Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that the physical side of running your business never slows you down. I know that I'd be hurting, though! That video hurts me just looking at it I have my mom's bad back I think. But I also have her hands, and they seem to serve me well.

As for my Stick being ready, all I can say is:
WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!

The final payment is already on its way.
-Matt

Yes, but will this documentary be a Love Fest or an honest portrayal of a human being?

You hit the nail on the head, Loop. That is a very good question. This is not a tribute movie. I do love my brother, but that doesn't prevent me from seeing his story objectively. When I started this documentary six years ago, I was emphatic that it would be honest, objective and unbiased.

The significance of Emmett's story is beyond the music scene. This documentary is for everyone. Despite Emmett's role as a mild-mannered Stickmaker, his story is so interesting and I feel very strongly that I'm the right person to tell it.

Your donation of $10 will be appreciated. I still need help.

Sounds great, Dan. The trailer is fantastic.

Being a new Stick owner, I was fascinated by the ins & outs of the entire culture; especially the trials & tribulations, struggles, rivalries, and compromises that Emmett, Yuta, and others went through to realize the vision.

That Emmett is a genius and has invented a new instrument is unquestioned. The film will no doubt show that. That Emmett is an amazing musician in his own right is unquestioned. The film will no doubt show that as well. There's the struggle and drama with the 'inventor vs the musician' conflict; has Emmett sacrificed one art (music and musician) for another (inventor and craftsman)? Is he happy with the balance? Does he think he's compromised one art form for another? Does he have any regrets? That's great stuff.

But there's also the darker side of the Stick story (depending on your perspective, of course). The detractors and imitators. The legal wrangles. All of this was completely unknown to me before I became interested in the instrument, and is intriguing subject matter. What's with the paragraphs of legal copyright and trademark notices? What were the detailed notices about how exactly the instrument should be referred to in album notes? What exactly had I bought into? Should I get my lawyer to take a look before playing the instrument? lol. Was I dealing with a paranoid businessman/inventor? Or was there a method to all of this legalese madness?

There was joking earlier about including a Salieri figure in the documentary, and Traktor Topaz was mentioned in jest. Well.... Hmm. Why not mention him? Hell, why not interview him for the film? Why not interview Mark Warr? Emmett has clearly spawned a cottage industry, and it's not all a friendly playground. But it is a part of the history of Emmett and the Stick. To ignore it would be....not dishonest. But....an incomplete picture. Maybe that stuff is a real sore spot for Emmett. Maybe it's painful. But that's LIFE. I'm not talking about providing a platform for Traktor to sell his Megatar, and I'm also not talking about using the film as an opportunity to bash him and other tap instrument makers. Rather, it would be interesting to get other viewpoints about Emmett and the Stick that might not come from Tony Levin, Steve Adelson, Greg Howard, or any other number of longtime virtuoso Stick players. Quite the opposite, in fact. Drama! A bit of the protagonist/antagonist bent makes for great filmmaking, does it not?

Two documentaries immediately come to mind. First, Hearts of Darkness. Francis Ford Coppola's journey into madness and brilliance while filming Apocalypse Now; as captured by his wife Eleanor. What makes this so riveting is the uncompromising portrait of Francis. It's not "look at how brilliant a filmmaker my husband is.." More like "look at how flawed and crazed my brilliant filmmaker husband is..." A big difference.

The other is King of Kong. Fascinating film. What elevates it beyond just admiration for a great video game player is the antagonist/protagonist bent.

Well, I'm rambling at this point and probably telling you nothing you don't already know or haven't already considered. lol.

Just my 2cents. Or, rather, $10 - as I've just sent my donation.

I enjoyed reading your response, Loop. Thank you. For a new Stick player you have an extraordinarily comprehensive insight. And your writing is really great too. Have you ever considered a career in P.R.? I'm curious. What is your background?

You touch on many things I agree with. My hope is that my film might help to clear up some long-obscured conflicts and may bring about real resolution... "like a bridge over troubled water."

Certainly you can't depict a true picture of Emmett's story without showing adversity. I value the underlying humanity in a story that we can all relate to.

King of Kong is a favorite docu of mine and I agree with you regarding Francis Ford.

“Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me”

Thanks Dan.

My background is architecture. Switched over to 3D visualization awhile back. Never considered a career in PR, lol.

I'm glad that my comments weren't taken in the wrong way. With your incredible background in the world of film I figured I wasn't telling you anything you didn't already know; particularly with respect to the two films I mentioned.


I've got some technical questions, if you don't mind?

Was curious as to whether or not you'll have spoken narration? Or stay with the text narration that is seen in the trailer?

How are you shooting and editing the film? In 1080p? 720p? Are you doing the editing yourself? If so, what's the setup?

You probably don't need any assistance, but I'm pretty skilled in Adobe Premiere and After Effects should you ever need a hand.

Take care and keep us posted on that upcoming premiere/preview this month!




"We had access to too much money. Too much equipment. And little by little we went insane."
-Coppola

^love that line.

Thanks.

I may take you up on your AE offer at some point. You have good film taste and lots of insight. I have some animation ideas that my son Dean (27) has been helping with and he's pretty good at AE. He was a film major at CSUN.

Narration is something I've been avoiding. I'd rather show the story rather than tell it, but I don't rule anything out. You can find answers to those tech questions on my POV page here (at bottom):
http://www.chapdoc.com/pov.html

Ahh, cool. Take care, Dan.

"All of this was completely unknown to me before I became interested in the instrument, and is intriguing subject matter. What's with the paragraphs of legal copyright and trademark notices? What were the detailed notices about how exactly the instrument should be referred to in album notes? What exactly had I bought into? Should I get my lawyer to take a look before playing the instrument? lol. Was I dealing with a paranoid businessman/inventor? Or was there a method to all of this legalese madness?"

Drama is good, Loop, but now you've wandered off into melodrama. My little footnotes, asterisks and trademark treatments are moderate and standard, especially in light of the many new innovations and my coined phrases for each of them.

Some day you too might create something new of true value for others to use, and when that day comes, you may find yourself nurturing and protecting your brainchild from the worst aspects of commercialization, and for reasons that have little to do with business and profit. At that point in time, should you be so fortunate, you may well assume a different attitude about credits, acknowledgments and intellectual property.

Friendly sarcasm intended, Emmett.

Greetings, Emmett.

Friendly sarcasm received.

Wandered off into melodrama??!! Au contraire.

Your response is perfect, and tells a story in and of itself. You've created something truly unique and there's a real need to protect that property. That makes excellent subplot material for Dan's film.

Stick players, including myself, would have no trouble whatsoever sitting through 90min of people singing your praises. I sing your praises everytime I pick up the Stick. But the general movie going public? Not so sure. At some point it could all start to become self-serving or, worse, start to sound like a 90min infomercial.

I think what an audience (a good percentage of whom will NOT be musicians) would find fascinating is the aspect of rivalry - be it friendly or otherwise - and what you felt you had to do that would ensure the survival of your invention; not to mention the survival of your livelihood.

I hope you and Dan and everyone else don't take these comments the wrong way. I'm a huge admirer of yours, believe me. As an architect (and furniture designer who has several products available in the commercial office market right now) I do have an understanding about the design/invention process and protecting your creation(s). I've nothing but respect for what you've achieved, and how much love has gone into everything you've created. In fact, it was the DESIGN of your instrument that first attracted my attention. "What is this thing? My God. It's pure DESIGN perfection." If Mies van der Rohe had ever designed an instrument, the Stick would have been it, lol.

My comments are really about the structuring of a documentary film; how does one capture the imagination of an audience by showing what you've created, while at the same time give them the human drama and struggles with which we can all relate.