Thursday, December 5, 2013

JACK & TOLLERS - The True Story of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. TolkIen


First & foremost, THANK YOU for taking the time to read about our campaign!
Many know that C.S. Lewis wrote THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.  Most know
J.R.R.Tolkien wrote THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Each of these series have sold
more than 100 million copies, translated into dozens of languages and enjoyed
the world over in cinema.
What most do not know is that Lewis and Tolkien were close friends. Their unique friendship, one that was turbulent, supportive, joyous and raucous, helped create two of the most iconic stories of the 20th century.
JACK AND TOLLERS is the true story of the friendship of Lewis and Tolkien.  It will give you a glimpse into the souls of these incredible Men of Letters. Until now, there has never been a major motion picture depicting their unique friendship.  For the global fan base of both authors and indeed the fantasy genre itself, we are excited to
say that the time has come to move forward into production.
We at Third Dart Studios are making a Teaser Trailer, a vehicle to illustrate our
story to the world.  We are using Indiegogo specifically to allow all those who will journey with us to show in concrete terms how important this film truly is for them. 
Our four levels of PERKS for supporting our project are commemorative by
nature.  We want to not only identify our massive fan base but allow the fans to be part of the film.  Whether it be an appreciate nod as Patron of our project listing your name in closing title sequence or a non-speaking cameo in the film, our primary goal is retain the highest level of creative control.

SIMPLY PUT…  You have the chance to help make this feature film the best it can be.  Joining the growing fan base will ensure that Third Dart Studio will be empowered to tell the story as it really unfolded in history.  We believe that the storyline of JACK AND TOLLERS must reflect, as close as creatively possible, the actual story as it happened.
In all honesty, the true story IS FAR TOO COMPELLING to change and we promise it will both entertain and inform.
Both men endured turbulent childhoods. Both men experienced the horrors of trench warfare during World War One; both men excelled in Academia at Oxford University; both men honed their writing skills and became legendary Wordsmiths for the English language.
And BOTH MEN, above all else,valued FRIENDSHIP.
SCENES from the film include Tolkien lost behind enemy lines during the
Battle of the Somme. While being pursued by German infantrymen on horseback galloping full speed to reach the safety of his comrades, Tolkien turns back just in time to see the infantrymen transform into Wraiths through his fertile imagination.
Jack’s imagination is sparked while reading PHANTASTES by George MacDonald
and during one of many imaginative sequences using cutting edge CGI we’ll step
inside the mind of C. S. Lewis. And of course, Jack and Tollers late night stroll with a friend discussing Myth and Christianity will be filmed on location on Addison’s Walk by Magdalen College, Oxford.
Many people know that C. S. Lewis was a champion of Christianity, yet most do not know that he was an Atheist for nearly half his life and that it was in great part the encouragement of his Catholic friend Tolkien that Lewis again found the faith of his youth.

THIS IS WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU:
Help us keep our story true.  Help us make the memory of these two men one that will shine throughout history.  Right now, as we write this, there is a Hollywood studio that is hoping to make a movie about Tolkien’s life. Interestingly enough within the press release it was noted that the studio has not decided whether to include Tolkien’s experiences in World War One or his friendship with Lewis; in the opinion of OUR screenwriters, “Two essential elements of understanding Tolkien’s worldview and literary outpouring.”
We at Third Dart Studios promised the writers of the screenplay that we would reach out to the fan base and assess its strength.  There are many Lewis/Tolkien websites with a fan base of 10 million on a single site.  You probably found our campaign on one of them, and for that we’re thankful. 
But it is one thing to be a fan HOPING for a movie to be made and to be a fan SUPPORTING it for production. Besides the obvious financial support which
will be used for the teaser trailer, script consult, script break out and other
pre-production expenses…you can also support us simply by liking our Facebook
page, commenting on Tolkien/Lewis sites (tell THIRD DART what you hope to see
in the film) and press releases and sharing the news of the film with family and friends.  All funds received ABOVE our goal will be placed in a general production fund for the film.
As stated above social media has great power when used properly which is best illustrated by the will of a strong fan base using crowdsourcing as a tool. 
For example, the 2004-2007 series called VERONICA MARS was a good show on television that never achieved much success other than a small devoted fan base and critical reviews.  Although It was canceled after 5 years, the outcry for a feature length movie was so persistant that 91,000 of their fans donated over 5.7 million dollars towards the production.
If you want our movie shown on the Big Screen and desire accuracy to the memory of these men and their accomplishments, please show us BY SUPPORTING OUR ENDEAVOR.

There's an amazing film on the horizon - - You can be part of history.
See you at the movies!
Third Dart Studios