Last week was a big one for Street Fighting Man. In addition to our continued Kickstarter success, the film was covered by WNYC’s The Takeaway, The Selective Echo, Absolute Michigan, and indieWIRE’s Shadow and Act. Street Fighting Man was also featured on Kickstarter as a Staff Pick and written up by Jay Cheel on The Documentary Blog. We are on track to reach our Kickstarter goal of 20K, and according to funding trends, we are in a good position to surpass it! One thing we’ve learned about Kickstarter is that it takes a committed team with diversified networks to really take your campaign to the next level.

Celeste Headlee (WNYC’s The Takeaway) says that Street Fighting Man is “beautiful, hopeful, and totally real.”

Les Roka (The Selective Echo) says that Street Fighting Man “does not scrub away any of the harsh realities that might unsettle or even disturb viewers who perhaps are more accustomed to the memes that keep them at a safe artistic distance. In ‘Street Fighting Man,’ these realities take on eye-opening awareness wiping away the expectations of exoticism that inadvertently creeps into some documentaries about the urban crisis in America.”

Jay Cheel (The Documentary Blog) says “It looks like ‘Street Fighting Man’ is going to be a powerful, beautifully shot piece of work that gracefully combines a socially relevant issue with some great, cinematic filmmaking.”

In addition to all the press coverage and twitter action, Street Fighting Man was also mentioned in a great piece for The Independent by our very own Sara Archambault, about the challenges of balancing Motherhood and filmmaking. The article highlights several inspirational working Mothers, Sara included, and reveals some of the passion, determination, and commitment that it takes to produce independent films like Street Fighting Man.

(Source: kickstarter.com)

This week, we launched a Kickstarter campaign for Street Fighting Man to raise funds for post-production. We are trying to raise 20,000 to help pay for editing, sound, color, music, and more. Actually, we need to raise a lot more than that, but 20K definitely puts us in a good position to get everything rolling.

For those of you who are new to Kickstarter, let me give you a brief overview. Through a partnership with Amazon, Kickstarter allows supporters to make secure pledges in return for incentives or rewards. We are offering all kinds of interesting incentives, from photographs, to t-shirts, to signed DVDs. But unless we reach our goal by June 10th, none of that will matter because the pledged funds won’t actually be awarded to us. So we have scramble to raise this cash in 38 days. Our deadline is June 10th.

As I think back on this two-year journey, I can’t help but feel completely lucky and blessed to be working on this project. Street Fighting Man is one of the most important endeavors of my life, partly because the process of making the film has made me a better person, but also because I care so deeply about the men in this film. I grew extremely close with Deris, Luke, and Jack Rabbit, and I feel obligated to present their stories in a truthful and candid way. We shared intimate and personal moments together, and I experienced first-hand, a part of American life that usually escapes our collective narrative.

Living and working in Detroit for two years was life-altering. Everything I do and see these days is framed by that experience. And my sincere hope is that the film can share a little bit of what I learned from Detroit with the rest of the world.

To check out our campaign, follow this link: tinyurl.com/streetfightingman

In conjunction with the release of Cleanflix, Josh and I had the opportunity to join Brent Beal, Richard Dutcher, and host Dan Wotherspoon on the Mormon Matters podcast. We had a great discussion about Mormonism, culture, art, film, and more. One of the best podcasts we’ve done so far. Check it out at the link below!

(Source: mormonmatters.org)

Well, its official. We are bringing on Greg Snider (How to Die in Oregon) to help edit Street Fighting Man and I couldn’t be more excited! Dennis Przywara (Jam) and I are working on a rough cut and will deliver the footage to Greg by June 1st. After the delivery, Dennis and I will help Greg in whatever capacity he needs and will likely spend a few weeks in Portland finalizing the cut with Greg in late July.

We also finalized our editing advisor team. We are very excited to have the likes of Mary Lampson, Aaron Wickenden, Robb Moss, and Zachary Stuart-Pontier on board to look at cuts and provide valuable perspective. Collectively, the body of work represented by Greg, Dennis, and our four advisors, is nothing short of stunning. I am relishing the opportunity to learn from such great talent. The end is in sight! More details to come…

During the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to help edit this video with Kendall Wilcox, the director of Far Between, a documentary about the many complicated issues facing homosexual Mormons. This video, while not directly affiliated with Far Between, is a sign of things to come. Kendall is on a mission to deepen the conversation in the Mormon community about homosexuality. And its about time someone stepped up to the plate. Kendall, a gay man, and former BYU employee, is the perfect man for the job, and I am honored to be part of his team. I am currently taking a short hiatus to finish the rough cut of Street Fighting Man, but look forward to working with Kendall to help craft this important, and oh-so-timely film. For now, check out this video he produced with the help of BYU student group, USGA. Its gone totally viral. The video has been picked up by news agencies all over the West and was even featured on the Huffington Post. More to come.

Cleanflix, the film I co-directed with Joshua Ligairi, that premiered at TIFF three years ago, is finally available for any and all to consume. You can find it on iTunes, Amazon Instant, and Vudu for the time being. You can also pre-order the DVD on our new website or get it on Pay-Per-View. Look for it on Hulu and Netflix in the coming weeks!

After months of editing, organizing, writing, and fundraising, I’m happy to announce that we have released our first real trailer for Street Fighting Man. We are knee deep in editing the film and busy putting together a festival strategy. This is the part of the process where there are fewer and fewer things toi write about for a while. So in the meantime, please take a look at our trailer!

We ended our tenture in Detroit with a bang Sunday night at Detroit SOUP, a monthly dinner/fundraising event that provides micro-grants for creative projects in the D. We were chosen to present Street Fighting Man and had the opportunity to connect with new fans, network with art lovers, and screen our 8 minute work-in-progress reel for those in attendance. The reaction was incredible. At least a dozen people approached us afterward to thank us, exchange contact info, offer their help, and give hugs. We made some great connections and had an opportunity to talk about the film with dozens of committed Detroiters. As a result, we have many new followers on facebook and a growing grassroots fan base. For more information about Detroit Soup, check out their website.

For the past year, we’ve been following a young man from the streets of Detroit who has been trying to get an education and turn his life around for his newborn daughter. After being shot, living in a shelter, selling drugs, and dropping out of high school, he got his girlfriend pregnant and ran away from foster care. But when his baby was born, our young man fell in love. He decided to make some changes and be a true father to his beautiful baby girl.

He enrolled in a school program called the Young Detroit Builders, a non-profit that trains young people who have dropped out of high school to prepare for the G.E.D. The program also provides useful construction training and a safe environment where young people in the program can pursue a new lease on life. With his father in prison, and friends being killed on the streets of Detroit, our young man began going to school with one goal: find a way to make an honest living and take care of his daughter.

He rose quickly in the program as a leader. He had great attendance. He participated in class. He passed his drug test. He scored well on academic tests. He diligently completed his homework. He was on his way toward a high school diploma, and college.

But last night, after a tumultuous year of pain and tragedy, our young man sat in jail. And as of this morning, he has been extradited to Ohio where he will await sentencing for an unresolved drug-related warrant.

Knowing that this could be the last time they might be able to speak to one another for some time, we arranged for our young man’s mother to come for a vist on the eve of his departure. We were granted special permission to be there and allowed to bring in our cameras. I spent 20 minutes documenting their visit and observing the sterile, inhuman environment. It was surreal. It reminded me of some dystopian movie set from the 1980’s. Eerie green lights flickered and buzzed like compter monitors and the metal clanking of doors echoed through the hallways as we made our way to the visting room.

The visit was short, but affecting. They weren’t allowed to touch. His mother cried. Our young man played tough, but you could see that he was hurting inside. They talked about his daughter. They even laughed once or twice. But as our young man was escorted back into the holding area by the security guard, his mother broke down and wept.

As I sat in my car watching the October rain patter on my windshield, I began asking questions. How did this happen? Where exactly did our young man go wrong? Why are kids like this being locked up? When was I going to see this young man again? How do we keep our youth from turning to crime when they can’t afford food? Isn’t there an alternative to this?

Looking back on the strange turn of events that led our promising young man down a road of crime, I ask myself, how many more stories like this are there in Detroit? America? The world?

I shudder to think.

After a year and a half in Detroit, principle photography on Street Fighting Man is finally wrapping up. We’ve captured some incredible footage while following 5 different stories. After a great weekend in Rhode Island with some of our producers a few weeks back, we decided that we had enough footage to start working on a rough cut. Surprisingly, real life has rewarded us with a beginning, middle, and end to virtually every story that we’ve been following. We’ve mapped out these stories, dissected the themes and tones of the footage, and are developing a plan for how to cut these stories together. I am feeling really confident in our footage and really confident with our producing team. Katie Tibaldi and Sara Archambault have really gone above and beyond in their respective roles. We just brought on a few more people to help with research, archival materials, and b-roll. Everything is falling into place. We are in talks with several high-profile editors to help cut the film. We have two great composers on board. Everything is set for the next stage of our production.

But as Jolyn and I make plans to move back to Utah, my heart is heavy. I love Detroit. I love the landscape and the people and the coney island restaurants on every corner. And I love how strangers aren’t afraid to talk to you and I love the spirit of unity and brotherhood one can find on virtually every block in every neighborhood. Detroit has serious problems; unemployment, crime, education, debt, even racism. And yet, I find myself wanting to stay, to get involved, and to spend my time working for something better. Salt Lake City is a land of apathy and good fortune compared to the earnest, hard-working, passionate culture of Detroit. I only hope that I can take what I’ve learned here and incorporate it into everything I do for the rest of my life. Detroit has changed me for the better and my sincere hope is that Street Fighting Man will be an honest portrait of real life in this lovely, crumbling, surprising city. Goodbye for now, Motor City. I will miss you. But we’ll be back someday. That’s a promise.

The rally on Friday night was a huge success. Jack Rabbit, Malik, and others descended upon a notorious drug house in the neighborhood, brought the press, scared the crooks away, entered the home with the police, and recovered a shotgun and a pile of drug paraphernalia. But it took work and patience and luck to get the shots, shoot the scene, and have it make sense in the overarching narrative of the film. You see, by being on the ground with these people for over a year, there were all kinds of events and conversations that led up to the rally that I was privy to. As both journalist and story-teller, I need to know when and how to capture the daily goings on in this neighborhood in a way that will make sense in a 2 hour film. One can’t just show up, shoot a random scene, then take that scene and place it in a film. Work must be done to set up the situation, place the event in a context, and create a world filled with people who you know because you’ve spent time with them, developed bonds with them, and built trusting relationships with them. Street Fighting Man is powered by real people who have graciously agreed to participate in this 2 year process with me.

One thing I’ve discovered during the past year and a half is that my chosen career affords me the rare (and wonderful) opportunity to walk in the shoes of people who are different than me. Whether that be in Detroit, Utah, or Ecuador, I have something to learn from each person that I meet. Being a documentary filmmaker is not glamorous. Its hard work. It requires patience and empathy. It means living meagerly and getting paid very little.

So why do it?

Its a form of activism, personal expression, and journalism. I do it because I love people and I care about the plight of the worker, the common man, and the displaced peoples of the world. I would argue that the most important part of the filmmaking process is building relationships with those you work with. Unless honest, truthful, and loving relationships can be built with your subjects, your film will suffer, and perhaps more importantly, you won’t grow as a person. I’ve found that getting that one shot that you need, or being able to capture the most dramatic, most vulnerable moments in a particular person’s journey, is directly linked to spending time with him or her, earning their trust, and actively caring about them.

One thing I always try to stay cognizant of is not exploiting people for personal gain. Documenting someone else’s life has the potential to become completely and totally exploitative, which is why strong relationships and transparency are the foundations upon which any good project should be built. Collaboration with your subjects is key. Complying with personal demands is essential. Respecting the boundaries of your subjects is the very least you can do when asking people to live in front of a camera and be vulnerable. Knowing when to turn the camera off is a skill that every documentarian should develop. But again, knowing your subjects well is the first step in developing that understanding. This is why I am here every day, and why I live in Detroit—so I can be close to the people I am following, documenting, and learning from.

Two weeks ago, several of the stories being featured in my forthcoming documentary, Street Fighting Man, crossed paths in a profound way at Jefferson & Chalmers in response to violence in the area, and its not over yet. Tonight, the Detroit 300, Minister Malik Shabazz, Jack Rabbit, and others, will be marching on at least two drug houses in the neighborhood in an effort to close them down once and for all. With a growing number of drug houses and drug-related crimes in the area, people are fed up and temperatures have reached a boiling point. I’ll be there, documenting the story as events unfold and doing my best to be safe. After a year of shooting, could this be the climax of the film? More details to come!

Tomorrow night, four seemingly disparate stories will cross paths as the Detroit 300 and the residents of the Jefferson/Chalmers area unite for a peace rally in response to the murder and attempted murder of two young men from the neighborhood. Jack Rabbit, Malik, Myrtle, and Lucas will be in attendance to march down Chalmers and make a statement to the community that enough is enough. We’ve been following these people for over a year and their stories have taken us from burned out neighborhoods to community meetings and beyond. We we there when Lucas lost his home to a fire. We we there when Jack Rabbit responded to reports of dead bodies and late night intruders. We were there when Myrtle organized community workshops in her garden and started progress on a green, sustainable home. We were there when Malik and the Detroit 300 searched through empty apartment buildings and burned out neighborhoods for a serial rapist. And now, these people and their collective stories are crossing paths at Jefferson & Chalmers, the very place where this documentary began.

This past weekend was a brutal one. Sixteen people were shot, including the home of one our subjects. Had he been in his apartment at the time, he could have been number 17. Something is definitely in the air in Detroit. Violent crime is up. Young men are killing each other every day. Drug activity is on the rise. In fact, five young men who grew up down the street from Jack Rabbit have been charged with murder in a drug-related case that broke during the past week. Sadly, these young men were once a symbol of hope to the neighborhood. They came from strong families. They were members of the youth block club. Their picture even graced the front of a neighborhood newsletter about ten years ago. Now, they face murder charges and significant jail time; a sober reminder of how strong neighborhoods tend to disappear in the D.

But amidst all the news of violence and despair, there is a growing movement of community activism that demands to be heard. And their collective voice is the heart and soul of Street Fighting Man. This is not a film about brutality and violence. This is not a film about Detroit’s problems. This is a film about five amazing people who are doing their damnedest to make a difference. And I am awestruck by their courage, strength, and power.

Stand up, Detroit. Stand up!