Tales of the oil patch reach Billings like rumors of an exotic, far-off destination: stories of rags to riches, expansive housing developments, rising crime, infrastructure bursting at the seams, and all-time low unemployment. Residents and visitors are often met with a set of predictable questions: “What’s it like? Is it really how they say it is?”
These questions are at the heart of a newly launched multimedia documentary project titled the “High Plains Heritage Project.” It’s about spending time getting to know people living in the areas affected by the Bakken oil boom, and sharing their experiences through photos, videos, and the written word. Only in the moment of change will it be possible to capture the nostalgia of the past, the fleetingness of the present, and the suspense at guessing what the future holds.
The project will culminate in a full-length documentary to be completed in the fall of 2014.
Peter Tolton, Stan Parker, and Jessica Jane Hart, three of the four team members, are Montana natives who have seen the effects of the boom spread across their home state. They are joined by Tarek Fouda, a seasoned radio journalist based out of Brooklyn, NY.
The four will spend three weeks filming during June 2014, releasing daily content to a website —highplainsheritage.com — so that viewers can experience the stories alongside the team.
“It’s so much more than a documentary,” Parker said. “Everybody out there has a story, and we want our audience to feel like they’re meeting all of these people, too.”
The project is about community, and the team is seeking community support through Kickstarter to fund the effort. Contributors to a Kickstarter campaign are called “backers,” and it’s not a donation because they all get something in return. For the High Plains Heritage Project, perks include digital downloads, DVD copies, fine art photography, underwriting opportunities, and more.
With Kickstarter, it’s all or nothing. If the funding goal isn’t met by the deadline (typically about 30 days), the backers get their money back, and the project gets none of the money. The deadline for the High Plains Heritage Project is June 5.
“What I love about Kickstarter is that it makes a total grass-roots effort like this possible,” Parker said. “When a crowd-funded project succeeds, it’s because people saw the value in it and were willing to chip in to make it happen.”
Preserving history is another part of the mission, and backers have the opportunity to help with that mission right from the get-go. For every DVD copy pre-sold with the Kickstarter campaign, one copy will also be donated to a school, library, museum or historical society in the region.
To pledge to the campaign and learn about the High Plains Heritage Project, visit highplainsheritage.com.
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