Documentary Production and Distribution News

Copper Pot Pictures in Contract to Document the Life of Big Bird Puppeteer

By StudentFilmmakers.com
posted Jul 23, 2012, 10:44

(New York, NY) - Caroll Spinney, the 78-year-old puppeteer who has played Sesame Street's Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for 43 years, has signed an agreement with Copper Pot Pictures, giving the company exclusive rights to produce a feature-length documentary about his life. The company has also launched a Kickstarter campaign to support the production of the film.

While Caroll has been with Sesame Street since it first aired in 1969, he still has no plans to retire. "People always ask Caroll why he's still doing it after four decades," said Dave LaMattina, who is co-directing the film with Chad Walker. "I AM BIG BIRD will answer that question by exploring his extraordinary life." The film will include footage from Caroll's extensive private video archive, which captures behind-the-scene moments with family, Jim Henson and others. I AM BIG BIRD has been in development since 2009 with the full cooperation of Sesame Workshop.

Copper Pot plans to raise over $100,000 during its 30-day Kickstarter campaign and has already reached a quarter of their goal since launching yesterday. Kickstarter helps artists raise money from individuals in exchange for products or experiences and has raised more than $45 million for film projects. Copper Pot will offer rewards for pledges of $1 to $10,000, including a copy of the film, a private dinner with Caroll, a video chat with the puppeteer, and a signed illustration from Caroll.

To kick off the campaign, Copper Pot and Muppet fan group "Tough Pigs" will screen exclusive clips from the film and the Spinney archive at Nitehawk Cinemas (136 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn) at 12 PM on Saturday, July 21st. Copper Pot will also be releasing exclusive footage via Twitter (@Copper_Pot) through August 14th.





Resources:

www.iambigbird.com