[jims69camaro]

well, i've been thinking about this for a while now, so i guess it's time to share it.

we're going to need cash and other resources that we don't have in order to get this project done. the more i think about it, the more i know that we will need media for the cameras to record to, microphones and sound mixing equipment, it looks like we are going to fall short of the three cameras i think will be necessary to save time and effort, and i am sure other things will come up as we go along that we'll need to outlay cash for in order to keep this project going. while asking local businesses to use their garage bays for a few weeks while we shoot the pilot (and others?) is not out of the question, having the resources to rent space in a warehouse-type setting, where we could come up with a setting (like trucks!) that we could lock the door on when it's not in use (not have to worry about setting up and tearing down every time we shoot) would be ideal. it may sound like pie-in-the-sky, but imagine having a whole month (or two) to complete the project without having to count on someone else to open the door for us...

one of the ways i can think of to solicit funds for our project is to contact businesses in our area. while that will work for some, there are others like the Home Depot that wants us to solicit from their corporate headquarters. being grassroots, like we are, give us certain advantages when asking people for money: a., they know we don't have any; b., they are more inclined to help out the 'underdog'; c., we are not mired in red-tape or corporate by-laws or some other such nonesense that would keep us from soliciting from people.

i would like to keep it as simple as possible, as in just a typed letter on letterhead. we could probably come up with a slick package with color photos and such, but that will only add to the cost to send the requests out.

i know we have some people out there that are involved in sales, others have (surely) graduated college with degrees in english and other disciplnes that could draft a letter for our effort. i figure with a form letter we could send directly to some businesses basically asking for cash, but have the ability to tailor it to certain others, like camera manufacturers or distributors, to ask for specific other needs.

over "christmas break" if you guys could think about this and come back to us in the new year with a draft letter that we could send out (or hand-carry) to certain businesses, i would be eternally grateful.

like i said, i have been thinking about this for a while, and i know how close we are to being able to get this project in the can. i don't want money to be the reason why we failed to complete it.