DOCUMENT DAD
Peru, Vermont | Film Feature
Documentary
While this project is a personal journey to reconnect with my late father, DOCUMENT DAD extends beyond just me and him. It manifests the curiosity we have for the web of people, places and connections a life close to our own has made. For me, right now, it's my dad. For you, it could be anyone.
DOCUMENT DAD
Peru, Vermont | Film Feature
Documentary
1 Campaigns | Rhode Island, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $10,568 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
132 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
While this project is a personal journey to reconnect with my late father, DOCUMENT DAD extends beyond just me and him. It manifests the curiosity we have for the web of people, places and connections a life close to our own has made. For me, right now, it's my dad. For you, it could be anyone.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Every year on the anniversary of my father's death, I do a Google search with the hopes of finding new stories or revelations about him.
On April 8th last year, I came across a small story in the comments section of a random website that interestingly, and surprisingly, made me feel reconnected to my father’s life and liveliness that had all but become foreign to me, having lost him almost a decade ago. He died when I was just thirteen.
For me, the loss of my dad became about learning to live without him. I simply redefined my world as fatherless. I adapted to his absence. I found happiness and independence. I became an adult, without his being there.
However, in that same process of defining my life without him, I'd never asked myself,
Could he be part of my life, even though he's gone?
Since losing him, I've been drawn to projects involving him, but larger than that, I've found myself trying to understand the human experience.
What lies beyond grieving and understanding trauma?
What do we make of a life that is lost?
How does death inform our connection to others?
The first project I did was as a high school senior that resulted with me running a marathon to raise money for the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, an organization that researches the heart disease my father died of, and that some of my family, myself included, are possibly still at risk of developing.
The second was a final project for a college course that sweetly became the perfect opportunity for a conversation of death, loss, and memory with my younger sister, who was only one years old at the time of our father's passing.
Lastly, one of my older brothers and I, chose to honor our college years spent together by reflecting on stage to an audience about the day we lost Dad at a storytelling event for the Moth Up Series.
All three of these projects started as simple ideas, provoking me to ask myself, What if I did this? or Wouldn't it be interesting to do that? Each instance started as small idea, that became something more meaningful; teaching me to trust that once the inspiration finds me, I must follow where it leads.
In the fall of last year, my most recent idea popped up: What if I were to travel the United States and interview as many people as I can find that knew my father and collect stories about him? What if I could know him as more than just my father?
What if, we could reintroduce ourselves? This is when DOCUMENT DAD was born.
This spring, this small blip of an idea will take the form of a road trip to connect with many of the people and places he encountered in his 48 years of living. My hope is that in connecting with the people he knew throughout his life and collecting their memories of him, I can better learn how to live with my dad again, to continue getting to know him, and to further understand not just the depth of his absence, but the scope of his continued being.
While this project is personal to me and my dad, to daughter and father, I believe my film will reach people beyond just us. We all have people for whom we care deeply, and each of them have woven tangled webs of their lives, having tied together places, people and connection to others along the way. DOCUMENT DAD is a way for me to express the curiosity I have for who my father was, to begin untangling his web. To understand his experience is to understand him as a father, brother, son, friend, colleague, husband. As a person.
DOCUMENT DAD will also allow me to reach other families and children who, like me, have suffered the loss of a loved one. That's why I have found a few sponsors to make a matching personal donation for the first $500 I raise in my campaign. This matched $500 donation will go to a bereavement center, Friends Way. Friends Way is the only center in Rhode Island that provides peer support to grieving children and their families in a safe and nurturing environment, free of charge. My family has used their services, my parents were on the Board, and there is a scholarship program in my dad's name. I would consider it an honor to have DOCUMENT DAD's impact extend beyond my film and personal journey to helping others in my home state community.
My partner, Mac, and I plan to take this road trip together, all the while producing a documentary film that will be accessible to a wide audience, as well as a designing a photo book for family and loved ones. A combination of text, and film photos, will serve as a source of stories and images that illuminate who my father was, and is, to so many.
Thank you in advance for helping me to document my Dad.
I'm really looking forward to meeting him again.
xo,
Olivia (or Lulubell, as my dad liked to call me)
Have a story or memory about my dad? A photo? You can reach out to me via email at [email protected]
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Fuji XT3
Costs $1,400
The Fuji XT3 is necessary for my project for filming interviews and documenting the road trip.
Fuji XF 23 mm Lens
Costs $450
I will need this lens to accompany my Fuji TX3.
Gas
Costs $1,600
This beaut of a 1985 Volkswagon Vanagon will double as our transportation & home for our road trip.
Lavalier Microphone
Costs $400
I will need this Lavalier Mic to have quality sound during interviews.
Super 8 Camera
Costs $150
This Super 8 Camera will render the nostalgic, sentimentality I am hoping to achieve in my film.
Food
Costs $1,000
Me, Mac and Mele will need food (and kibble) for the trip!
Film and Development
Costs $535
We will need this to cover for 20 film rolls, 15 polaroid cartridges & associated developing fees.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Costs $256
In order to edit this documentary film myself, I will need to purchase Adobe Premiere.
Hard Drive: Thunderbolt USB-C
Costs $250
We will be collecting a great deal of files on this road trip and will need to ensure their safety!
LaCie Porsche Design 8 TB Hard Drive
Costs $190
This hard drive holds 8TB of storage, serving as a back up hard drive to ensure the safety of files.
Designed Photo Book
Costs $1,512
I hope to give a photo book detailing stories of my father free of charge to my immediate family.
Car Maintenance
Costs $750
Our 1984 Volkswagon Vanagon will need regular & general maintenance during our 10,000+ mi road trip.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The DOCUMENT DAD team includes myself, my partner, Mac, and our almost one-year-old pup, Mele (rhymes with "belly").
Mac is an impassioned and humble storyteller. He comes from a quirky and artistic multi-generational Vermont family, loves to read, and listens more than he talks. For Mac, the story to be told is rarely ever the big bang, the performance. It is the little drum beating under everything, within everyone. Most of the time, this little drum goes unrecognized, but Mac is always keenly aware of its presence and once he hears it he illuminates and emboldens the story with beautiful, simple visuals so other people can hear and see it too. A talented filmmaker and storyteller, my co-dog parent, partner and best friend, I could not be happier to have Mac on my team.
Mele (a.k.a. Miracle Mele) was a spontaneous addition to Mac and I's little duo that ended up being the best thing that could have happened to us. She is a top notch cuddler, makes us laugh, and constantly reminds us to be playful and have fun. (She also gets us off Premiere and out on walks.) Her unconditional love and support are things DOCUMENT DAD could not do without.
And lastly, me. I am Olivia and I am first and foremost a daughter and a sister to a family I love very much. My father died suddenly when I was 13-years-old. Ever since then I have continuously tried to understand how his passing impacts my life. In 2019, the tenth year without my dad, I hope to dig deeper into this life-long inquiry:
How does death inform life, as well as our connection to others?
To dive into this question I am going to embark on a cross-country road trip, interviewing and collecting stories of my father from the people he knew and places he lived in his 48 years of life. Together, with my teammates Mac and Mele, I will chronicle this road trip and create DOCUMENT DAD, a documentary film about a daughter and her father, separated only by death, and brought back together through connection to those that knew and loved them both.
I am incredibly excited to do this project and to share it with others. In addition to making this film, I am going to receive training to help support children and families who suffer the loss of a loved one. My hope with both of these endeavors is to not only gain insight into my own experiences, but to also to begin using my experience to heal and connect with others.
Thanks for reading about me and my team!
xo,
Olivia (a.k.a. Lulubell)
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Every year on the anniversary of my father's death, I do a Google search with the hopes of finding new stories or revelations about him.
On April 8th last year, I came across a small story in the comments section of a random website that interestingly, and surprisingly, made me feel reconnected to my father’s life and liveliness that had all but become foreign to me, having lost him almost a decade ago. He died when I was just thirteen.
For me, the loss of my dad became about learning to live without him. I simply redefined my world as fatherless. I adapted to his absence. I found happiness and independence. I became an adult, without his being there.
However, in that same process of defining my life without him, I'd never asked myself,
Could he be part of my life, even though he's gone?
Since losing him, I've been drawn to projects involving him, but larger than that, I've found myself trying to understand the human experience.
What lies beyond grieving and understanding trauma?
What do we make of a life that is lost?
How does death inform our connection to others?
The first project I did was as a high school senior that resulted with me running a marathon to raise money for the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, an organization that researches the heart disease my father died of, and that some of my family, myself included, are possibly still at risk of developing.
The second was a final project for a college course that sweetly became the perfect opportunity for a conversation of death, loss, and memory with my younger sister, who was only one years old at the time of our father's passing.
Lastly, one of my older brothers and I, chose to honor our college years spent together by reflecting on stage to an audience about the day we lost Dad at a storytelling event for the Moth Up Series.
All three of these projects started as simple ideas, provoking me to ask myself, What if I did this? or Wouldn't it be interesting to do that? Each instance started as small idea, that became something more meaningful; teaching me to trust that once the inspiration finds me, I must follow where it leads.
In the fall of last year, my most recent idea popped up: What if I were to travel the United States and interview as many people as I can find that knew my father and collect stories about him? What if I could know him as more than just my father?
What if, we could reintroduce ourselves? This is when DOCUMENT DAD was born.
This spring, this small blip of an idea will take the form of a road trip to connect with many of the people and places he encountered in his 48 years of living. My hope is that in connecting with the people he knew throughout his life and collecting their memories of him, I can better learn how to live with my dad again, to continue getting to know him, and to further understand not just the depth of his absence, but the scope of his continued being.
While this project is personal to me and my dad, to daughter and father, I believe my film will reach people beyond just us. We all have people for whom we care deeply, and each of them have woven tangled webs of their lives, having tied together places, people and connection to others along the way. DOCUMENT DAD is a way for me to express the curiosity I have for who my father was, to begin untangling his web. To understand his experience is to understand him as a father, brother, son, friend, colleague, husband. As a person.
DOCUMENT DAD will also allow me to reach other families and children who, like me, have suffered the loss of a loved one. That's why I have found a few sponsors to make a matching personal donation for the first $500 I raise in my campaign. This matched $500 donation will go to a bereavement center, Friends Way. Friends Way is the only center in Rhode Island that provides peer support to grieving children and their families in a safe and nurturing environment, free of charge. My family has used their services, my parents were on the Board, and there is a scholarship program in my dad's name. I would consider it an honor to have DOCUMENT DAD's impact extend beyond my film and personal journey to helping others in my home state community.
My partner, Mac, and I plan to take this road trip together, all the while producing a documentary film that will be accessible to a wide audience, as well as a designing a photo book for family and loved ones. A combination of text, and film photos, will serve as a source of stories and images that illuminate who my father was, and is, to so many.
Thank you in advance for helping me to document my Dad.
I'm really looking forward to meeting him again.
xo,
Olivia (or Lulubell, as my dad liked to call me)
Have a story or memory about my dad? A photo? You can reach out to me via email at [email protected]
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Fuji XT3
Costs $1,400
The Fuji XT3 is necessary for my project for filming interviews and documenting the road trip.
Fuji XF 23 mm Lens
Costs $450
I will need this lens to accompany my Fuji TX3.
Gas
Costs $1,600
This beaut of a 1985 Volkswagon Vanagon will double as our transportation & home for our road trip.
Lavalier Microphone
Costs $400
I will need this Lavalier Mic to have quality sound during interviews.
Super 8 Camera
Costs $150
This Super 8 Camera will render the nostalgic, sentimentality I am hoping to achieve in my film.
Food
Costs $1,000
Me, Mac and Mele will need food (and kibble) for the trip!
Film and Development
Costs $535
We will need this to cover for 20 film rolls, 15 polaroid cartridges & associated developing fees.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Costs $256
In order to edit this documentary film myself, I will need to purchase Adobe Premiere.
Hard Drive: Thunderbolt USB-C
Costs $250
We will be collecting a great deal of files on this road trip and will need to ensure their safety!
LaCie Porsche Design 8 TB Hard Drive
Costs $190
This hard drive holds 8TB of storage, serving as a back up hard drive to ensure the safety of files.
Designed Photo Book
Costs $1,512
I hope to give a photo book detailing stories of my father free of charge to my immediate family.
Car Maintenance
Costs $750
Our 1984 Volkswagon Vanagon will need regular & general maintenance during our 10,000+ mi road trip.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The DOCUMENT DAD team includes myself, my partner, Mac, and our almost one-year-old pup, Mele (rhymes with "belly").
Mac is an impassioned and humble storyteller. He comes from a quirky and artistic multi-generational Vermont family, loves to read, and listens more than he talks. For Mac, the story to be told is rarely ever the big bang, the performance. It is the little drum beating under everything, within everyone. Most of the time, this little drum goes unrecognized, but Mac is always keenly aware of its presence and once he hears it he illuminates and emboldens the story with beautiful, simple visuals so other people can hear and see it too. A talented filmmaker and storyteller, my co-dog parent, partner and best friend, I could not be happier to have Mac on my team.
Mele (a.k.a. Miracle Mele) was a spontaneous addition to Mac and I's little duo that ended up being the best thing that could have happened to us. She is a top notch cuddler, makes us laugh, and constantly reminds us to be playful and have fun. (She also gets us off Premiere and out on walks.) Her unconditional love and support are things DOCUMENT DAD could not do without.
And lastly, me. I am Olivia and I am first and foremost a daughter and a sister to a family I love very much. My father died suddenly when I was 13-years-old. Ever since then I have continuously tried to understand how his passing impacts my life. In 2019, the tenth year without my dad, I hope to dig deeper into this life-long inquiry:
How does death inform life, as well as our connection to others?
To dive into this question I am going to embark on a cross-country road trip, interviewing and collecting stories of my father from the people he knew and places he lived in his 48 years of life. Together, with my teammates Mac and Mele, I will chronicle this road trip and create DOCUMENT DAD, a documentary film about a daughter and her father, separated only by death, and brought back together through connection to those that knew and loved them both.
I am incredibly excited to do this project and to share it with others. In addition to making this film, I am going to receive training to help support children and families who suffer the loss of a loved one. My hope with both of these endeavors is to not only gain insight into my own experiences, but to also to begin using my experience to heal and connect with others.
Thanks for reading about me and my team!
xo,
Olivia (a.k.a. Lulubell)