001, the Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where art Thou? helped re-popularized bluegrass music again, attracting new audiences around the world.
Now, nearly 70 years after its birth, bluegrass music has evolved so far that it's being played in Japan, Sweden, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Brazil and Italy.
Structure
Think "Ken Burns" / PBS.
For example: http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/
Target Audience
Potential Domestic Audience:
Bluegrass Listeners
Percent U.S. Adults Who "Listen To Bluegrass"
(National Endowment for the Arts 1997)
1982: 25%
1985: 24%
1992: 29%
1997: 42% (82 million)
Performing Artists
Number of Groups: 1018+
U.S. Bands: 969+
Non-U.S. Bands: 49+
Record Companies
Number of Labels: 129
U.S. Based: 118
Non-US Based: 11
Total Releases in Catalog (All Labels): 5033
Artists Actively Recording for Labels: 524
Bluegrass Associations
Number of Active Associations: 177
Average Number of Members: 950
Publish Newsletters: 113
Host Concerts/Festivals: 132
Bluegrass Event Producers
Number of organizations/people who produce concerts or festivals: 627
Number of Bluegrass Festivals: Over 609
Radio Broadcasting
Number Of Stations Offering Bluegrass Programming
Total: 791
U.S.: 712
Non-U.S.: 79
Average Hours of Bluegrass Programming: 6.25
# Stations = 20+ Hours Programming: 54
# Stations = Primary format bluegrass: 7
Commercial Stations: 381, 50%
Non-Commercial: 376, 50%
Stations Carrying:
* Locally Produced Shows Only: 460
* Syndicated Shows Only: 111
* Both Local & Syndicated: 203
* Syndicate Program Suppliers: 26
Source: International Bluegrass Music Association
Potential International Audience:
American soldiers who were stationed throughout the country brought bluegrass music to Japan after WWII. Soldiers taught the Japanese many traditional and religious songs, and those who could play mandolin and fiddle--instruments featured mainly in this genre--taught others how to play with a country and western flair. Because of the big influence of bluegrass and country music in Japan and the development of the music from its strictly string nature to a more jazz and blues persuasion, more and more individuals from around the world are becoming increasingly involved in bluegrass music.
Bluegrass music has grown so far that it is also being played in Sweden, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Brazil, Italy and more.
This offers Bluegrass: The Long Journey Home domestic and international distribution appeal. For more information about the International Bluegrass market you can check with the International Bluegrass Music Association, California Bluegrass Music Association or the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.
Production Personnel
Rich Ostella - Has in the past written, produced, directed and edited media related projects.
Resume: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/7/b88/464
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEMtQFHxPLM - edited for Chris Moore/First Tuesday Media
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4KBZ0Z0FRk - edited for Chris Moore/First Tuesday Media
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odhZe_bOSOg - Spec edit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZeREGCqJAE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUgEYzZeWG8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAAxWqKHiH8 - movie trailer
Current project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvpbz1aNDcg
Garian Vigil - Bluegrass Scholar
*Leadership Bluegrass, Class of 2007,
International Bluegrass Music Association.
*Publicist, July 2007-current, Spring Creek.
*Editor, Pow'r Pickin', the newspaper of the
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.
*Internet and social networking specialist for FestivaLink.net,
Sally Van Meter, Pete Wernick, Scott Dale, Aimee Hoyt,
Sharon Gilchrist, Cliff Wagner, Lyons Bluegrass Jam.
*Publicist, Oct. 2005-2007, Boulder Acoustic Society.
*Freelance Publicity/Booking/Writing/Consulting, 2003-
Current. Jeff & Vida Band, Stairwell Sisters, KC Groves,
Hit & Run Bluegrass, High on the Hog, Jake Schepps, Little
Church in the Pines Concert Series, The Rail House Concert
Series.
*Street Team Coordinator and Fan Liaison, Uncle Earl.
*Writing Assistant, 1996-2006, President's Office, University
of Colorado.
*Part-time Instructor/Teaching Assistant, 1996-2005.
University of Colorado at Boulder. Sociology, Television
Production and Public Relations.Volunteer Experience
*Artist Liaison, High Street Concerts.
*Publicist, Board of Directors, The Steam Powered
Preservation Society.
*Judge, 2003 Suncoast Region Emmy Awards,
Investigative Reporting Series, National Academy
Television Arts & Sciences.
Education
*B.A., Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado
Major: English/Communications. Minors:
Southwest Studies, Sociology.
*M.A. (ABT) in Communications Research, School
of Journalism & Mass Communications,
University of Colorado at Boulder.
*Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies,
Women's Studies Program, University of Colorado
at Boulder.
Lisa Smith - Line Producer
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