When They're Dead and Gone
Salt Lake City, Utah | Film Short
Documentary
A portrait of self-discovery, hunting, conservation and future of rural politics for a young woman in Wyoming.
When They're Dead and Gone
Salt Lake City, Utah | Film Short
Documentary
1 Campaigns | Utah, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $17,005 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
85 supporters | followers
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A portrait of self-discovery, hunting, conservation and future of rural politics for a young woman in Wyoming.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Hunting films have long followed a familiar narrative—often steeped in hyper-masculinity, making it difficult for many viewers to connect emotionally. This film takes a different approach. Through the eyes of a young woman in rural Wyoming, we experience the highs and lows of being a hunter and a working conservationist, offering a fresh, deeply personal perspective on the intersection of tradition, identity, and the natural world.
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Everyone in Wyoming knows Jess Johnson. Her passion for hunting and conservation is contagious. She is a conservationist, lobbyist, hunter, young woman, ranching daughter, and former ballerina. Her deep and nuanced perspectives permeate across the spectrum of opinions on land use in Wyoming. But it wasn’t always like this. It took her a long time to find herself in this world. “A world that trains you to live in a box,” she says. With only a GED in hand and no college degree, it took her moving back to Wyoming and discovering a passion for hunting to awaken the fire within her. A fire that’s spreading across the conservation landscape.
As many in the field well know, conservation is often a game of losses - often steep and intensely personal. Jess is no stranger to disappointment and setbacks, but she uses them as fuel, growing ever more determined to catalyze a new generation of hunters to tackle modern conservation battles. At the state capitol in Cheyenne, Jess lobbies a new set of lawmakers for the future of conservation and land use, rallying hunters to join her along the way. She starts an all women’s hunting and angling group, called Artemis, with the mission to engage more women within the outdoor and hunting industry. She motivates hunters from across the state of Wyoming to join her for “Camo at the Capital”, where hunters learn the ins and outs of the legislature, how to lobby, and how to connect with their local lawmakers on a human level. But in the end bringing her mother into these communities is most impactful to Jess. Sharing these experiences in the outdoors and in politics with her mother is where she finds most fulfillment. But like so many who work passionately and tirelessly for causes that are vast and complex, Jess fights physical and mental exhaustion, loneliness, and the question: does what I do matter/am I making a difference?
This is Jess’ story. Utilizing a veritè and observational approach with limited voice-over and in-scene interviews, the film features slower pacing, reverent style, and intimate character access. From family dinners, scouting and hunting missions with her mother in the timber, rural rodeos, to feeling directionless at the Wyoming state Capitol after losing a lobbying battle. We witness our main character at both highs and lows in her journey within the conservation space. We believe that the key to making people care is to bring them into the landscapes and the environment. They don’t need to hear about it, they need to see and feel it.
Join us on our journey as we work to offer up a new story in the hunting space. This film is a hunting film for non-hunters.
My name is Joe Van Eeckhout and I’m the director of When They’re Dead and Gone. I’m based In SLC, nearby Wyoming where the film is shot. I started this project in 2019 and it’s been a passion project for years. I grew up in very rural communities between Wyoming, Washington State, and Alaska. Because of this I was brought up with a deep appreciation for the outdoors and landscape. I regularly went camping and fishing with my father and brother, exploring the rivers and forests of the western states. My father hunted before I was born and my parents met while he was stocking a friend's freezer with elk meat but I did not grow up hunting. But because of this project I have grown to appreciate the hunting communities deep connection and knowledge of landscapes and ecosystems.
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This project has gone through a couple iterations. Production is now finished and our team is heading into post-production. That’s where you come in!
We are seeking funds to get an edit off the ground and moving. This is crucial for us to build momentum as we hope to have a fine cut ready by this summer. We still have a large funding gap and plan to build off this campaign with various grant apps in the future.
We are seeking funds to get an editor on board with the team and get our post-production stage in motion, and plan to fundraise for other post-production needs including color, sound, etc. Our plan is to have the film in a place to submit to festival in the summer and fall of 2025.
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Original Score
Costs $5,000
We are planning to work with a special composer team to really bring the film to life through original music!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Editor/Story Producer
Costs $10,000
We plan to hire an editor and story producer to get an edit going and we're excited for the film to start taking shape.
Share this update!
About This Team
Joe is an Emmy-nominated cinematographer and filmmaker currently based between Salt Lake City and New York. Along with his handheld and intimate style, he brings a calming, empathetic, and intentional presence to every project he works on. Joe is most passionate about character-driven stories exploring our relationship to land, community, and hard to reach places. His work spans the divide and overlap between documentary and branded films. Joe worked as primary DP on the Oscar-Shortlisted documentary short Between Earth and Sky, which won best short at Big Sky Doc Fest, and went on to screen and win awards at Hot Docs, Mountainfilm, Sheffield, DOCNYC, and many more. He has been behind the camera for multiple documentary films including HBO’s The Last Cruise and Matthew Heinemann’s The First Wave, Pyne Point and The Passengers. Joe has worked on special projects for Sony Alpha, Winston Fly Rods, National Geographic, Hulu, HBO Documentaries, The New York Times, and more.
Hillary is an Emmy-award-winning documentary filmmaker based in Texas. For the past decade, she has produced feature documentaries, including Keith Maitland's TOWER and A Song for You: The Austin City Limits Story, Ben Masters' The River and the Wall, and Maisie Crow’s At the Ready, as well as numerous short films. TOWER, a vivid animation recounting the 1966 University of Texas mass shooting, garnered accolades at SXSW, a PBS Independent Lens broadcast, an Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary, a Peabody nomination, and was shortlisted for an Academy Award. Following TOWER, Hillary produced The River and the Wall, an exploration of the Texas-Mexico border that premiered at SXSW, earning the "Lone Star" Award, a theatrical release, a Starz broadcast, and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Nature Documentary. She also produced the Sundance selection At the Ready, now streaming on Max, and the short film This Girl’s Life: On Growing up Trans in Texas, now streaming on Vogue.com. Beyond filmmaking, Hillary is passionate about conservation, the great outdoors, and exploring hunting as part of her evolving connection to the land and wildlife.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Hunting films have long followed a familiar narrative—often steeped in hyper-masculinity, making it difficult for many viewers to connect emotionally. This film takes a different approach. Through the eyes of a young woman in rural Wyoming, we experience the highs and lows of being a hunter and a working conservationist, offering a fresh, deeply personal perspective on the intersection of tradition, identity, and the natural world.
Everyone in Wyoming knows Jess Johnson. Her passion for hunting and conservation is contagious. She is a conservationist, lobbyist, hunter, young woman, ranching daughter, and former ballerina. Her deep and nuanced perspectives permeate across the spectrum of opinions on land use in Wyoming. But it wasn’t always like this. It took her a long time to find herself in this world. “A world that trains you to live in a box,” she says. With only a GED in hand and no college degree, it took her moving back to Wyoming and discovering a passion for hunting to awaken the fire within her. A fire that’s spreading across the conservation landscape.
As many in the field well know, conservation is often a game of losses - often steep and intensely personal. Jess is no stranger to disappointment and setbacks, but she uses them as fuel, growing ever more determined to catalyze a new generation of hunters to tackle modern conservation battles. At the state capitol in Cheyenne, Jess lobbies a new set of lawmakers for the future of conservation and land use, rallying hunters to join her along the way. She starts an all women’s hunting and angling group, called Artemis, with the mission to engage more women within the outdoor and hunting industry. She motivates hunters from across the state of Wyoming to join her for “Camo at the Capital”, where hunters learn the ins and outs of the legislature, how to lobby, and how to connect with their local lawmakers on a human level. But in the end bringing her mother into these communities is most impactful to Jess. Sharing these experiences in the outdoors and in politics with her mother is where she finds most fulfillment. But like so many who work passionately and tirelessly for causes that are vast and complex, Jess fights physical and mental exhaustion, loneliness, and the question: does what I do matter/am I making a difference?
This is Jess’ story. Utilizing a veritè and observational approach with limited voice-over and in-scene interviews, the film features slower pacing, reverent style, and intimate character access. From family dinners, scouting and hunting missions with her mother in the timber, rural rodeos, to feeling directionless at the Wyoming state Capitol after losing a lobbying battle. We witness our main character at both highs and lows in her journey within the conservation space. We believe that the key to making people care is to bring them into the landscapes and the environment. They don’t need to hear about it, they need to see and feel it.
Join us on our journey as we work to offer up a new story in the hunting space. This film is a hunting film for non-hunters.
My name is Joe Van Eeckhout and I’m the director of When They’re Dead and Gone. I’m based In SLC, nearby Wyoming where the film is shot. I started this project in 2019 and it’s been a passion project for years. I grew up in very rural communities between Wyoming, Washington State, and Alaska. Because of this I was brought up with a deep appreciation for the outdoors and landscape. I regularly went camping and fishing with my father and brother, exploring the rivers and forests of the western states. My father hunted before I was born and my parents met while he was stocking a friend's freezer with elk meat but I did not grow up hunting. But because of this project I have grown to appreciate the hunting communities deep connection and knowledge of landscapes and ecosystems.
This project has gone through a couple iterations. Production is now finished and our team is heading into post-production. That’s where you come in!
We are seeking funds to get an edit off the ground and moving. This is crucial for us to build momentum as we hope to have a fine cut ready by this summer. We still have a large funding gap and plan to build off this campaign with various grant apps in the future.
We are seeking funds to get an editor on board with the team and get our post-production stage in motion, and plan to fundraise for other post-production needs including color, sound, etc. Our plan is to have the film in a place to submit to festival in the summer and fall of 2025.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Original Score
Costs $5,000
We are planning to work with a special composer team to really bring the film to life through original music!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Editor/Story Producer
Costs $10,000
We plan to hire an editor and story producer to get an edit going and we're excited for the film to start taking shape.
Share this update!
About This Team
Joe is an Emmy-nominated cinematographer and filmmaker currently based between Salt Lake City and New York. Along with his handheld and intimate style, he brings a calming, empathetic, and intentional presence to every project he works on. Joe is most passionate about character-driven stories exploring our relationship to land, community, and hard to reach places. His work spans the divide and overlap between documentary and branded films. Joe worked as primary DP on the Oscar-Shortlisted documentary short Between Earth and Sky, which won best short at Big Sky Doc Fest, and went on to screen and win awards at Hot Docs, Mountainfilm, Sheffield, DOCNYC, and many more. He has been behind the camera for multiple documentary films including HBO’s The Last Cruise and Matthew Heinemann’s The First Wave, Pyne Point and The Passengers. Joe has worked on special projects for Sony Alpha, Winston Fly Rods, National Geographic, Hulu, HBO Documentaries, The New York Times, and more.
Hillary is an Emmy-award-winning documentary filmmaker based in Texas. For the past decade, she has produced feature documentaries, including Keith Maitland's TOWER and A Song for You: The Austin City Limits Story, Ben Masters' The River and the Wall, and Maisie Crow’s At the Ready, as well as numerous short films. TOWER, a vivid animation recounting the 1966 University of Texas mass shooting, garnered accolades at SXSW, a PBS Independent Lens broadcast, an Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary, a Peabody nomination, and was shortlisted for an Academy Award. Following TOWER, Hillary produced The River and the Wall, an exploration of the Texas-Mexico border that premiered at SXSW, earning the "Lone Star" Award, a theatrical release, a Starz broadcast, and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Nature Documentary. She also produced the Sundance selection At the Ready, now streaming on Max, and the short film This Girl’s Life: On Growing up Trans in Texas, now streaming on Vogue.com. Beyond filmmaking, Hillary is passionate about conservation, the great outdoors, and exploring hunting as part of her evolving connection to the land and wildlife.