BLAST and ArtistShare Invite Fans to Make the Movie

The public’s fascination with movies and filmmaking is as old as the medium itself, but now, the Internet is allowing the audience to take an active role in feature film production through a collaboration between filmmaker Paul Devlin and the ArtistShare website.

Filmmaker Paul Devlin, the creator of PowerTrip and SlamNation, is partnering with ArtistShare (http://www.artistshare.com) for his latest documentary film BLAST and inviting fans to take a role in its production. ArtistShare is a unique presence on the web – a site where fans fund their favorite artists in exchange for participation in the artists’ work. ArtistShare subscribers are given access to the most closely guarded aspect of production – the creative process.

Since 2000, ArtistShare has connected fans with their favorite musicians; BLAST is the first film to be incorporated into the program and will serve as the model for those to come.

BLAST exposes risky scientific adventure in a way we have never seen before. With extraordinary access through the filmmaker’s brother, astrophysicist Dr. Mark Devlin, BLAST puts a human face on groundbreaking science research by revealing the interpersonal challenges, daily frustrations, inevitable failures and ultimate triumphs of the scientists involved. The story follows a close-knit international team of astrophysicists and graduate students as they attempt to launch a multi-million dollar telescope on a NASA high-altitude balloon. BLAST journeys from the Arctic to the Antarctic, in an attempt to discover thousands of early galaxies and help answer humankind’s most basic question – How did we get here?

Subscribers to the ArtistShare BLAST project (http://blast.artistshare.com) will not only gain access to production updates and behind-the-scenes footage, but will be able to participate at various levels with interactive question and answer sessions, invitations to exclusive premiere events, and even the opportunity to personally meet with the filmmaker and the scientists behind the project. Depending on their level of participation, ArtistShare participants can even have their name appear in the official credits of the film.

Participants also enjoy the freedom to focus on their personal interests; budding astrophysicists can learn more about the science behind the BLAST experiment, while future filmmakers have the option of downloading footage and editing a section of the film, with the possibility of it ending up in the finished documentary.

Packages and pricing range from those for individual subscribers who want access to the production updates and a final DVD, to more extensive offers for university classrooms and organizations. For individuals who want more exclusive and personal access there is even an opportunity to become Executive Producer on the film.

“The independent film industry is changing rapidly,” says director Paul Devlin. “Traditional funding sources are disappearing just as exciting new ones are emerging. Filmmaker’s have been improvising using the internet as a fundraising tool, but Artist Share is the first to provide a proven structure for this kind of active on-line participation.”

For additional information on the BLAST and ArtistShare collaboration, visit http://blast.artistshare.com. For more information about the BLAST film and to see the trailer, visit http://blastthemovie.com or contact the creators at blastthemovie@gmail.com.

About Paul Devlin:

A five-time Emmy winner for his work on NBC’s Olympics and CBS’s Tour de France, Paul Devlin’s films include Power Trip, which screened in 60 countries, theatrically across the United States and on PBS’s Independent Lens, was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and has won 10 film festival awards, including top prizes at Berlin, Hot Docs in Toronto, and Florida.

Paul also made the award-winning film SlamNation, which follows the fierce competition at the National Poetry Slam and helped popularize the dynamic genre with its release in theaters and on HBO/Cinemax and Encore/Starz.

As an editor, Paul’s extensive credits include commercials, music videos, television shows and major sports broadcasts, including CBS’s Super Bowls and ABC/ESPN’s World Cup Soccer.

Contact:

Paul Devlin Productions
212-677-8581
blastthemovie@gmail.com
http://blastthemovie.com