Hello. My name is Todd Bank (www.fivestartodd.com.) I am raising funds to complete a 60-minute film that will help people understand life better. The goal is to have it edited and complete by the end of this year. This is not an unrealistic goal, either.

"The Last Year: Five-Star Todd" tells the story of my art, technology, and sports. It is shot through a 30-year perspective. I began filming this story in 2000. 45 minutes of the film have already been shot and are ready for editing. Yay!

Ultimately, I would like to raise $12,500.

These funds will finish the filming and editing processes. The beginning and end of the film will be shot on location. Filming on location is important because it adds authenticity and realism to the film, enhancing the viewer's sense of immersion and engagement. It also provides access to unique environments and natural lighting, enriching the visual and narrative storytelling.

We will be shooting in Mammoth Lakes and a few other locations around California. The film is mostly shot outdoors and in both visually appealing and not-so-pretty locations, like landfills.

I used a professional film editing system and computer to make the 2-minute film above, so I do not need to buy these items to complete the film. I have a location to do the editing and two filmmakers who will be assisting me. But I will have to hire a finishing editor. The funds will help with that cost.

Furthermore, I will need to buy a mini-DV deck to convert my old mini-DV footage into a digital format, for the editing process. These funds will help pay for that, too.

The film is for educational purposes and will not be for sale.

I work as a bartender for weddings and other events. It has been a good method for keeping my 30-year project alive, but not for saving up the money I need to finish this film, which documents the work I have created over this time period. My collection of drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, and invention prototypes is all in storage, and that costs me $1,100 per month. It is a huge amount of work.

Why don’t I sell some of the work to raise money?

The 30-year collection of original work has been set aside as a trust for a new art and interactive landfill-science museum that will display it, and other works of art. A 40-page business outline has already been written for this futuristic infrastructure project.

One goal with the final film is to debut it in an art exhibition with the Five-Star Todd collection.

I have spent half my life making art and inventing. My extreme sports will create a nice thread throughout the film. I hope everyone likes “The Last Year: Five-Star Todd.” When all is said and done, the film will demonstrate my attempt at creating a more sustainable world, something that should make sense to almost everyone. It is both a serious and a silly film that will make people think, feel, and laugh—I hope.