4 July 2008

Help Needed For Making A "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" Video Documentary Marking 40 Years Since Author Pirsig's Original ZMM Trip.

Mr. Lee Glover, an independent documentary filmmaker from Boise Idaho, is traveling and video filming the entire ZMM route during July and early August 2008. This effort will mark the 40 year anniversary Robert Pirsig's original trip with Chris, from Minneapolis to San Francisco.
Mr. Glover needs your help in the following ways:
1) If you happen to be traveling this route, you may volunteer to be filmed and interviewed for this documentary, as a “Pirsig’s Pilgrim”. Whether traveling by motorcycle or not, if you are planning the trip during July/August 2008 (Or know someone who is) please contact Mr. Lee Glove.
2) Similarly if you live, or travel, near the ZMM Route, Lee would like to catch up you along the route this summer for video interview and idea sharing.
3) If you have a passion for ZMM, and have ideas or thoughts you would like to share with others, please let Lee know. Thanks!

Contact Lee Glover, for help with his ZMM Route Documentary
Phone = 208-860-2313 or
Email = leelg77*msn.com (replace the asterisk with the appropriate character).

New Ideas For a ZMM Movie: Computer Animation On the Big Screen?

Chip Potter is a professional producer of visual effects for film and television, In his writings below, you will see he has an excellent sense of the kind of movie that needs to be created. And has the correct ideas of what the movie should convey to the audience and the emotional "feel" the individual viewer should experience overall.

For example, Mr. Potter says the movie must help the viewer "To experience the nothing .... the everything .... the quality ... to get it." Similarly he says the movie should be "so vivid the viewer can smell the weather from video recreation of Robert Pirsig's writing. Also to be included are Mr. Pirsig's own movie ideas, as presented in his writings to Mr. Robert Redford, for example.

Creating such a movie would of the highest challenges!! I'm not sure this is possible, but well worth the effort! Perhaps new ground could be broken!!

I agree with Mr. Potter, that a ZMM "movie would do the world some good" .... [because it the very least such a movie would help us] .... "look beyond our immediate situation to a much larger truth."

But despite all these good ideas, any venture such as this ultimately "boils down to cash in hand": Even for a back yard micro budget effort! Therefore, we welcome the opportunity to talk further with persons who see promise in these idea. Perhaps some consortium of workers and $ stake holders could make this a reality. Please contact me with your suggestions and ideas.

Henry Gurr, ZMMQ WebMster

Chip Potter's ZMM Movie Ideas, Email November 2007.

Dear Professor Gurr,

I stumbled onto your wonderful website dedicated to ZMM. What a plethora of information on Robert Pirsig and his book. Like many others I was struck by the power of ZMM when I first read it as a requirement for freshman philosophy many years ago. The threading of a simple travelogue, within the physical universe revealed through the analogous mechanical workings of a motorcycle. It was a lot to digest in one sitting. Thirty years later, oddly enough, I ride my own 1994 Honda XR600 in the California desert. At times I can tune it just right and completely disconnect from the conscious. I work at it; not to think, not to hold a thought. To experience the nothing, the everything, the quality. I get it.

Today I own and operate a small creative visual effects company. Presently I've contracted with a new division of a major motion picture studio developing computer animation for a short film project. An opportunity arose the other day. I was asked by the studio if there were any ideas I would like to bring to the screen.

There's has always been one project I've thought should be on the big screen. The challenge however has been; how to shape one mans very personal philosophical narrative into a visual medium. Throughout the read I was always struck by the instant imagery that occurred in my own minds eye; so vivid I could smell the weather from Robert's writing. The environment and characters were easy; the thin line of the horizon as the motorcycle goes by, characters exchanging dialogue in scenic vistas, the recreation of the Chautauquas. But more importantly I envisioned the the physical mechanics of order, the quality of the machine screw, the halving
upon halving upon halving of if/than questions that reduced "why" to eventual infinitesimal space. And finally the climatic physical disconnect of atomic structure manifested through intense conscious or unconscious thought, depending on your point of view. Complete breakdown of the glue... I believe this imagery can now be experienced on the big screen through computer simulation.

I looked through your website and did not find the definitive answer to the "rights" issue. I do understand I'm not the first nor the last to inquire on "making a movie" of Robert's personal journey. I did discover that Robert Redford was interested at one time. I think if done correctly, in the vain of "A Beautiful Mind", ZMM the movie would do the world some good. At least for 100 minutes or so we could look beyond our immediate situation to a much larger truth.

Chip Potter

MECHnolgy Studios
800 S. Victory Blvd. Suite 101
Burbank, CA 91502
818. 840-9500 Office
818. 840-9501 Fax
661.714-2604 Mobile
cpotter**mechnology.com
www.mechnology.com

Chip Potter's ZMM Movie Ideas Continued, Email Wed, July 16 2008.

Hi Professor Gurr

Since we last exchanged emails I've presented this project "around town" and there does not seem to be much interest in funding this story. My feeling is that mainstream Hollywood does not see a clear return on investment; as is my assumption with the "Robert Redford" version that circled around years ago. Today's studio pictures are highly formulated for a specific target audience with a calculated box office return and DVD sales. ZMM does not have this clear cut path... which in my opinion is a good thing. However, as with any movie, there does need to be a character driven story with a beginning, a middle and an end,and a narrative the audience can identify with. ZMM does have that.The challenge is translating that to the screen. As I talked about in my first email I think with computer animation and stylized live action sequences we can illustrate Robert's multiple Chautauquas.Which to me is the unique hook of this story. Our audience can come along for the ride, just like the book, without them really knowing what's happening. And if we're clever, and with your help, they learned a physics lesson along the way. My goal is to transport the audience beyond the realm of the film and have them take away a sliceof Robert's philosophy.

In my mind I see amazing scenery, as we follow along with our riders.We feel the rush of the wind, we hear the sound of the road, just as Robert so elegantly wrote. The sounds and sights slowly diminish and we only hear our thoughts, or in this case Robert's thoughts, and slowly we reveal people coming together under the evening tent of the Chautauqua, or we're inside a motorcycle engine and a bolt breaks, or within a forest and the trees transform into their atomic particles.And suddenly we've received a slice and were slowing down at the stop sign.

The road trip experience is universal. I even work to make this happen when I ride my motorcycle in the desert. First I make sure I have everything I need, then I take off with my friends making sure I don't over-rev or clunk the clutch; that I'm sitting correctly and dodging the bushes and the rocks. Then I replay in my head the past week of work, home, kids, then I think of my future, then my past, and finally it all melts away. I've dropped out and arrived at the same time. I am speeding along the open desert with only horizon ahead, just being in the moment, free. Suddenly the camera of life is looking down at me and zooms off a million miles away to some outer galaxy. I don't exist. I know I am cosmic dust... And then I bump a rock and I gently grab the break and slow down, both feet planted firmly in reality. Or so we hope.

I think our movie needs to be more than a travelogue of Pirsig. We need to give the audience the connection of Robert's philosophy ..... his philosophic atom splitting that leads to his eventual breakdown. Our audience has to a least have the chance of experiencing the Quality ..... the Zen. They may have to see the movie a couple of times to get it!

The good news is the independent market is booming and this is where this movie will shine. The last few films that won Academy Awards were independents. The other good news is I can put together a top notch director, cinematographer and crew. My company can provide all the post editorial, visual effects, titles and finish the film ready for theatrical showing. And I can produce this life long dream of mine.

If you think the time is right I would love to talk further on how we can make this a reality.

I think the world is ready...

Best to you Professor Gurr. I hope we meet sometime soon and make this movie.

Chip

P.S.: Chip Potter's Gears Animation, a demonstration and logo on his site.

The gears animation was built by my colleague Stephen Lebed, using a Windows based computer and 3D Studio Max software.

Generally the project began as an idea of meshing gears. First a sphere was built to define the volume that the gears would fill. Trial and error occurred until the right diameter of gears with x number of teeth would complete the sphere. It then became a sort of virtual motion machine revolving like a gyroscope. We have explored the idea of creating a real life assembly that would at least make an interesting paper weight. HA!!
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=5659302&siteID=123112
OR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_Studio_Max

Concerning Mr. Pirsig's Conclusions On Movie Rights :

1) He has vowed that there should not be a Redford type movie of ZMM while he lives. He has stated he will leave this to Wendy, his wife. He must fear the worst and does not' want to hear about it. I believe this is indicated clearly at this link. (let me know if not there.)
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1952011,00.html

2) I believe Pirsig's negative views of movies of ZMM come primarily from his lack of ability to adequately control the content of Redford's movie in the rights contract negotiation stage.

3) More info about what Pirsig is thinking, is in his long discussions with Robert Redford. See Pirsig's Book "Lila" and see Pirsig's long letter to Redford in the "Guidebook To Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". This is a book you should own any way.
http://www.usca.edu/math/~mathdept/hsg/MMFindSiteInfo.html#Guidebook

4) You may have to be a customer of Amazon.com, but their "Search Inside The Book" may show you parts of this letter. at
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0688060692/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-0609959-7659013#

5) However Pirsig was positive re my ZMM Documentary proposals. I am currently talking to Producer Richard Chapman to see what might still be done re what Chapman said back in 2003, See Pirsig letters near the end of
http://venturearete.org/ResearchProjects/ProfessorGurr/Documents/LetPirsig1994-2005

6) Persons who want to do a ZMM Video, should just go ahead and write to Pirsig with their proposed ideas, more in the Documentary direction rather than a movie with dynamics, people, and their emotions etc. If any emotions they should be in the viewer, not the persons on the screen. He usually takes kindly to such queries. Pirsig address at
http://venturearete.org/ResearchProjects/ProfessorGurr/Documents/FAQZmmAmpPirsig

Please keep me posted as to to what Mr Pirsig says. (If possible I would like to add his reply to my WebPages.)
For more information re ZMM Video Productions, scroll down to letter of 17 June 2003 here.

For New Information Re Robert Pirsig, His Book "Lila" or His Book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence" click here.
http://venturearete.org/ResearchProjects/ProfessorGurr/Documents/NewsArchive

For more information re "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence", go the the Main Menu at the top left of this page. Or click here
http://venturearete.org/ResearchProjects/ProfessorGurr/Documents/ZmmqForBeginners