Song of the Bigfoot - feature film

We're raising funds to increase production value & make our film SHINE! We want to bring you the best Bigfoot suit out there (a mama, with her baby!), a fantastical Bigfoot Society set, and awesome action & dream sequences for our characters' ordeal. (Read on to learn even more!)

Hello friends of independent film! I’m Brent Bishop, writer/director/producer/composer of the uplifting feature comedy Song of the Bigfoot. This funny, heartfelt project won Best Feature Screenplay at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, and we are now in early pre-production—preparing to start shooting this July 15 in the beautiful forests of Washington state.

Song of the Bigfoot logline: when three lovable Bigfoot seekers go on an overnight canvassing mission, they become hopelessly lost in a surreal wilderness ordeal, and realize they can only find their way home if they can rediscover the song in their hearts.

This fun, adventurous, inspiring story is a love poem to all you Seekers out there. It’s an ode to joy, and nature, and the magic that’s all around us—even in the toughest times of crisis. Our world, our society, and all of us individually have seen some tough years lately, and this film is being created as a joyful dose of medicine for our time.

The story follows 3 lovable Bigfoot seekers who become desperately lost in the forest—thrust into a life and death wilderness ordeal—only to realize they’ve also been lost in life. If they want to get home alive, they must not only save their own lives—but commit themselves to a life worth saving.

This story asks—how do we handle crisis? Who are we really when the chips are down? And what does it take to truly live up to our potential?

Oh yeah…and is Bigfoot out there?

{We’ll talk more about Bigfoot—and why the search for this lovable embodiment of the Unknown forms the heart of our tale—below! We’ll also share some of the heart-pumpin’ Americana music I’ve been creating for the film.}

This story was born from adventure, humor, crisis, compassion, and love. We’re so excited to tell you all about it—the wild tale of how the inspiration first struck, where we are in the creative process, and how you can become involved.

Film is a team sport, and this is a story about community & togetherness. We invite you to become part of our merry team, and help us bring this story to viewers all over the world.

We’re off to a great start…that said, we need your support!!! We’ll talk below about the very specific tasks & artistic creations that this crowdfunder will support. With your support, we can boost our art/music/joy-packed film beyond the scope of a typical indie, and into something truly unforgettable!

WHY THIS STORY? WHY BIGFOOT? WHY NOW?

I was never a Bigfoot person. Alexis (my co-producer and wife) was never a Bigfoot person. So how did this happen?

It happened like a bolt of lightning.

When Covid struck, we decided to turn sheltering-in-place into an adventure. We hit the road, leaving LA to experience lockdown & safely traveling all over this big, beautiful country—in forests, deserts, oceans, tropics, and winter wonderlands. That winter, in the steep wilderness of blizzard-thumped Colorado (where I had been racking up a glorious amount of solo skiing days in the trees), the entire story of Song of the Bigfoot hit me in one, big day-long torrent. In the snowy steeps, all day long, the story zapped me. Halting whatever I was doing—riding chairlifts, climbing razor ridge-lines, bombing down cliff faces—to type with frozen fingers and catch every idea that was flowing in. By the end of the day, I had the entire story's outline!

I’d never thought about Bigfoot much before, but here—in the throes of a global pandemic, raging social & political turmoil, and thrill-a-minute toilet paper shortages, this idea—this story about Bigfoot & us Seekers of the world—simply made me laugh. It brought joy into a dark time. And yet—it also seemed like it could tell the story of this troubled time.

And when it came to Bigfoot putting a smile on our faces, we discovered we weren’t the only ones. In Hawaii, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Maine, Martha’s Vineyard, Philly, DC, Outer Banks NC, Savannah, Florida, New Orleans, Texas…we discovered that—somehow—wherever we went, Bigfoot was the one thing that always closed the divide between people.

Behold: a Washington Post study revealed that as many Americans believe in Bigfoot as in the Big Bang Theory (whoa!). More importantly, they found that belief & love for Bigfoot measured the same across all demographics—no matter how they looked at it: age, gender, orientation, economic situation, political affiliation—whatever! Everyone loves Bigfoot.

The Unknown usually terrifies people—and here we have this embodiment of it which actually opens us to joy, hope, wonder!

And so, this is a story for right now. A story about getting our groove back. A joy-packed dose of medicine for a world that could really use it.

Our goal is for this film to bring global audiences:

WE ARE RAISING MONEY NOW TO HELP PAY FOR…

The good news: we’ve already raised enough of our budget that we are officially green lit—this movie is happening! We can shoot at least the most fundamental version of our story.

That said—we want to create the best possible version of our vision, and we know how important quality is for creating something magical—something that finds its audience.

There are some critical elements we want to NAIL, and we’re asking you for your support, so we can not only create these elements—but give them enough resources and time to make them GREAT.

With your support, we can make these items iconic, memorable, and part of a film that stands out!

Total crowdfunder goal: $65,000

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

We are all about the win-win: for our audience, our cast & crew, and you—our supporters. When you contribute, you will:

OUR TEAM

We have an amazing, talented, diverse, committed, experienced team. And it keeps on GROWING!

Tre Hale - co-lead actor. Tre stars in the Apple+ hit series Platonic alongside Seth Rogen & Rose Byrne, which has just been renewed for its second season. He also stars in the feature films National Champions and Love and Monsters, as well as the Lethal Weapon series, Magnum P.I., and more.

Brent Bishop - writer, director, producer, composer. Brent’s work has received worldwide distribution, millions of viewers, and awards such as Best Feature Screenplay at the Los Angeles International Film Festival and the Beverly Hills Film Festival. He has worked on an Emmy-winning episode of The Simpsons and his collaborations include Oscar-winners Skywalker Sound and Framestore VFX, as well as Grammy-winners Kronos Quartet.

Alexis Cohen - producer. Alexis is an artist, producer, and CEO of Art Medicine—a creative empire that creates films, art, and mentorship programs for a dedicated audience. She has collaborated on films and multimedia theatrical performances with husband Brent Bishop and brings vision and entrepreneurial prowess to the filmmaking team.

Sutton McKee - producer. Sutton is a writer/director/producer whose credits include numerous independent films and commercials, including The Immaculate Room, Feeling Randy, and Surviving Confession. His unique vision and talents bring structure and experience to the production, and an exciting new collaboration to the filmmaking team.

Chloe Weaver - cinematographer. Chloe’s many credits includes The Bear, Chef’s Table, True Detective, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Big Bang Theory, and multiple independent films. She has collaborated with Brent Bishop on several projects including the short film Black Ice and the Just Sayin’! Comedic PSA series.

Alex Falk - cinematographer. Alex has unparalleled skill and global experience shooting the natural world. His work includes the Netflix series Life on Our Planet, the Apple+ series Tiny World and Dear..., and the celebrated doc Fantastic Fungi. His exceptional talents and knowledge will be a key part of bringing our film’s natural world to life.

Pete Horner - sound designer & mixer. Pete is a multiple Emmy-winning artist at Skywalker Sound. His work includes the Jurassic World franchise, The Super Mario Bros Movie, Kong: Skull Island, Apocalypse Now Redux, and many more. He has collaborated with Brent Bishop on numerous projects including the short film Black Ice.

BUDGET

For all you “numbers people” out there, this section’s for you! Our overall budget for the film is 950K, and we’ve already raised about half of that. (YES!) We’ve got enough in the bank that we are definitely making this film! As we close the gap on our overall budget, we get to work towards our full vision. That means more excellence for the Art Dept, more days to shoot & get the shots we want, safety & comfort for our action & surreal dream sequences.

Our overall budget breaks down roughly like this:

Talent: $250,000

Crew: $150,000

Art Dept: $125,000

Gear: $125,000

Food, Accommodations, etc: $150,000

Post Production & Music: $150,000

As mentioned above, your contributions will support creating our Bigfoot suit, design & decoration for our Bigfoot Society, and filming & safety on our trickiest sequences. Your support will be directed to those production elements that will make our film SHINE!

OUR TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION

We shoot principal photography this summer in Washington state, starting Monday July 15, 2024. We’ll shoot for approximately one month, and post-production will span the following 6-8 months. We plan to have the film ready for delivery to distributors for summer 2025.

OUR GOALS

Song of the Bigfoot is a coming of age story for adults. We want to explore the questions & emotions that have confronted so many of us in the tumultuous times, while immersing viewers in nature and adventure.

We are working to create studio-level production values, an onset atmosphere of diversity & inclusion, and a radically positive piece of art!

Our final goal is to reach audiences through festivals and worldwide distribution, including theaters and the big streaming platforms.

OUR WORLD, ITS ART…AND BIGFOOT!

When our characters aren’t in the wilderness, they’re in the Bigfoot Society Headquarters—and we want to JAM this location with ART, COLOR, IDEAS, JOY, and the spirit of Bigfoot Consciousness! Your support will go directly bringing this world to life!

Your support will go straight towards…BIGFOOT! We want to show you a Bigfoot like you’ve never seen.

I want our Bigfoot to have a Jurassic Park level of awesomeness, and I’m working with awesome Practical FX artists and Evolutionary Biologists of Mammalogy (that’s right! I’m making real scientists talk to me about Bigfoot!).

One more thing…just between you and me…our Bigfoot is a mama, and has a baby Bigfoot perched on her shoulder. (shhhh!)

Check out our video on the art being created for Song of the Bigfoot!

Check out these reference images that are inspiring the flavor of our lean, evolved Bigfoot!

NATURE & OUR LOCATIONS

This film is a love poem to nature, wilderness, old growth forests, rushing rivers, and waterfalls. A heartfelt story with the cinematic lushness of Planet Earth.

Check out these shots from location scouting in Washington’s deep, timeless forests.

THE MUSIC

Music is a huge part of our film—it’s practically a character in the film. I am composing the score, which combines elements of electrified Americana, rootsy stomp, and rockabilly—with flourishes of Gospel, some flavors of Parliament funk, and a dash of Muppet fun.

The score will feature guest appearances from some of my favorite recording artists. I’ve started recording some tests, and you can check out a test track of the musical score here!

THANK YOU!

Thank you so much for checking out our project. If you’re able to contribute, please take the DONATE NOW button for a ride! We are so grateful. You are making ALL THE DIFFERENCE in bringing this vision to life, and your contributions will go directly onto the screen!

The next most important way to support is to please share this page with your friends, family, co-workers, and community!!! It has been made very clear to us that sharing is the critical ingredient for viral success. There’s a SHARE button right near the DONATE NOW button.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this taste of Bigfoot Consciousness, and THANK YOU AGAIN for helping us create it!