A CALL TO FILM MAKERS, MOUNTAIN ENTHUSIASTS AND LOVERS OF A GOOD STORY
Three legendary lives
Three professional libraries
A dynamic legacy
...a story waiting to be told
Accepting proposals for a film documentary of the LaChapelle lives.
Dolores, David, David's partner Ananda Foley, Ed's partner of 25 years Meg Hunt, Ed
LaChapelle in Telluride, 2004 Mountain Film (Ed and Dolores were requested contributors that year)
At the chosen filmmaker's fingertips would be archives including:
- Early days at Alta. Great Super-8 film reel (in digital form) shot by Ed LaChapelle featuring the family's early days living at Alta Utah ski resort before the changes that exist today. Footage of Ed and Dolores skiing with their very young toddler, David (Randy then) as he finds his ski legs, impressively too. Some of the footage was later condensed and narrated by Ed, presumably for a presentation later in life. Very sweet elements to this resource and Ed captures many of his professional contemporaries of the day as well.
- thousands of professional grade photo slides by Ed; slides and other research materials reveal glaciers and mountains, avalanche runs and ice science, as well as relaxed photos of fellow field scientists, research colleague, of Dolores and David at the Blue Glacier field station, and later, his robust life in the bush of Alaska with his partner Meg Hunt.
- Digital videos by David LaChapelle, hours of footage related to the connection of people and land
- Family photos from each of the LaChapelle's timelines, childhood, young adulthood and professional lives.
- Personal letters between Ed and Dolores during the ebbs and flows of married life, between father and son, mother and son, as well as a wealth of letters of professional nature: of their literary contemporaries as well as the public
- Then there is the actual Library component to this project. Access to a full range scoop inside Dolores, Ed and David's minds, and through the written word. They each had an insatiable quench for knowledge and accumulated several thousands books throughout their lifetimes. Much of this large collection is organized, inventoried and archived. There is no end to the resource here for film, but for other projects as well. Dolores' collection especially, is a wealth of insight, notes, compendiums and scrupulous cross-referencing.
- A resource to your project would be the Executive support and Signature of my help. I, Ananda Foley, can offer care for the quality and sensitivity to the story and hope to be part of the conversation for many of the biographical and artistic elements. Think of me as a voice with good ideas, but how knows how to recognize when to get out of the way. One brainstorm for a story I have thought of, for example, would take the viewer through each of their dynamic relationship to avalanches.
- Interviews. I'd offer your team help finding and inviting the voices, the keepers of stories, people in Silverton CO, McCarthy AK, and all over, who recall details of the moments and bring the viewer in. To the best of my ability I will coordinate this aspect, to the degree the movie maker requests such assistance.
- The movie maker must have previous relationships with funding resources that are experienced in the execution and completion of film projects; and is responsible for it's own financial viability. The movie maker is prepared to purchase the rights to the LaChapelle story in addition to covering the previously mentioned costs of making the film and its distribution.
Other conditions may apply and can be negotiated if your party is inspired by this project.
