Outmersive Happenings

Hello everyone,

I hope you’re well. We recently made a big decision regarding our next film, and we feel it’s a great one. Long story short, Covid 19 regulations in Iceland remain very strict and would impede our production substantially as well as put us far over budget due to the required quarantine period and the requirement for an Icelandic monitor to be with us at all times. There’s a chance these restrictions will be relaxed by July, but it’s a risk we don’t want to take given the 9 months of intense planning we have already put into this project.

In light of these circumstances, we made the decision to move the shoot to Alaska! We’re wrapping up the film permit now, and we’ve already purchased plane tickets for the entire crew. We’re also bumping up the production schedule. Instead of shooting in July, we’ll begin shooting on June 13th. 

Tara’s story is the highlight of this film, and the change in backdrop is actually beneficial to that. Alaska has much more wildlife and larger mountains. Both of which will translate beautifully to film and allow us to metaphorically tie the landscape to events in her life.

It’s no secret that the events of 2020 had a devastating impact on mental health. We feel that Tara’s incredible story will demonstrate a path to recovery for those bound by hopelessness. This is the driving force motivating us to create an artistic film that will take viewers on an adventurous journey from tears, to smiles. 

We’re all VERY excited for Alaska, and I’d like to thank all of you for your support. To learn more about the project, and how you can help out, go here. 

Kind regards,

Chris Smead and the Outmersive Crew

Hi all! We’re having our first ever holiday sale. From now until Christmas,  Highline DVD’s are $10,  Blu-ray’s are $15, AND each purchase comes with a free surprise gift. These make great stocking stuffers, and your purchase helps us raise money for The Iceland Project.

We’re happy to announce that our friend Chris Abbey will be joining the crew for the Iceland Project. You may recognize him from Explore More Films His incredible talent and masochistic drive to carry ridiculous amounts of camera gear into the wild make him a great fit for this adventure.  Fun fact: He’s the grandson of famous author Edward Abbey.

So this is new for us…but to properly tell Tara’s story in The Iceland Project we’ll need to shoot some re-enactments. These won’t be cheesy bad acting re-enactments, but rather non-speaking roles shot in an artsy way to immerse the viewers into the world Tara grew up in. (see example image) All of these scenes will be shot in the US, within city limits.

 90% of the time, the actors faces will not be visible, so it’s a fairly easy role to play. If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering to be one of these actors in our film, please reach out and send a picture! contact@outmersivefilms.com. Here’s a list of what we’re looking for:

1. ~1 year old baby girl with dark hair and brown eyes. (Near Los Angeles or San Jose, CA)
2. A Grandmother with a kind smile. Blue eyes, Grey hair. Ideally the grandmother of the baby listed above. (Near Los Angeles or San Jose, CA). 
3. 2-3 year old girl with dark hair. (Near Los Angeles or San Jose, CA)
4. 8 year old girl with dark hair. (Near Hardwick, NJ, or Los Angeles or San Jose, CA)
5. 14 year old girl with dark hair. (New York, or New Jersey, near-ish the Lincoln Tunnel)
6. 20-25 year old girl with long dark hair. (Near Los Angeles or San Jose, CA)

We’ve been hard at work planning our next feature length film The Iceland Project . The storyboard and logistics planning are coming together nicely. Another substantial effort we have going on is fundraising. Despite our growth, we’re still a small shop, so funding travel for 8 cast/crew to Iceland  AND travel within the US AND  post production costs would push us beyond our credit limits. So to help offset those costs, we have multiple threads going on. 1. We recently added a grant writer named Irene to the Outmersive collective. 2. We’re seeking out potential co-production partners. 3. We’re in contract with a company that specializes in finding larger sponsors. 4. Emma and I (Chris) are doing our own sponsor outreach. If any of you happen to know a company that might be willing to help, please send us a message! contact@outmersivefilms.com