Ben Pearson Film

[LeeBishop]

Thanks Ben.

I have been speaking with Jr. and I'm going to interview him in October when it cools down and the leaves start turning colors (so it will make for a good backdrop).  He's a real nice guy for sure.

But like I said, I haven't the money to travel to visit everyone with a bow collection. These things cost a lot of money and I can't find resources in the way of grants or underwriting for this film.

I'm going to be honest with you. No one seems to care about archery history or Ben Pearson outside of a small group. The larger population of bow hunters, non traditional, is what is carrying archery and they have no concern with the old days. They just want the Ultra 5000 Magnum Super Duper XXX compound bow that came out the last week.

I haven't even been able to get the archery trade association on board with this project and they are the folks that fund shooting programs for youth.

Cabelas TV network that produces outdoor shows for cable TV passed on the idea. And most organizations that give out documentary film grants have no concern with regional historical films outside of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s.

So, right now, after I pay my rent tomorrow, I will have $150 in my bank account to make this film with. I don't think $150 is going to go very far.

It's going to take me around $5-$6,000 to travel across the country and interview the big names in the archery world and others. Then I have archival 8mm and 16mm home video I'm going to have to pay to be scanned into 1080p HD video files that will cost me between $6,000 and $10,000.

Then I'm going to have to pay around $1,000 for music scoring for the film. Software upgrades are going to cost me about $1,500 for graphics generation and add-on packages.

I'm going to have my living expenses to keep up with that will run me about $15,000 for the next twelve months.

I have $20,000 in debt invested in my new HD video equipment and editing setup.

When the film gets finished I'm going to pay around $1,500 for DVD printing and packaging for 1,000 initial copies of the film.

Then I will need around $3,000-5,000 for film festival entries across the country and in Canada. I won't be able to afford the European festivals outside of Germany. There is a traditional archery following in Germany I believe.

Then if I win awards from those festivals then I will have to pay royalties to use their wreaths on my DVD packaging to show it's an award-winning film. That usually runs between $500-1,000 a year depending on the festival.

So, if we add all of that up I'm looking at a production cost of around $58,000 when you factor in my $20,000 worth of equipment.

How am I going to come up with $58,000? I have no clue brother. But I'm going to do the film anyway because I think Ben Pearson deserves it. The man did a lot for my hometown when he was running things. He made for a lot of jobs and gave Arkansas great products to market for decades.

I'm proud of the man and I wish he was still around because I'd love to meet him.

[Apex Predator]

I admire your efforts in this endeavor.  You should contact CJ Pearson on this board, since he is a distant relative.  I believe some of his family were involved in the business.

[LeeBishop]

Thanks Apex. I will look for him.

[59Alaskan]

Just a recommendation that may open some doors for you, would your local museum accept donations and be able to provide a reciept to donors for tax purposes?

For you that may take some of the nobility out of it, but for others that don't know you it's a guarantee the equipment will be on display for the public.

I have one bow I am told is a Ben Pearson.  It's a fiberglass 2-pc take down that was bow fishing outfit.  It has no markings left on it but scratches.

One thing is for sure there are plenty of Pearson fans on this site!

[LeeBishop]

Well, that's why I'm here. I figured there would be some Pearson fans.

[LeeBishop]

Sounds promising about interviewing Mr. Bob Lee. Spoke with his grandson today about it, but Mr. Lee wasn't in the office.

It will be great having the opportunity to speak to Mr. Martin and Mr. Lee for this film.

Oh, and I may be a bit slow to respond in this thread this next week. I'm about to head to the mountains to get prepared for archery season. I won't have much access to the internet.

But if you have any leads on people I should contact then feel free to e-mail me at  [email protected]

Thanks guys.

[LeeBishop]

i just received a beautiful Ben Pearson Longbow from the 1940s.

The thing looks brand new.  It's made of lemon, walnut and hickory. It's definitely been taken care of over the years.  It looks like it's in the condition to where it could be used tomorrow.

It came from a collector in Minnesota that had competed in traditional archery in his youth and set some records.

[LeeBishop]

Awesome. Just thought I'd keep you guys updated.

Just got off the phone with hall of famer Jim Dougherty and he's on board with the documentary. Nice guy and I think he will add a lot to the film.

[LeeBishop]

I'm excited about this bow. It's nice and clean. It came from a collector in Minnesota.

Lemon wood, walnut and it looks like hickory.  It will look great in the documentary.

It looks like a very thin strip of black fiberglass laminated to the back of the bow.

 
 
 

[LeeBishop]

I got a nice result today.  I found some archived footage from 1953 at the Ben Pearson factory in Pine Bluff, AR.

Now I just have to see if the Smithsonian Institute will give me an HD scan of it and allow me to use it in the film.

[Jim now in Kentucky]

Details matter, especially in a documentary. Not seeing that care here. Simple, common mistakes don't cut it. The Smithsonian is an Institution, not an Institute. If you hope to impress them favorably, you will need to get the name right.

[LeeBishop]

Originally posted by Jim from Maine, now in Kentucky:
Details matter, especially in a documentary. Not seeing that care here. Simple, common mistakes don't cut it. The Smithsonian is an Institution, not an Institute. If you hope to impress them favorably, you will need to get the name right.

I appreciate your worry over internet forum minutia. Please don't mistake my courtesy updates for you guys as being my actual work on the documentary film.

I'm working on this film every day all day long behind the scenes. Please don't assume anything.

[LeeBishop]

Update: It looks like the Smithsonian is going to allow me to use the footage. Should hear back from them this next week to see how much a new HD scan from their lab will cost.

I'm guessing it's going to cost around $400-$500 with film rights. Kind of expensive for a few minutes of footage, but it should be really good footage. So far it's the only clip I have found from inside of the factory that's still around.

[LeeBishop]

Little Update here. I got Mrs. Ann Clark and Mr. Byron Ferguson on board for the documentary film.

I also have a web site that should be up in a few days so I can keep a production blog and DVD information available for archers that are interested to check out.

Making progress. Slowly, but surely.

[LeeBishop]

So, I have been working this last week on a web site. I think it is looking ok. It should be online very shortly. It will be a place where you can participate in the film, keep up with the production blog for photos from interviews, view video clip updates, and contact me.  Feel free to offer some feedback about the site.

 

[LeeBishop]

I got to interview Mr. Byron Ferguson. He's a very nice down-to-Earth guy. It was nice meeting him.

The guys over at the Goodman Ranch in Henderson, TN were great hosts. Mike Goodman was very hospitable and he's got a nice spread out there.