pardon my swoon - GHT Girl has arrived!!!

Is it Christmas? My birthday? Some other special occasion?
You betcha!!!
It's "G H T G Day" at my house!
i thank You, God!

No more
traveling to other towns
for the movie!

No more
paper copy
of the "Cast & Crew" pin!

She arrived early, too! I was not expecting her until this summer, honestly. Stuart had sent a message about the distribution date being April 14th, so I figured that meant just a few months longer. I was still hoping for her to arrive before my birthday at the end of May, but if a tad later, that would be fine.
How lovely it is to be wrong!

GH the girl travels to Tallahassee

At long last! "God Help The Girl" is in the United States and will holiday this very weekend in Tallahassee, Florida!
Of course I will be there.
I'll even be sporting that snazzy badge I made. Cool, right?
Oh, come on, I won't be getting my real enameled "CREW" pin until the DVD has been made and released. That's when I, and one hundred two other collaborators at this reward level - will receive our special packages with the DVD, the T-shirt, the enamel pin badge, and "the exclusively designed poster from the film". The actual date is rather up in the air, as it is dependent upon the date of the DVD's release in my area of the world.
So, until then, I shall make do.
That is, I shall make my own badge, based on the photo of the enamel pin badge created for the musical.
I am traveling with my bfe (that's best friend extraordinaire) and will be staying with my blue-sky cousin and her family. It is my ardent hope that we shall all go to the Saturday screening at the All Saints Cinema. With good fortune on my side, I hope we can view it one more time, early Sunday afternoon, at that same location, before the bfe and I head back to Savannah.
The Tallahassee Film Society is hosting the screenings. I have no idea how they came to do so. Perhaps the proximity of Florida State University, with its College of Motion Picture Arts held some sway over the booking? Perhaps Stuart Murdoch's collaborator Barry Mendel has ties to the area?
I honestly do not know.
I'm just elated that the musical will soon be close enough to set my toes tappin', while also allowing me time to visit with family I see too seldom.
I'm going to enjoy seeing my name in the credits, too.
I hope to get a screen shot of that.
If naught else, it will be quite wonderful to have my cousin, her family, my Aunt Linda, and my bfe sitting right there with me on a fine Saturday evening in the South, witnessing the work done with some of Mama's money.
I know she will be there, too.

ght girl gets engaged after whirlwind romance

Wow... it's enough to make my head spin!
When I first backed "God Help The Girl" in 2012, I had high hopes for this musical to one day grace the silver screen.
Yes, indeed.
Now, she is doing just that on the festival circuit. And, after a marvelous reception at her very first outing, she is waltzing away a grand prize winner.
And I'm not just talking about the award created just for her.
"A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for the Delightful Ensemble Performance, and How the Director Brought His Own Unique Universe into Cinema"
Impressive, isn't it?
That Sundance award certainly attracted the attention of an ardent suitor, one well familiar with the works of Stuart Murdoch and his band, Belle & Sebastian. This suitor has wasted no time in idle chatter: he has put his money - and that of his partners - where his mouth is. Yes, he is taking her to see the world!!!
Wow... seriously, I feel a swoon coming on...
Here's the update.

Update #43
Feb 6 2014
US Distribution with Amplify!

Hello there,

We are just getting into the swing of Berlin ahead of the Generation opening screening tomorrow evening. We have some excellent news for you all tonight though. Off the back of our screenings at Sundance we've secured US Distribution with a great company: Amplify. This is such a brilliant opportunity for the film and means we can now confidently say you Americans will get to see the movie 'this fall' (if not before at SXSW or the Kickstarter screenings - dates for these tbc soon). News for release in other territories to follow - hopefully more deals will come out of Berlin...

You can read about the Amplify deal in this Hollywood Reporter article.

Or if you're really interested - read on for the full press release (you guys get a mention!).

Once again, thanks for believing in the movie before anyone else did. Feels like we've come a long way together.

xxx GHTG HQ

AMPLIFY PICKS UP GOD HELP THE GIRL FOR THE U.S. Fresh from Sundance, pop musical from Belle & Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch to hit theaters this autumn New York, NY February 5, 2014 – Amplify, the new all-rights distribution company formed in a merger between Variance Films and GoDigital, has acquired U.S. rights to Stuart Murdoch’s musical, God Help The Girl. Amplify will release the film in theaters across the US and digitally early this fall, with a home video release to follow. Written, directed, and featuring all original songs by Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch, and produced by Barry Mendel (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums), God Help The Girl stars Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, and Hannah Murray as three friends joined together by music and its possibilities over a summer in Glasgow. Premiering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it received a “World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for the Delightful Ensemble Performance, and How the Director Brought His Own Unique Universe into Cinema,” the film has received several additional (and shorter) accolades in numerous “best of the fest” round-ups, including Rolling Stone, Esquire, The Dissolve, Paste, The Wall Street Journal, and The Los Angeles Times. The film will open the Generations section of the 64th Berlinale this weekend and will continue its festival run at the South by Southwest Film Festival this March. “As someone who honestly believes that a single great pop song can save the world, imagine my delight that a perfectly-crafted musical filled with them will be one of our first releases,” said Amplify’s Dylan Marchetti. “Stuart and his team have crafted something truly magical here, and it doesn’t matter whether you’ve been hoarding Belle & Sebastian EPs since 1998 (I have) or not: if you like music, musicals, or films, God Help The Girl is going to make you very happy- it’s as simple as that.” “INSERT QUOTE,” said writer/director Murdoch. “INSERT QUOTE.” Added producer Barry Mendel, “we asked around about the people at Amplify and got all thumbs up, including from one of my heroes, Spike Lee. We’re honored to be one of the first films out from them, it feels somehow momentous.” God Help The Girl was co-produced by Carole Singer of Singer Films, executive produced by Chris Curling and Phil Robertson of Zephyr Films, and backed by Creative Scotland and 1,334 incredibly lovely Kickstarter backers (godhelpthegirl.com/mentions). The deal was orchestrated by Thorsten Schumacher of HanWay Films on behalf of the filmmakers and Marchetti, Kent Sanderson, and Logan Mulvey on behalf of Amplify. OFFICIAL SITE: godhelpthegirl.com ABOUT AMPLIFY Amplify is a bi-coastal all-rights distribution company that aims to bring the best in global independent film to theaters and beyond. Formed in 2014 from a merger of innovative theatrical distributor Variance Films (Sound City, Red Hook Summer, Go For Sisters) and leading digital distributor GoDigital, Amplify uses cutting edge marketing and distribution techniques with a focus on working directly with filmmakers to craft hand-tailored release campaigns for each film. Led by an executive team comprised of GoDigital’s Logan Mulvey, Variance Films’ Dylan Marchetti, and former Focus Features executive Kent Sanderson, Amplify is financed by Preferred Ventures, the digital media VC fund launched by FreeCreditReport.com founder and former Experian Interactive CEO Ed Ojdana with former Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly. Internet entrepreneur Charles Chase sits on the Amplify board alongside Ojdana and Kelly, with Ojdana serving as its Chairman.

How about that shout-out for those of us in it at the begining? Nice, right?
I've added the bold to make the shout out really POP!
I believe Mr. Murdoch would whole-heartedly agree with my doing so.
I sure have enjoyed being one of his collaborators!
Thank YOU, sir, for granting me the opportunity.

ght girl charms with sundance

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at the Egyptian! I do so enjoy the Question & Answer sessions at film festivals here in Savannah - the one in Park City must have been fabulous!
I'm sure the cast of "God Help The Girl" was brilliant as they responded to the viewers in the Sundance Film Festival audience. What an incredible venue for their debut!
Here, Stuart shares the news of the world's response to our darling GTH Girl.

Update #42
Jan 20 2014
Sundance

Hello Supporters!

We've been having a great time at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, where, after what seems like a very long wait, 'God Help The Girl' finally had its Premiere at the Egyptian Theatre on Saturday night. Emily, Olly, Hannah and Pierre were in town for the screening and the reception so far has been really good. We have one more screening to go tomorrow then our sights turn to the Berlinale where we open the Generation section on 7th February, our European Premiere! We really couldn't have hoped for two more perfect festivals to launch the film at and, at this point, really want to reiterate our appreciation for your support which was key in getting us this far and your patience waiting to see the movie you believed in enough to throw your money at!

If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter then we've been posting some initial press and social media responses so far. We won't bombard you but here are some links if you are interested:

Pre Sundance 'Le Monde' wrote a (hopefully) nice article we can't quite understand! The journalist spent some time with Stuart and Barry after our final test screening, and we're told he must have enjoyed it!

A nice piece in the LA Times after the premiere.

And the Guardian wrote about the film too. Only 3 stars but we did make him CRY!!!

Tonight Belle and Sebastian are playing an exclusive gig in Park City which should be lots of fun. Olly is opening for them playing some songs from his band Years and Years. We'll post some video and pictures from that tomorrow.

Kickstarter and Crowd Funded films are really visible at Sundance this year, it's very interesting to see how much that has had an effect on Independent Filmmaking.

Here are some pictures from Sundance...

The beautiful Egyptian Theatre where the film played on Saturday:

Here's the cast before the premiere, it's very casual here, which is nice, because it's also freezing cold!:

And one from the Q&A:
(shown above)

Thanks all, we will be in touch soon!

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall...

god help the girl in her sundance

The last update from Stuart Murdoch to his kickstarter collaborators was on October 18 of this year. I had referenced that update in one of the comments of my earlier post about "God Help The Girl".
As of October, the filming was completed, the musical had been scored, the film had been edited. Our GTH Girl was ready to sing and strut!
Whew!
At last, she was ready to fill her dance card on the festival circuit.
Who would be the first to twirl her in front of the world???
No less than Sundance... wow!
I am so excited for her!!!
Here's the update!

Update #41
Dec 4 2013
World Premiere at Sundance!

Hello Backers!

We are delighted to announce that 'God Help The Girl' will have its World Premiere at The Sundance Film Festival in January 2014. It's a perfect start to what will be a packed year of festival screenings, previews and a commercial release.

We know you have all been waiting a LONG time to see this film you so generously supported and are excited that will be a reality in 2014.

In other news - we have t-shirts and posters at the printers, guitars in the post and lots of other rewards in progress. It's all happening, SLOWLY but SURELY.

Once again, many thanks for your support which has taken us to this very exciting place that I'm not sure we ever imagined possible. Premiering at one of our favourite international film festivals.

We'll be in touch soon with more details for the festival and some reward updates.

Once again, so many thanks for your support from the very beginning.

GHTG HQ

How very exciting!
Her debut will be at Mr. Robert Redford's esteemed event!

a better summer

For a project which is now a decade old, it sure has turned into a beautiful baby. "God Help The Girl", the brainchild of Stuart Murdoch, begins filming in Glasgow today.
Today.
Actually, as I write this I realize they are probably wrapping up the first day's shoot. Twenty-four more days on the set!
Originally, the songwriter simply wanted to write songs for girl singers to sing. Belle & Sebastian, the band he is in, is not a girl band. It has a girl in it, yes, but is not predominantly girls and Stuart is the lead. So, in 2004, he developed this concept of songs to be sung by girls, songs about girls and young women. Then, he auditioned and finally found the ones to sing on this album he was constructing, of girls singing about girls. Finally, in 2009, God Help The Girl was completed and released.
A couple of the songs made it onto other albums by the band. Here's a video of Stuart singing "Funny Little Frog", a tune found on GHTG as well as The Life Pursuit.
Even with the completion of the album, he wasn't done dreaming about it and the songs. Now, that dream was to turn the music into a film. So he started talking to the kind of people you talk to when you're trying to make a film. No one would buy into his dream.
No one.
At least, not until Barry Mendel stepped in. He would produce the film, but financial backing was needed, more than he could give.
So they tried to obtain funding from the usual sources and no one would agree to underwrite the costs of turning the dream into reality.
No one.
Not until they found www.kickstarter.com. That's where I found out about this grand dream and bought my way into it. I know Mama would definitely see the merit of this use of her money.
Now, I'm one of the collaborators on this project.
Because I "get it", as Stuart said.
I've even received two of my rewards already! I'm listed as one of the 1,334 Supporters on the website for the film. And I received a digital postcard of thanks! (I even printed it and framed it!)
I am so very grateful to have found this beautiful, hopeful project!
Break a leg, y'all!

god help the girl - the musical film

Wow. As Christopher Walken might say, "Wowsie Wow Wow!"
A musical, that they want to film, in England! I just may have to make some travel plans, y'all, so I can see it live on the stage first, then watch it over and over back home.
You know it!
So, I put some serious money toward this project. Serious money. Then again, when you're making something on such a grand scale, as this will be, serious money is needed. Like, one hundred thousand US dollars.
When all is said and done, I'll be the outrageously proud owner of not only the special kickstarter edition of the film on dvd, and the T-shirt, and the movie poster, and have my name in the credits, but I'll also have this sweet enamel pin to wear about.
Oh, yes, and a postcard from the writer of the musical, Stuart Murdoch. Perhaps you've heard of him? I had not, but he's a musician with the band Belle & Sebastian. No, I hadn't heard of them, either, perhaps because they were across the Atlantic Ocean and not rock and roll.
That said, they're both on my radar now. They should have been before. Apparently, B&S have contributed to the soundtracks of several movies I enjoy, like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", "Juno", "The Devil Wears Prada". Small world, right?
Speaking of such things, guess who will be producing "God help The Girl"? Barry Mendel! Him, I have heard of, mostly because of his association with some very good movies I've enjoyed. Here are a few: "Rushmore", "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable". Those were three of his first efforts. For him to be involved, this is going to be big.
I am so proud to be part of this.
It's only about halfway through its funding efforts right now, with almost a month remaining. Then this summer adventure of a boy and a girl and a girl, in the youth of their lives, can start living on its own power.
Wowsie Wow Wow!