Commodore 64: Computer For The Masses is to be the quintessential documentary on the Commodore 64. The passion for this project started where all obsessions do, in my childhood. In 1982 I was 11 years old when my grandfather gave me a life-changing gift, a Commodore 64. I quickly mastered countless games and spent much time typing in BASIC programs from Run Magazine and Compute!’s Gazette. During this period I saw iconic films Tron & WarGames, which along with the Commodore 64 opened my eyes to the digital world and would eventually lead to a career in film.
Over the last decade, I’ve been fortunate enough to have produced/directed 10 award-winning documentaries. Most of these have been heartfelt, humorous and character-driven films that received rave reviews and earned worldwide distribution deals. These titles included Strictly Background, Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians & Not Such A Bad Guy: Conversations with Dabney Coleman, as well as, The Rock-afire Explosion & GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, which both became nostalgic cult fan favorites. Consequently, in 2017 Netflix created a fictionalized series based on GLOW, which is currently one of their most popular shows. Feeling inspired to produce another historically retro documentary I couldn’t think of a more fitting project than to focus on my first digital love, the Commodore 64.
Commodore 64: Computer For The Masses will cover a brief history of the company from its Holocaust survivor & legendary founder Jack Tramiel and prodigy designer Chuck Peddle, to how Commodore nearly purchased Apple in their infancy and licensed BASIC computer language from a little company named Microsoft. This will lead up to the inception, development and subsequent release of the Commodore 64. It will show how it impacted its competition, other industries as well as the consumer’s insatiable appetite for a household computer that went on to sell an astonishing 22 million units in 1983, earning the company nearly $681 million. The film will also highlight Commodore 64’s legacy 35 years later and how it influenced many of today’s leaders in technology.
To achieve this vision we will use historical photographs, archived video footage, and commercials as well as animation and original music. There will also be original interviews (contacting Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, Tim Cook, among others) and a compelling celebrity voice over.
We’ve already assembled a talented and seasoned team which includes our cinematographer, editor, composer, animator and beyond. Additionally, we've brought on Commodore expert & author Brian Bagnall as a consultant and we secured the rights to his book Commodore: A Company on the Edge for the documentary.
Budget - 250K
Timeline - 12-18 Months
GoFundMe - 25K (Launches Pre-Production)
Credit - All supporters will receive a Special Thanks Credit, plus a digital copy when it's released.
Extra Credit - For supporters looking to give more, we can offer the following film credits:
Associate Producer Credit - 1K-4.9K & Executive Producer Credit - 5K+
Investor - If you're interested in becoming an equity investor please contact us directly.
We feel the quickest way to get Commodore 64: Computer For The Masses into production is through GoFundMe. Our strategy is to raise at least 10% of the total budget so we can begin pre-production and start our production timeline. If we're fortunate enough to hit and exceed our initial goal, as many other projects have done, we'd be able to focus even more on filmmaking and less on fundraising. So won't you please join us in making this incredible story of how the Commodore 64 disrupted an industry and became the best selling computer of all time, come to life!
Strictly Background screening at Newport Beach Film Festival '07. Tafan Nieves, Jason Connell & the late Marvin Rouillard.
"Commodore 64: Computer For The Masses has the potential of not only being a richly entertaining and significant documentary, but it could also become the next GLOW (retro documentary to fictionalized series crossover)." - Jason Connell
Filmography - http://IMDb.com/name/nm2046180/
Biography - http://IMDb.com/name/nm2046180/bio