OFF TO ENGLAND

We're headed to the other side of the road. An interview in London and the New Year!




Here are a few photos from our days in Holland with the Duss family Sea Lions.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ROTTERDAM with Sea Lions

(a quick pull off the highway on leaving Germany landed us along this amazing and magic tree lined road)




The number one thing I'm noticing on this circus discovery is how welcoming everyone is. Beyond welcoming....there just is no border between minute one friend and week long friend. This trip there is no time for "getting to know you", just a hand shake and then we follow our subject and new friend with a camera through their every step in life for a day or two. No one so far has blinked at what could be deemed an intrusion. Instead Ian and I are welcomed with tea and dinner.


Merry Christmas.

(from our Rotterdam hotel room with our tree)















A strange one to be sure, but the Duss Family Sea Lions - Petra & Roland - invited us for dinner in their small trailer on the Rotterdam Circus back lot. We enjoyed pasta, wine, and good conversation with sea lions barking next door.

A note for all visitors to the Netherlands:
Beer = Bear. So, when you see a restaurant called "Bella Beer", it does not mean a restaurant with lots of beer. If you choose this for you dinner place (as Ian and I did Christmas eve) you have just chosen to eat at a child's themed bear restaurant. All food will come in bear shapes and you will be surrounded, wall to ceiling, with stuffed bears.

Happy holidays to all!

Still need to get us a present or feel like spreading good cheer?! Don't forget to DONATE!! http://www.tothemoonproductions.com/circusdonate/

LIONS

We were welcomed into the trailer and life of Martin Lacey Jr., the lion trainer, yesterday. He travels with 17 lions and 12+1 of them (13 is unlucky) are in the show. Such huge, intelligent and beautiful animals. I don't think they could find such love anywhere else. As he says, "It's my life, not a job". He told the story of on one show the circus put him in a hotel too far away from his lions, so took a sleeping bag and slept in the cage with his largest white male lion, one he has had since a baby. He explains, if they are unable to be in the wild, the circus is a much better place for them than the zoo. Here they have something to do, they are intelligent animals and don't want to lay around all day bored.


Today we complete the loop of Germany and head back to Essen for 4 days with Rob Torres, the American clown.





We have stumbled upon some wonderful Christmas markets. Lots of lights, bratwurst, and hot wine on cobble stoned streets. With large snow flakes falling, it couldn't get much better.

LIEPZIG, GERMANY

HERE IS A NEW VIDEO from a stop we made on the road driving from Essen to Liepzig.

We're staying for three nights in Liepzig, a wonderful quaint and yet modern town. We arrived after dark Sunday due to getting lost, per usual. The cobble stone streets were FULL of people, but it sounded like the inside of a library. This town, even during the day, is full of people walking, biking, shopping and eating at the Christmas market, but still the calm quiet is consistent and...well... unusual (if we're comparing it to ANY U.S. town).

Due to the amazing generosity of circus friends of friends and the Krystall Palast Theater, Ian and I are staying upstairs from the theater in a room along with the other artists in the show. It's a huge make-shift room with a small kitchen where the "stove" sits next to the box of a shower. But there's hot water, warm bed, and good people, what more could you ask for?

The show - "Very British" - is great. It is a "Variete" dinner theater type setting with Circus acts from New York, Denmark, London, and Germany performing.

http://www.krystallpalast.de/

FRIST VIDEO!

Check out our first short video from our filming in Europe!

VIDEO!

This is Troupe Yakubov as they rehearsed at Circus Probst in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. We will follow them to the competition at the 34th Monte Carlo Circus Festival.

Lesson from the beginning of the trip:
1. Never turn when you want to (when driving)

2. It always works out
(Luck has been on our side. There have been a few bumps, as to be expected, such as the light bulbs for the lights we brought only being 120v and not the needed 240v. Now, where in Germany can we find speciality film equipment lights? The "helpful" front desk sent us to a Walgreens equivelant, not so much. So, we made some frantic calls and made a friend over the phone at a Lowel dealer in a town a few hours away. He checked for us, called me back (thank god my cell phone works) and will be shipping the lights we need to a friend of his in the next town we will be in. Lights in two days! Faster than shipping in the US. He laughed, "You were very lucky I answered the phone today, we are never open on Saturday." I said, "Well I'm glad I was lucky!". He simply responded, "Well it always works out, doesn't it."

Yes, yes it does.

ARRIVED

Two sunrises and two sunsets, four countries, and no sleep Ian and I arrived at our hotel in Essen Germany. We drove in our very nice leased car from Paris across Belgium and the Neatherlands. We are here two nights to film in Gelsenkirchen just 10 minutes away at Circus Probst.

let the circus adventures begin!

I will update this as much as possible with videos, photos, and fun stories of filming.

We're OFF! I (Angela) fly out of LA and meet Ian in Chicago and on to PARIS, arrival the morning of the 11th.

In PARIS we pick up our car and drive to GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany to film at Circus Probst and Troupe Yakubov - a strap act from Kazakhstan.

Newsletter of sorts #2 and THANKS!

Thanksgiving and so much to be thankful for! In TWO WEEKS we depart for Europe and begin filming “World Circus Culture”. I have been planning and saving to make this film for years. I’ve saved every penny given to me for birthdays, Christmas, graduations, and my $2/week allowance from my Dad since I was about 5 and haven’t touched it until now. I am beyond excited!!!

DONATIONS! we need $6,665 by Jan. 31st!! Please donate today: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/worldcircus/world-circus-culture-a-feature-documentary

• QUESTIONS ABOUT DONATING? Scroll to the bottom of the email for instructions.
• Raised $1,335 (as of today) THANK YOU to all those who have donated, it means a lot!
• “Stranger” donations - I’ve had my first three! I have no idea who these wonderful people are but they have somehow heard about the project and decided to donate!
• Sooner the better! Your $5 & UP donation shows the support needed to attract other donors. Circus organizations are including the film in their 1,000 plus email newsletters & your support attracts the interest of “stranger donations”.
• Skip a coffee for me! Will you really notice $5 missing?...I will!
• Pass it on. Spread the word. Ask co-workers, neighbors, friends, & relatives to help support it. Join “World Circus Culture” on Facebook & post about it!

NEWS!

• To the Moon Productions officially became an Associate Member of the World Circus Federation. We can now be found on their website! CLICK HERE
• The film was recently written about on ClownAlley.net BLOG (click for link) and in the Columbia College Chicago West Coast Alumni Newsletter.
• Articles are planned to appear in White Tops, Spectacle, King Pole (U.K.), & Bandwagon circus publications over the next few months.

PRODUCTION!

• Follow us on the MAP LINK (also found on the website)
• Update on Crew: It is with much excitement that cinematographer Ian Issitt will be joining me for filming in Europe. This will be his first collaboration with To the Moon Productions, although we have worked together in the past on both narrative and documentary films. Most recently, he returned from shooting a documentary in Sudan. You can learn more about him at http://newboundmedia.com/

Angela & Ian, 2006 Documentary in Virginia

TO MAKE A DONATION through our funding site KICKSTARTER… Link directly to World Circus Culture on Kickstarter and follow the easy steps: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/worldcircus/world-circus-culture-a-feature-documentary

Click BACK THIS PROJECT & follow an easy step-by-step process the site walks you through
Here is an overview of what you will do….

• You sign up with Kickstarter in order to pledge via their website. (For Kickstarter, enter your name as you want it to appear under the Backers tab once you pledge. You can use any name you want)
• You also register with Amazon to pay on-line. It’s no big deal – just follow the steps. (Enter your name as it appears on your credit card.)
  

Notes:

• Other donors will not be able to see the amount you pledge.
• All pledges are tax deductible.
• Common issue: some people already have an Amazon account but have forgotten their password. Enter a different email address to create a new account & password.
  

If you prefer to send a check rather than pledge online, it will still be tax deductible. Make the check out to our Fiscal Sponsor, Acrobrats, Inc. & reference "Documentary" on the “For” line. Send to:

Acrobrats, Inc.
P.O. Box 1970
Madison Sq. Station
New York, NY 10159

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Newsletter1 11/14/09

We have until Jan 31st to raise $8,000!!
Any amount will help & show we have supporters. Please visit:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/worldcircus/world-circus-culture-a-feature-documentary

Please help & find out what rewards there are!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/worldcircus/world-circus-culture-a-feature-documentary

Visit the project page for more information on WORLD CIRCUS CULTURE (click on link!)
This film will bring light to the circus internationally, as never done before.

1. SPREAD THE WORD. Forward this to your friends! Join us on Facebook! Do you have connections in the news world? Know people, organizations, or companies interested in Investments or Sponsorship?
2. DONATE: this is a big project for a little company. Donate to a good cause & help bring light to an art form we all love & should learn more about. Every $1 helps & is appreciated!
3. COLLABORATION: Can I help promote you on my website and you help promote the film? Down the road can we join forces & screen the film for a fundraising event for both of us? Any other ideas!?