HC Newsletter - January 15, 2007

Friends,

It is a few weeks overdue, but Happy New Year from the "Humboldt County" team.

After a self-imposed two week time-out over the holidays, we jumped back into the editing process with gusto a couple of weeks ago. Our fresh perspective has inspired numerous changes, both subtle and substantial. As a result, the film is tighter and more compelling than it has ever been, as evidenced by the progressively favorable test screenings we have been conducting recently.

In addition, over the past four days we reassembled a scaled down cast & crew and filmed several pick-ups (shots we missed) and new scenes that we feel will further enhance the end product. We will incorporate this new footage tomorrow, and in a little over a week we plan to "lock picture," meaning we will have completed the visual edit of the film. From there we will start to edit the various sound elements, which -- largely due to the musical score, which will need to be composed -- may take another few months.

We are nearing the finish line, and optimism is relatively high. Despite the fact that we are painfully stretched on the financial side, we continue to make forward progress. One indication was the call we received last week from the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, one of the top five such events in North America. They have invited us to premier "Humboldt County" at their festival this March. Though we may decline the invitation (because the film may not be ready in time), being selected for this festival is not only an enormous honor, but also a strong testament to the quality of our project; over 3,000 films were submitted for around 100 spots.

Now for the less optimistic news: as I have discussed via email or live with many of you, we continue to be painfully stretched on the financial side. Unless we are able to raise the remainder of the funding we need to complete the film in the next several weeks, our forward progress will stall. If you know anyone who might be interested in participating in the project -- or if you are intrigued by the idea of increasing your involvement -- please contact me as soon as possible. Keep in mind that the investment is tax deductible...

One fact is for sure: the closer this film comes to completion, the more excited we are to show it to you.

Regards,

Jason