LETTER FOR REBELUTIONARIES
Fellow Rebelutionaries,
In 2004, my friend David Heustis and I formed a “production company” to make movies. Our goal was the spotlight, our quality was on par with the average YouTube video. Now, after a few years of listening and learning from more experienced filmmakers, we have improved. But we’re still teens. And while we’ve added to the crew, many of our strongest additions are teens, as well. So when we announced our plans to create a feature-length film, with the joint aim of sparking a movement towards tax reform in our Texas county, it was hard for outsiders to take us seriously. Would this just be a feature-length YouTube video?
Over many labor-filled months we wrote the screenplay, secured locations, locked down contracts with various professionals, and prepared for the hardest thing we’ve ever done. As we interacted with crew members, facilities, and local officials, they were shocked to discover that the writer and director of our film is eighteen, that our producer is nineteen, that our visual designer is seventeen, and that a majority of our grips and cast are teens as well. But they weren’t shocked that we were producing a film. Other teens have done that. Instead, it was the content and purpose of the film, and the seriousness with which we take our mission.
Why not an action film? A thriller? A horror or sci-fi piece? All of those genre are far more common among young filmmakers. Why a story like The Widow’s Might?
The Widow’s Might tells the story of an elderly widow who is about to lose her home due to tax foreclosure. When teen friends John and Cameron learn about it, they are
determined to stop it. With the support of their families, they start educating the citizens in their town on the issues in an effort to turn her situation around. What they discover is that making a difference is a hard thing. A very hard thing.
What makes The Widow’s Might different than other films with young people fighting for change is that we’re actually doing it. The story is fiction, but the issues are real. What’s more, in the story of the film, John and Cameron put out a call to thousands of people for a rally in support of the needy widow. We’re doing that right now.
On Wednesday, August 27th, about 45 minutes southeast of downtown Dallas, TX, we will be shooting the biggest sequence of film: A showdown between our story’s heroes and villains. We need your help to make it happen. We’re looking for 1,500 people to join us. The message of the film hinges on the turnout. We’ll be issuing a press release using the crowd as a key indicator of the newsworthiness of the film release. We’re working to get national news writers to attend.
Are we crazy? Well, yes. Crazy about making a difference. And we want you to join us. It will be fun, but it also will make a real and meaningful artistic statement. Tell
your friends. Join us on the 27th. Let’s make a difference together.
In
Christ,
John R. Moore
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