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the pitch

my subject is one not for the faint of heart it. is a tale of acid park. this story must be told and shown to all of those who don't know. some will believe and some will not. many versions of this tale abound, which is the right one? which is folklore?, that is what we will attempt to find out. a few years back, my wife told me of a place that if you are driving by it at night it will scare the shit out of you. it is a memorial supposedly to a daughter killed by drunk/drugged drivers. it is superfantastic and highly detailed. the memorial is alot of scrap, trash, lawn ornaments, and everything is constructed to hold reflectors. that's right reflectors, you see the father of the daughter didn't want to just erect a memorial for his killed daughter he wanted revenge. this memorial was designed to make people lose control of their cars, because they do not see it until their headlights strike the reflectors, then the entire park lights up to reveal a twisted minature carnival spectacle. what is the real story, who really built this strange attraction, and what for. many questions are left to be answered, hopefully by two other dedicated brave souls who will not scare easily, because i warn you, i have seen it and filmed some, but when i saw something i didnt recognize, it was time for me to go. i warn you it is pretty scary and awesome. but the opportunity to try to get to the bottom of this story is too enticing and must be told. the pictures here do no justice, they are daylight and just snapshots. when we arrive as a crew for the first time it will be at night as to get my crew the full experience and shooting will commence. that said here is how i plan to shoot and style it. jm

the topic is the legend of acid park

the tone will be dark and dramatic

the mode will be experimental documentary

shooting style will be wild, extravagant, and many different approaches: day, night, vox pop, investigatory

my plan is to spend two nights and one day in this area, preferably arriving a friday night to get first reactions with multiple cameras and sound recording devices, saturday day: day shots of park then heading into town to grab locals voxpop (this is one of the most important facets of this film b/c if you read the testimonials of the people in the article below, every person has a different experience. and local rural townsfolk should have plenty to say and will enhance greatly the legend) i also plan to interview an expert in the area, town librarian, sheriff, etc. sound will be multilayered including location grab, vox pop, and interview. an original sound composition will also be added to give a strong audial attachment to film. all interviews must be arranged in advance, except for vox pop. interviews will preferably be held the same weekend but may have to be accomplished on separate trip which will be fine as well. this is fairly close only about 2-4 hrs away.

the most technical challenge will be filming at night, cameras must be set up off of the road from a safe distance because location is on a curve and a hill and cars will sneak up. because of the amount of different footage that must be shot, every member of my crew must film. we will use mini dv, professional and amateur, 35mm slr camera, digital camera, super 8mm, and 16 mm, black and white and color film will be used when applicable. applicants to this project must first spend much time practicing including myself, getting acquainted with the equipment, so when the time comes, execution will be the only thing on everyone's minds. the best way to overcome any challenge is by planning everything to the letter. contacts must be made and handled professionally. with a proper plan of attack we will execute this shoot flawlessly and have most of the hardest behind us.

the access needed is to be a possible challenge, as of today i do not have it but i have shot on my own already. if the legend is correct, a very crazy and eccentric old man owns the property. but through city records we will find the actual owner and ask permission to film on his/her land as well as obtain local town filming permits if necessary. if we are not allowed access to the land we will have to shoot from public property ie. the road rather the shoulder using vehicles to separate the equipment set up. if a truck with a flatbed becomes available that could be used as well. a window camera carmount would also be ideal but a wheelchair and spotlight could be also used effectively for passing shots. also the need for different lighting sources that are portable such as flashlights, high powered and colored lensed would be neat to experiment with but that is more along with equipment categories and the technical aspect i suppose.

i am the right person to direct this film because i feel i am very close to the subject and have thought long and hard (4+ years) on how i would approach and film this story. the very moment this fantastic vision appeared to me i was hooked. i know what needs to be captured, shot, and logged to get the most out of 3-4 days total shooting. my interests lie with experimental and documentary and i believe this is the perfect subject for me and hopefully for 2 equally passionate classmates/filmmakers and look forward to valuable input to make this story not only a festival participant but also a winner. i do not want this to be just a simple ghost tale it is too deep and too fantastic, that is why that it is so important that proper coverage is attained, so when this moves into the editing stage, focus will be placed only on storycraft, not wishing we had a certain b roll shot.

i think that this story can be made to attract any filmgoer, young and old alike. the story is not well known and no story is like it. it will reach out to any genre/demographic because all humans by characteristic are curious. i ultimately wish for it to be sent on a wild festival tour to finally gently rest in full frame doc festival and win. i think that first it will screen here at uncw, then a festival plan and packet will be created, final polish, then away it will go. i plan on following this through to next semester in the editing stage. as an auteur i wish for my fingerprints cover this film, the special touches of locality and imagination i will add will separate this from all other films. the people who wish to participate in this film will be expected to be professional, courteous and mature, but fun, imagination, and exploration is what will ultimately be achieved at day's end. thank you for your consideration.

john marshall