Free Wheels THE FIFTY YEAR TRADITION OF THE LITTLE 500 "Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things." - William Golding                "By George, here they come atilting! Five hundred mailed and belted knights on bicycles" - Mark Twain                LADIES & GENTLEMEN, MOUNT YOUR ROADMASTER BICYCLES During an unseasonably warm spring day in 1950, ad-man turned foundation president, Howard (Howdy) Wilcox Jr. developed a hook. Charged with the responsibility of creating stronger bonds between alumni and the university. Howdy was searching for an event that would galvanize the students, the town and especially the alumni. While having cocktails with university friends, he heard a commotion at a nearby dorm. Investigating, they discovered a group of students madly racing around a dormitory shaking off the winter months and impending exams in bursts of enthusiasm. Men with brim raised hats taking notes as press agents, women hanging out of windows screaming for their cyclists, Howdy watched as wheels turned. Twelve months later Howdy, the son of Indianapolis 500 winner and race car legend Howard Wilcox Sr., had found his event as he brought down the flag on the inaugural Little 500. A race designed and run entirely by students for Students. THE GREEN FLAG "Free Wheels: The Tradition of the Little 500," will be a 102 minute, color, documentary that will lead viewers through fifty years of the proud historical traditions of the Little 500, while also engaging them in the current challenges of riding on a competitive team as the film follows both a men's and women's team as they prepare for the race. QUALIFICATIONS After 49 years of thrilling finishes, international media attention, and thousands of dollars raised for scholarships, it is high time that a film documents this great event. The rich multitude of exciting stories both successful and tragic makes the Little 500 the perfect vehicle for a documentary. As the 50th anniversary approaches, this film will bring together many of the dramatic elements which have occurred throughout the years, as well as focusing on the character of people which this race produces. Working for the theme that the race has maintained its strength due to the dignity and poise, which it instills in its participants, the film will examine the spirit of tradition and its importance in creating fully functioning members of society. I first became interested in the Little 500 about the same time I became interested in filmmaking. During the summer of 1978, as a twelve year old in Bloomington, I watched as a group of people invaded my hometown to make what would become a seminal film for me as well as the city. "Breaking Away," released the following year, would put Bloomington and Indiana University on the map. Hailed as the most desirable and livable city in the early eighties, Bloomington and IU reaped the benefits of Steve Tesich's academy award winning screenplay about a quirky town with heart and a great race. Seven years later, after making many not ready for prime time movies, I entered college at IU and began a career in which cycling and cinema would inter-weave many times before hurtling me toward this project. Enrolling in film theory classes I raced for my dorm team, Collins Graitas in 1987 and 1988 placing a respectable 6th the second year. In 1989 I rode for Cinzano and celebrated a victory as I completed my psychology and film theory bachelor degrees. In 1990 as I enrolled in Columbia College of Chicago's Master's program in film, as I coached the women's team The Landsharks for the first of four years. In 1992 and 1993 I was rewarded with victories. After filming my thesis project "Blueberry Hill" in Bloomington and later premiering it at the Indiana Memorial Union, I graduated with my Master's degree in 1995 and began a career in cinematography and documentary filmmaking. Shooting mainly commercials, television and feature film work, I felt like I needed to return to the areas of my life which had been the most passionate for me. This brought me back to Indiana and the Little 500. After meeting with current Indiana Student Foundation President Randy Rogers on several occasions in 1997 I choose to begin the long process of documenting the first fifty years of this great race. Having the unique perspective of having won as a rider and a coach; and additionally being born and raised in Bloomington, I feel quite strongly that I am the perfect match to make this important film. PEDAL HARD AND TURN LEFT BRIEF TREATMENT At the outset, the film will take several approaches. The first and most important is an historical; the film will document the race through archival footage (photos, film and video) and interviews of past riders. Their stories and comments will drive the visuals and audio in a way similar to Ken Burns' "Baseball" documentary. The second approach of the film follows both a men's and women's team throughout a year of training in preparation for the race. Following the teams, not necessarily to document their success, but to demonstrate their growth as individuals as they learn to work together in an effort of camaraderie and sportsmanship, is the focus of this section. This part will also consist of interviews and b-roll footage of the team members as well as documentation of their race day trials. The final direction of the film will be to look at the race as a scholarship-creating event. This is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film. The plan is to demonstrate not only the importance of the race to the scholarship recipients, but also to the riders who learn the relevance of competition and hard work, as well as the necessity of philanthropic efforts. THE FIXED GEARS PRODUCTION The production plan for "Free Wheels" is briefly documented as follows. Research and over 200 hours of interviews have already been conducted, as well as repeated interviews with the selected men's and women's team from the Fall of 1998 through the race in the Spring of 1999 including documentation of their race day successes. A nine-camera crew shot the two teams on their respective race days, including 16mm and DV CAM formats. In addition the local television station, which aired the race, has donated all the shoot tapes to the project. Their has been three short 35mm vignettes also shot which will lend a narrative air to the piece as well as raising the production value beyond normal documentary standards. Over the summer the bulk of the 'historical' interviews began production. These interviews will continue through fall of 1999, as will 3 more narrative vignettes. Postproduction for the film, which is on going, will begin in earnest in October of 1999. The release of the film is planned for February of 2000. FORMAT "Free Wheels" which is designed for national television release, will be shot mainly on digital video. The archival photos and films will be transferred to Beta tape (broadcast medium) for editing purposes. The interviews will be shot on a combination of digital video and 16mm film and the B-roll will be shot on several formats including, 35mm, 16mm, and 8mm. The mixture of these formats will create at times a stylized show that will reflect the different eras of the race. The voice over will be a mixture of original riders (telling their stories) and hired talent. One idea for the project is to hire some of the personnel involved with Breaking Away to do narration, Daniel Stern in particular does a lot of voice over work. The feel of the film will be a combination of documentary information and narrative lyricism capturing among other things the small town spirit and flare of Bloomington. The narrative elements will make the documentary more accessible to people who don't normally view historical films. KEY PERSONNEL Although documentary is often an endeavor of a single person, I am fortunate enough to be able to share some of the responsibility with the production staff at Fortune Fish Productions in Chicago. Kendall Harnett: Producer, Camera. Kendall has worked on many national commercial spots, including serial television work with Fox and Discovery Channel. He has also several shot feature films. He has taught a variety of film courses for the last seven years at Columbia College in Chicago. Doug Haight: Co-producer, Assistant Director. The director from Fortune Fish, Doug has served as director and art director for numerous national spots. Lisa Wolf: Production Manager. Lisa has served as an assistant director for several television productions and feature films. THE CROWD ROARS AUDIENCE The primary audience for the film is of course Indiana alumni, although we fully expect the distribution to go far beyond the reaches of the university. Gearing for a February 2000 video release, we are planning to have a national television screening in March of 2000, in an effort to raise interest in the fiftieth race. Similar to the national interest created by the documentary "Hoop Dreams" we plan to use the dramatic material we captured throughout the last year as we followed the two teams, will engage people far beyond cyclists and Indiana residents. DISTRIBUTION: The filmmakers will actively explore an aggressive and professional marketing and distribution strategy to ensure that "Free Wheels" receives the wide recognition and is seen by as many people as possible. Plans include: Submission of the film to key festivals nationally and internationally. Transfer of the completed video to 35 mm for a limited theatrical distribution in those markets which have been traditionally supportive of independently produced documentaries and where there are populations interested in the subject matter. National television distribution - Discovery channel, A & E and several other cable companies are aggressively pursuing feature documentaries. Home video distribution to individuals and institutions on a limited scale through direct mail to target audiences. HELPING THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES FUNDING STRATEGIES Like most major documentaries or projects of passion, the need or desire do create the work often out weigh the costs. Consequently most projects of this nature begin as self-funded investments, later relying on corporate sponsors or grants to complete costly films. "Free Wheels" is no exception. Our early estimates of the costs including labor, equipment, advertising and editing put the project totals at just under $90,000.00. At printing we have raised over thirty thousand including personal investments as well as several small grants. We have made these substantial initial investments in order to get this truly original and exciting project underway, but in order to complete the film as specified, we will rely on grants, personal donations and sponsorships from corporate investors looking for promotional consideration. It should also be noted that although Indiana University is in full support of the project through the donation of time and reams of archival material of which we are eternally grateful, they are not currently involved in funding the project. We have completed an initial budget that can be made available to interested parties. The challenges of looking for support and funding I am sure will prompt discussion and considerations that will avail themselves as we go through the process. THE SPIRIT OF TRADITION In 1989, by winning the race, I was fortunate enough to become part of the history of the Little 500; but in 1987 when I first stepped on the track I became part of a tradition. This is what I am left with from my experiences in the Little 500. I want to capture in "Free Wheels" this feeling. The Little 500 is about tradition and the confidence which goes along with becoming part of that tradition, which is instilled in its participants. BE A PART OF THIS UNIQUE FILM EXPERIENCE If you have information regarding Little 500 history or wish to help with the funding of this film, contact Kendall Harnett at Harnett@mcs.com .