Open CallOpen Call: Rough Cuts
Uncle Sam (Previously Titled: Uncle Sam Lives!) (3:38)
Jean Nagy - Boston, MA
The Pitch:
Every now and then, someone stands out of the crowd and makes people take notice. In this case, he happens to bear a striking resemblance to Uncle Sam, oh wait, it is Uncle Sam!
At 66, Uncle Sam Rounseville, who legally changed his name to Uncle Sam in the early '90s is a real estate agent as well as a community activist. Under the patriotic guise and garb of Uncle Sam, Rounseville, a resident of Quincy, MA, has toured dozens of states to promote the right to vote, raised about $1 million for veterans of the Gulf War in the early 1990s and continues to visit states and schools advocating political awareness and community service. On top of his public appearances, Uncle Sam maintains a 20-by-30 billboard on a busy corner in Quincy that he uses to promote a local charity every month and he dutifully donates his social security checks to charity as well.
My film will be character driven, examining how one civic-minded individual has taken it upon himself to promote the public’s involvement in politics. Uncle Sam will share how and why he began touring as the character popularized by James Montgomery Flagg, who used Uncle Sam to help promote the war effort during World War I, how the public’s involvement has changed over the years as well as his observations of the 2008 election. One definite stop will be Merrymount Elementary School in Quincy, MA where he is active with the Kids Voting Program. Here, Uncle Sam will chat with some political-savvy 5th graders about the 2008 election cycle.
About the director: As a documentarian, I focus my attention on revealing the authentic personality of my subjects and enjoy creating compositions that transform seemingly ordinary environments into visual art.
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Comments
I like this a lot. A couple
I like this a lot. A couple of notes:
It begins to drag just a little around the 2 minute mark, so i would recommend seeing if you could bring it in closer to three minutes.
The id scene where he shows his license - are we meant to be able to see his name on there? I couldn't.
The sounds is muffled.
Good work.
Simon Kilmurry
strong character, did your
strong character, did your pitch mention that he had his name legally changed to uncle sam? i would try to include this, if you can. also i agree about carving up that long, long soundbite from the second kid at uncle sam's classroom roundtable.
Feedback
I have no structural changes to suggest but the audio mix on Uncle Sam is muddy. His audio needs cleaning/pumping up.
Uncle Sam
I really enjoyed Uncle Sam. He is such a wonderful character. I agree with the other comments that you could heighten the 'quirky' element and his uniqueness with faster cutting and more reaction shots. I would emphasize more the moment when he shows his drivers license somehow. I wanted that moment to last longer or appear at a different time. It was fantastic! The music felt slightly ironic which I personally liked but I don't know if that was the filmmaker's intention. There is a idealized mythical figure involved which is imbibed with many conflicting layers of meaning depending on who you ask. This very element adds a dimension of complexity to the symbolic element of your character that can be explored in many different subtle ways such as music.
Camille, POV
Yeah, I am going to fish
Yeah, I am going to fish through all the kid’s responses to see if there is a smoother, shorter way to incorporate both sides. That should be pretty easy.
Re: the last shot. I actually like it. Is it not obvious that his plate says US SAM? When I was with Uncle Sam I really enjoyed discovering all of the subtle ways he had incorporated patriotic elements into his life i.e. the star rug at the foot of his bed, his 1776 phone number and the license plate. But, I will look through my footage to test some other endings ...
Thanks for the feedback everyone.
Jean, I do like how you
Jean, I do like how you included children on both sides of the issues, so yeah, I'd definitely try to keep that in there. I think Nancy's idea to end with a different shot might be a good suggestion -- the car seemed like sort of a neutral shot in an otherwise quirky, fun piece.
Nice Job !
Nancy Bolton
Great piece. Would shorten kids and end with somthing other than car, maybe him waving.Also, liked the way you let him tell his story. Nice!
Great work!
Awesome, Jean!! I agree with the feedback re: cutting down the kids' responses. You might want to take out the phone number that Uncle Sam says toward the end. Besides that, congrats on another job well done!
WELL DONE!
I REALLY ENJOYED IT! I liked how you got to know his history and also how he has been involved in the upcoming elections.
LOVE IT!
BRAVO! you've got a film. an
BRAVO! you've got a film. an intimate portrait of an iconic figure we all thought we knew, uncle sam. you've raised him from merely a patriotic image to a fascinating vehicle for highlighting a rich and compelling character... an american subject. and don't get me wrong, you'll not find a flag flying from my house. also well shot. the production value of the film appears of the highest quality.
good luck,
chico
chico colvard
www.c-linefilms.com
Yeah I agree. I think I'll
Yeah I agree. I think I'll have the first boy mention Obama and then cut to the second about talking about McCain and it should be under 3 minutes.
I think this really came
I think this really came together well. You get a good quirky feel from it. I might suggest cutting down a bit of the kids, as that segment seems to drag a bit. Also, that might help you get under 3 minutes.
Overall a very well put-together piece! You cover a lot of material at a fun, brisk pace.