Tell us about the first project that Olliewood Enterprises will undertake.
Olliewood Enterprises' first project is a low budget independent film that I have written called Cheyenne.
What motivates you to want to make an independent film?
Several things motivate me. First, I am really disappointed with the level of mediocrity that the studios and their big budgets and highly paid writers, directors, actors and effects artists are striving to create.
Second, I am eager to see a cruelty-free
film that isn't dumbed-down to cater to the lowest-common-denominator
"targeted demographic" -
and since mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, I am determined
to give it my very best effort and give people a show for their money.
Third, although I wrote Cheyenne in 1996 and have been carefully planning its production since, it is the absolutely astonishing and precedent-setting success of The Blair Witch Project that has galvanized me into action.
What is Cheyenne about?
Well, briefly, a chef meets the woman of his dreams in the restaurant at which he works in Santa Fe. Courtship and romance follow, but because he's a real square cube, the romance ends disastrously. Months later, however, she is in terrible trouble from her abusive new boyfriend. With the support of his friends and coworkers, the chef makes an enormous sacrifice to prove his love for her, and in the end they both realize that their paths were just meant to cross.
I conceived Cheyenne as a modern-day fairy tale told with classical, swing and jazz music in which the romance is played seriously and the comedy comes from the restaurant setting and its staff.
What inspired Cheyenne?
I am the Head Chef at the Ore
House restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico; I have worked there since
1986. Cheyenne reflects the loyalty of the staff and
the many fun times we have had over the years.
Cheyenne also features an early fifties Cadillac, which in my opinion are the best goddamn cars this country ever produced.
I have always loved and been inspired by good music. Cheyenne's narrative structure comes from a selection of classical, swing and jazz music that I think will appeal to viewers and listeners of all ages.
But most importantly, Cheyenne exists
because several years ago at the Ore House I met Tylyn John, the March 1992 Playboy centerfold and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
How much will Cheyenne cost, and how do you plan to raise the funds?
Cheyenne will cost about $850,000.00 including all postproduction. I am forming Olliewood Enterprises as a limited liability partnership. My contributions to the partnership are the complete shot-by-shot Cheyenne shooting script; the complete scene-by-scene cast, costumes, props, locations and sound mix production plan; the budget sheets; monthly, weekly, daily and hourly preproduction, shooting and postproduction schedules for next year; the 900+ page storyboard book; 1000+ pages of cinematography, recording, editing and mixing technical research; some sound and filming equipment; music sync rights applications; and letters of intent from the cast and crew.
Are you looking for a particular kind of investor for the partnership?
Olliewood Enterprises is looking for open-minded accredited investors who want to ride the Blair Witch wave by investing in an original and truly unique independent film that has a lot to offer on many different levels. |
Last year 3000 independent films from around the world were submitted to the 1999 Sundance Independent Film Festival. Among the 110 chosen for competition was The Blair Witch Project , which is now one of the top 10 films of the year! Blair Witch has also established important precedents: that big budgets, stars and special effects aren't necessary for a successful film, and that the internet is a powerful film promotion and marketing tool. In view of both Blair Witch's success and the sheer competitive numbers of independent film production, what sets Cheyenne apart?
I believe that Cheyenne stands apart for several reasons:
- Its classical, swing and jazz music soundtrack is completely unique not just for the music itself, but that the onscreen happenings match the music thematically and dramatically, measure for measure, note for note;
- "Monty Python" humor, "The Simpsons" satire, and the musical & spiritual presence of Buddy Rich during the big action scene are some highlights of Cheyenne's whimsical fictional reality;
- Use of the Ore House as the main shooting location has been approved by the owners, and the staff has agreed to act in it;
- Cheyenne's preproduction, shooting and postproduction is researched and planned to a degree of thoroughness that must be seen to be believed;
- Cheyenne will be filmed, recorded, edited and mixed with a proprietary configuration of state-of-the-art equipment from Super 8 Sound, Glidecam Industries, SuperCircuits, Apple Computer Inc., Brüel & Kjaer, Sony, Sound Anchors Inc., Kimber Kable, Krell Industries and Dunlavy Audio Labs.
Your equipment brands are highly unusual for independent filmmaking. Can you tell us more about them?
Stylistically and technically, Olliewood Enterprises is breaking new ground with Cheyenne, so I don't want to reveal too much; you can check out these websites with more thoroughness than I could provide. I will say that I own some Krell and Dunlavy products, they are the very best - and the best is better than most of us can possibly imagine. They are the nucleus of the technological arsenal Olliewood Enterprises will use to film Cheyenne in the war against cinematic mediocrity.
What are your target dates for filming Cheyenne?
Ideally, Olliewood Enterprises will raise the funds by January 2007 so
that we may build our postproduction facility and acquire
and install the equipment during February, do script
rehearsals and technical practice
during March and April, shoot Cheyenne in May, edit and
mix June through September, and have Cheyenne in the
can by year's end 2007 to hit the early
2008 independent film festivals - which is where we hope to find
an open-minded distributor like Artisan Entertainment
to bring Cheyenne to
the masses!
Do you have any goals for olliewood.com?
I look forward to Olliewood Enterprises' internet presence, to the sharing of ideas, to the eventual online discussion of movies and music, and to the expansion of olliewood.com to include production and promotional updates on Cheyenne and presentations of future Olliewood Enterprises projects.
Any final thoughts for your debut webpage?
I believe that that what Olliewood Enterprises is doing with Cheyenne is akin to what Gene Roddenberry did with Star Trek, what George Lucas did with Star Wars, and what Myrick & Sanchez did with The Blair Witch Project: to create something meaningful.
Potential investors and anyone with questions or further interest are invited to contact me at:
Olliewood Enterprises
831 Bishops Lodge Road
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505 984 8377 (H)
505 983 8687 (W)
505 820 6892 (fax)
And with that, I thank you all for checking out olliewood.com! |
