Exciting Progress on My Dead Friend Zoe
First and foremost, a big heartfelt “Thank You” to each of you for your commitment and participation on this journey. Whether you have invested in Legion M or directly into My Dead Friend Zoe (or both), we appreciate you! Your support makes it all possible and we can’t wait to share the results of this important project when it’s ready.
Outlined below are some of the latest updates on all the progress we are making with My Dead Friend Zoe — things are going great.
As a reminder, we wrapped up shooting on July 11 just before the SAG strikes started and after a short breather we moved swiftly into post-production. We are now 7 weeks into a 12 week post-production schedule and the vibes are nothing but positively electric!
We already shared that we landed Emmy Award-Winning editor Ali Greer to lead our editing team and we are happy to report that she's been killing it. Ali and Kyle have already crafted a rough cut that has not only met, but exceeded our expectations. At this early phase, we have only shared the cut with a select few people to gain valuable feedback as we keep moving forward. The feedback so far has been very positive with many of us commenting that it's one of the best rough cuts we’ve ever laid eyes on… which says a lot this early on.
For those new to the filmmaking process, watching a rough cut can feel akin to walking into a house that’s still under construction — it’s got a framework but it’s not yet fully furnished and clearly still a work in progress. For example, this early version only has placeholder temp music, bare minimum soundscape, no color correcting, minimal to no special effects, etc. It isn’t polished but it’s a critical part of the process that allows us to see the foundation and structure of the storyline, while also getting a sense for how some of the emotional and dramatic scenes land. Plus we get a feel for the actors' performances and their onscreen chemistry. Needless to say, we are very happy with how My Dead Friend Zoe is coming along and from here, we’ll continue to refine, polish, and perfect. Kyle and Ali make a great team and every day the film gets better and better.
In the realm of music, we haven’t finalized on our composer (that starts in the next few weeks) but Kyle is in discussions with a few of his top picks and we are excited about the potential to add another exceptional talent to our dream team. We'll share full details with you once we do — so keep an eye out for that announcement soon. Music is the soul of a film, so as usual, we are aiming high.
And why not? Since its inception, My Dead Friend Zoe has consistently managed to attract the highest levels of talent both in front of the camera and behind. From Ed Harris to Sonequa, Natalie, Gloria and Utkarsh — not to mention one of the biggest actors in the world…Morgan Freeman. And behind the camera we have also scored big with our masterful DP Matt Sakatani Roe, our amazing casting director Jamie Castro, our awesome production designer Whit Vogel, and now Ali Greer in the editing bay. The hits just keep coming!
On the financial front, we are also in good shape. We've received our first rebate from Oregon (ahead of schedule) and the Fan-First Financing Reg CF that we recently opened has been going very well and is over $600K (thank you to all of you for your support). All of this has enabled us to pay off our first bridge loan (a few days early), avoiding incremental interest charges. With the continued success of the Reg CF, we should have the funds we need to pay off the last bridge loan on time as well.
Once again, none of this would be possible without your belief and investment in our shared vision. We are crafting something very special with My Dead Friend Zoe and your continued support is making this dream a tangible and thrilling reality.
Expect more updates as we continue the post-production process. Also, be on the lookout for details on an “insiders” zoom call (with writer/director Kyle) within the next few weeks. There's plenty of work ahead, and we're excited to share every milestone and victory with all of you who have been with us from the start.
PS: Haven’t invested yet? If you want to learn more about the Fan-First Financing Reg CF and get your name in the credits, please check out the campaign page.
***Movie investments like My Dead Friend Zoe are speculative, illiquid, and involve a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. Read the Offering Circular and risks related to the offering before investing.