Whisper Productions

2012 National Film Challenge

joshm — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:57:54 +0000

This year we are entering the National Film Challenge. We have some AMAZING cast and crew coming out to be a part of team Whisper. I believe we are going to have over 40 people helping us create the film this year! We are looking for some help feeding all of these people over the 4 days of creating this film. As it turns out, it costs a lot of money to feed 40 people that many meals. If you wouldn’t mind helping out by donating whatever you can to go towards food that would be amazing. Even if it’s $5 it helps us out.
Thank you all so much! I can’t wait until this weekend. It’s going to be amazing.

Here is the film we entered into the 2009 National Film Challenge. We are going to blow this away this year!

“The Find” – A film created within 72 hrs for the 2009 National Film Challenge. from Whisper Productions on Vimeo.

Thanks!

-Josh

You HAVE to say no. YOUR IS MISSION AT STAKE.

joshm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:00:55 +0000

When you own your own business there is an incredible temptation to say yes to every job offered to you. I mean you have bills to pay and a family to take care of, you have to make money right? The video above is what finally changed my view on this. One day I received a phone call and was told they needed a camera op, AC, gaffer, our RED package and 1 ton grip truck. Sounds great, right? That would be a nice little paycheck for Whisper for just a days worth of work. Well turns out by camera op they meant Director of Photography (which are 2 totally different roles) and also a day meant a 16 hour day with no overtime (which typically it’s 12 hrs) and also by pay they meant we would actually have to pay for doing this job. The company claimed that the hard drive (that we were not asked to provide but provided anyway because they didn’t bring one to set) was dropped (by their crew) and was not recoverable. So they couldn’t pay for a video they didn’t have. So for this video Whisper had to pay $1,000 out of pocket and lose our time of working that 16 hr day. Not exactly the best day of work.

All that to say, that is not what I regret most. Watch this video…. does it look anything like what Whisper stands for or what we are pursuing with our company? Our goal is to tell stories that change the way people view the world, inspiring action and change. Does this video come close to that goal? If we continue down the path of just creating videos for anyone and everyone who calls where is that going to take us? We have to take a stand and pursue what we are called deep in our hearts to do.

Thank you all for supporting us on this journey.

Changing the world.

joshm — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:46:59 +0000

Dear Friends,

I am writing you all because I am starting a new chapter in my life and with Whisper Productions. I want to share it with you because I can’t do this without you all.

As most of you know, for about the past 10 years I have been telling stories through film and photography. I have been telling stories, but mostly other people’s stories. I am incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities I have been given over the past 10 years, I have been able to travel the world and capture on film some incredible stories. During that time it has always been a dream of mine to be able to create my own films, films that truly change the way people view the world.

So that is where I am at. Whisper Productions, although we still want to work and help others tell their stories, we are moving full speed ahead on creating our own feature films. We currently have several scripts we are working on and are working tirelessly to get those finished. Together with Adam Dukes and Daniel Montgomery we have formed a creative collective (yet to be named) that is a writing, directing, producing powerhouse.

We believe that our world needs better stories. We agree with the quote by Robert McKee that says “A culture cannot truly evolve without honest, powerful storytelling”. Stories inspire us, challenge us and inform us. They allow us to connect with and discover our own humanity. It is absolutely crucial that our world gets these stories. We are going to tell stories that change the way people view the world.

Here is where we have to have your help. We want to make this a grassroots film movement. We are going to do away with the terrible stories that hollywood spits out. We have our sites set on that great mountain and are going to bring true storytelling back to the people.

As of right now, the best thing you guys could do is like our facebook page. Whisper Facebook We plan to release a Kickstarter campaign for our first feature film in about a month. We will give updates on how you can get involved with that through our facebook page.

Secondly we are applying for a $250,000 grant and we need your votes to be eligible for that grant. It takes 2 seconds, all you have to do is go to missionsmallbusiness.com login with your facebook account then search for Whisper Productions and vote. We have to get 250 votes to be eligible for the grant and as of right now we only have 29. Please vote and share this info with your friends.

Third, we are looking for anyone interested in investing in films. So if you know of anyone, send them our way.

Thank you all so much for listening. Thank you all for you support.

Your Friend,

Josh

Divine Skateboards

joshm — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:41:09 +0000

Romania

joshm — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:14:26 +0000

On August 12th-20th I traveled to Oradea, Romania to work with an organization called Belief in Motion. Here are a few of the photos I took on the trip. These people have had an impact on my life that they will never know. Photos just can’t do justice to how amazing these people are.

The Know Better Effect Trailer

joshm — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 05:46:18 +0000

We are so proud to be a part of creating The Know Better Effect, a television show for tweens. This is the trailer for the 30 min. show. I hope you like it.

Creator /Executive Producer – Leigh Halsema

Director / Co-Creator – Adam Dukes

Director of Photography – Josh McKague

Original Score – Daniel Montgomery

Producer / Carrie Walrond Hood

Head Writer / Jacob York

Writer / Phil Pierce

Check out www.theknowbettereffect.com for more info.

Leaving La Floresta Documentary

joshm — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 17:31:23 +0000

Leaving La Floresta is a feature length documentary film that follows the story of Abelardo Joya, a Colombian Campesino (farmer), and his family. Internally displaced by the “war on drugs” and the fight against Coca (the plant used to make Cocaine), Abelardo, his wife, and five kids are forced to leave their Cacao farm (the plant used to make raw chocolate) and struggle to find a new way of life as a displaced family.

Colombia, South America now has the highest rate of internally displaced people in the world, thanks in part to the drug trade and the “war on drugs”. The internally displaced in Colombia now number more than 5 million. This feature length documentary will give those displaced a voice.

Over the past year, Whisper Productions has partnered with the non-profit organization Give Us Names, to capture the story of Abelardo and his family. The Joya’s were displaced due to the United States’ “war on drugs” policy called Plan Colombia. On his farm he grew Cacoa and yucca. Planes sent by the U.S., flew over his farm and dropped an herbicide which destroyed all of his crops. This herbicide caused his land to no longer be able to produce and forced him and his family to move to what you could barely call a home in the city.

Abelardo, his wife and five kids now call this one room, home, in the city. This is their bedroom, dining room, kitchen, everything.

Our feature length documentary follows his story and tries to dive deeper into the causes and real solutions to the problem of displacement and the “war on drugs”.

After 3 trips to Colombia, we finally feel we have all the footage we need to tell this story. We are now in the post-production stage and must face the enormous challenge of turning hours and hours of raw footage into a feature length documentary film, and getting the film and its message distributed throughout the world. We had recently created a Kickstarter page to raise funds to help support this film but were unsuccessful. We are still going to honor the rewards we offered to people who donate here through our paypal donate button.

Here are the rewards.

1. PLEDGE $1 OR MORE Your name will appear in the final credits of the film as a supporter.

2. PLEDGE $10 OR MORE A high definition digital download of “Leaving La Floresta” once it is completed. + All of the above

3. PLEDGE $15 OR MORE A 5X7 photo of Abelardo and his family taken by Cinematographer Josh McKague. Visit http://www.whisperproductions.com/support-the-revolution/ to view his photos of Colombia. + All of the above

4. PLEDGE $25 OR MORE A “Leaving La Floresta” DVD and an official 11″x17″ movie poster + All of the above

5. PLEDGE $50 OR MORE A signed 8X12 Photo of your choice by Cinematographer Josh McKague. Visit http://www.whisperproductions.com/support-the-revolution/ to view his photos. + All of the above

6. PLEDGE $75 OR MORE A Whisper Productions special edition “Leaving La Floresta” T-Shirt + All of the above

7. PLEDGE $125 OR MORE An invitation to the pre-screening party this spring where you will be able to watch the film, meet the Whisper Productions and Give Us Names crew, ask questions and give suggestions towards the final edit of the film. + All of the above

8. PLEDGE $250 OR MORE VIP dinner with Whisper Productions and Give Us Names before the premier this fall. + VIP seating at the premier + All of the above

9. PLEDGE $500 OR MORE All of the above + $600 credit with Whisper Productions. Whisper is a full service Production company with an extensive list of gear available for rent. Credit is to be used towards gear rental and/or labor. Visit www.whisperproductions.com to learn more.

10. PLEDGE $1,000 OR MORE $1,250 credit with Whisper Productions. + All of the rewards at the $250 level

11. PLEDGE $2,500 OR MORE $3,250 credit with Whisper Productions. + All of the rewards at the $250 level

12. PLEDGE $5,000 OR MORE $6,750 credit with Whisper Productions. + All of the rewards at the $250 level

13. PLEDGE $10,000 OR MORE $14,000 credit with Whisper Productions. + All of the rewards at the $250 level

Whisper Productions has had the great honor of producing this documentary for Give Us Names, we could not have done this without them. Whisper Productions has believed in Give Us Names and their mission to end displacement in Colombia so much that we have done work over the last year and a half at no cost to try and get this story out. We have come to realization that we cannot finish this film and release it with the quality it deserves and to a large audience without the proper funding. So your donations are going directly to the completion of this film. If you want to donate to directly help Abelardo and his family please give your money to www.giveusnames.com

Thank you for being a part of giving a name and a voice to those displaced in Colombia.

***Note*** Whisper Productions is willing to work for your donations and even give you a discount towards credit with us. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone if the project would be considered a compromise to the standards of Whisper Productions. Thanks!!

The Know Better Effect

joshm — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 04:18:58 +0000

In just a few hours we finally begin principle photography for The Know Better Effect! We can’t thank the creator, Leigh Halsema, enough for trusting us and giving us the opportunity to be a part of this incredible project.

A little more about The Know Better Effect…

“The Know Better Effect teaches children empathy and compassion by visualizing the world from a socially conscious point of view. The show follows a group of kids that find a mysterious old box labeled KBDB (Know Better, Do Better). They set out on a mission to become stewards of The Know Better Effect and explore their community and surrounding neighborhoods, learning how others live and what it means to help those in need.

In the pilot episode, our characters visit a homeless shelter and food bank, and meet other kids that are practicing KBDB. The power of empathy and understanding drives the characters to follow this mysterious KBDB box in future missions and spread The Know Better Effect movement.”

The Know Better Effect allows kids to gain a visual understanding of world issues in an age-appropriate and exciting environment. Each episode demonstrates confidence, self-esteem, friendship, empathy, compassion, and the benefit of sacrifice.”

To find out more check out www.theknowbettereffect.com

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Kickstarter

joshm — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:47:10 +0000

We have started a Kickstarter to help fund finalizing out feature length documentary shot in Colombia. Help support the movement.

Support The Revolution

joshm — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:09:55 +0000

As many of you know, we have been working for over a year now with Give Us Names working on creating a feature length documentary film called Leaving La Floresta. Give Us Names, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization seeking to improve the lives of displaced Colombians. Our goal is to tell their stories in such a way that those who hear them will not rest until displacement ends, justice is brought to the perpetrators, and the rights of the displaced are recognized and protected.

You can see the trailer here.

So far this film has required 3 trips to Colombia and countless hours planning and editing. In order to help offset the costs of creating this film I am going to start selling prints of my photos from Colombia. This is a great way for you guys to help be a part of creating this film and get something in return. We are starting a revolution and I can’t wait for everyone to be able to see this film.

Below each photo is a tab to select your print size and add to cart. Thanks for being a part of the movement!

Also if you would like you could just donate towards the creation of our film here

Thanks!