Project updates / End of year donation promotions
I’m sorry it’s been over a month since my last update. I was traveling out of state at the end of September, and, being a teacher, I had to do a lot of prep work to ensure my classes would be covered while away. I’ve also been busy taking classes as I work towards getting my California teaching credential, and a lot of things have temporarily fallen by the wayside.
The big challenge I’ve had, particularly these last few years, is how fundraising has lost significant momentum, while the scope and complexity of the documentary has seemingly multiplied. There’s animation, motion graphics, over 65 interviews, and decades of content being covered – including more recent happenings like the closure of the University of the Arts, the fate of the Amsel collection, and the existential threat artists now face with the era of AI. (More on that nasty “AI thing” later... It seems I have some mea culpeas to make.)
As a result, I’ve largely had to fend for myself in getting the film edited, and the process of post-production heavily consumes any available time and money I have. These are challenging times for everyone – the post-COVID, “happy tariffs” economy, the ever-changing entertainment industry (especially with company and studio mergers, massive employee layoffs) – and I know that many who previously supported the project no longer have the financial means to do so. I understand, and I’m right there with you.
Which brings me to another end-of-year fundraising promotion! As a reminder, this project has 501(c)(3) non-profit status through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, so in addition to our offering some cool rewards incentives – postcards, prints, and other goodies – your support can also benefit you come tax time. Please check out our Donate/Contribute page for more info.
Every penny is accounted for, and we need all the help we can get.
Through the end of the year, I’ll be offering a new, special promotion each month, for those of you who subscribe to and actively engage with us on social media. Each month, one active member from each of our online pages will receive 5 Amsel postcards, free of charge. (This means three giveaways each month, from October through December.)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardamselmovie
Another reason why I’m doing this is to help generate more word of mouth about Richard Amsel, and showcase online some of his lost or lesser-known work before the film and eventual book are completed. There’s a lot that I’ve yet to add to the official website, and our social media pages are a convenient means to expand the circle of interest in the interim.
Long before I ever started the film, I was working to catalog, archive, and digitally restore some of the many hundreds of images I’ve collected of Amsel’s oeuvre. I’ve spent years and (many) hundreds of hours painstakingly going through them, cleaning them up in Photoshop, as well as photographing a number of newly discovered/uncovered pieces.
This past summer, I finally finished. Virtually every scan, every photo, every digitized negative and transparency…all of them now ready to share with the world.
People ask me about the status of the book, and why I don’t start a crowd funding campaign for it just yet. The main reason is that I need to finish the locked picture for the documentary first, and the overall narrative is, even now, still in progress.
My intent for the book, as with the film, goes far beyond a mere showcase of pretty pictures. It is about a man’s life story, his personality, his complexities, as well as his work. I’m taking great care to create a record that can withstand scrutiny, be documented, and adequately preserve an artist’s legacy that might otherwise be lost. It’s costing me everything, and it’s also taking me time.
To those who’ve supported the project so far, I can’t thank you enough. To those discovering Amsel’s work for the first time, I warmly welcome you aboard.
Please help if you can. And if you can’t contribute financially, you can still help spread the word!
Warm regards,
Adam
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