We’re excited to announce that The Elders is now being distibuted via Vimeo.com’s On Demand service. If you would like to download ($9.99) or rent ($3.99) The Elders, you can now do so by visiting this link here.

Sunday, April 28th at 12:45 PM at Somerville Theater in Davis Square, Somerville Ma., The Elders wil premiere at 2013 IFFBoston. For tickets and more information about the festival, please visit the online box office.

The Elders is SO CLOSE to being done – and as I type this, I’m putting together the finishing touches in preparation for the Final Cut screening being held at the Paramount Center theater in Boston on Tuesday (April 12th).

This morning I finished putting the beautiful titles and credits in place (by Jeffrey Jeppesen), and the final draft of the (hauntingly beautiful!) score (music by Lee Strauss) will be in place tonight. Color correction will be wrapped up tonight as well, and then my computer will be working around the clock until Monday to get the film into a format that it can be viewed on any computer. So close!

I’ve attached a picture of the poster/postcard for the film – and I’d love to know what you think. It was put together by my long-time friend and collaborator Jeffrey Jeppesen who also did the titles for the film.

I’ll keep you updated and be on the lookout for an email from kickstarter requesting addresses so I can begin to send out the “rewards” in early May!

Thank you all for your patience as I make this film the best it can be – we’re almost “done!”

Hi Everyone! I realized about a week ago that it had been quite a while since I had posted a project update. My apologies!

It’s been a busy couple months, and while the edit is taking longer than I had anticipated, I’m pleased with where it’s headed. In late October, I screened a 50 minute “rough cut” to about 45 people in Boston. Admittedly I was really, really nervous. But the film (even in that rough state), was VERY well received with tears, ruckus laughter, and moments of intense silence. It was one of the most memorable moments of my adult life to see people come together and experience what I had experienced in the summer of 2010. Without all of your help – none of it would have been possible!

One very humbling part of this project, which I anticipated but which I think is impossible to prepare for, is that some of my interviewees have quietly begun to leave this life. While inevitable, it’s difficult to learn of their passing. Out of 20 individuals interviewed, I know 2 have passed: Marie Hensell (my grandmother) and John Adams. It is to their lives and the lives of those who participated that this film is ultimately dedicated, and it is my hope that we can take away something small from the enormity of their lives.

In other news, I was thrilled to see that The Elders was listed as one of two other honorable mentions under the category of “Best Short Film” projects on kickstarter this year (2010). What an honor for us all! With thousands of projects to choose from, it’s a pretty awesome feeling to have my work recognized in this way by a community that I have really grown to admire and love. That community has allowed my project to flourish, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

I’m also delighted that people make the connection to The Elders as a “short” film project. I suppose, technically, that’s accurate as it is a collection of short films that make up a feature-length film (70 minutes). And that was my intent from the beginning: Could I create a feature-length documentary film built entirely on short portraits of mostly talking heads? It worked, and it’s working as support continues to pour in!

http://blog.kickstarter.com/post/2713612870/best-short-film-project

Finally, my updated timeline is as follows:

Fine-Cut sent to composer: Feb 3rd
Fine-Cut screening/discussion: Feb 20th (hosted by the Snapdragon Inn in Windsor Vermont)
Picture Lock: March 1st
Final Touches and completed film (soundtrack, motion graphics, color correction): April 1st

Wish me luck – it’s going to be a busy few months and come this spring I’ll continue to keep an eye on your mailbox or your inbox for the completed film!

Best
Nathaniel

I was thrilled to see that my documentary film project The Elders was listed as one of two other honorable mentions under the category of “Best Short Film” projects on kickstarter this year (2010). What an honor! With thousands of projects to choose from, it’s a pretty awesome feeling to have my work recognized in this way by a community that I have really grown to admire and love. That community has allowed my project to flourish, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

I’m also delighted that people make the connection to The Elders as a “short” film project. I suppose, technically, that’s accurate as it is a collection of short films that make up a feature-length film (70 minutes). And that was my intent from the beginning: Could I create a feature-length documentary film built entirely on short portraits of mostly talking heads? It worked, and it’s working as support continues to pour in!

http://blog.kickstarter.com/post/2713612870/best-short-film-project

Thanks Kickstarter!

I’ve completed a 56 minute rough cut of the documentary film, The Elders, which I had the privilege of showing to 50 or so colleagues over at Emerson College last Wednesday. It was SUCH a thrill to experience this film with an audience. I was totally numb to the footage, and was even embarrassed that I had assembled a group to watch what I thought was an abysmal mess. To my surprise, I saw tears being wiped, faces glued to the screen and, near the end, uncontrollable laughter with a new kind of tear being wiped. The kind my sisters tease me about when I get laughing hard…

So I’ve come up for air for this week, and I have not touched the project since last Wednesday night. It feels good to get some distance, and I’m excited to dive back in and make needed changes and improvements.

To my colleagues and friends who were there…THANK YOU! And to those who have supported the film from the very begining, I’m excited about what this will look like a month from now and hopefully by the end of the year I’ll have a finished product we can all celebrate together.

An interview with Dorcas, my 5th grade elementary school teacher. She’s one of a handful of educators in my life who I can immediately point to and say “you helped make me what I am today.” I was glad she agreed to be a part of The Elders documentary project.

Enjoy this short snippet from her longer interview.

Jack is a legend in the real cowboy world – the world where they actually work with cows and ride horses – He’s one of the most prolific artists in the western folk art of cowboy poetry. In his 90s, he still rides a tractor to cut the hay on his ranch in northern Nevada.

About a week ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Mike Welsch (Three Bears Standing), a native american gentleman who lives in Hillsboro, Oregon just outside of Portland in the beautiful Scholls Valley. This was a classic example of not judging a book by its cover. The cluttered exterior and interior of his workshop looked like a bomb had been set off or like I had been lost in a remote part of Appalachia. I’m not generally put off by the junk and clutter, but rather I find myself very curious as to the characters that might inhabit such a place.

I don’t want to give too much away about this interview – it’s one of my personal favorites so far – but I’ll simply say that this simple man had some deeply profound things to say about life and about our way of living today. I’m excited to edit this one together.

Thanks to Rich Vial for the introduction, and the production still.