Asked about the ongoing $2 million Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, Rymsza said the amount represented “just a fraction of the overall budget.”
“We’ve put a lot of our own money into this, but, between the acquisition of all the rights and the unique challenges of post-production, this proved massively expensive,” Rymsza said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind project that presents one-of-a-kind challenges and, as a whole, it bucks the indie finance model. We wouldn’t be able to finish this without crowdfunding. That’s why I implore all film fans and art fans to check out our campaign site and, if you’re compelled by the project, contribute what you can. Join us in being a part of film history.”
He explained the need to show potential distributors edited footage struck from the negative, and not the decades-old 40-minute workprint left behind by Welles.
“We want to finish the film and show something truly compelling,” he said. “This isn’t a restoration or a re-release. It’s an entirely new, never released film and the workprint is worn and not representative of what I’ve seen from the negative, which is in mint condition. That footage is breathtaking and the film’s construction is inspired and unusual.”
He added, “That’s why this Indiegogo campaign is necessary, because it gives us the means to go to distributors and say, ‘this is what the finished product is going to look like.’ Whether that’s a sequence or the finished film, that depends on who and at what point in time. I think this is in keeping with the way Orson went about his work. There’s definitely an anti-establishment bend to it.”
He noted he had been working to complete the film for six-years, but co-producer Frank Marshall and co-star Peter Bogdanovich have struggled to see it completed for decades.
Producers are working with a “wealth of information,” Rymsza said, including 40 minutes of non-sequentially edited footage, a loose assembly, five linear feet of scripts, and letters and memos to editors.”
“We have a calendar and internal goals, but there are still too many unknowns. We are not working toward a deadline. We want to do what is right for the film and that has always been our mandate. Once we get it to rough assembly, then we’ll know what we are dealing with and what else needs to be done.”
“I’m extremely proud of how far we’ve come, but there’s still a great deal of work ahead of us and this Indiegogo campaign is essential to the process,” Rymsza said. “So, it’s no longer about the past. It’s all about the future and the future is now. We can’t do this without the fans.”
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