"String...it's done."

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Woke up the morning to find another $500 had been donated, and a 5th Associate Producer as a result. That now takes us past our target goal of $8,500! It's finally over.

I'd like to sincerely thank every single person who contributed, and everyone who shared, retweeted, tweeted, e-mailed and called to send the word out about the campaign throughout the 7 weeks it ran for. I'm absolutely amazed and thrilled, and can't wait to get back to the States, in addition to Canada, to complete the filming of this mammoth & ambitious production.

For those of you who still wish to contribute, the campaign closes this Friday night at 11:59 PM,Pacific Time. That's West Coast / California, so to give a comparison for other parts of the world, London is 8 hours ahead.

To the people who contributed, we’ll keep you up-to-date about when you'll receive your perks. As you know, Mark J. Cairns, my co-producer, is still busy with the upcoming "Airwolf Extended Themes" sequel album. He's update on release is "coming soon", but the other "Airwolf Themes" gifts of $10, $25 and $50, will be prepared and dispatched by the end of this month (September).

For the higher-level rewards of $250, $500 and $1000, those will of course be delivered when the documentary is ready for distribution. And on that note, keep on eye on here for some major news concerning the release date. You may be seeing it A YEAR EARLIER than planned.

Once again, my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the 61 contributors (or shall I say, investors!), and please look forward to what will be one of the most unprecedented, extensive and in-depth retrospectives that has been produced on a television series or film.

Kindest regards,

MARTIN GRANT
Producer/Director

NEXT...on the AIRWOLF Documentary!

Dear all,

Tonight, we have a special update for you. An exclusive, 5-minute PROMO, showcasing the cast & crew of "AIRWOLF", discussing the unforgettable theme music and episodic scores by the show's leading composer, Sylvester Levay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX_qFgFsysc

With sincere thanks to co-producer Mark J. Cairns for cutting this, and producing the "azimuth" motion graphics based on those designed for the series, it's a fantastic preview I hope you'll enjoy.

It's also to push forward the IMMINENT deadline for the fundraising campaign. There is only 11 DAYS LEFT.

It ends NEXT Friday, 14th September.

If you haven't already made a contribution, and have been planning to do so (as I'm aware from three long-serving fans they are), I would hugely appreciate it if you could submit as soon as possible, so we have a better idea of how much we'll be left to raise in the final week. I don't mean to push at all, as we've done well so far, but there's just under $3,500 remaining to gather, and time's catching up on us.

Many thanks once again everyone and regards,

MARTIN GRANT
Producer/Director

Fighting Like a Hawke - just over 2 WEEKS LEFT on fundraise!

**IMPORTANT UPDATE**

With only 17 DAYS LEFTon the fundraise, we still have $3,530 remaining to gather, in order to complete all filming next year with a second and final shoot.

A new Facebook page was launched recently. Check it out at: http://www.facebook.com/airwolfdoc

As we've had a massive surge of followers and traffic over the last few days there, I'd like to sincerely ask each and every one of you to consider making even the smallest contribution.

A low-cost $10 perk was introduced over a week ago, and there's still many other rewards to be had, ranging from $25 to $1,000.

The CAMPAIGN LINK once again is:  http://www.indiegogo.com/airwolfdoc

Please help us in reaching our goal, to finally complete photography of this special & unprecedented project.

Kindest regards and thanks again,

MARTIN GRANT
Producer/Director

It's a 'One Way Express' to target: FUNDRAISE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED!

Dear all,

Apologies again for not posting sooner, but I've been in the midst of various priorities on the project. The first is that I launched a special fundraising campaign on Indie Gogo just over 2 weeks ago, in order for us to complete all filming on a 2nd and final shoot across Canada and America.

I'm thrilled to announce that we've now raised OVER HALF OUR TARGET BUDGET of $8,500, and I've been thoroughly impressed by people's efforts to bring us this far in a short period of time. We now have 3 Associate Producers (one of them only today), and 2 Executive Producers as a result, so I'd like to formally welcome them aboard. But I still need YOUR HELP. We need to keep the momentum going, in order to reach that target.

The link to the campaign is: http://www.indiegogo.com/airwolfdoc

And there are only 33 DAYS REMAINING.

After receiving a generous contribution earlier the evening, we now stand at $4,525.

There are several perks and rewards to be had, including YOUR CHANCE to become an ASSOCIATE or EXECUTIVE PRODUCER. If you'd rather not become one, you can be credited under "Special Thanks", or contribute in return for exclusive "Airwolf Themes" prizes. Amongst the perks are unique "Supporter's Edition" copies of the final DVD, which nobody else will be able to purchase, and we've been able to offer a number of outstanding incentives, with a select group of cast & crew, including writer/producer Burton Armus, concept designer/illustrator Andrew Probert, "Marella" herself, Deborah Pratt, and the legendary father-and-son pilot team, Peter McKernan, SNR & JR.

SNR was the owner of Jetcopters, the supplier of all aircraft featured on the show, and JR became Aerial Coordinator in the 3rd Season, after the incomparable David Jones' departure. To extend on Burt and co, Burt handled the scripts for the classic 1st Season, including the penning of 'Daddy's Gone a Hunt'n', 'One Way Express' & 'Fight Like a Dove'. Andrew designed the helicopter, cockpit, flight-suits & helmets, logo and the "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" insignia. Finally, Deborah made her screenwriting debut with the outstanding 2nd Season episode, 'Fallen Angel', before becoming Head Writer and Co-Exec. Producer on Don Bellisario's science-fiction series, "Quantum Leap".

I'm aware in a previous post that I stated the initial target for the campaign was $7k, but we require a little more than 3 weeks for shooting, and Indie Gogo deduct platform fees from the final amount raised. I've also chosen flexible funding, rather than fixed. The difference is, if we don't reach the target, whatever money has been raised (minus 9% to Indie) is retained. If it were fixed, and we don't reach the target, all money will of been refunded, after all that work, effort and time.

The target budget of $8,500 will afford myself and our USA lighting cameraman, Eric Shepherd, time to travel to TORONTO and VANCOUVER to cover Season 4, and I already have 16 cast & crew from that production secured for interviews. Following that, it will enable us to travel back to CALIFORNIA, to meet the stunt, camera, grip, sound editing, costume, visual and miniature effects departments; culminating in a SPECIAL REUNION with them and the 40+ cast & crew interviewed last year.

Onto the second update. I launched a dedicated Twitter account not long after the campaign went live. Previously, the one that was linked to the button on the right menu of this page was my personal feed. It is now connected to a stand-alone one, to promote the documentary on the social media network.

You can find it by clicking on the FOLLOW button, or at: http://twitter.com/AirwolfDoc

Next up, we entered post-production a few weeks back. Countless, endless hours were spent assorting and assemlbing paper edits, to hand over to the editor, Nick Light. At present, he's occupied with sorting through those, and we hope to have a full story picture cut of the entire documentary (with the footage we currently have, and there's a colossal amount; 42 interviews) by the end of the year. It will lessen the burden of tackling such a large amount of work, when we return from that final shoot next year. On the next edit update, we'll detail the indexes of how the film will be structured, but for now, a little teaser:

SECTION 1:
Genesis

SECTION 2:
Design & Build

SECTION 3:
Pilot Episode

SECTION 4:
Casting

Sections 2 and 3 are already a considerable length. 2 will be sub-divided into five segments, and 3 into eleven, so no one will have reason to complain about too short a running time!

Speaking of those 42 interviews, one of those was shot recently, following my previous blog post in late May. I came into contact with 2nd/3rd Season composer, Udi Harpaz, and as it occured, he was scheduled to be in London on business within two weeks of enquiring. It was a hectic rush, but the interview was secured and filmed last month. Unfortunately, I don't have a screenshot to post from the shoot, since it was shot by a different cameraman on a different setup, but in time, there'll be one, along with Ray Austin, who I'm aware I promised to have one from his interview online. Again, that was also recorded on a camera which isn't particularly friendly when it comes to playback (because of insane file sizes and video formats).

But that's where we stand at the moment. Again, I sincerely need and would appreciate ANY and ALL HELP with the campaign, whether it's making a contribution between $10 and $1000, or spreading the word to everyone you know. You never know just who will come forward to make a donation. It will go a long way, and I'll be indebted to you for your support.

Once again, the link to the campaign is: http://www.indiegogo.com/airwolfdoc

And there are only 33 DAYS REMAINING.

As I state on the campaign page, let's make this the most unprecedented, unrivalled and in-depth retrospective documentary on any television series produced.

Thanks again and best regards,

MARTIN GRANT
Producer/Director

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VISIT OUR PRODUCTION PARTNERS:

The producer of the forthcoming "AIRWOLF EXTENDED THEMES" album, Mark J. Cairns, and his orchestrator/associate producer, Jan Michal Szulew, continue to work solid on the anticipated sequel soundtrack to "AIRWOLF THEMES". Check-in with their individual blogs for updates and preview teasers of the all-new tracks.

Breaking radio silence...

Dear all,

Brief update. The initial stages of the editing have taken longer than anticipated. But already, a clear, categorised structure has taken shape. The 34 interviews shot so far have dictated this, and I've only realised just how much material we have. Out of the adjectives Microsoft Word's thesaurus offers, I think the word 'gargantuan' would adequately describe the amount of film there is. Ambitious? Just a bit.

Onto other matters. 7 cast and crew members from the show, all of high-value, are onboard for the upcoming KickStarter fundraise. They're supporting it in full, and I can't be happier with that. I'm sure you'll get a kick out of what they're offering when we launch, along with Co-Producer Mark J. Cairns' range of acclaimed products based on the series. The final arrangements for the project page at the crowd-funding site are coming together, so we hope to have them in order soon.

Until then, meet this man below. Responsible for many of the incredible, spectacular shots of "AIRWOLF" in-flight, including his signature POV shots racing across terrain and water, his contribution to the show was nothing short of priceless. Together with 2nd Unit Director and Aerial Coordinator, David Jones, the footage photographed by McClain lent the show it's ground-breaking look in filming airborne action.

STAN McCLAIN (2nd Unit Aerial and Ground Cameraman)

-----------------------------------------------

VISIT OUR PRODUCTION PARTNERS:

The producer of the forthcoming "AIRWOLF EXTENDED THEMES" album, Mark J. Cairns, and his orchestrator/associate producer, Jan Michal Szulew, are still working flat-out on the highly-anticipated sequel soundtrack, to the best-selling "AIRWOLF THEMES". Check-in with their individual blogs for updates and preview teasers from the all-new tracks, by clicking on their names.

"Hey, Dom! What's holdin' you up?"

WARNING:

This post has ended up becoming quite a long feature, so please bear that in mind if you'd rather read it at a more convenient time. As Stringfellow Hawke quips in 1st Season masterpiece 'To Snare a Wolf':

"That's quite a mouthful!"

Dear all,

Sincere apologies for not posting on here for over 3 months. I've had some of the fans from the online forums enquiring what the progress is with the project. I must make a clear and polite point first though regarding that matter.

This documentary is being worked STRICTLY on an AS-AND-WHEN BASIS. Myself, Eric Shepherd (camera & sound) and Nick Light (our appointed editor; please see below regarding post-production) all have our own seperate & on-going professional commitments. "AIRWOLF" unfortunately isn't the only production we're working on, so I hope everyone can understand that and appreciate it.

Archangel's line in Season 2's 'Sins of the Past, during his heated confrontation with Hawke over Dominic's framed-for-murder arrest, just about sums it up: "Don't jump all over me, I'm asking you to GIVE ME SOME TIME!". But please, try not to take that to heart. Perhaps Hawke's one-liner in the equally dramatic 1st Season episode, 'Mad Over Miami', would be more apt: "I simply trade for trust."

Onto to the production update. On my return back to the UK last November, following the principal 5-week shoot Stateside, I was pleased to secure local Newcastle and London editor Nick Light, to fulfil the demanding role for what is still a growing and evolving documentary. You may have noticed that I've updated the blog description below the custom logo above, with the indication of not 50, but now 60 cast & crew interviews.

This is because I have decided to schedule and make arrangements to gather finance for a 2nd shoot back in the USA, but this leg will also include time in Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, to interview the cast & crew of the notorious 4th Season of the series. The so-called "sequel" year, entitled "AIRWOLF II" in production, has undoubtedly divided fans across the world since its debut on the USA Network in 1987, not at least for its severe budget cuts, the original cast being written out in favour for an all-new group of actors, led by "Battlestar Galactica: 1980" star, Barry Van Dyke, but the absence of the real, flying Bell 222 modifed helicopter as well.

As a result, extensive use was made out of access to multiple reels of un-used aerial stock footage, which were incredibly left over from the CBS seasons. Many of the shots not included by the Universal editors were phenomenal, and it ponders the question why they weren't utilised, considering their exceptional photography and action. But anyway, back to the subject in hand.

I've already secured a number of the Canadian team, both performers and technicians, and that number is still rising. I hope you'll agree with me that, despite it's flaws and constraints, the 4th Season is still a significant and intriguing part of the "AIRWOLF" canon, no matter what your opinion of it is. I for one have always enjoyed it thoroughly on it's *own merits*.

I've honestly believed that the fans would of taken to it far more warmly, if it of had the same million-dollar production budgets and resources as the American show, regardless of "killing off" the original cast. After having brief discussions with some of it's directors who helmed the Vancouver-shot episodes, they certainly deserve their stories, memories and recollections to be heard, for at the very least to be appreciated a great deal more.

Alongside those Northern "AIRWOLF" film-makers, several other cast and crew from the original 3 seasons, who we didn't have time to interview last year, because of the gapless schedule and already-high number of people to cover, have also been lined up. We intend to reach Los Angeles, once all Canuck filming has been completed.

But there is a but, and I do need your help to make it happen. I had hoped to present all the confirmed aspects of the plan I have in mind to you in this post, but since some of the original CBS production team are still considering their involvement in it, and again, its been quite sometime since my last post on this blog, I'll instead for now explain it briefly.

Within the next month, we'll be launching a large, fund-raising campaign on the popular online crowd-funding platform, Kick Starter (http://www.kickstarter.com). Many productions and film-related projects, including ambitious, feature-length documentaries, have been successfully financed as a result of Kick Starter efforts. It is hoped that "AIRWOLF: ECHOES FROM THE FIRM" will be one to add to the list.

As the entire 5-week shoot last Autumn (Fall) was self-financed by myself (and it was a fortune!), I therefore cannot provide the money required to return to the United States and Canada, and fully complete the filming of the interviews required to make this documentary the most in-depth, comprehensive and *completist* retrospective on ANY past television series.

Since the secondary shoot will only be 3 weeks and no more, the budget that we require is $7,000. More details will follow regarding how you can consider contributing to that figure, including being credited on-screen as either an Associate or Executive Producer in return, amongst other rewards, and for smaller contributions, under the ever dedicating "Special Thanks" title. 3 of the incentives we can confirm at present, that will be offered, include private phone calls with:

* 1st Season writer/producer, Burton Armus ('Daddy's Gone a Hunt'n', 'One Way Express' and 'Fight Like a Dove' were penned by the "Kojak" man himself)
* Concept design artist and illustrator, Andrew Probert (the helicopter, the helmets, the logo, the cockpit, the flightsuits, the 'Santini Air' paint-job? That was him)
* 1st & 2nd Season recurring cast member, and writer of Season 2's fan-favourite episode, 'Fallen Angel', Deborah Pratt (one of the finest of the entire series)

In addition to those, we have a number of excellent gifts and materials in exchange of specific amounts, including special one-off editions of Mark J. Cairns' internationally best-selling and critically-acclaimed "Airwolf Themes" soundtrack. Similarly exclusive copies of his forthcoming sequel soundtrack, "Airwolf Extended Themes", in collaboration with Polish musician Jan Michal Szulew, will also be on the table.

Until we hear back from the remaining cast & crew members who we hope will support this campaign, to enhance and extend the project to an even bigger scale, the campaign won't be going live for now. In the meantime, myself and Nick (the editor) will be working on the 1st 'story edit' of the entire programme. This entails assembing of the 40 plus hours of footage already shot, including one that I made an genuine oversight of, when posting screenshots and names of interviewees in America last year.

The unrevealed person was Ray Austin, who directed the classic 2nd Season installments of 'Firestorm' and 'Inn at the End of the Road'. This was the only interview that took place here in the UK. An image from his conversation will be released in the next post.

For now, I hope that you can all continue to support "AIRWOLF: ECHOES FROM THE FIRM", and perhaps you can have a good, careful think about becoming an integral part of it's production, when we launch the fund-raising campaign. We would certainly be indebted to you if you did, and the rewards to be gained from such a collaboration will be priceless.

"You through?"
"Yeah. I just had to get it off my chest." (can you guess which episode? and who said it?)

-----------------------------------------------
VISIT OUR PRODUCTION PARTNERS:

The producer of the forthcoming "AIRWOLF EXTENDED THEMES" album, Mark J. Cairns, and his orchestrator/associate producer, Jan Michal Szulew, have been working flat-out on the highly-anticipated sequel soundtrack, to the original best-selling "AIRWOLF THEMES". Check-in with their individual blogs for updates and preview teasers from the all-new tracks, by clicking on their names above.

"From all of us here at AIRWOLF...Season's Greetings!"

Dear all,

For the 4th and final post for 2011, and on CHRISTMAS DAY itself, here are the final eight men we interviewed during the principal shoot in October and November. As some people have enquried whether further cast and crew will be "secured"; as a reminder to my first post, the production will be returning back to LA next year to do just that.

Once again, it has NOT been decided whether the 4th Season team will be interviewed. Next month may see a decision on that.

For now though, this final batch of cast and crew either worked on just the one episode, or served in their individual roles throughout the series. Some were responsible for the distinctive look, pace and feel of the show, while some are owed the respect of earning "AIRWOLF" the accolade of being the first ever television production to win not one, but three stuntman awards in 1986. Here they are:

DEAN WEIN and W.K. STRATTON ('Chuck St. Clair' and 'Mark Gordon'; Moffett's pair of sinister cohorts in the 'Pilot' episode. Wein also guest-starred in Season 2's 'Random Target', while Stratton was yet another Bellisario favourite, doing his first show "Black Sheep Squadron", then portraying Commander Ted Lindsey on "J.A.G.")

ED FROMMER (Utility Player and regular Background Artist)

GREG BARNETT and CHUCK HICKS (right-to-left: two of the stuntmen responsible for the show's '86 Stuntman Association awards in the 3rd Season episode, 'Annie Oakley')

HARVEY LAIDMAN (director of 4 classic episodes. 'Proof Through the Night' & 'Echoes From the Past' in the 1st Season; 'Kingdom Come' and 'The Deadly Circle' in Season 3)

MICHAEL BERMAN and LEON ORTIZ-GIL (the editors of The Wolf. Michael cut the fan-favourites 'Moffett's Ghost', 'HX1', 'Airwolf II' and 'Day of Jeopardy' amongst others. For Leon, he co-edited the two-hour 'Pilot' movie, and served as Associate Producer for the entire series, being responisible for every aerial battle sequence)

MICHAEL SNYDER (post-production associate producer. Handled the "revolutionary" computer graphics for the monitors of "AIRWOLF's" rear cockpit control)

RICK SHUSTER and KEVIN LaROSA (stunt & camera pilots for Seasons 2 and 3)

TOM BLANK (a "jack of all-trades", literally. 1st Assistant Director for the 'Pilot', 'Bite of the Jackal' and 'One Way Express' in Season 1, then promoted to Unit Production Manager. He would stay in this role till the end of the 2nd Season, during which he directed two episodes; 'Condemned' & 'Eruption')

And that's your lot for this year, folks. Throughout 2012, I'll be keeping you informed about the post-production of the documentary, and those additional shoots I'm working towards in the Autumn (that's the Fall for you Stateside fans)

Until then, here's the cast wishing you a Happy Christmas in December, 1985. They're stood in-front of the Jetcopters hanger in Van Nuys, CA, that served not only as the base and supplier of the aerial unit and their helicopters, but which the art department dressed as Dominic Santini's air charter service, Santini Air.

CBS Airwolf: Season's Greetings from the CAST
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VISIT OUR PRODUCTION PARTNERS:

The producer of the forthcoming "AIRWOLF EXTENDED THEMES" album, Mark J. Cairns, and his orchestrator/associate producer, Jan Michal Szulew, have been working flat-out on the highly-anticipated sequel soundtrack, to the original best-selling "AIRWOLF THEMES". Check-in with their individual blogs for updates and preview teasers from the all-new tracks, by clicking on their names above.