This past Wednesday, our lead actress Bella began her five month journey towards becoming a badass fighter. Within the next couple days, schedule permitting - (financing meetings are top priority) - the Exclusive Behind The Scenes Blog will begin starting with a post about her fight training and video of her in action. All the email addresses will have to be pulled of the $35+ backers and invitations will be sent out. Keep in mind that this is not an automatic process, so I will work through it as quickly and accurately as possible.

Thanks for sticking with us, and please help spread the word. Things are getting exciting, but we still need lot of help. Considering how much time we have to acquire the funds, we should have no trouble doing so - with your help.

Thank you to everyone that backed us on the Kickstarter campaign! We really appreciate it, but the Kickstarter failing does not mean the end of RIVEN! The details are outlined below - I encourage you to read it all, but here is the bottom line:

In order to move forward, we need to know that we have the funds to do so. We don’t need it all now, but we need to know that it there. In order to move forward with the very important fight training for our lead actress and other actors, we need to have this in place IMMEDIATELY. The Kickstarter was scheduled to end at a specific date - and the funds are distributed approximately two weeks after completion. Since the campaign did not hit the goal, we don’t get that money, but that means we have a little time to convert those Kickstarter pledges into Paypal contributions.

If you believed in RIVEN before, we need you more than ever now. If we convert just $25,000 of the $30,000 from Kickstarter, then we can make the show and can begin working on it. And we need YOUR to help!

(There seems to be some confusion about what I wrote above. Please note that this does not say that we can somehow make the show for only $25,000 instead of the $45,000. Please read the ENTIRE tumblr page for the complete story. What this says is that the $25,000 from this Paypal campaign PLUS another $20,000 in OUTSIDE financing will allow us to make the show. But we are currently $25,000 short on financing and need to secure it through Rewarded Contributions in order to move forward. Thanks again, and I apologize if I was unclear.)

Please be sure to let me know if this widget does not support your currency or if it doesn’t allow you to donate because of currency differences. I have not used it and don’t know how it will work without your feedback. Thanks!

All reward levels stay the same as on Kickstarter, though some have been eliminated. Philip and I really look forward to sharing the Exclusive Behind the Scenes content, and this will give us a way to do so.

$15.00

• MP3 Download of the Riven Theme Song single.
• 720p HD Digital Download of the RIVEN Pilot Episode including commentary from director Brian Ramage, cinematographer Philip Bloom, and the lead actress.

$35.00

• All of the above, plus:
• Exclusive Access to the Top Secret production blog. Behind the scenes look at Philip, Brian, and the rest of the crew as they put together this pilot episode.
• DOES NOT INCLUDE access to the Live Streaming Video from Set and other stages of production. See the next nevel:

$50.00

• All of the above, plus:
• Access to the EXCLUSIVE Live Streaming Video from Set and other stages of production, including the Table Reading with full cast.

$100.00

• All of the above, plus:
• 1080p HD Blu-ray Disc of the RIVEN Pilot Episode including Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Behind the Scenes Featurettes, and Production Sketchbook.

$250.00

• All of the above, plus:
• Two Tickets to the Red Carpet L.A. Premiere Screening of the RIVEN Pilot Episode.
• Special Thanks Credit in the end credits.

$500.00

• All of the above, plus:
• 27x40 One Sheet RIVEN Theatrical Poster signed by the Cast, Director and Cinematographer

$1000.00

• All of the above, plus:
• Associate Producer Credit in the end credits and on the IMDB listing for the show.
• Two ADDITIONAL Tickets to the Red Carpet Premiere (4 total).
• Invitations for you and your 3 guests to the Rooftop After Party after the Screening.

$2500.00

• All of the above, plus:
• A Day on the Set of RIVEN to shadow cinematographer Philip Bloom.

(Does not give the backer unrestricted access to the set and/or location. Set visit days will be determined by production as per work load. Backer must provide his own transportation to and from set/location.)

$5000.00

• All of the above, except screening tickets, plus:
• Two VIP Tickets to the Red Carpet L.A. Premiere Screening of the RIVEN Pilot Episode, with your own VIP sofa love-seat in the theater.
• Two Standard Admission Tickets to the Red Carpet L.A. Premiere.
• Invitations for you and your 3 guests to the Rooftop After Party after the Screening.

$10,000.00

• All of the above, plus:
• Executive Producer Credit in the credits and on IMDB for the RIVEN Pilot Episode.
• Exclusive Private Dinner and Beverages with Director Brian Ramage and Cinematographer Philip Bloom.

(All screen credits awarded for backing the pilot episode apply only to the pilot episode - they do not carry over in the event that the show is picked up.)

You’ve gotta have a plan B. 

We have been hard at work securing alternate financing in the past two months. While we have had faith in the Kickstarter campaign, it would be entirely unwise to put all of our eggs in one basket.

Over the past two months both Philip and I have been contacted by several individuals interested in financing the show at different levels. Not a single one of these individuals offered enough funds to cover the production in it’s entirety, but it’s amazing how the outside amounts offered added to the amount raised on Kickstarter equal almost exactly what we need.

The reason we went with Kickstarter was because we need $45,000 to make this show. (Kickstarter takes almost 10% in fees, thus the $48,000 amount of the campaign.) We did not choose to use IndieGogo because at the time we started the campaign, we did not yet have any outside offers, and could not rely on them to come in, so instead of setting up an IndieGogo and taking $25,000 - not enough to make the show - we went with the all-or-nothing Kickstarter. At this stage, it seems that was an unfortunate decision, but I personally made that choice so you would not be put in the position to give money to a project that might never see it’s total needed funding. Well, we now have those additional funds lined up, so we are running this Paypal campaign.

Why Paypal and not IndieGogo for this second round? That’s easy enough -  IndieGogo’s fees run as high as 13%, while the maximum with this Paypal campaign will be no higher than 3%. Obviously this means that we are able to put more of your contributions into the SHOW rather than into a 3rd party’s pocket.

The last reason is that this campaign will run without a time limit. As more people learn about the project, they can become a part of it and receive the great rewards that all of you are excited about as well, and the additional funds will only add to the production value of the show as well as give of more room in which to work.

As mentioned above, though, we need to raise this needed $25,000 in this first week of September. These funds are needed to make the show and we cannot proceed without them. We’ve hit close to $30,000 in the Kickstarter and if all those people come over tot he Paypal campaign, then we are right on track to continue. But we I’m sure there will be some drop off, and we’ll lose some backers - that is understandable, but we need to hit this $25,000 right now at the beginning of September to move forward. If you gave before, I ask that you join us again and help make this happen. We need you. 

Thank you for your continued help and we look forward to being able to pay you back - both with the rewards, but also with a great show.

RIVEN tells of a troubled 13 yr old girl who is left to fend for herself after her special forces father doesn’t return home from a mission. Devon, the young girl, must balance her childhood with survival in the new violent world she has stumbled upon - contract killing.

From a feature film screenplay written in 2005 by Jean Miller and Brian Ramage,  RIVEN doesn’t take the comic book approach taken by recent films, but instead takes the story and the character seriously and realistically, focusing both on the action and the pain; showing the hurt and drama that leads to the action. There are many risks for a girl this age in the business she has fallen into, and Riven addresses the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, the deadly serious and the comedic. This isn’t a comic book superhero, this is a real teen girl.

RIVEN Premium Cable TV Series Pilot

While it started as the feature screenplay “RIVEN” and found life as a short film titled “SEVERED”, what we are pitching here is a 55 minute pilot episode of the original story adapted to a 13 episode premium cable TV series format.

While I always only envisioned RIVEN as a feature film, SEVERED earned me well over a year of meetings in some top Hollywood producer’s offices, and while they loved the story and characters, I did what I could to sell the feature project, but it almost always kept coming back to adapting the screenplay to a premium cable TV series. Why premium cable? Three reasons. A) The feature is full of strong language and violence, so it’s likely “R” rating adapts better to premium cable; but B) More story and character freedom. Simply put - look at Game Of Thrones - you can do things on premium cable that you just cant do on basic cable; and C) premium cable original programming is exploding. Now is the time.

Finally, adapting a 90min feature script to a 13 episode premiere season offers far more room for development. It seems many shows struggle to just insert filler into their shows, completely ignoring the opportunity to use the extra screen time to further develop both the story and the characters. And to me, this was the selling point on adapting the feature to TV. I created these characters in 2005 and have worked tirelessly since then to bring them to screen. They have become living people and every action and reaction comes from the who they are - not to lazily progress a plotline, but because their character guides it.

WHAT WILL THE MONEY GO TOWARD?

The funds raised will go toward every step of the production process, including administration, cast/crew compensation, casting, fight training, props, wardrobe, locations, food, insurance and anything else I can’t think of at the moment. In fact the only thing that the money will not go to is me. Everyone on this project will be compensated for their time and effort, but my only reward will be a job well done.

Who are we?

BRIAN RAMAGE - Creator & Director

Writer/Director from Los Angeles, CA. A platinum selling recording artist, Brian grew up performing on both stage and screen. Transitioning to various positions behind the camera, including special makeup effects and camera crew, before moving away from film becoming an accomplished still photographer. In 2005, the itch to get back into film returned, and that is when he and his production partner, Jean Miller, wrote the screenplay for the feature film version of “RIVEN”. After making the short film “SEVERED”, in 2009, Brian has been busy meeting with various producers about several potential film projects. Never having considered creating or directing for TV, the idea to turn “RIVEN” into a premium cable TV series couldn’t be ignored.

PHILIP BLOOM - Cinematographer

Phil and I have been friends for just over two years now, having connected as filmmakers on Twitter, sharing lively discussion on every aspect of filmmaking and films. Making home in England, Philip lives most of the time out of in suitcase in hotels all around the world, in high demand working as a cinematographer and educator holding sold out workshops on DSLR cinematography as well as other emerging digital filmmaking technologies. I don’t travel so much, but Philip’s travels bring him through L.A. a few times a year allowing me to hang out and catch up with my friend.

For those that are not familiar with Philip and his work, Philip has been working in broadcast for almost 20 years. With clients ranging from BBC, SkyNews, FOX, Microsoft, Apple, Audio, and CBS, Philip has devoted his life to production and in the last 5 years or so, being on top of the cutting edge of digital technology - sometimes even before it emerges. As maybe the most knowledgeable cinematographer when it comes to DSLR filmmaking, Philip was brought in by George Lucas and Rick McCallum of Lucasfilm to teach them up at SkyWalker Ranch how to use these new cameras for their upcoming feature film Red Tails.

Wanting to take a bit of a break from his normal schedule, Philip and I discussed the new plan for Riven, and interested, he asked for a copy of the script. Already in pre-production for the RIVEN Pilot, and about to start looking for a Director of Photography that I not only get along well with, but can handle the demands of a short schedule as well as the desired visual aesthetic, Philip would be a perfect fit. He responded: “I love it. Let’s shoot it.”

So here we are.

WHAT WE ARE DOING

As explained, we are making a 55 minute TV pilot. Writing began over a year ago, pre-production began this past Spring, casting will begin in August, fight training will begin not long after that, and principal photography begins this Winter. Upon wrap, we will move to accelerated post-production with a final product within a few months.

Along the way, we will blog about everything. In fact I highly recommend checking out the $50 donation level as that will give you a behind the scenes look that no one else will have. You will get to see every step of the process. If you get in early enough, you can watch portions of the casting sessions being streamed LIVE on the web, available only to those at that level. From there you’ll witness fight training and choreography, lighting tests, rehearsals, table readings, and one thing that internet filmmakers will really enjoy - watch as we decide what camera we’ll shoot on. Almost anything is an option including the new Red Epic as well as the amazing Arri Alexa. But you will be the first to know.

Philip has dedicated the past few years to filmmaker education and this will be no departure. He sees this as a chance to teach and show the entire production process instead of just focusing on a single specific piece of gear or camera.

THE PLAN AFTER COMPLETION

While Hollywood is reluctant in the current market to just jump on an idea, I have several producers that are just waiting to see what we come up with, and considering what I am confident that I can deliver as well as what I know Philip can put on-screen, I am confident that the RIVEN Pilot will be met with far more enthusiasm than SEVERED has already seen.

Also, once we have the pilot episode in the can, it is about half of the feature film script, so with another concerted effort just like this, we can also finish the feature giving us another product to shop around and even enter into festivals.