The Promise
A Feature Film
| Synopsis: In 1909, greedy land lords force a German peasant, Johann, to take drastic measures to save the village farm/ business. Johann has envisioned striking gold in America, and risks much by setting off on an arduous journey to realize his dream. |
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In Virginia, U.S.A., Johann befriends a teenage runaway, Kyle, who is on his own quest to join a Vaudeville act. Together the two attempt to generate money with their own, naively created, act. Kyle is murdered, as they set off on the long hike to New York. |
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Beaten and down, Johann is taken in by a good
Samaritan family. With new found luck, Johann finally manages to make it
to the gold mines of the Rocky Mountains. Johann, ridiculed by local townsfolk, does strike gold, and in an abandoned mine, long felt to be dry of gold. There is a heavy price. Murdered in his mine shaft, Johann refuses to accept that he is dead. Seventy years pass. |
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In 1979, Johann’s groovy grandson, David, who
meditates and is clairvoyant, continually beholds his grandfather in
dreams and visions. David sets out on his own journey to convince his
grandfather that he is a tramp soul. David's quest, taking him into the
dark regions of the astral plane, proves as difficult as his grandfathers. Before either may be set free from each others karma, they must realize The Promise. |
Groovy Update, 7-27-05
Greetings to all! In light of the ease of which I’ve been creating short films, I have decided to dedicate more time into that arena. Hence, The Promise, although still on the Films page, has been placed at the bottom. This is not to say I would scrap my second feature, but feel (as do many) that shorter projects, first and foremost, would allow me to build a stronger foundation as an emerging filmmaker.
I realize certain souls invested time and energy into The Promise, and I apologize for any inconvenience to them. However, due to recent financial and technological constraints, producing the film by Christmas of 2005, as was intended, would be a monumental task. Folks, I must tell you, my latest hardware/software issues have created semi-major set backs. (Karma Rider suffered from such problems as well, and I often consider it a miracle the film made it as far as it did). I recently lost all the audio from every edited scene in The Promise, and now must begin again. Moreover, I have yet to capture about % 20 of the film’s most difficult footage: yes, psychedelic/dream footage. Plus, I lack a complicated scene that’s suppose to occur in a German village. If that’s not enough, I have very little footage of horses or vehicles common to the period: 1909.
Upon establishing a stronger foundation, The Promise may be revisited – especially if I might be blessed with a larger fan base, an earnest attempt to complete the film shall commence, I “promise.” The crux of my concerns are generating enough support to use as a springboard for full length features.
Karma Rider, for instance, took me nearly (as ludicrous as this may appear) two years to complete. Burning with passion, I dove into very shallow waters of experience and paid for it. Not that I regret the experience or the film. No, I love Karma Rider. In fact, I endorse the film and even have a tiny -- but dedicated and beloved -- fan base for it. But…I lamented not having more experience to draw from – certainly more resources to utilize would have made a difference. These are the elements I lack and need to generate. Let’s groove! Actually, there’s a bit more. Please to read on grasshoppers!
So…in lieu of premature features, what I am offering is shorts. My first short, Bark of The Tree, for example, is mostly a scene from The Promise. My second short (in the works) Video Kingdom incorporates a great deal of footage from The Promise. Hence, by holding back my second feature, I may loosen up footage from my present library -- footage largely reserved for The Promise, and I may, also, gain footage and reflection to make The Promise the best feature it can be. The cultivation process begins now.
In all fairness, it may be that The Promise will never come about. By putting it off, that’s surely a possibility. However, I dislike not finishing what I started out to do, and this compels me to complete the film. In any event, I at least intend to use the film’s footage to further other projects, as I am currently doing.
Pray thee not to be discouraged or offended! I am not giving up on features, please understand, and nothing is set in stone concerning my recent direction. Presently, I am more determined than ever to produce film – it’s just that I’m considering what I contend to be a more reasonable approach in doing so.
Feedback is welcome and groovy. Thanks for your support! Peace, John. 7-27-05