By Ray Faulkenberry
Antioch and the East Bay have been famous in recent years for either our housing foreclosures or the kidnapping and holding of Jaycee Dugard. Neither of these events did much for enhancing the image of Antioch or its citizens.
A feature film project called CHOICES will be shot in the East Bay during the summer of 2012. There’s a great chance that it will be successful in enhancing the positive aspects of Antioch. We R One Productions, rooted right here in Antioch, will draw on local talent, locations and resources to bring a touch of Hollywood to our corner of the state.
We R One Productions specializes in developing entertaining, meaningful, and commercially successful projects. Its presence in the community, along with a strong desire to contribute to the economy of the city and its citizens, is paramount in its mission. I’m the CEO of We R One Productions, and it is my dream to bring opportunity, enterprise, and positive exposure to Antioch in particular and our neighbors in general.
I have been fortunate in that I have been mentored by a long-time Hollywood producer who has shown me the way to make a Hollywood-type project at a small fraction of the cost. For the time being I’ll keep his identity anonymous, but once the film is released I’m sure he’ll be proud to say, “Yep, I helped them succeed!” That’s completely okay with me because he will be telling the truth!
By keeping the locations local, using local talent, crews and resources, we can shock the world by making a film that not only entertains, but also brings notoriety, exposure, and business to our city.
We’ll be looking for support in a number of different ways. Cast, crew, locations and resources are just a few of the items on our agenda. We’re confident that everything we need can be found right here! We won’t need to access Hollywood for anything.
We are planning a unique opportunity for people ONLY in our area to be able to pre-order the DVD package. We’re looking for businesses to support the project by providing a gift or certificate or coupon that will be of value to our customers but also bring exposure and sales to their business as well. We’d love to get as many people and businesses on board as possible so that when people get their special pre-ordered DVD packages, they’ll not only get a great movie, they’ll receive gifts and opportunities to go patronize participating stores and restaurants.
We’ve just started a crowd-funding platform online in order to provide people with gifts for their support. You can go right to http://www.indiegogo.com/choicesmovie and learn all about the project, its history, gifts, and how to help. A summary of the available gifts are located at the bottom of the article and can also be seen online.
The feature film is in the thriller genre, and yes, we understand that thrillers are not for everybody. CHOICES started out as a project inspired by my daughter Meg and has grown considerably. The storyline is one that most people will easily identify with; it unearths some of those deep down fears, the ones that frighten us – all of us. It’s an emotional roller-coaster type of film that doesn’t rely on gore, heads getting hacked off, or any high-tech special effects. Instead it’s a good, old-fashioned thriller that draws you in and plays on what you don’t see as opposed to what you do see.
Personally, although a scary film, I found the plot to be very inspiring as it makes me acutely aware of the day-to-day choices that we all make in our lives. It is well suited to a more mature audience that doesn’t mind sitting on the edge of their theater seats. Our projected hope at We R One Productions is to eventually write a pilot for this feature film to become an HBO or Showtime series! The series would be even more engaging as we would move from the end of CHOICES into the mystery of what happens in the pilot. I know this sounds vague but I don’t want to spoil the plot for you!
To be able to see updates on our current project CHOICES and get information on our future projects go to http://www.weareonefilm1.com It’s free, and we’ll be posting updates to the project very regularly.
We’re planning on getting this film into one of the MAJOR festivals as that will provide us with the best opportunity to publicize our feature film.
Here is how you can become a part of the CHOICES feature team:
1. Please go to http://indiegogo.com/choicesmovie to get information about the project. Make your pledge today starting at minimum pledge of only $10. We’re also open to sharing the profits with individuals and/or businesses who are interested in investing in CHOICES. For specific information please contact me rayfaulkenberry@comcast.net
2. Share this with your network. Forward through emails, work, family, and friends and encourage them to come and check us out at the listed website.
3. If you’re a business and want to be a part of the DVD package, please contact us as we’d love to chat with you.
4. If you just want to be involved, drop us an email and tell us what you have in mind and we’ll see what we can do! We’ve already tapped local talent, to compose the music and score the film.
The Pledge Prizes:
Everyone who pledges $10 or more will receive a digital download package that we are continuing to add to. This package will include all posters, banners, and desktop wallpaper used in THE CHOICES campaign – All official CHOICES promotional material. In addition, you will be sent the first 15 pages of the official script.
Pledge $25 or more and you’ll receive the digital download package PLUS a personal phone call from Ray or another Director or Producer! Yes, they’ll need your phone number to call and NO, they will never bother you again.
Pledge $50 or more and you’ll receive the digital download package, a personal phone call, and a limited edition “CHOICES” movie poster signed by Ray, and select cast and crew.
Pledge $100 or more and you’ll enjoy the stylish CHOICES movie T-Shirt. (Plus enjoy the poster, phone call, and digital download package!)
Pledge $150 or more and receive your very own CHOICES the movie coffee mug. PLUS enjoy any 3 of Ray’s books that can be found on his website at http://rayfaulkenberry.com (and the poster, T-shirt, personal phone call, and digital download package!)
Pledge $200 or more and you’ve just become an associate producer and will be credited as such in end title crawl of the movie! You’ll also receive a special edition “CHOICES Associate Producer T-shirt (plus the poster, phone call, coffee mug, books, and digital download package). Your name will appear alphabetically during the end title crawl under the heading “Associate Producers,” and will run on the left side of the screen alongside the traditional credits on the right. This way, you can impress your movie-going friends relatively quickly when your name comes up on the big screen!
Pledge $350 or more – PARTY! Two tickets for you and a guest to attend “The CHOICES” screening in Antioch, California, along with Ray, and cast and crew. Red Carpet posing is (semi) optional. (Includes the Associate Producer package – transportation not included)
Pledge $500 or more – 45-minute personal or Skype call with Ray (along with Associate Producer package). The call can be on whatever you want – Film Q&A, Writer’s insight, director’s commentary, writing secrets, thoughts on their next project, behind-the-scenes secrets, helping you brainstorm your own project in whatever industry you’re working. (Ray’s background also includes consulting, training, and project creation).
Pledge $1,000 or more – Appear as AN EXTRA in the movie (on location in Antioch, California) and join the cast and crew for lunch! (Comes with Associate Producer package – transportation not included.)
Pledge $3,000 or more – (10 opportunities) – One Day as Director’s Assistant, and credited as such in the end title crawl! You’ll also spend an evening having dinner with Ray and his family! (Comes with Associate Producer package – transportation not included.)
Pledge $5,000 or more – (10 opportunities) – Receive once a month coaching for one hour for ONE YEAR from Ray. You can focus on whatever you choose. Ray focuses on helping people build success personally and professionally. More information can be learned from Ray’s website at http://rayfaulkenberry.com under coaching. (Comes with Associate Producer package.)
Pledge $10,000 or more – Ray Faulkenberry will come to you and do a seminar or training for you, your friends, or your company. Topics can be on communication, team-building, success in the new millennium, or whatever topics you can agree upon. In addition to being a consultant and trainer, Ray is an ordained Interfaith minister and focused on realized the inherent talent within to become the best you can be personally and professionally. (Comes with Associate Producer package.)
Hollywood would make this film for between $2 and $4 million dollars. I’ve set our funding goal of $175,000 at http://indiegogo.com/choicesmovie. Would we like to have more money than that? Of course! If we raised more than the $175,000 we would be able to pay our cast, crew, and post-production people more, but we realize we want to get the film out and showcase not only our talents, but our community, its businesses and its people as well!
One way or another, we will create this film to showcase Antioch and the talent it holds within its community. We hope you will join us in this adventure and check us out as we reach for the brass ring and shine a spotlight on our corner of the world. Don’t forget to share this with your world.
Ray Faulkenberry, Ph.D. is an author, consultant, coach, and entrepreneur. You can read more about Ray at his website and for a short time receive his books for free. His website is www.rayfaulkenberry.com and he can be reached at his email at rayfaulkenberry@comcast.net The film funding site is once again located at www.indiegogo.com/choicesthefilm.
