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The Official Georgia Theatre Documentary (Athens Burning)

ATHENS BURNING, LLC was formed for the production of the film "Athens Burning ," a comprehensive High Production Value HD Video Documentary of approximately 100 minutes centered around the history of the historic Georgia Theater; also thoroughly covering the history of Athens Music Scene from the 1970's until present, particularly with regard to links to the Georgia Theater. The film opens with the burning of the Theater in summer, 2009 and then starts over chronologically from the 1970s through the rebuilding of the Georgia Theater and its new opening,. The film features notable artists who performed at the venue over the years, the players in the music scene and at the theater over the decades, the fire, the fundraising such as benefit shows and community efforts, and the rebuilding.

Efforts will be made to be inclusive of artists and the other players both in direct relation to the Georgia Theater and also in more general regard to in the Athens Music Scene. The film will highlight acts that performed at the Georgia Theater on a regular basis and otherwise shaped the Athens Music Scene with concert footage and interviews in a quick paced format. Footage will include live band performances in small segments (not a concert film) as well as numerous interviews, stock footage, footage available from public sources, news sources, and the bands themselves, as well as from previous documentaries, and historical archival films. The scheduled release is after the completion of the rebuilding efforts in early 2011.

Athens Burning has secured SphereVibe Films to produce the film, which production includes the filing, post production, legal, administrative, and managerial work. . The Georgia Theater itself has a stake in the venture such that the movie has complete Georgia Theater access, endorsement, and cooperation, and will actively help raise funds for the rebuilding and viability of the Theater.

Film/Documentary Treatment

Summary

A feature documentary on the Georgia Theatre - its history and its future. The story of Athens, GA losing a historic landmark and one of southeast's greatest music venues, wrapped in the story of the Athens Music Scene over the decades - particularly as related to the Theater.

Approach

The film will consist of many interviews mixed with still photos and b-roll footage of the GA Theatre and Athens, GA with performance clips. We will interview many people from the Athens music community as well as bands that had some type of connection to the venue. We are giving the audience a backstage pass to the Georgia Theatre - an inside look at what made this place special and not just another venue, as well as collages of other Athens Music scene icons.

Audience

Our audience will be very diverse and will include basically anybody who loves going to live shows and enjoys good venues. More specifically, our core audience will be people who have been to the Georgia Theatre and are interested in its story or otherwise interested in the Athens music scene. Also, the festival crowd of live music enthusiasts and those following the featured bands will be very supportive. We have featured jam, country, Americana, and other acts in addition to Rock.

Marketing

We will soon produce a "teaser" with a trailer following in several months previewed at a larger outdoor concert benefit. DVDs will be available online at record stores, and at the Theater. The DVDs will contain bonus features of videos of select bands providing a full track with mastered audio. We will make our rounds on the film festival circuit, as well as the music festival circuit. We will promote online with video previews and in person with flyers and DVD handouts. We are planning to have a premiere at Cine of Athens. The premiere will occur very closely to the reopening of the GA Theatre to capitalize on the buzz surrounding that event. Eventually the film would be licensed for broadcast rental and theater release.

Funding

This film is completely independent and will carry a low production cost. It will be financed by a small group of investors - some, like the production company, providing services for stake. The benefactors will be connected to Athens in some way.

Outline of Film - 3 main parts / acts

1. The Old History (1889 - 1978)

  • History dating back to the first construction up until it became a concert venue
  • Old photographs
  • Interviews with the people who were familiar with the building back then
  • Probably only first 10-15 min. of film

2. History as a music venue / The Fire (1978 - June 19, 2009)

  • The Bands -Widespread Panic, R.E.M., etc. the list goes on
    • Old video footage
    • Interviews with bands
  • The employees
  • The fans
  • The tragedy / fire (emotional moments)

3. The Rebuilding Process (June 19, 2009 - TBD)

  • The Athens music community coming together (inspirational moments)
  • Early Benefit Shows / Ongoing fundraising effort
  • Interviews with people involved
  • The barriers and challenges of rebuilding (i.e. recycling of bream from burned Theater for new Theater flooring).
  • The new Grand Opening.

Request for footage to be sent to eric@krasle.com.