----- this page is not accessible to the public -----
Letter of Intent for the TCL Chinese Theatre
Hello,
My name is Olivier Wright, I'm writing to you to ask for permission to show a shot of the celebrity prints in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre in my film, Ψ (“psi”). As you can see in the extract below, the prints appear in the film for approximately 20 seconds (the camera hovers over them) with voice over from a character speaking of acting success, and the names of the celebrities are never clearly shown or focused on (the prints themselves are the focus of the shot, not the celebrities' names).
My name is Olivier Wright, I'm writing to you to ask for permission to show a shot of the celebrity prints in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre in my film, Ψ (“psi”). As you can see in the extract below, the prints appear in the film for approximately 20 seconds (the camera hovers over them) with voice over from a character speaking of acting success, and the names of the celebrities are never clearly shown or focused on (the prints themselves are the focus of the shot, not the celebrities' names).
|
What this film about? It's an experimental documentary in which leading philosophers and scientists such as Max Tegmark (MIT), Dan Dennett (Tufts) and Barry Schwartz (Berkeley) reflect on choice and free will as the audience discovers beautiful works of art and architecture from the five cities.
I started this 4 years ago as a personal passion project. I didn’t know what it was going to become, I was simply travelling with my camera in hand, taking pictures of things that I found inspiring. The celebrity prints in front of the TCL Chinese Theater had always been an intriguing place for me, as they were not only celebratory of successful individuals in the film industry, but were also physical marks left by real people in the world. |
Trailer |
I have self-produced the film ever since and slowly edited together a feature film with interviews I conducted with prominent American intellectuals. The reaction I've had from the small circle of people who've seen it has been overwhelmingly positive. Philosopher Dan Dennett has called it "a mind-opener", astrophysicist Bob Doyle called it "dazzling" and psychologist Barry Schwartz had this to say: "Olivier has made an extraordinary film. It is deep in its reach and implications, yet at the same time, wonderfully accessible. It is just spectacular."
In the hope of reaching an audience and attracting a distributor, I have been contacting all the artists in the film to ask for permission to show the film non-commercially in 3 cases:
The film is non-political, non-controversial, and I have been granted this permission for almost all of the artwork in the film, from some of the most renowned artists in the world (or their legal representatives) such as Sir Anish Kapoor, Alexander Calder, Sir Antony Gormley, Arman, Roxy Paine and many more (you can see some of them here). Other locations which are supporting the project by granting me this permission include the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, that has allowed me to use footage of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as of the Hollywood Sign. As things stand in the current edit of the film, the TCL Theatre prints are part of this collection.
Which is why I am reaching out to you today. First to apologize for not having had the foresight to ask you earlier, and second to ask you if you'd be willing to grant me this same permission to include the footage in the film for non-commercial purposes as I continue looking for distribution.
Please find below a presentation of why the TCL Theatre prints are essential to the film and how in turn the film showcases them as part of a collection of major artworks throughout the 5 cities of the film.
In the hope of reaching an audience and attracting a distributor, I have been contacting all the artists in the film to ask for permission to show the film non-commercially in 3 cases:
- academic conferences;
- film festivals;
- and, eventually, to release it ad-free on the project's website.
The film is non-political, non-controversial, and I have been granted this permission for almost all of the artwork in the film, from some of the most renowned artists in the world (or their legal representatives) such as Sir Anish Kapoor, Alexander Calder, Sir Antony Gormley, Arman, Roxy Paine and many more (you can see some of them here). Other locations which are supporting the project by granting me this permission include the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, that has allowed me to use footage of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as of the Hollywood Sign. As things stand in the current edit of the film, the TCL Theatre prints are part of this collection.
Which is why I am reaching out to you today. First to apologize for not having had the foresight to ask you earlier, and second to ask you if you'd be willing to grant me this same permission to include the footage in the film for non-commercial purposes as I continue looking for distribution.
Please find below a presentation of why the TCL Theatre prints are essential to the film and how in turn the film showcases them as part of a collection of major artworks throughout the 5 cities of the film.
|
|
Why the TCL Chinese Theatre prints are essential to the film
The main voice in the film, Natalie, is a psychologist who travels to parallel worlds to meet alternate versions of her patient. But she is also struggling with her own past choices, in particular the fact that she gave up on her dream of becoming an actress. Midway through the film, we enter a dreamlike sequence (the rest of the film isn't like this) in which Natalie meets herself in another life where she has actually made it and become a famous actress. As you can see in the extract below, the sequence begins by diving into Anish Kapoor's beautiful work of art "Turning the World Upside Down" (located in Jerusalem) and then as Natalie tells of her encounter with her "other self," we float above the prints at the TCL Chinese Theater as though they were hints of other selves - before emerging back out onto "Reformer's Tree", a mosaic by British artist Harry Gray in Hyde Park, London.
Extract - password: hollywood
The prints are important in the film's visual structure as they link back to the main character's main conflict, which is also to have been torn about which life to pursue, given his lifelong dream of being a filmmaker. Earlier in the film, we see him as a child playing on the beach with prints in the sand, making a beautiful connection through space and time with the TCL Theatre prints.
|
|
Generally speaking, prints are an important leitmotif throughout the film as they are metaphors for the theme of identity - such as:
|
|
|
|
"Le Pouce" by César Baldaccini, in Paris
|
"Really Good" by David Shrigley, London
|
But the TCL Chinese Theater prints are significant for another reason, related to their actual meaning, because this film itself is a love letter to film making and the real magic it offers audiences. Indeed, cinema is not just entertainment: it’s an actual space-time machine, the only one we have, to travel the multiverse and live other lives. A film is a short, safe and secure opportunity to live another life and wonder: how would it feel to be that person or to live that experience? The TLC prints are representations of an industry and of places, such as the TCL Chinese Theatre, that allow people to go and experience other lives - and this is the whole point of my film.
|
|
Finally, as I hope this film can promote cultural exchanges, I intend the credits to include a picture of each artwork and its location. In this case, it would look like this:
TCL Chinese Theatre Forecourt Inprints
6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, USA
www.tclchinesetheatres.com
6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, USA
www.tclchinesetheatres.com
The TCL logo could also be included. Furthermore, I intend to create a section on the film's website where the full collection of artwork and architecture in the film will be elegantly presented, with a bio of their author and links to their website/gallery/offices, to encourage viewers to learn more and visit each of them further.
I truly hope you will be willing to allow me to include this footage in the film for non-commercial purposes, as I continue my efforts to find a distributor.
Feel free to contact me for any further information. Thank you for your consideration,
I truly hope you will be willing to allow me to include this footage in the film for non-commercial purposes, as I continue my efforts to find a distributor.
Feel free to contact me for any further information. Thank you for your consideration,
Here I have made the current edit of the film available to you. Please keep confidential.
Password: psi092017
Password: psi092017