EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Management Team
At the core of 'American Gumbo' team is the producer, writer, and director Jonathan Jackson, who brings to this project film experience and in-depth expertise in independent motion picture production. The team is strongly complimented by a support group of local consultants and Independent advisers.
The filmmakers feel that a good script is vital as the foundation for a successful film. This script tells a group of stories involved in the city of New Orleans, combining familiarity and innovation in telling its story. The film falls into a genre that has traditionally been very successful for the motion picture industry. Cinema Verite drama depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Films in the dramatic genre typically have broad audience appeal and are well received by the viewing public. Since the film caters to a broad audience, it is intended for an initial theatrical release, which will then translate into additional revenue streams in other media, such as DVD, video, and television broadcast. This also means that the film will have a greater chance to earn more money in the foreign marketplace. Because the creative team behind "American Gumbo" has extensive experience within the industry, the company plans to utilize the contacts and resources available to it to produce the film at a much lower cost than with what a similar film project would cost if it was produced inside the studio system. By having independent status, the company can reap the benefits available to independent productions while still allowing us to maintain the highest production values. This means that the investors will benefit from a film that has the appearance of costing more than it actually does. Distributors will be more likely to offer an advance on "American Gumbo, or be willing to negotiate a more favorable distribution fee.
The Industry
Because of the success of the Louisiana Tax Credits, Louisiana has become a beacon for major films. With this shift, more independent and local independent filmmakers are trying to figure out ways to benefit from this system. With model's like 1999's low-budget film THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, which earned more than $300 million in worldwide revenues, independent filmmakers have revolutionized how studios and distributors look at the production and marketing of films. Independent films can vary widely in budget, from as low as $30,000 to as high as $25 million, but their similarities are the freedom to be in control creatively and from the homogeneity of studio production. By definition, an independent film is one that is financed by any source other than a US studio. With their ability to take more time and their need to plan budgets more carefully than studios tend to do with their big-budget films, independent filmmakers are able to give greater attention to their lower-budgeted, intelligent dramas. Unlike studios, independent filmmakers are able to avoid substantial overhead.
‘American Gumbo’ is a film that will use the technique of cinema veirete, or “structured improvision” to tell a story of people living in a post Katrina New Orleans using a linear structure. The vision involves segment of the characters live, focusing on conversations and visuals, more than a story being told. The two references used to influence ‘American Gumbo’ are ‘Gummo’ by Harmony Korine and ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ by Steven Soderbergh. The simplistic and main concept is to take a two camera shots (one camera), the first a medium shot, with the characters in focus, or out of focus, and a wide shot with the characters within it. The characters are given a topic or a subject to conversate about, and the filmmaker will step out and let the scene unfold.
Other scenes will involve the characters taking home a simple camera to document their life for a day, with freedom to shoot whatever they feel tells their story. The third concept will involve scripted segments that will shape or mold the narrative. In between the segments and during the conversations, black and white 35mm stills will be intercut into the vignettes. Once again, the purpose of ‘American Gumbo’ is to focus on interesting moments and scenes, that when put in succession would become its own unique narrative.
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504.307.7609
Produced, Written, and Directed by Jonathan Jackson
Music by Greg Talmage, Kevin MacLeod & Moby
