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a secret sci-fi film shot in China starring Ai Weiwei
THE SAND STORM () is a dystopian science fiction film set in the
not-too-distant future. It isa low-fi sci-fi short, made in China
under the radar, starring the dissident artist Ai Weiwei in his
actingdebut (playing a smuggler in a world without water); shot by
Christopher Doyle (In the Mood forLove, Chungking Express, Hero);
written and directed by Jason Wishnow (the filmmaker behindTED
Talks).
Each time you help us hit a milestone, you unlock additional
rewards and behind-the-scenesmaterials. And if you're just joining
us
HELLO, PEOPLE OF KICKSTARTER!
My name is Jason and for the longest time I wanted to make my
own films, so I left my job and myhome to fly from New York to a
city Id never been to before, Beijing. I chose China for creative
solitudebecause Im easily distracted and had heard the Internet
would be blocked for me, perfect for writing.Next thing you
know
IM FINISHING A MOVIE CALLED THE SAND STORM
Beijing felt like the future, not cool and sleek (thats
Shanghai) but dim and gritty.
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Back when I ran TEDs video department, a secret TED Talk was
smuggled out of Chinadirectly tome. Thats partly why, early one
morning, I was invited to meet:
AI WEIWEI HE HAS BEEN CALLED The Most Powerful Artist in the
World andChinas Most Dangerous Man for his massive art
installations (Beijings Birdsnest OlympicStadium of 2008) and his
vocal political criticism (in 2011, the police kept him in
captivity for 81 days,then held him under house arrest; he remains
without a passport).
An hour into our first conversation (about the flow of
information and the collateral damage ofuncertainty) he leaned in
close and asked, What can we do together? I seized on an
unexpectedopportunity to pitch a film. Ai Weiwei would play a
smuggler in a world without water, as told throughthe lens of a
personal, human drama. Already the subject of an Oscar-nominated
documentary, thiswould mark his acting debut. He listened, confided
he loved sci-fi, and asked how fast I could write thescreenplay.
This was a real opportunity to create something truly meaningful. I
now also needed totrack down:
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CHRISTOPHER DOYLE THE STORY would be dark, but the movie could
only lookbeautiful. The one cinematographer I wanted was the first
I ever knew by name, a frequentcollaborator with Wong Kar-wai and
Gus Van Sant, a man whose eye shaped the aesthetic of Asiancinema.
We had never met. Though a contemporary of Ai Weiweis, they had
never met either. Soon,both had copies of my script translated into
Mandarin ().
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Doyle and Ai agreed to the script the same day, but with the
odds stacked against us: All of China wasabout to shut down for the
holidays giving us two weeks exactly to find the rest of our cast
and crew orwe would be forced into production limbo indefinitely.
Given the subject and the star, our shoot mightnot be safe which
meant anyone who didnt decline, instead demanded cash in advance.
We had notime for fundraising. Finally, the weather fell below
freezing and on a scale of 1-500 (smoggy days inLos Angeles
register 60-90), pollution indexes hit a record 800. This was the
climate in which weoperated.
WHY KICKSTARTER? WHY NOW? WHY $33,000?
We needed to keep the film a secret and didnt want anything
sabotaged so we decided to postponecrowdfunding until AFTER we
wrapped.
NOW WE NEED YOU because we still have hard costs related to
visual effects, sound design, music,mix, color correction,
subtitles, festival submission fees, and is your head spinning,
too? Everycontribution counts.
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WHAT IF WE EXCEED OUR KICKSTARTER GOAL?
THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!! If you fund this project beyond $33k,
youll help pay off our remainingproduction expenses.
Our final, total cost will be around $90k (about 3x our
Kickstarter goal yikes). We went at it alone,building sets, renting
equipment, hiring a local cast and crew some payments were
deferred, otherscovered by short-term loans.
Beyond that, you'll contribute to the early development of a
feature film spanning the globe, of whichthis short will form an
early chapter.
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FINISHING THE SAND STORM
There wont be any WARS OVER WATER for at least a decade but this
film can be ready in a matter ofweeks.
So many wonderful people have helped make the impossible
possible. Incredibly talented industryprofessionals (not just in
Beijing, but in London, Shanghai, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and
New York,with credits ranging from The Hobbit to Lost in
Translation) are donating their time and resources,scrambling to
finish the film so we can (hopefully!) premiere at a high profile
festival and online.
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WE RECORDED AN ORIGINAL SCORE with a 28-piece string orchestra
at Londons landmarkAbbey Road, a studio kept historically and
acoustically identical to when the Beatles last used it.
Oneperformer (pictured) is playing the viola from Eleanor Rigby
(sitting somewhere in the middle). Wellbe sharing more details in a
future update.
ALL THIS FOR A TEN MINUTE FILM?
Yes.
REALLY?
Yes.
HOW WELL DO YOU KEEP YOUR SECRETS?
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THIS WAS UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY. One of my first meetings with Ai
Weiwei was interrupted byplainclothes police interrogators whisking
him away.
We told no one what we were up to. The crew used code names and
ever-shifting modes ofcommunication, tapping cloak-and-dagger
pulp-fiction playbooks on loan from movies, novels, andlate-night
television.
Ok. We told ALMOST no one. Because he instagrammed it:
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TIME TO TELL EVERYONE
THE DAYS OF SECRETS ARE LONG OVER. We hope you will join in our
adventure and SPREADTHE WORD as we wrap and release THE SAND
STORM.
Please share this page on Twitter and and LIKE it on
Facebook!
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YOUR CONTRIBUTION MEANS SO MUCH
Aww thanks (in advance, even for reading this far), and at the
risk of sounding like every otherKickstarter campaign, were giving
away special gifts connected with the project, but were
talkingSUPER ARTSY REWARDS custom action figures (!!!) access to
behind-the-scenes footage stillframes and a few surprises.
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OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO ENTERTAIN
Even today, water shortages, poor air quality, and information
obstruction exist around theworld. These complex issues provide the
backdrop for an open-ended story, and our art house sci-fishort is
the set-up for an eventual full-length feature film. But first, we
need to finish the short.
Whatevers next, it's going to be awesome, especially if we go at
it together.
Thank you!
Jason Wishnow and the entire Team
THE FIRST MILESTONE >> UNLOCKED!
1/3 of our $33k goal in 3 days. We did it in 29 hrs! All thanks
to you!
YOU UNLOCKED A NEW REWARD (The Shadow Box!!!) ANNNND previously
unseen footage of theMost Dangerous Barber in the World!
Guess who likes to cut hair?
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You can help us reach Milestone: #2 ($33k and 1000 supporters)
by liking, tweeting, and sharing thiscampaign.
THE SECOND MILESTONE >> UNLOCKED!
Thank you so much! And so: heres your Saturday morning cartoon!
Bill McMullens study for theexclusive action figure inspired by the
films mysterious Water Smuggler character.
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$33k in 33 days seemed ambitious enough. Thanks to you, we hit
it in 3 days (and 2 hrs). Incredible.
We realized we needed a STRETCH GOAL and were going to go for
$50k but before we saidanything you blew past that on day 4 CRAZY!
Right!???
Hence our NEW MILESTONE and FIRST STRETCH GOAL: The CRAZY-88k!
You in??
(within 11 days of launch help us cover all costs, not just
post! Please like, tweet, and share this newmilestone.)