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"A Life In Waves" will document the life and career of Suzanne Ciani.
The Sidewalk Film Festival was the first place documentary filmmakers Brett Whitcomb and Bradford Thomason saw their work on the big screen.
Now the two Texas natives and current Birmingham residents are turning to crowdfunding for a feature-length music documentary on electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani.
Whitcomb and Thomason aren't simply faces in the Sidewalk crowd, though - their 2012 feature doc, "GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" (directed by Whitcomb and written, edited and scored by Thomason), won Audience Choice Best Documentary at the 2013 festival.
Their first collaborative documentary, "The Rock-afire Explosion," made its debut at Sidewalk as well.
Next year, the filmmaking duo is setting their sights on "A Life In Waves," which will document the story of groundbreaking electronic musician Suzanne Ciani - and they're seeking financial support to make it happen.
"We look for films that resonate with us in some way and connect with our childhood," Whitcomb said. "Ciani made tons of sounds we had heard growing up even if we didn't realize it was her at the time."
"She was also relatively obscure," Thomason added. "So she seemed perfect for a documentary."
A five-time Grammy nominee, Ciani has sustained a prominent career as an electronic musician, but she also revolutionized the advertising industry in the 70s and 80s. You might know her for the iconic Coca-Cola "Pop 'n Pour" sound effect, used in hundreds of Coca-Cola commercials.
"She's an incredibly talented, incredibly interesting woman who built a career in a largely male-dominated field," Thomason said.
With a goal of $38,500, their Kickstarter campaign has already exceeded 80% with just over a week to go. And like all Kickstarter campaigns, they won't receive any of the pledged funds unless they hit 100%.
Along with the satisfaction of supporting the indie film community, donors will receive perks like posters, vinyl and DVDs - many of which will be autographed by Ciani herself.
"We chose $38,500 as a starting point," Whitcomb said. "It seems reasonable and will definitely allow us to get our gear, book our travel and so forth. It's what we need to make the film and we'll be totally grateful if we can get it."
Among those fans are a few notable names. Longtime Beastie Boys collaborator Money Mark, whom the duo met at an event for Ciani, joined the crew as a producer after discussing the film with Whitcomb and Thomason. Notable actor Elijah Wood, also a Ciani fan, has pledged vocal support as well.
Rounding out the "A Life In Waves" crew are Amy Storkel, producer of "Holy Rollers"; Lawrence Everson, sound editor of "Fight Church" and "Tchoupitoulas"; and Ali Clark, a motion graphics designer and cinematographer based in Birmingham who most recently worked on "Skanks." (Clark is also married to Thomason, whom she met, naturally, at the Sidewalk Film Festival.)
"We're totally excited about the way things are going," Thomason said. "It's been really great to engage with Suzanne's fans and get a sense of the film's audience."
The Kickstarter campaign for "A Life In Waves" will end Wednesday, December 10 at 3:00pm. If they're successful, the team plans to shoot early next year with an early film festival submission goal of August 2015.