Hello friends, here it is, the two-minute trailer for Monumental, the documentary film I’m directing!
And here it is, my big ask: I need your financial support to make this film.
Will you please be a Monumentalist? I’m hoping to raise $10,000 from readers of this newsletter. If 100 of you contribute $100, that’s $10,000. If 200 of you give $50, that’s also $10,000. You’re what’s known as the “base of the pyramid” of my fundraising strategy. You’re the most passionate supporters of my work, the generous people who support arts and journalism, and the folks who take pleasure in nurturing my success. You’re not just Friends of The Windfall Dispatch, you’re Monumentalists.
So what does $10,000 do? It pays for the critical next stage of this project: Five days of filming on-camera interviews with a small crew this summer. Each full day of filming costs about $2,500. I anticipate an additional 20 days of production over the next year, plus I must pay an editor, a colorist, a composer and a lawyer. (And eventually, myself.) But for now, I’m focused on raising $10,000. Added to the money I’ve already raised, it covers salaries for two or three crew members for a week, plus insurance, equipment and lunch. A film crew must be fed.
You might be wondering: How much does it cost to make a feature-length documentary film? It depends, but the budget for this film is relatively modest: $350,000. So far, I’ve raised $20,000. Of that, $5,000 is from the Regional Arts and Culture Council here in Portland, $5,000 is from a research grant from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and $10,000 is from a generous family friend. I hope to raise the remainder of the budget from private foundations, individual investors and additional arts funding.
However, as many of you know, federal arts and culture funding is evaporating in front of us this year. Previously, Monumental would have been a slam dunk for support through the National Endowment for the Humanities or PBS. Unfortunately, those sources no longer exist or are greatly diminished. That’s why I need your help.
It’s easy to contribute.
You can make a tax-deductible donation via my fiscal sponsor, Film Independent. I’ve put a big button directly below.
Or you can also contribute directly via PayPal. (The production can accept checks and other forms of payment, too, just get in touch.)
If money is tight, I get it. There are other ways to be a Monumentalist:
Share my Instagram or Facebook posts about the trailer. Here’s some suggested language to cut and paste: "My friend Erika Bolstad is directing a documentary about monuments in the American West. It needs our support! Check it out."
Forward this email to your wealthy friends, the ones who enjoy supporting the arts and who believe in the role of journalism and creative expression in a democracy. I bet you have at least one of those!
Tell everyone you know about it! Suggest they check out the trailer on the website, which is easy to remember: makingmonumental.com.
Restack this edition of The Windfall Dispatch in Substack Notes, using the button below and the suggested language above.
What do you get in exchange for your contribution? My eternal thanks, of course. But most importantly, the knowledge that you’re backing an independent journalistic and artistic production at a time when history and the truth face erasure. Creative expression and journalism matter. They’re fundamental values in our democracy. Your support demonstrates that you believe artful storytelling makes a difference in this nation and world.
Oh, did I mention this? Monumentalists get to see their names in the credits of the film!
Please reach out if you have any questions about Monumental or want more details about my budget and plans. I’ll continue to update you about my progress on this film, but this will be my big ask of the year.
I’m deeply grateful to all of you for your support!
Yours,
Erika
THE NEWS
All the links…
Want to know more about Monumental? Read more about the origins of the project. I’ve also shared more recently about why monuments matter, a subject I've covered frequently here at The Windfall Dispatch. You can also read how I’ve been researching this project.
I’ve also written about the role of my producers, the networking, administrative and fundraising experts on a documentary. (And its head cheerleaders!) I wrote about light, another subject dear to me for metaphorical and logistical reasons. And I listed five recent documentaries influencing my approach to this project.
In recent weeks, I’ve also touched on how to maintain creative energy and momentum on a multi-year, nonfiction project. I’ve shared a story about the first short documentary I worked on. I’ve also posted some behind-the-scenes stories and photos from a recent shoot, where I marveled at the privilege of being able to do something I love.
Yesterday, I wrote about persuasion and what it’s like to make a big ask.
And finally, here’s the article I wrote in 2022 for Stateline, the one that kicked off the whole Monumental project: “In Replacing Monuments, Communities Reconsider How the West Was Won.”