Funding and Project Proposal
The Need
As Americans and as citizens of this planet
we live in a unique and crucial time. Our economy is shaky at best. Climate
change is a reality. Fear has become the primary emotion of the American
people... and we are doing fairly well at self-medicating so we can ignore it.
Mortgages are failing and the dollar is inflating. Cancers and the like from
toxins are at an all time high. But somehow, there is still hope.
We have the technology and knowledge to
solve much of the challenges before us, especially in the green sector.
Sustainable businesses have the opportunity to both revitalize the middle class
and small towns, while addressing climate change and limiting it's effects.
We believe in a government by and for the
people. We believe that we can regain our agrarian and simple roots while
leading the world in new technology. We believe that we can provide a better
world for our children and not leave them with debts of environmental
destruction and a collapsed economic system.
My daughter and I have sold everything we
own and with that money acquired some good video gear and editing software. Now
all that is left is getting the car ready to hit the road, getting a few more
gear essentials and raising the funds needed to sustain this project. Our focus
is in telling the stories of those facing the most serious of challenges we are
facing as a people, to give instruction as to how to start taking the steps
toward change and to be a catalyst for the desire to take ownership of our
future.
Intro/About Us
Jessica Lewis: Conceived in the wake of Mt. St. Helen's volcanic
eruption, Jessica has been born into the role of catalyst. From the time she
had her driver's license (and often before) she was off in search of adventure,
even if that meant going to the Aryan Nations/KKK parade armed only with a
camera so she could get material for a high school art project.
Jessica is currently a junior at
Olivia Lewis: Olivia is proof that the curse that someone will
have a child just like them does come true. Adventuresome, headstrong,
passionate and loving are all words commonly used to describe Olivia, or Liv for short.
Liv is a preschooler and veteran of many a road trip,
including 3,500 miles in ten days last Spring Break. She writes her own
musicals and has some wicked good dance moves. Liv
has shown great poise in times of adversity and confrontation, even when faced
with hateful words coming from protestors while she and her mother were
registering voters at this year’s Bellingham Pride Parade. She knows who she is
and what she is worth, and is ready for just about anything.
Gertrude "Betty" Panzerwagen (Vessel): Betty is the third entity on our trips. Like many older German-made
vehicles, she has her own distinct personality. Betty complains when it is too
cold, and might be in need of orthopedic insoles. She is a well-loved 1983 240D
Mercedes with 318,000+ miles (500,000+ km) that has been converted to run on
biodiesel and is in the midst of surgery that will help her CV joint and as
well as restricting her diet to the healthier waste vegetable oil that has no
net carbon emission as well as lighter on the pocketbook. She is built for
comfort, not speed... and is the kind of girl you can
be proud to take home to momma.
Gear: Most of the work on the web and documentary will be done on a MacBook that has been loaded with Final Cut and other
related editing and software along with Firefox. The film will be shot in
widescreen digital HD on a Canon Vixia HF100.
Subject: The rise of grassroots politics and application of
green technology and sustainability yet will not ignore the day to day stories
of those making the film and of the ones that are met in the course of this
journey. The project will focus on case studies of successful businesses,
groups and ventures across
Soundtrack: As veterans (aka survivors) of the music industry,
Jessica and Olivia seek to support and use unsigned and independent musicians
and bands to provide the soundtrack for both the video shorts and the full
length documentary.
Our Direction
Goals
·
Start discourse on where
· Discover how to address climate change while still providing for the needs of the family and the individual
· Engage the public in the political and social systems that make our society function, and see where they need to be altered in function
· Bring out into the open that which is ignored by the mainstream media in regards to environmental, social and political issues
Objectives
· Build and maintain websites
jessicaandolivia.com vimeo.com/jessicaandolivia
jessicaandolivia.blogspot.com myspace.com/jessicaandolivia
youtube.com/jessicaandolivia (and more)
· Convert 1983 Mercedes 240D to WVO, and maintain
· Procure gear and funds needed to start and continue on trip
· Plot multi-state journey and find stories that need to be shared
· Film and edit footage into short documentaries/webisodes/weblog
· Communicate with the public and the media through email as well as phone and personal interviews
·
Return to
· Edit footage to at least one full length documentary
· Share documentary for free access online, and in colleges and local theaters
· Enter documentary in film festivals
· Analyze experience and write at least one scholarly essay with citations for submission
· Use information gained to further and direct education at Western and beyond
Methods
· Connect with people in person and over the web
· Interview people and film locations, situations and events
· Publicity of project through any means possible, including but not limited to: social networking websites, information sharing websites
· Full emersion into the lives of the people we interact with, staying with them, eating with them, full exposure to their communities and to their way of life
· Filming in HD widescreen digital format, and taking high quality photographs for later study and use in publications.
· Constant research and discovery into the issues we encounter, via web search and visitation to libraries along the way
· Final culmination and evaluation of gathered materials into scholarly documentaries and essays.
Evaluation
· Monitoring of video plays and accesses to web pages
· Count of people emailing us and commenting on web pages
· Count of business cards and/or flyers handed out
· Head count of people in theaters
· Keep file of all press and letters that reflect our impact
· Journaling through blog and video blog
· Feedback from faculty at WWU
Budget
Our budget is for the project period of July through December of 2008. If the project is successful and necessitates an extension into the next year then the budget will be reworked to reflect it at that time. The budget reflects full market value for all items; donations of items are reflected in In-Kind column. Donations, used/discounted as well as loaned items are actively pursued to keep production costs down. Meals in peoples homes and home stays not accounted for, due to complexities in accounting for these donations.
*Note: We’ve raised about 45% of our budget needs as of July 29, 2008 through cash and in kind donations.
|
|
Cash Required |
In-Kind Contributions |
Total Budget |
|
Gear |
|
|
|
|
Canon Vixia HF100 camcorder |
740.00 |
|
740.00 |
|
2 Camcorder batteries |
120.00 |
|
120.00 |
|
Canon DM-100 Directional Stereo Mic |
170.00 |
|
170.00 |
|
Wireless lapel mic |
30.00 |
|
30.00 |
|
Lense filter set |
35.50 |
|
35.50 |
|
Fisheye Lens |
48.00 |
|
48.00 |
|
Small table tripod |
12.50 |
|
12.50 |
|
2 spare 16 gig SD memory card |
80.00 |
|
80.00 |
|
Terabyte external hard drive |
230.00 |
|
230.00 |
|
Final Cut for Mac (Express) |
200.00 |
|
200.00 |
|
Final Cut for Mac (Pro) |
|
1,500.00 |
1,500.00 |
|
CS Suite Pro |
|
1,500.00 |
1,500.00 |
|
Training on how to use gear, 5 hours |
|
250.00 |
|
|
Subtotal |
1,666.00 |
3,250.00 |
4,916.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vehicle |
|
|
|
|
CV axle repair (Parts) |
410.00 |
|
410.00 |
|
CV axle repair (Labor) |
450.00 |
100.00 |
550.00 |
|
Oil Changes/Tuneup |
300.00 |
|
300.00 |
|
Veggie oil kit and install |
700.00 |
|
700.00 |
|
Fuel (July 08 costs) |
800.00 |
3,500.00 |
4,300.00 |
|
Car insurance |
300.00 |
|
300.00 |
|
AAA membership (plus) |
89.00 |
|
89.00 |
|
Subtotal |
3,049.00 |
3,600.00 |
6,649.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Camping and Utility Gear |
|
|
|
|
Two man ultralight tent |
200.00 |
|
200.00 |
|
2 sleeping pads (Thermarest) |
150.00 |
|
150.00 |
|
Coleman or like propane/gas stove |
60.00 |
|
60.00 |
|
Propane/Gas refills |
60.00 |
|
60.00 |
|
Gutter mount roof rack for car |
200.00 |
|
200.00 |
|
Bike attachments for roof rack |
150.00 |
|
150.00 |
|
Cargo pod |
150.00 |
|
150.00 |
|
Padded backpack for 13” laptop, camera and gear |
100.00 |
|
100.00 |
|
Subtotal |
870.00 |
0.00 |
870.00 |
|
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
|
Better quality cell phone with unlimited plan |
400.00 |
|
400.00 |
|
Food allowance/per diems |
1,500.00 |
|
1,500.00 |
|
Camping and room costs |
300.00 |
|
300.00 |
|
Personal costs |
450.00 |
|
450.00 |
|
Subtotal |
2,650.00 |
0.00 |
2,650.00 |
|
Grand Total |
8,235.00 |
6,850.00 |
15,085.00 |
Future Funding
· Small donations through PayPal, mail and in person. (estimated 60% of funding)
· Continued fundraising and grant writing through completion of project/release of documentary (around the end of this year) (estimated 40% of funding)
Statements of Support
"I first met Jessica and Olivia on the
same night at a Washington Conservation Voters group meeting. Well, all I can
say is, I fell in love with this energetic little girl Olivia. She was bright,
challenging, inquisitive and showed great potential.
As it turns out, she is her mother's daughter and everything I saw in Olivia
was there because, it is the essences of Jessica too. Never have I meet two
spunkier young ladies that are well minded, kind hearted and ready to give,
give and give. If you have the opportunity to meet them, you will be blessed.
We here at Clark Collegeadmire and love them both."
-Eugene Carroll (Work Study Program
Coordinator)
"I am so happy for you and the decision
that you have made. I have been thinking about you and Olivia and all I can say
is how thankful I am that we have crossed paths in life. If there is anybody
that can reaffirm my belief that you have to stand for something, it is you.
I'll admit, at times your passion for the issues has been overwhelming...but it
is always, for me, an enlightenment, a point of
reference, and a token of joy. You are an inspiration. You are the one who can
show people through your example and with your magnetic personality that there
is hope and that we can do it! I love you" -Heather Rolf (Public Services)
"Jessica is an individual who will make
a difference. She is an inspiration and a leader. She is a self- starter and a
positive force. She has a sense of humor and a wonderful adventurous spirit,
yet keeps grounded by a serious commitment to achieving her goals. She takes
risks, yet grows wiser through her experiences." -Carolyn Mulder (Early Childhood Program
Specialist)
"Jessica has challenged me as an
instructor to improve the precision of my communication and with her
inquisitive mind has improved my curriculum for the benefit of all my students.
She offers constructive criticism of her peers in a way that maximizes their
learning experience without alienation, something that I am learning from.
She offers her worldly experience without
arrogance or one-up(wo)manship, providing compassionate guidance. And I could have
said this after just a few weeks of knowing her. As this term has progressed
I’ve been consistently surprised as I learn more about her life and the roads
she has traveled to get to Western. The commitment she shows to the causes that
she is passionate about is amazing to see in a college student and stupendous
when one considers the balancing act that she strikes in life.
To give wholeheartedly to her daughter, not only in the immediate sense, but
also working to build a better future world is inspirational." -
“Jessica’s ability with verbal and written communication is excellent.
She interacts well in the seminar small class environment at
Jessica is dedicated to being a socially responsible and active individual… She understands that climate change is a reality, not a future possibility. She clearly realizes the importance of sustainable businesses and organizations and how they have the ability to create a positive climate for change regarding our environmental issues…
I believe that Jessica is the type of individual well suited for the
undertaking. She has traveled extensively, is knowledgeable in documentary
procedures, and is keenly passionate about her studies in environmental
policies.” -Dominique Coulet du Gard (Lecturer,
Professor)
Now all we need is you!