Maestro - A Belizean Legend (The Documentary)

Hi Friends,

This full-feature documentary features a man and his impact within a very small country in Central America, Belize.

His name is Ted Burrowes, and he is one of Belize's most influential music composers.

You'll hear in-depth stories from childhood friends, members of the early Catholic church in Belize, choir members, his family, and political folks who will all contribute to telling a compelling story.

PROJECT HISTORY

This project has been in the making for several years, and the idea of capturing this story has existed for some time now. The influence he has had on the Belizean community and the church is one that has never properly been explored.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Here's why this is so huge. While Belize is known for its beautiful beaches and vacation hotspots, there has been an overwhelming amount of talent within its borders. Many are self-taught and do their best to make a mark, but very few get the opportunity to even share their talents. Ted Burrows dedicated his life to his family and to music.

Giving Belizeans a chance to share their stories would be life-changing for them, and for all those who hear them.

This film will show historical Belize long before it was ever called Belize and will feature interviews of men and women who have seen it all.

There is a personal connection to the director, Joel Evans, as he is the grandson of Ted Burrowes, and is a multi-Emmy award-winning filmmaker, who has always felt compelled to professionally produce this film. Additionally, Julietta Burrowes, Ted’s youngest child, and a musical prodigy in her own right is leading the charge in producing the musical score of the songs Ted wrote for the Catholic Mass.

Even deeper than that are the stories that will emerge from childhood friends who grew up to also be tremendous influencers themselves.

AUDIENCE

This documentary will be a keepsake for all those who have been directly impacted by Ted’s life. It will rekindle a love for music that is so important to the culture of Belizeans.

This documentary will also be applicable to the next generation of Belizean musicians, singers, and Catholics as it will inspire new hope.

It will also be of great interest to any Belizean who values great production of their homeland and well-done story-telling.

This will be a fresh depiction of Belizean-grown talent with a global reach from both the story as well as the production value.

STYLE AND APPROACH - Filming & Editing style

This film will rely heavily on photographs and videos that already exist to help tell the story. Many of these historic photos are already coming in from both family and friends.

Interviews of family, friends, political figures and church members will be captured with a 2-camera system. Depending on aspects of the story we get from these interviews, reenactments may be necessary. A careful selection of actors will be made in order to get as accurate of a reenactment as possible.

The editing style will be at a moderate pace, providing a calm but rhythmic pace to the edit.

HERE'S WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT THE EDIT - What will make this particular documentary stand out will be the inclusion of the individual performances of the songs he re-wrote for the catholic mass. His rewrite is one of his accomplishments that stands out above them all.

Each song will be sung by Saint Martin's Catholic Choir in Belize and will be used throughout the edit as one form of telling the story. The film may start out hearing and seeing the first song of the mass, then transition into interviews about his early childhood. After a few minutes of hearing this, we go back into the second song of the mass. We continue this process until the mass is over, and the story is over simultaneously.

PLAN OF WORK

Pre-Production

A great deal of research will be done prior to filming. This will include phone interviews, email correspondence, as well as in-person meetings with key people to better establish the timeline for this story.

Production

Primary production will take place within the course of 1 week.

2 days will be set aside to capture all 8 songs that Ted Burrowes wrote for the Catholic mass.

2 days will be set aside to capture the primary interviews. This will include those within the political category, as well as the church and some family members.

1 day will be set aside to get specific supporting footage. This will include shots of Belize, as well as support footage of interviewees.

Additional days for interviews and supporting footage will be required within the US throughout the process.

Post-Production

This will be an extensive process and will take approximately 3 months to complete. This is where the story will be built and put together in a cohesive way.

DISTRIBUTION

In Belize

This full-feature documentary will air on local Belizean television.

Television stations include:

Channel 5: Great Belize Television.

Channel 7: Tropical Vision Limited.

Channel 15: Krem TV.

Love Belize.

Online

This documentary will be available after airing on TV on a specific YouTube Channel that will be created just for this project.

Snippets of this documentary will also be made available on social media channels.

BUDGET SUMMARY

Phase 1 - Pre-Production

Phase 1 of this documentary includes necessary research, location scouting, and communication. This phase is expected to take 4 weeks (1 month)

COST: $5,000 USD

Phase 2 - Production

Phase 2 will cover all the production and principal photography for the film. It covers all costs associated with the complete production, including crew, equipment, transportation, food, and lodging of the moving crew. Multiple trips to Belize will be required in order to capture all necessary interviews and supporting footage. In addition, trips to other states (Florida, and Washington) will be required to capture necessary interviews, including one of Ted's sons, as well as Miss Daphnie, who sang opera with Ted in his early years.

COST: $20,000 USD

Phase 3 - Post-Production

The post-production process will be the most time-intensive phase. The estimated timeline for completing the editing of the documentary is 3 months after principal photography and all needed assets (photos, support footage, docs, etc) have been delivered.

COST: $15,000 USD

TOTAL COST: $40,000.00 USD

MORE ABOUT ME

I was actually born in Belize and at the age of 18, moved to the US. Since then I have had the great opportunity to travel all across this country, but also many countries of the world as a filmmaker. I've produced a wide range of videos including TV shows, music videos, commercials, and as of 3 years ago, full-featured documentaries. The most recent documentary I was a part of won me and the team multiple Emmy awards.

Along with my wife, Rebekah, we produced well-crafted, story-driven videos for our clients.

Rebekah & Joel, winning multiple Emmys for a recent documentary.

CONCLUSION

This documentary is already happening as we've already captured great looking b-roll and one interview so far in Belize. We already have more than 6 interviews lined up in Belize, including one from the former Governor General of Belize (Representative to the Queen of England. He and Ted were very close, and his interview will be pivotal in the overall story.

Your help is needed to help push it through to the end. Thank you in advance.

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