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8/15/12

Ever wanted to be listed as a movie producer on the IMDB? How about Sasquatch wrangler? Here's your chance!

Visit their IndieGoGo page to find out how you can get involved in a project that looks like a great fun AND has some local ties. You know I love this stuff!

 

http://www.indiegogo.com/planetweird

 

Engage the Strange! Help Bring Planet Weird to Life!





 




Have you ever been curious as to why things go bump in the night instead of the day? Wondered if curses actually worked.. and if they were even legal? Sat awake at night and pondered the existence of alien life.. and why they want to stick things in our butts so badly?

So have we.

For the past 15 years, the cast and crew of Planet Weird have traversed North America on hundreds of paranormal adventures in search of everything from legendary monsters to mind bending psychic phenomena, covering everything in between. If there's one thing they can agree when it comes to exploring the unexplained, and trust me, there's probably only one thing, it's that there are plenty of questions left unanswered.

Planet Weird aims to solve these problems by completely immersing the gang in the legends in a way that no else ever has. Rather than simply look for the evidence, the team attempts to becomethe evidence. Can we learn to harness our latent mental powers to become the psychic super soldiers reminiscent of secret government projects? What can we learn about the causes of UFO hysteria by creating one of our own? Can we contact the spirit of a dead man.. if that man never even existed?

These are just some of the questions that Planet Weird will tackle as we seek to uncover some of the world's most iconic mysteries through a distinct blend of research, experimentation, and humorous self-sacrifice. When simply chasing the strange doesn't get you anywhere, it's time to engage the strange.

Who is Planet Weird?

Meet the gang behind the film!

  • Greg Newkirk is the contributing editor for Who Forted?, an online magazine about all things out of the ordinary. He's also the award winning director and editor of last year's The Bigfoot Hunter: Still Searching, a documentary film that follows monster hunter Tim Holmes as he treks deep into the woods of southern New York in search of the Sasquatch. He's been working on tons of independent features since 2003, and for ten years headed up the paranormal adventuring troupe Ghost Hunters, Incorporated.

  • If you're Canadian, you might recognize Dana Matthews as a cast member on SPACE's internationally syndicated series The Girly Ghosthunters, though she'd prefer it if you didn't. Dana spent her formative years tracking down the unexplained with the Kitchener Waterloo Paranormal Research Society, a hobby that led her to write about the fringe on a regular basis. When she's not recounting tales of supernatural show downs or disappearing men, she's usually acting as a producer, writer, and assistant editor for Fight or Flight Productions.

  • Jason Gowin starred in A&E's controversial special Extreme Paranormal, and is a staple of paranormal conferences all across North America. Known for his hilarious and informative speaking engagements, Jason cut his teeth in the supernatural over a decade ago and has since appeared in numerous projects such as Ghost Hunters, Inc. Presents: The Graveyard Shift and even hosted the syndicated talk radio show Encounters Live.

While these are the folks that will be hosting our adventures into the fringe, there are still plenty of awesome people involved in making this project a success. From the help of our science advisor (Doubtful News' Sharon Hill), to assistance from the Creepiest Man in America (Weird Lectures'John E.L. Tenney), to our wonderful team of researchers, photographers, and segment producers (see the list below the page for the whole gang), to YOU, Planet Weird is a project that can only happen with a team as diverse as they are talented.

What We Need & What You Get:

In order to make Planet Weird as big and amazing as we'd like, we need to raise at least $7,000 by September 15. With your help, we can go on to create a fun documentary that proves it doesn't take gigantic camera crews and a dump truck of money to chase down and document the strange in a quest for answers- just a lot of friends with a passion for the weird and a desire for something different.

In return for your help, we're not only going to include you in the film making process, but we're going to give you the opportunity to get some awesome limited edition stuff, including a chance to not only be in the film, but to star in your very own film! Here's a few things up for grabs:

  • Every single backer receives access to the development blog, launching the day we start production on the film. There, you'll get weekly updates (often daily) about the progress of the documentary, including videos, chats, and meet-ups. By backing this project, you become part of it.

  • A one time only printing of our kick-ass 2011 documentaryThe Bigfoot Hunter: Still Searching. We've regularly gotten requests to release the film on DVD and digital download, and if there was ever a special way to release this special flick, this is it. The official DVD, hand signed and numbered, will be loaded with deleted scenes and special features unavailable anywhere else. This DVD will never be for sale, and will remain a sought after item made available only to Planet Weird backers. As a bonus, should we hit our goal, we will make a digital download of the film available to everyone a few weeks after the DVDs are sent out to backers.

    For more information about the film that one newspaper said was "destined to be a cult favorite", head over to the official information page.

  • Exclusive production credits on the film. Ever wanted to be listed as a movie producer on the IMDB? How about Sasquatch wrangler? Here's your chance!

  • Loads of limited edition goodies: patches, pins, stickers, and t-shirts! Join the Planet Weird Adventure Club and get even more cool stuff!

  • And for the most unique experience of the bunch, we'll set you up on an overnight Bigfoot hunting expedition for two with Sasquatch researcher and star of The Bigfoot Hunter: Still Searching, Mr. Tim Holmes.

    You'll trek deep into an area rife with Bigfoot sightings as you learn to call, track, and ID the beast with the leader of the Elmira Bigfoot Watch. If you're lucky, you might even get to cast a few prints! Later that night, you'll head out in search of ghouls on a whirlwind tour of the creepiest haunts in the Northeast; cursed churches, spooky ghost towns, and even the locations of the mysterious "Black Beast" sightings.

    As if that wasn't enough of an experience, we'll be by your side the entire time with our tireless crew of film-makers, documenting the whole experience for your very own film. That's right, we'll professionally shoot and edit your adventure, culminating in your very own DVD. Want us to post it online for the world to see? We can do that too!

Those are just a few of the exciting rewards we have lined up for helping Planet Weird take off.

What Your Backing Helps Create:

So now that you know what the film is about, and what we can offer you for your involvement, here's why we want to make this film:

This documentary is an opportunity. It's an opportunity for us, as aspiring film makers to complete a project very near and dear to our hearts. It's an opportunity for passionate fans of the fringe and the unexplained to genuinely take part in the creation of a film that lovingly explores the mysteries that continue to pique our curiosity after all this time. But most of all, it's an opportunity to make a point.

For the last ten years, most media on the subject of the unexplained has been done under the guise of 'professionals' with the big money and big publicity provided by corporate backers. Night in and night out they have investigated various ghouls, goblins, boogeymen and buildings. Yet for all their work, for each 100,000 dollar episode, the end result is always the same: zilch. No real evidence, no real answers, and nothing particularly memorable in any of them. The curiosity, the fun, and the adventure has been all but drained from the landscape of fringe media.

Planet Weird is our answer to the big budget paranormal reality trend, an opportunity to prove that honest and thoughtful adventures into the fringe can come from real people and provide answers to real questions. Most importantly, that it can be fun without being fake, and thought provoking without being forced. Planet Weird is different, and that alone is enough to make an impact on how we shape our thoughts about the unknown, and we who choose to help shape them.

So, where exactly is your money going? Only to the most necessary needs of the film. This documentary is a labor of love, so everyone is working pro bono. In order to make this project the best it can be, all funds go to the following:

  • Camera and camera equipment rentals (lights, lenses, rigs, etc.)

  • Media storage, such as memory cards and hard drives

  • Securing locations, film permits, and equipment shipping costs

  • Discounted post-production work (potential audio/video adjustments we can't make ourselves)

  • Any leftover funds will be used for festival submission fees, or the dreaded miscellaneous movie emergency.
Every single penny will be put to work, and that work will pay off when Planet Weird hits screens, whether that screen is in a theater, in your entertainment center, or on your lap.

Short on Cash? YOU CAN STILL HELP!

We realize that not everyone has the spare cash on hand to back a project like this, but if you like what we've shown you, you can still help us out immensely by just giving us a few moments of your time.

The most important thing you can do to help this project work is this:



TELL EVERYONE!

Word of mouth is one of the most important elements to this campaign's success! Share it on facebook, blog about it, call your local newspaper, contact your favorite podcast, post it on twitter, show your friends, show your parents, show your spirit animal.. just share it!

In fact, take a few minutes out of your day and shoot Coast to Coast AM, 30 Odd Minutes,Mysterious Universe, The Fortean Times, and any and every paranormal media outlet you can think of, and let them know how much you'd love to see Planet Weird featured. Five minutes is all it takes, and it makes a world of difference.

With a low-budget project like ours we're also looking for anything that helps us cut back on production costs. Have some old camera equipment lying around? Microphones, tripods, rigs, lights, lenses? Recently upgraded your computer and don't know what to do with the old one? We can use them! You never know, your old stuff might just save us some expensive rental costs!

In a band? Want your music featured? We need it!

The bottom line is, if you think it can help us out, it probably can. Don't hesitate to drop us a line and let us know what's on your mind! We're always around.

We'll see you on Planet Weird!