"Mister Rogers & Me" Not Headed To Sundance

Figures that I'd hear from the Sundance Film Festival about the fate of our sweet, little film just as I head to Hollywood to cover one of the most-ambitious, expensive blockbusters of all time for work, right?

I knew we'd hear no later than Wednesday, so -- not surprisingly -- I wasn't sleeping terribly well. My car to the airport was at seven, my flight was at nine, but I woke up at four and checked my Blackberry. I tossed and turned another hour, then got up to get ready. And there it was in my inbox, subject header "2010 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL NOTIFICATION."

Dear Benjamin,

On behalf of our Programming staff, I would like to thank you for submitting your film to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Unfortunately, we are not able to include it in our program this year. We received a record 9,800 submissions this year, and many tough decisions had to be made in order to narrow the field down to under 200 films. Please know that your work was carefully considered by our team, and we viewed far more worthy films than we had room for in the program. I sincerely hope that this decision does not discourage you in any way. We wish you the best of luck with your film, and we look forward to having the opportunity to view your work in the future.

Sincerely,

John Cooper
Director, Sundance Film Festival

Yes, I am disappointed. But no, I am not surprised.

My father points out that only two percent of films were accepted. My wife points out that getting the film done and submitted is an accomplishment in and of itself. And I'll point out that we never really thought we had a chance anyway; Sundance favors hard-hitting issue docs (not to mention fully-realized ones; ours is a work-in-progress).

What's next? The SXSW Film Festival deadline is December 11. The Tribeca Film Festival deadline is January 11. The Nantucket Film Festival deadline is February 1.

Chris and I will spend a few more days in the edit tightening the segments, clarifying the stories, and scoring with contributions from Casey Shea, Jonathan Hollingsworth, The Poem Adept (Davy Rothbart's brother's band) and me (I've remixed a bunch of "The Invention of Everything Else" tracks for the purpose).

We will make "Mister Rogers & Me" an essential documentary for festival director's programs.

Stay tuned...

It's Official: "Mister Rogers & Me" Is An Actual Movie!

Hope the headline didn't throw you.

No, we haven't heard back from the Sundance Film Festival. And remember, the odds are 1 in 25 (or some 4%) that our documentary will be accepted. (Less likely still, I think, given the festival's slogan this year: "The New Rebels.)"

Still, we're one step closer to being a legitimate movie: "Mister Rogers & Me" has an IMDB page!

And check it out; it's got a summary!

An MTV producer's life is transformed when he meets the recently retired host of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,' Fred Rogers. Friendship with the PBS icon sets the young producer on a hero's quest to find depth and simplicity amidst a shallow and complex world through conversations with Susan Stamberg (NPR), Tim Russert ('Meet The Press'), Marc Brown ('Arthur') and more.

I mean, yes, of course I wrote it, but still. I'm excited.

Because today we may just be a few words and text links, but someday soon, there's gonna' be a poster, and some clips, and eventually even some premiere pics...

Stay tuned!

Thank You "Mister Rogers & Me" Supporters

A little over three months ago, we launched a Kickstarter campaign to crowdsource "Mister Rogers & Me" finishing funds.

One month ago, we submitted a rough edit of our 79-minute documentary to the Sundance Film Festival.

Two days ago, Mister Rogers' Tribute To Children statue was unveiled in Pittsburgh to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

And yesterday afternoon, Pittsbugh's WQED christening studio A -- home of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" throughout its original run (1969-2001) -- as the new Fred Rogers Studio, then threw its doors wide for special tours of the Neighborhood set.

Thanks to the following neighbors for supporting our film, and helping keep MIster Rogers "deep and simple" legacy alive.

Kecia Barnhill
Tricia Martin
Jon Hurwitz
Linda Shortman
Robert Perreault
Aimee Schulman
Bryan Thomas
Tim Spence
Matt Keeley
Karen Rando
Justin Tormey
Anne Ferola
Mike Levine
Torrie LM
Steven Cherry
Elizabeth Harper
Jennifer Macellaro
Mike & Beth Petricoin
D. Scott Miller
Michael
Erica Laden
Ronald Lieber
Brian Ives
Sara Butterworth
Alex Brough
Holly Yarbrough
Brian Hart
Blaine Bell
Joe Andosca
LauraBelle Brown
Casey & Langhorne Shea
Kristine Qualls
Angela
Lucy Cogswell
Heather Stansfield
Greg Kaplan
Carissa Potenza
Greg & Reva Merchant
Brian Turner
Josh Renaud
Kris Jensen-Van Heste
Nichole Miller
Katia Maguire
Phoebe & Charles Basso
Helen Kralich
Luke
Joe Voss
Peggy Kauh
Nicole Zelinski
Ted and Kathy Curtin
Chris & Megan Abad
Ken M. Wilson
Michael Horgan
Lisa Yao
Sue Gefroh
Leah Browning
Christie Strong
Sarah A.
Robin Turner Oswald
Sebhat Browne
Kay Marcel
Kirin Kalia
June O'Toole
Bill Attinger
Vickie Perkins
Sarah Armstrong
Michael Lake
Daniela Muhling
Ann Kwolek O'Neill
Brian Paris
Kyle Bavender
Ryan Kroft
Mike Pence
Mikel Derby
Robert Johnsen
Theo Syslack
James Izurieta
Franya Barnett
Pete Clark
David Beach
Elyse Rubin
Gene Mahon
Annie
Allison O'Keefe
Maegan Gudridge
Glenn Platt
Lesley Neadel
Tara Taylor
Andrea Olson
Lisa Giangreco
Megan Nebel
Jarrod Bates
Loell Revell Shepardson
Jennifer Roberts
Rachel Fox
Curtis Raye
Nancy
Sarah Ezolt
Jacob Byard
Russ Johnson
Joe Hale
Catherine Lajoie
Lauren Melton
Mary Strolle
Susan Deichsel
Dennis
Gary L. Springer
Mary Ellen Fahey Upton
Robert Watson
Maureen McCarley
Romey Craig Fluck
Sandy Mayers-Green
Sue Wen
Carrie Mercer
Eric Thompson
Liz Hillger
Matthew Lloyd Buck
Rachel Eash-Scott
Elisabeth English
Virginia Virkus
Meyer Malka
Amy Hollingsworth
Amy Sanders
Wendy Boyd
Kristen O'Connell
Tom Loftus
Sarah Revitte
Samantha Rader
Robb Boland
Amber Derek
Regina Gelfovision
Paul Stelter
Paula J. Kelly
Pembry & Pedro
Kimberly Cain
Michael Highland
David Mazzucchelli
Sara Steetle
Heidi Dittmar
Caitlin
Mar Ricketts
Andrew Crowley
Annette Laing
Gordon McAlpin
Dianna Garland
James Elmore
Peter Couvares
Stephanie Coronesi
Dennis Kulm
Sarah Ferguson
Jennifer & Eric Rohr
Neera Garg
Jesse Nicely
Kim Balkcum
Brian Linder
Ralph Aversa
Amanda Walker
Melissa & Derrick Russell
Otis Cornelius
Stephanie Simmons
Joel Schroeder
Communist Prime
Mary Warren
Leonard Lin
Ramla Gabriel
Mark Genszler
Sara White
Melissa Ecker
Gail & Richard Keller
Lauren Scott
Meredith Keller
Ricci Rukavina
Fred Benenson

Mister Rogers, Father Dave & Me

A few weeks ago, my pal Brian Ives appeared on Sirius Radio's Catholic Channel to discuss U2 and faith, a subject he knows I hold near and dear.

Afterwards, he told me he'd mentioned our little documentary to the show's producers, with whom he later connected me via email. Friday night after work, then, found me thirty-six stories above Sixth Avenue, alone in Sirius' massive, space-aged lobby. My interview on Father Dave's Busted Halo Show was scheduled for 8:20. Sure enough, Executive Producer Robyn Gould appeared before me with a huge, rock 'n roll smile just seconds prior. And just an instant after shaking hands with Father Dave and producers Brett and Brian, I was on air.

Now, you may be wondering, why the Catholic Channel when I'm lapsed, and Mister Rogers when he was Presbyterian? And why now, when the film's not even done?

I look at it this way. It's not about the film, it's about the assignment. Mister Rogers told me to spread the [deep and simple] message," so I'm going to seize on any opportunity to do so; it's only going to broaden that message's reach.

Moreover, specific tenants of Christianity never really seemed to be the point. True, Mister Rogers was an ordained minister who treated the space between himself and his audience as sacred, but his values (articulated so well by Bo Lozoff) were core to the world's religions: take time to reflect, be wary of materialism.

So there I was, rambling about my day job (came to learn that Father Dave used to work for my supervisor), my music (specifically, how Mister Rogers gave me the courage to be myself), and the film. Father Dave was quick and hip and funny, and connected it all with a through line of "cool," identifying and inquiring about my "PBS mind in an MTV world." I was self-deprecating (perhaps too much so), characterizing myself as "the least cool guy in most rooms" (which may actually be true. And while the conversation stayed mostly philosophical, Father Dave gently brought it home in the end.

He played a clip from Mister Rogers' last episode in which he says,

I'm just so proud of those of you who've grown up with us, and I know how tough it is some days to look with hope and confidence on the months and years ahead. But I would like to tell you what I often told you when you were younger: I love you just the way you are. And what's more, I'm so grateful to you for helping the children in your life to know that you'll do everything you can to keep them safe, and express their feelings in ways that will bring heeling in many different neighborhoods.

Afterwards, Father Dave said, "And that's it, right? God loves us just the way we are, whether we're cool or uncool." And as he wrapped up the interview, he asked when the film was going to reach theaters.

I rambled a bit and finally said, "Sometime next year," then added -- knocking on wood as an afterthought -- "God willing."

To which Father Dave replied, "Looks by what you've accomplished thus far, God is willing."

I spilled out onto the chilly city with a smile, and strode west. The streets were streaked with rain, reflecting the neon lights as if everything were run through with brightly-lit, high voltage. I dialed up Coldplay's "Life In Technicolor" on my iPod, and walked on absolutely gobsmacked that everything is in its right place.

On The Commercialization Of Childhood

Our primary objective in visiting Dr. Susan Linn's Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood offices in Boston was to add factual heft to our film.

Of course, Dr. Linn was a perfect candidate for the gig, as she's written two key texts on the subject of children and media, "Consuming Kids," and "The Case For Make Believe."

In the few days since we've been home, I've immersed myself in her work, and others (like The Kaiser Family Foundation's 114-page opus, "Generation M: Media In The Lives Of 8-18 Year-olds).

What's challenging about tackling the subject of marketing to children is breaking away from our own memories as adults. We remember ads for Connect Four or Burger King, so think, "What's the harm?" The harm is in the massive increase of marketer's expenditure and screen exposure, and the erosion of creative time as a result. Have a look:

32% of two to seven-year olds, and 26% of children under two have a television in their bedroom. (Source: Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood)

In 1983, advertisers spent $100M on marketing to children. In 2008, advertisers spent $17B, an increase of 170%. (Juliet Schor, "Born to Buy")

The average 18-year-old has witnessed 200,000 acts of televised violence. That's nearly three-a-day. (Source: National Institute On Media & The Family)

The average 18-year-old has seen over 700,000 advertisements. That's more than 100-a-day. (American Psychological Association)

The average 10-year-old can name 400 brands. (Source: Progressive Policy Institute)

Children between 4 and 12-years-old spend $30B a year on junk food, candy, toys and games, an increase of 400 percent in twenty years. (Source: Progressive Policy Institute)

Children and teenagers influence up to $500B in family spending annualy, a 1000% increase since 1960. (Source: Progressive Policy Institute)

The average child spends six and a half hours using electronic media, including three hours of television. (Source: Kaiser Foundation)

98% of televised food ads seen by children are for products high in sugar, fat or sodium. (Source: CCFC)

Obesity rates among children 6-11 have quadrupled since 1980. (Source: CCFC)

85% of Americans believe that children's television should be commercial-free. (Source: The Center For The New American Dream)

87% of Americans say that "current consumer culture makes it harder to instill positive values in children." (Source: The Center For The New American Dream)

In the end, "Mister Rogers & Me" doesn't endeavor to be preachy, but instead to give pause, and allow for reflection. Stay tuned.

Mister Rogers, Susan Linn & Me

As I say in "Mister Rogers & Me" voice over, "We learned pretty quickly that there are no coincidences in Mister Rogers' neighborhood."

A few weeks ago, Slamdance co-founder Paul Rachman gave Chris and I some great feedback on our film, not the least of which being that it needed more facts about the effect of media on children.

In my research, I discovered many valuable facts and figures at the Campaign For A Commercial Free Childhood website. CCFC is a national, non-profit organization devoted to limiting the impact of commercial culture on children. So I emailed CCF's co-founder, Dr. Susan Linn.

Shortly thereafter, Save Mister Rogers' Neighborhood founder, Brian Linder, told me, "Dude, she wrote the book the impact of media on television!" Sure enough, Dr. Linn's "Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood" is full of alarming data, like that American advertisers spent $17B marketing to children last year up from $100M in 1983.

A few weeks later, when I asked Brian if he had any suggestions as to what I might ask Dr. Linn, he said, "Well, obviously ask about Audrey Duck's guest appearances on The Neighborhood." Um, obviously.

Ends up that Dr. Linn is a ventriloquist who, along with her puppet, Audrey Duck, appeared on "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" numerous times, then went on to get her PhD in psychology and co-found CCFC. And so, in seeking fact to inform our very personal, emotionally-grounded film with hard facts, we found the perfect person: an expert who knew and worked with Mister Rogers, and carries his legacy with her every day!

Chris and I spent a few hours with Dr. Linn at her office in the Judge Baker Children's Center in Brookline Thursday. Not surprisingly, Dr. Linn is a thoughtful, warm, remarkably intelligent and hugely-engaged person. We talked about how she became involved with The Neighborhood, her time in there, what she learned from Mister Rogers, the gravity of the situation, and the stakes of inaction.

We'd initially planned to place Dr. Linn's expertise interstitially throughout the film. But it was apparent to Chris and me as we post-mortemed the shoot that her deep connection to Mister Rogers and passionate, informed engagement with the issue warrant a full, stand-alone segment.

I haven't transcribed the interview yet (we only got home eighteen hours ago, eight of which I was sleeping, and eight of which I've been working), but my favorite part -- and what is sure to make the final edit for the film -- is her simple explanation that with the proliferation of screens and targeting of children, we are raising a generation of children overweight, overly-sexualized, and overly-violent consumers incapable of relishing the silence required to create art, music or poetry.

And then what?

Mister Rogers, Morrissey & Me

I dashed through Times Square to Chris' edit suite just after sunset.

He's made a bunch of headway in just a few days, covering Amy Hollingsworth, Tim Madigan and Marc Brown's segments with b-roll and photos, all of which add whole new levels of depth and nuance. We watched the segments back, and discussed materials we've yet to acquire.

Our pal Mark Mutschler showed up around nine o'clock (not long before the garlic, tomato and sausage pizza). He's a seasoned Executive Producer himself, and is one of very few people to have screened the film. His fresh perspective was valuable.

We talked a while about what worked for him, and what didn't, and what went on too long, and what needed more explanation. All three of us agreed that we'd done a better job weaving Mister Rogers himself into the film (which sounds obvious, but remember that we didn't interview him and don't have a ton of actual "Neighborhood" footage), but that the "Me" in the titled (as in, yunno, me) needed help.

Not that we need to see or hear more from me (we've been really sensitive to being sure that I'm far secondary), but I need to do a better job sewing the segments together. Example. You've heard me tell the story about how Mister Rogers asked about my father within, like, twenty minutes of meeting him.

"I don't hear much about him," he said, gingerly inquiring about my parent's divorce. Which is what he did so well. He found that spot that needed nurturing or healing, and gave you a safe place to be nurtured or healed. Tim Madigan felt it (and talks about it). So did Mark Brown. And so did I. So I need a way to demonstrate those sorts of threads more effectively. (In other words, more voice over.)

Mark had another interesting insight, essentially boiling the film down to a Morrissey lyric:

It's so easy to laugh
It's so easy to hate
It takes strength to be gentle and kind

In Consideration Of "Mister Rogers & Me"

Listen, there's not gonna' be a ton of news here, just a fair dose of enthusiasm.

We hit the Sundance Film Festival deadline! We're "In Consideration!!!"

But it gets better. Closer inspection of the submission FAQ indicates that, in fact, we can submit a revision! What does that mean? That means that we can spend the next two weeks dialing in our edit and even, if we're lucky, add in our Susan Linn interview.

And here's the beautiful thing about it all: serendipity. See, when we started fundraising a few weeks ago, we thought we'd missed the Sundance deadline. Ends up (as you've since gathered), we still had a shot at the late deadline. What's more, we'll have an unprecedented two straight weeks of fresh edits under our belt.

Now, to be fair, Sundance is a long, long, long shot. In 2008, 1,573 documentaries were submitted. Forty-one were selected. It's the gold standard for film festivals.

Still, for a guy who purchased a DVD player way back in 2000 just so I could learn from film's director's commentaries, and first attended Sundance 2006 with the specific intention of learning all I could from the place, well, it's exciting enough to be "In Consideration."

Editing "Mister Rogers & Me" (Again)

It's just before eleven o'clock on a Tuesday night.

Chris and I have been editing for a little over two hours, and we're just barely seventeen minutes into the film. Which I suppose isn't so bad, but we have about fifty-eight to go.

This is dry, confusing, thankless work. It's like a three dimensional puzzle; every time we move a section or a soundbite to solve one problem, we create another. Luckily, Christofer is good at this, and knows the footage as well (and in some cases better; he shot it) as me.

Challenging as it is (especially under deadline), it's kind of exciting when it connects. Example.

I jumped out of my chair when I realized that Paul (Rachman, who basically thinned our 2:15:00 version to 75:00) had -- by omission and juxtaposition -- helped us connect Columbine to Mister Rogers. See, Bo Lozoff was with Mister Rogers on the very afternoon that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher and injured 21 others before turning their guns on themselves. Bo asks (basically), Would they have done such a thing if they'd been able to find just an iota of beauty -- a song, a bird, a sunset -- in their everyday lives. And then we meet Amy Hollingsworth who talks about how Mister Rogers was bullied as a kid, and told by parents to act like it didn't bother him. But it did! So he spoke up... in over 900 episodes of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

We're watching NPR's Susan Stamberg right now. She says, "We arm ourselves through life to get through the difficulties, but in [Mister Rogers'] presence, you'd put all that aside. If he heard where your biggest toe stub in life had been, he'd zero in on that."

That soundbite had been cut, but it gets at the essence of Mister Rogers, and the reason we're here tonight, eight years later, trying to make sense of our brief but meaningful relationship. He knew exactly what was hurt in me the most (my parent's divorce) and within just a few minutes of meeting, made me feel comfortable enough to speak of it. So that's back in.

"We need him with each passing day more and more," she says.

Amen.

I could sure use his help now.

Mister Rogers, Sundance & Us

Chris and I have a long way to go, still, here's a first: I just submitted our Sundance Film Festival application!

Now, to be clear, the Sundance team is going to receive an edit that is just a few shots further along than the re-cut our friend, "American Hardcore" director and Slamdance co-founder Paul Rachman, delivered to us a few weeks ago (which, to Paul's credit, is miles beyond where Chris and I'd gotten it), but there's no harm in trying.

So the paperwork is done, and we'll send the DVD at the last available moment: 9pm Thursday night.

Meanwhile (as you may know), we met our $10,000 Kickstarter fundraising goal! 176 backers pledged their support. Thank you! We're SO moved and SO grateful and will do everything we can to put those resources to their best use.

Of course, the fact is, we could spend $100,000 on additional shoots, music, graphics, licensing and post work no sweat. I expect it to get us a truly festival-worthy edit by the end of the year. (What we're submitting to Sundance is a really, really rough cut; some sections lack any coverage at all, but a) the deadline is looming and b) we've described it as a "work in progress" which we expect to complete by November.)

Still, the film's never felt more real, our progress never more tangible. Cooler still are the dozens of emails and comments I've received in the last few weeks. In my darkest moments, when it feels like the Capitalist Juggernaut is going to roll over everything that lacks a logo, those emails keep me putting one foot in front of the other.

So thank you! Please keep those cards and letters coming. And please keep spreading the message.