Sad News

Its hard to make an offer without knowing what you have. If you have a marshall or some p2 cards i would be interested. dodih72 at hotmail dot com .
I'm sad to hear about your project.
Hopefully you will find a equally motivating or even better project to drive you.
Peace
-Pierre
 
Sorry to hear that your project died a sudden death.
I would caution against selling your gear to fast.

I'm sure you'll have something to use them for.
 
Man that sucks. I didn't know this is why you were selling all of your equipment in the Marketplace.

It's a huge loss, but definitely not the end of the world. I know it's cliche to say, but it's generally true.

Good luck with the sales man, and everything else.
 
Sounds to me like you have a decent story for a different documentary altogether...

Why not make a film about your experiences in trying to make your film?
 
I'm sure he is going to get a great movie out of all of this. I'm just going to assume that he is being noble by trying to get his investors some of their money back... also, it probably takes some of the pressure off his back if he does. I'm sure that he has a camera or two lying around if he needs any more footage of further battles, literal or figurative.
 
Wow. Bummer news. I am so sorry to hear it. I cannot imagine what that must feel like... to have so much time and energy invested.

I am certain that there is a silver lining in all of this.

Best of luck to you.

Semper Fi.

-Ted
 
Marc...

That's an awful thing to have happen. It's been at the back of my mind all this time and I was looking forward to seeing your work on this project.

I've thought about the possibility of such a long-term project being torpedoed before it can finish, but I guess it's one of those things that all of us independents face.

Hopefully all the footage you've acquired up until now has a value that you haven't realized yet. Perhaps taking a little time off can give you a different perspective that would allow you to tell a different -- but equally compelling -- story.

At the very time the military could use all the public support it can get, this failure to allow you to help tell its stories is short-sighted.

Perhaps you should hold off on selling your tools. There's so much more work to be done.

Good luck!
 
Hi Marc,

I totally sympathise with your position that you should have been allowed to continue filming. I have no doubt that you were making an outstanding film, and like many others here I believe you may still have one.

Your personal investment in this has obviously been huge and I don't know what pressures you are under from your backers, but you are still on track to tell an important story. It's just not the one that you expected to tell when you started.

An Australian filmmaker, Mike Rubbo, made a film called "Waiting for Castro", about an interview that never happened. The very fact that Castro was innaccessible has meaning and made a story.

Your betrayal by the military honchos has meaning. Their decision to stop you is political, and in my opinion it makes your story so much stronger that you exposed that. The people in the Pentagon are not fighting a war for transparency and accountability.

You have been caught in a chasm between the world view of the soldiers and the world view of their masters. And it is a place that is seldom explored.

I hope you are able to reflect on your situation and see that your film still has something important to say.
 
I'm just spitballing here, but what about putti g the doc on hold? As the soldiers and marines return you could continue the "story'of after their engagment. Follow up with their families. It's not dead yet. It's changed is all. Not quite the same thing, but there were two documenatry film makers here in canada that shot on film and the lab went up in flames. They lost every bit of neg and footage.

They the started again. Remade the entire doc from scratch.

Your doc ain't dead yet, it's just different. Show the footage to other possible distribution people/finacier possibilities. keep going. I bet you make a killer film inspite of this kick in the pants.

Funny, I was looking to buy a used HVX200, but I wouldn't feel right buying it from you because I saw Dark Days and was floored by it, so I know you can pull one frickin' awesome, bad ass rabbit out of your hat.
 
[SIZE=+0]Marc,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]What can I say, this is a tough blow. I'm sure everybody here wishes you the very best. After reading your post I'm sure of one thing however; this trust and respect you have earned with the forces won't go to waste. Somewhere down the line it will be repayed. Best of Luck with your future projects.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Regards,[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+0]Ray[/SIZE]
 
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Thats pretty outrageous, way out there! I'm sure it will be much discussed on the boards here.

Good news to hear you're OK, there were a lot of folks wondering what had happened.

re getting investor money back:
I'm think you could get a pretty decent price on the camera at least if you sell it as "Marc Singers Camera" , big it up and auction it or something, I'm sure you'd be suprised what some people would pay for what is in essence film making memorabilia.
 
I am really sorry to hear about this Marc. I shot a PM to you after seeing the list of equipment yesterday morning. I feel compelled to say sorry for being greedy on wanting that equipment now. This was your life for two years man, these guys need to understand that. Do they not understand that?

Maybe you can continue with a different platoon in a few months or something. I would say if you feel attatched to this project, keep fighting man. Write some letters. Shoot, this is your footage. Get your story in the local news or something. This might also make for a nice short film about what you went thru. My thoughts and prayers are with you mate...
 
Thank you for all for your responses to the post I wrote. Please don't feel bad about buying the equipment. It's just a way for the distribution company involved to try to recoup some of the money they lost. It has nothing to do with my personal situation. I technically didn't own it in the first place, and always just looked at it as a tool to get the job done. So, if you see something you like, grab it. It's a good deal, and the stuff is in great shape.

As far as my personal situation goes, I'll be fine. It's unfortunate that this film will never see the light of day. I truly believe it would have been great and I would have loved sharing the experience with you. But, it's also the nature of the beast and the chances you take when embarking on something of this nature. Welcome to documentary filmmaking! It's not the first time I've been knocked down and probably won't be the last. But it's also not how many times your on your down that matters. What counts in this game is how many times that you get back up. And I'm doing just that.

Once again, thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it.

All the best,

Marc
 
Thank you for all for your responses to the post I wrote. Please don't feel bad about buying the equipment. It's just a way for the distribution company involved to try to recoup some of the money they lost. It has nothing to do with my personal situation. I technically didn't own it in the first place, and always just looked at it as a tool to get the job done. So, if you see something you like, grab it. It's a good deal, and the stuff is in great shape.

As far as my personal situation goes, I'll be fine. It's unfortunate that this film will never see the light of day. I truly believe it would have been great and I would have loved sharing the experience with you. But, it's also the nature of the beast and the chances you take when embarking on something of this nature. Welcome to documentary filmmaking! It's not the first time I've been knocked down and probably won't be the last. But it's also not how many times your on your down that matters. What counts in this game is how many times that you get back up. And I'm doing just that.

Once again, thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it.

All the best,

Marc
 
Marc!

I'm absolutely stunned. If only people knew the intense dedication that you've put into this project, they would be even more shocked by this particular twist of fate.

On the other hand, are you coming down for Wakulla? We had close to 100' of vis two weeks ago-- it's been seven years since the basin looked like that. Wait until you see "Patience," the firestore-enabled housing for the HVX that we've come up with... Call me at home.

Best,

Anthony
 
marc, i'm sorry to hear this. i didn't know who you were at first, but i just realized that you made dark days. i watched dark days about 2 years ago. it was enthralling and the most interesting and unique documentary i've ever seen, without a doubt. i always wondered who was behind that camera because it takes a really bold person to go underground into that whole other world like you did. and judging by it's quality, i know everything you'll make in the future will be excellent. hope to see your next project in the near future.
 
Mark, it is from the post were you announced you were starting this new experience that I'd like to see Dark days. Never released in Europe? Never tried to contact an italian broadcaster/distributor?
Sorry for what happened. I shoot 2 reality shows (very very trashy) x year specifically to have time and money to put on good projects like yours. Many times I felt inspired by what you were doing.
Alvise
 
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