Hello everyone!
It's been several months in the working, but we're finally nearing completion on post-production for our first feature-length documentary film! Take It With You was filmed across 28 countries over a period of nearly one year, and speaks the the heart of individuals from across the globe seeking to understand our search for beauty and happiness. Follow Bryce Lemon and sister Alyssa as they seek out what makes us human - and discover themselves in the process.
Hang tight while we finish our final sound mix, and be on the lookout for Take It With You at theatres and clubs near you!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Crowdfunding Launched on Kickstarter
Hi All,
We've just launched our crowdfunding initiative on Kickstarter with a goal of $19,999 raised over 58 days. We're very excited about crowdfunding and its ability to help independent, small-name artists like ourselves to crack into the larger market. By generating comments on our blog, on our Kickstarter page, our Facebook page, and in the media about our project, our Kickstarter project gradually floats to the top of the search results and lands a spot on the front page - which exposes it to millions of additional potential backers, increasing our ability to reach our funding goal.
We aren't in the business of asking friends to give us money... but if you like our project and would love to see it succeed, why not voice your support in the comments section of our Kickstarter, Facebook, and blog pages? Why not spread the word to family and friends who might also be excited about it? This is the great power of the new age of social media - everyday people like you and Bryce can make an impact on the collective zeitgeist. And if you find our rewards appealing and have some spare means to contribute, that would certainly be a welcome surprise as well.
Here's the link - thanks for reading, and please let us know what you think!
Cheers,
James
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
"Take It with You" and the Discovery of Artistic Autonomy
By Bryce Lemon
"Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself and you shall have the suffrage of the world."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
When I left on the journey that would become Take It with You, I had many mixed feelings towards the project. The largest obstacle was having no idea the kind of situations we would find ourselves in, or what subject matter we might encounter. We bought an open ended one way ticket taking us to the other side of the world. We had no idea how long it would take, no plans on where we would stay, and we weren’t even sure if we would have enough money to get back home.
I’d also never shot a documentary before. I’d done some work in documentary development and worked as a camera operator on a documentary, but in all honesty, I was treading on new territory. Taking everything into consideration, I decided to shoot the film free form. I would film the events of our daily life on the road, and hopefully, be able to piece everything together when we got back.
This film turned out to be the most frustrating challenge of my career to date. Early on, I realized the lack of a backbone holding the story together. I was very idealistic when we set out. I was sure we would find some esoteric or spiritual connection that would speak through the images, inspiring the audience. Six months and 20 countries in, I still hadn’t seen anything of the sort.
I gave up on the project. I felt I should continue to film, but considered the footage a candidate for stock footage at best. I thought I had failed completely in my goal. I doubted my abilities as an artist and was embarrassed anytime the project was brought up. When I arrived back in the United States, I didn’t even look at the footage for four months. I didn’t want to come to terms with my defeat.
One afternoon, I decided that it was time. I pulled out my camera and popped in the tape from Greece. The first image shocked me. I’d almost forgotten how visceral and personal these experiences were to me. Immediately I was taken back to the smell of moisture in the air, the feeling of the ruins under my hand, the awestruck feeling I felt walking in a place with so much history, culture and philosophic relevance to our modern world.
For the next several days, I poured over the 20+ hours of footage I’d amassed. Finally, I knew exactly the film that I wanted to make. I realized that it wasn’t a bold philosophical statement or controversial material that would bring this film to life, but the personal elements. This was my experience seen through my eyes. Through another's it would be quite different. I gained a lot of confidence that day. I realized that amidst the fog of critics and cynics, there’s always a light splitting through the confusion: a trust in the actualization of your own potential.
Take It with You is about as personal of a film as it gets. It is my life and my story. It marks some of my highest and lowest points. There is vulnerability in the film that I find to be beautiful. In these final days of polishing and reworking the film, we’re aiming to creating something that not only shows my experience, but in essence inspires you to take the risks you’ve always wanted to take, and create your own personal journey into your dreams.
"Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
-Bryce J. Lemon
CEO & President of Creative Development
"Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself and you shall have the suffrage of the world."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
When I left on the journey that would become Take It with You, I had many mixed feelings towards the project. The largest obstacle was having no idea the kind of situations we would find ourselves in, or what subject matter we might encounter. We bought an open ended one way ticket taking us to the other side of the world. We had no idea how long it would take, no plans on where we would stay, and we weren’t even sure if we would have enough money to get back home.
I’d also never shot a documentary before. I’d done some work in documentary development and worked as a camera operator on a documentary, but in all honesty, I was treading on new territory. Taking everything into consideration, I decided to shoot the film free form. I would film the events of our daily life on the road, and hopefully, be able to piece everything together when we got back.
This film turned out to be the most frustrating challenge of my career to date. Early on, I realized the lack of a backbone holding the story together. I was very idealistic when we set out. I was sure we would find some esoteric or spiritual connection that would speak through the images, inspiring the audience. Six months and 20 countries in, I still hadn’t seen anything of the sort.
I gave up on the project. I felt I should continue to film, but considered the footage a candidate for stock footage at best. I thought I had failed completely in my goal. I doubted my abilities as an artist and was embarrassed anytime the project was brought up. When I arrived back in the United States, I didn’t even look at the footage for four months. I didn’t want to come to terms with my defeat.
One afternoon, I decided that it was time. I pulled out my camera and popped in the tape from Greece. The first image shocked me. I’d almost forgotten how visceral and personal these experiences were to me. Immediately I was taken back to the smell of moisture in the air, the feeling of the ruins under my hand, the awestruck feeling I felt walking in a place with so much history, culture and philosophic relevance to our modern world.
For the next several days, I poured over the 20+ hours of footage I’d amassed. Finally, I knew exactly the film that I wanted to make. I realized that it wasn’t a bold philosophical statement or controversial material that would bring this film to life, but the personal elements. This was my experience seen through my eyes. Through another's it would be quite different. I gained a lot of confidence that day. I realized that amidst the fog of critics and cynics, there’s always a light splitting through the confusion: a trust in the actualization of your own potential.
Take It with You is about as personal of a film as it gets. It is my life and my story. It marks some of my highest and lowest points. There is vulnerability in the film that I find to be beautiful. In these final days of polishing and reworking the film, we’re aiming to creating something that not only shows my experience, but in essence inspires you to take the risks you’ve always wanted to take, and create your own personal journey into your dreams.
"Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
-Bryce J. Lemon
CEO & President of Creative Development
27 countries, 10 months, 2 filmmakers, and 1 tremendous project
Our Dear Friends,
As a friend of Bryce Lemon's for close to twelve years now, it has been my pleasure to grow up with him, work with him, travel with him, strategize with him, and share friends with him. It gives me great pride to call this tremendous artist my friend. He is a hard-working person of integrity, and I couldn't be prouder to help share his story with you.
In early 2009, Bryce found himself in a precarious position - freshly out of a difficult time in his life, working a job he didn't enjoy, in the midst of changing his worldview, and eager to discover who he was. I had been friends with Bryce for close to ten years at that point, and while I had seen him happy, sad, inquisitive, and ambitious, I had never quite seen him the way he was at that point. He wasn't overwhelmed, he wasn't depressed and he wasn't angry... but he was quite resolute. He finally knew what he wanted, and was ready to do everything in his power to get it.
Although we all saw something coming, it certainly came as a surprise when Bryce announced what he would be doing - selling all of his possessions and traveling around the world. He sold his Honda, his furniture, his kitchen utensils, his gadgets, everything (well, he kept his DVD collection... over 500 movies total; it's quite impressive) - and purchased a Sony V1U HD video camera. With a pair of Round-the-World plane tickets, he and his sister Alyssa departed shortly thereafter on their trip.
Passing through Costa Rica, Peru, France, Greece, Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, Egypt, Israel, Thailand and many more countries, Bryce and Alyssa rediscovered themselves, finding beauty and happiness. Knowing that it would be impossible to describe all that they'd see, they documented their entire experience on film. Take It With You is the documentary film that has resulted from the tireless work that Bryce and editor Joe Suzuki have done in compiling all of the footage to tell Bryce's and Alyssa's story.
We hope that you'll be as inspired as we are in taking this journey to the completion of this monumental project. With your support and a little bit of word of mouth, we are very excited about the number of people we can inspire, and the lives we can enhance through this work of art. Since this is a grassroots effort, we greatly appreciate all the exposure we can find. If you are moved by this project, please share it with your friends and connections through social media, and link it to your blogs. We look forward to sharing this experience with you.
Your friend,
James Hammons
Producer, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer
As a friend of Bryce Lemon's for close to twelve years now, it has been my pleasure to grow up with him, work with him, travel with him, strategize with him, and share friends with him. It gives me great pride to call this tremendous artist my friend. He is a hard-working person of integrity, and I couldn't be prouder to help share his story with you.
In early 2009, Bryce found himself in a precarious position - freshly out of a difficult time in his life, working a job he didn't enjoy, in the midst of changing his worldview, and eager to discover who he was. I had been friends with Bryce for close to ten years at that point, and while I had seen him happy, sad, inquisitive, and ambitious, I had never quite seen him the way he was at that point. He wasn't overwhelmed, he wasn't depressed and he wasn't angry... but he was quite resolute. He finally knew what he wanted, and was ready to do everything in his power to get it.
Although we all saw something coming, it certainly came as a surprise when Bryce announced what he would be doing - selling all of his possessions and traveling around the world. He sold his Honda, his furniture, his kitchen utensils, his gadgets, everything (well, he kept his DVD collection... over 500 movies total; it's quite impressive) - and purchased a Sony V1U HD video camera. With a pair of Round-the-World plane tickets, he and his sister Alyssa departed shortly thereafter on their trip.
Passing through Costa Rica, Peru, France, Greece, Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, Egypt, Israel, Thailand and many more countries, Bryce and Alyssa rediscovered themselves, finding beauty and happiness. Knowing that it would be impossible to describe all that they'd see, they documented their entire experience on film. Take It With You is the documentary film that has resulted from the tireless work that Bryce and editor Joe Suzuki have done in compiling all of the footage to tell Bryce's and Alyssa's story.
We hope that you'll be as inspired as we are in taking this journey to the completion of this monumental project. With your support and a little bit of word of mouth, we are very excited about the number of people we can inspire, and the lives we can enhance through this work of art. Since this is a grassroots effort, we greatly appreciate all the exposure we can find. If you are moved by this project, please share it with your friends and connections through social media, and link it to your blogs. We look forward to sharing this experience with you.
Your friend,
James Hammons
Producer, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer
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