AIRWOLF: THE DOCUMENTARY

A while back ago, documentary producer/director and diehard fan Martin Grant, self-financed a large and demanding 5-week shoot across the United States to reach the 40 CAST AND CREW (including 10 GUEST STARS) secured for interviews. California, Oregon, Texas and Massachusetts were the four “journey” states, taking Grant and his lighting cameraman Eric Shepherd, coast-to-coast across America. The shoot was a resounding success, and enjoyed a great deal by the pair, as they met and interviewed the men and women responsible for producing one of the most complicated, troubled and expensive television productions ever attempted. 2 further interviews were shot before and after in Southern England.

THE BEGINNING:

Since September 2010, a very special and incredibly ambitious documentary, chronicling in-depth the making of the classic U.S. action thriller series “AIRWOLF”, has been in production. The memorable airborne drama, starring JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT and the late ERNEST BORGNINE as the pilots of a renegade super helicopter, was a worldwide success during its original broadcast run in the 1980’s. The No. 1 imported show in Japan and South Africa, it has benefited greatly from several re-runs internationally, in particular its most popular territories of the United Kingdom and Europe. Today, it continues to do so in the digital era, proving immensely popular on the Hulu and Netflix online platforms.
Last year, documentary producer/director (& diehard fan) Martin Grant, self-financed a large and demanding 5-week shoot across the United States to reach the 40 CAST AND CREW (including 10 GUEST STARS) secured for interviews. California, Oregon, Texas and Massachusetts were the four “journey” states, taking Grant and his lighting cameraman Eric Shepherd, coast-to-coast across America. The shoot was a resounding success, and enjoyed a great deal by the pair, as they met and interviewed the men and women responsible for producing one of the most complicated, troubled and expensive television productions ever attempted. 2 further interviews were shot before and after in Southern England.
You can find SCREENSHOTS and more information of those HIGH DEFINITION-shot interviews at the official BLOG for the project: http://airwolfdocumentary.blogspot.com
Their stories and memories were undeniably unique, and recorded on HD film for posterity. However, it was realized that the documentary could be significantly extended and taken "to the next level", by interviewing many more people of importance who could contribute to the extraordinary wealth and value of those recollections; providing an even more full & complete story on the show’s overwhelmingly problematic life in production. These would be cast and crew connected to the original CBS series with Vincent and Borgnine, and the infamous made-for-cable ‘sequel’ season in Canada, with Barry Van Dyke and Geraint Wyn Davies of “Diagnosis Murder” and “Forever Knight” fame respectively taken over the leads.
The latter was commissioned by Universal Studios, when the Californian-based show was cancelled after skyrocketing costs, the difficulties associated with Vincent’s extraneous health issues, and a number of circumstances concerning executive ‘politics’ behind the scenes. The CBS "AIRWOLF"ended with 55 episodes, including a two-hour pilot which would be later edited to form a two-part episode, in order to increase the number of programmes to 56. However, television syndication markets at the time required shows to have a package of 80 episodes, to recoup their substantial investments. Hence, the USA Network "AIRWOLF" was born, dubbed “Airwolf II” in production, and as “The New Airwolf” by the then-fledgling cable channel.
It must be noted in particular that no documentary looking back on a past television or motion picture production has ever featured an astounding amount of 34 interviews, let alone the number that will be achieved if you, the prospective backer, decide to become involved in financing a 2nd, final shoot to Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles. Based on the list of people already confirmed, the number of recorded interviews with the cast and crew of “AIRWOLF” will rise to approximately 70, with a grand total of 84 persons.

THE DOCUMENTARY:

For the first time, thousands of fans of the series across the globe, both casual and diehard, will be given a thorough and profound look into the triumphs, challenges and problems faced by two sets of casts, crews, studios and television networks during the divided 3 years plus one that “AIRWOLF”was in production. Those unprecedented trials and tribulations will be explored in intimate detail, gaining insight into its history and legacy. It's the intention and ultimate goal of the production team to make this documentary the most comprehensive and meticulous of its kind on a television series, and of the highest professional standard.

Also, due to the unfortunate and terribly sad passing of the show's Oscar-winning performer,ERNEST BORGNINE, the film will now be a major, poignant and fitting tribute to the one and only "Dominic Santini".

THE PLAN OF ACTION:

Your investment will allow us to return to Los Angeles to finally complete the comprehensive filming of this unrivaled retrospective, feature-length documentary. In addition, prior to our arrival in LA, we would be landing in Toronto and Vancouver, to interview the cast and crew of the 4th Season. The projected budget for this shoot is $8,500, however if we exceed that target, any finances gathered will automatically be allocated to post-production costs to what will be a 3-HOUR FEATURE(potentially longer).
The additional money would enable us to enrich the film by hiring additional crew to handle professional visual and graphic effects, online editing and colour grading, broadcast standard sound mixing, master delivery, and the production and distribution of the final DVD product, which will be on par to any major studio release you'll find in retail stores. That's how high the standard will be for this project. "Do it right...or NOT at all".

To incentivize donations, we are teaming up with a number of “AIRWOLF” cast and crew to produce an IRRESISTABLY VARIETY OF PRIZES; all of them exclusive to the eight-week campaign period.
Our co-producer, Mark J. Cairns, is also cordially offering multiple copies of his “Airwolf Appreciation Association” fanzine publications and “Airwolf Themes” soundtracks, including the highly-anticipated, forthcoming sequel album, “Airwolf Extended Themes”.
Throughout the production of the shoot and subsequent editing stages, the existing blog will be maintained with the progress and posting of several photographs and information. The documentary is set to be released in OCTOBER, 2014, to celebrate the 30th British anniversary of the original series, when the two-hour pilot movie debuted on October 5th, 1984.
Thank you for your support and consideration, and we sincerely look forward to hearing from you. We would also greatly appreciate any and all help to SPREAD THE WORD to as many people as you possibly can. Even if you think no one will contribute, you may be pleasantly surprised. Make some supersonic noise for our campaign, and don't forget to use the Indiegogo share tools!
Kindest regards,
Martin Grant
Producer/Director, Granted Productions

To get this documentary moving they need to raise money to get it done and they need you the fans to help them out... Ever dreamt of being a producer of the hit series Airwolf? well here's your chance,  not for the series but for the amazing special 3 hours documentary.


Go here.