Forgotten Detroit – Kickstart this indie film

Making an independent film embodies the tenets of DIY to the max. With that in mind, I got excited when I heard about my friend Sarah Pierpont’s new project — she’s producing a film called Forgotten Detroit, (“About learning when to let go–something Detroit has never conceded to do, thankfully”). Sarah works with a small group called Hott Garbage, a crew of creative individuals that collaborates on video and film projects — check out their last piece, I Hate Chicago, In the Gutter with Nick Vandermolen, a short documentary with some really funny interactions between the sarcastic Nick and local kids that might not fully get him.

For their new film, Sarah and Hott Garbage have put together a Kickstarter to help get things made — you can help produce the film with your contribution/pre-order, including the opportunity to get executive producer credits on the film itself.

Being a film buff and a gadget geek, I asked for more details about how they film will be shot. Sarah’s notes:

– We’re shooting it digitally, either with a Red/EPIC or a souped up 5D (to be determined). I’m such a sucker for sweet camera technology…the RED is a beautiful machine. Since we’re keeping the budget cheap, we’re taking advantages of these more realistically-priced options, and compensating with amazing glass – if we shoot 5D we’ll be using Zeiss Compact Primes like this one.

– We’re shooting in the Russell Industrial Center – an amazing rehabbed/gutted old airplane parts factory. It’s huge, gorgeous and has tons of studio space for artists, builders, musicians – you name it. It’s like an artistic commune for $3 a square foot. It also has massive empty spaces that make for great music video locations (see this video we previously did – check out “safe for the time being“)

– This is my favorite part: not only is “Forgotten Detroit” a film, it’s an eBook! Hott Garbage Film’s sister company is Nan Bu Nan Books – a publisher, run by the same folks as HG, that focuses primarily on eBooks. Self-build from the ground up. We do TONS of crossover stuff with Hott Garbage and Nan Bu Nan — for example, a short film called “I Hate Chicago” that you can check out at www.hottgarbage.com.

– I’ll be cutting the film myself – in Final Cut (7, NOT FCPX. haha). One of the COOLEST thing about “Forgotten Detroit” is that it’s totally a family affair – the music, shooting, editing, color correction are all being done in house by a group of folks who love and trust one another and have each other’s backs artistically. It’s pretty amazing!