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‘Blair Witch’ director is crowdfunding a docudrama about an alien encounter


An alien encounter doesn’t necessarily seem like something you would want to repeat, but a man named Carl Merryweather is trying to reunite with the “Skyman” he claims he met almost 30 years ago. The story captured the attention of Blair Witch Project director Dan Myrick and he made it his next project. The filmmaker has launched an Indiegogo campaign to crowdfund a docudrama film about what Merryweather finds.

Myrick describes the project as “a labor of love …  inspired by a fascination with UFO subculture.” He plans to make dramatized version of Merryweather’s journey back to the desert where he says he first met the alien he calls the Skyman. Based on the overview of the project on Indiegogo, the film, Skyman, will try to answer the question of whether Merryweather is a true “experiencer” or if he is “just another crackpot looking for fame and fortune.” Either way, it sounds like it could be interesting.

Myrick plans to make the film independently so that he doesn’t have to answer to a studio.

“Having worked in the Hollywood system for many years, I know all too well how an original concept can get quickly watered down in an effort to appeal to the masses,” he writes on the campaign’s Indiegogo page. “This film is a way for me to reconnect with my filmmaking roots and retain a level of creative control that would otherwise be impossible in today’s filmmaking environment.”

The Indiegogo campaign, which is live now, is seeking $25,000 to cover online casting, development, marketing, and more. Contributors have the option of giving as little as $5, which will earn them downloadable promo images and their name on the film’s website. On the other end of the spectrum, those who donate $5,000 will get an associate producer credit, a personalized director’s chair, dinner with Myrick, and more.

Stephanie Topacio Long
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
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