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The Road Less Travelled By
a USC School of Cinematic Arts documentary thesis film
about
about the film
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SYNOPSISOn February 1st, 2011, A.J. Goodrich -- a poet and filmmaker -- set out to walk across the country, talking to people about love, sex, marriage, commitment, and gay identity in America.The trek began in Venice Beach, in Los Angeles, California and will cover approximately 4,000 miles over the course of seven months -- taking A.J. and a small crew over mountains and deserts, through Las Vegas and Native American reservations in New Mexico, across the wide expanse of Texas, past the devastated Gulf of Mexico, up through the deep South and the Adirondacks to D.C., New York, and Boston -- ending where same-sex marriage was first legalized.As the journey progresses, we will be updating from the road -- sharing journals, photos and videos along the way. The final product will be a feature-length documentary about the experience.The entire film is self-funded -- but if you'd like to contribute, please click on our Donate button to support us in our travels.In a country based on equal opportunity for all, the lack of equal rights for same-sex couples and LGBT citizens remains a fundamental flaw in the American Dream.Progress can be made...like a 4,000 mile journey, it just takes one step at a time.
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I decided to walk across the country over a year and a half ago. I was engaged to a man, David, back in New York. I met him in 2008 in the East Village after a poetry reading I was doing at the Rapture Cafe. He said he liked my poem. I think I said I thought his shoes were cool. But something about Valentine's Day, and the lunar eclipse and his smile as the traffic lights blinked away down Avenue A -- I knew I'd met the love of my life. My plan was to walk across the country back to New York to get married to him, documenting the journey on film and talking to people along the way about same-sex marriage and what it's like to be gay -- how it's the same, how it's different -- to try to cover the vast range of opinion on queer identity from coast to coast.Like all the great dreamers -- Jack Kerouac, John Lennon, Harvey Milk and Martin Luther King Jr., to name a few -- I believe that, at the end of the day, whether gay or straight, black or white, red or blue, rich or poor, or any of the infinite shades between, we're all human and we all want the same basic things in life: equal opportunity, stability for ourselves and for our families, and love. In other words, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.I would not be making this journey if it weren't for a poem I wrote, because it got a scruffy stranger with a black and blue bruise around bright green eyes to talk to me while we smoked a cigarette. I believe it gets to the heart of the message.LoveIn all the eons in all the worlds, in all of time and space,In all the ancient history of the entire human race,We're dots, we're specksWe're here and gone,We're tinier than small.But it's nice, I think, to have the chance to be here with you at all.That's all it is,That's it, I think,That's love -- it's not profound.When the next day comes, we turn to ash, sifting through the ground.When the next day comes, we turn to dust, drifting through the stars.But it's nice, I think to have the chance to be together where we are.Live and let live -- love and let love. There are billions of different paths to take, but our time is short -- life is an open road, and its all about what we do on the journey.May your travels lead you to peace, fulfillment and happiness, wherever they take you.-A.J.
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LGBT individuals have the highest reports of minority stress, and several psychological studies have shown that negative media messages and conversations about same-sex marriage creates a harmful environment that can have a negative impact on the health and well-being of LGBT individuals.What It All Comes Down To:It is my belief that the social stigma against LGBT individuals, identity and against same-sex love, relationships, and marriage is the direct cause of these pressing problems among LGBT individuals in our society.As of 2010, same-sex marriage is one of the most fiercely debated social and political hot-buttons, with only five states granting marriages and forty states explicitly restricting marriage to two people of opposite sex.If there were more positive examples of gay people and of healthy, loving, committed gay relationships, this negative effect might be avoided entirely. Same-sex marriage is an important first step.Some Facts: * In the United States, more than 34,000 people die by suicide each year. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds, accounting for over 12% of deaths in this age group; only accidents and homicide occur more frequently. Suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses. For every completed suicide by a young person, it is estimated that 100 to 200 attempts are made.* Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. More than 1/3 of LGB youth report having made a suicide attempt. Nearly half of young transgender people have seriously thought about taking their lives and one quarter report having made a suicide attempt. LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are more than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide than LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection.* Questioning youth who are less certain of their sexual orientation report even higher levels of substance abuse and depressed thoughts than their heterosexual or openly LGBT-identified peers.Additional Facts about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth:* Nine out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experienced harassment at school; three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation; and about one-third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe. LGBT students are three times as likely as non-LGBT students to say that they do not feel safe at school (22% vs. 7%) and 90% of LGBT students (vs. 62% of non-LGBT teens) have been harassed or assaulted during the past year. Sexual minority youth, or teens that identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, are bullied two to three times more than heterosexuals. Almost all transgender students had been verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened in the past year at school because of their sexual orientation (89%) and gender expression (89%) .* LGBT youth in rural communities and those with lower adult educational attainment face particularly hostile school climates. It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender. 62% of homeless LGB youth will attempt suicide at least once more than two times as many as their heterosexual peers.* Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents are 190 percent more likely to use drugs and alcohol than are heterosexual teens.Reports Cited (Thanks to the Trevor Project):(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC 2007)(National Adolescent Health Information 2006)(CDC 2008)(Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey 2003)(Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey 2007)(DAugelli AR - Clinical Child Psychiatry and Psychology 2002)(Grossman AH, DAugelli AR - Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior 2007)(Ryan C, Huebner D, et al - Peds 2009;123(1):346-352)(Poteat VP, Aragon SR, et al Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009)(GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2009)(GLSEN From Teasing to Torment 2006)(Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 2010)(GLSEN: Harsh Realities, The Experiences of Transgender Youth In Our Nations Schools 2009)(JG, Greytak EA, Diaz EM Journal of Youth & Adolescence 2009)(2006 National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: An Epidemic of Homelessness)(Van Leeuwen JMm et al Child Welfare 2005)(Marshal MP, Friedman MS, et al Addiction 2008)
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"Walking takes rhythm. Walking takes two feet acting in tandem; it takes alternating yin and yang. Walking will bring risk. To keep walking even with the struggle to maintain ones own position and with the risk of the trail, and to do so with knowledge: that is the essence of following the Way." ~The Living I ChingASCETICISM is a process of mind-body transformation on the road to greater freedom and peacefulness of mind. Often it involves lengthy pilgrimages or exiles to aid spiritual growth. Nearly all religions have myths or stories of ascetics who grew towards enlightenment after a period of traveling or wanderingYIN AND YANG, BABY: Travel is an essential way to follow Tao; we are outside of our usual routines, our sensitivities are heightened, and we are provided the time and opportunity to contemplate change. Travel changes a person in ways no one can predict and after we return, the lessons we've learned along the way remain. "SKY-CLAD" YOGIS: In Hinduism, holy men called Sadhus renounce home and possessions to live as pilgrims. Different sects may go naked, smoke hash, or move ceaselessly from one town to another; regardless of their individual practices, they are considered living embodiments of the Divine, symbols of religious illumination.HOLY MOSES!!: In Judaism, Moses went alone up Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights, communicating with God. He was transfigured by the experience, and returned bearing the Ten Commandments -- the word of God to relay to his people.JESUS H. CHRIST!!!: Jesus spent forty days in the desert praying and fasting; there he was tempted by the devil three times. After his exile, he returned home to fulfill his healing and preaching ministry with the power of the Spirit of the Lord. Other Christian ascetics include Francis of Asissi and St. Anthony of the Desert. INSTANT KARMA: Siddharta Guatama (the Buddha) left his palace, his possessions and his family when he was 29, meditating, studying yoga, devoting his life to overcoming suffering. He became an ascetic monk, traveling from place to place, begging, completely depriving himself of all worldly goods. His departure from home and travels were an important step in his journey towards enlightenment.***FEAR NOT: I dont intend to go naked, I dont intend to starve myself, and I probably wont be visited by Satan incarnate. On the other hand, this is a spiritual journey and a means to a kind of enlightenment. I do intend to meditate, write, pray, and communicate with people I meet along the way, to better understand love, marriage, and commitment."Doubts will never vanish through thinking, through theorizing, through speculation or through discussion. Nor will doubts disappear by doing nothing -- we must first clear out the mind." ~Buddhist Wisdom, The Path to Enlightenment
map
Red Line stands for planned route
Blue Line stands for distance already travelled
Click Button in Upper Right Corner to see fullscreen Click Zoom in Upper Left Corner to move in or out
creative team
creative team
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A.J. Goodrich is a third year graduate student pursuing an M.F.A. in film production at the University of Southern California at the School of Cinematic Arts, where he has focused on directing, producing and cinematography. Prior to USC, he attended Fordham University in New York, where he received a B.A. in Film Studies & Creative Writing. He has experience working at independent film production and distribution companies in New York, spent time working in marketing and doing product photography. He was heavily involved in the LGBT underground poetry and literary scene of the East Village.
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Mark Metivier was raised in Rochester, New York, Mark originally attended Fordham University on a baseball Scholarship but quickly fell into the arts, eventually completing the acting program at Fordham University at Lincoln Center, where he met A.J.Mark recieved additional training at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy and The Uprights Citizens Brigade as well as being a member of Genesis Arts Repratory, TAG Creative Production studios and many other endeavours. He has been living in NYC for the past eight years writing, directing, singing, performing and racketeering. Most recently, Mark founded Speakeasy Theatre NYC located at Saloon, A live Variety and Sketch show that completed its very successful inaugural season in December.Born on a stage, Mark is ecstatic to break into the film world and would like to thank the entire production team, the crew, friends on both coasts and his always supportive family. Thank you A.J. for taking on such an important and life-changing experience. Here's to The Road.Cheers.
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Sati Kaur grew up in the Pacific Northwest and graduated from the University of Washington in 2005 with a B.A. in Journalism.As a graduate student at USC School of Cinematic Arts, she has had the opportunity to work on various productions as a director and/or as a producer. She is interested in telling stories that speak to the human condition, and explore the personal in the backdrop of socio-political drama.
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John Conway is a filmmaker living in Los Angeles -- he originally hails from the Northern Virginia/Metro DC area. An avid watcher of films, John enjoys taking part in all facets of the filmmaking process -- whether it be writing & directing or editing & sound design. From narrative cinema to documentary film and television, John strives to tell compelling stories for a wide audience (regardless of the medium), as well as meeting interesting people from all walks of life. PS - He also has an extraordinary sense of being awesome.
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Leonora Anzaldua Burke was born and raised in San Diego, CA, where she spent her childhood and teenage years in competitive gymnastics. At 14, she borrowed her stepmothers camera and discovered a deep passion for photography. In 2004, Leonora earned a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Yale University, where she focused in visual theory, media studies, and discovered fine arts as a platform for personal and politicalexpression.Leonora currently attends USC's School of Cinematic Arts, where she will receive an MFA in Film and Television Production. Her studies focus on cinematography and directing. She also enjoys editing, for which she serves as a graduate and undergraduateteaching assistant. Leonora aspires to work as a cinematographer and director overseas as well as teach at a university level.
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Michael Cox grew up in the woods of Fairfield county Connecticut, an hour outside of New York City. He still misses real Fall. While attending the Johns Hopkins University as an undergraduate he found himself exposed to a whole new world of films that he had previously never encountered. After photographing his final film project in Baltimore, it became abundantly clear that shooting film would be his lifes vocation. A semester at the London Film School reinforced this and after being accepted to the USC School of Cinematic Arts he moved to Los Angeles He met AJ and John in his first year. He's been AJs roommate for a year and a half, and they've worked together on a series of short experimental non-fiction films, as well as other short projects. He expects to graduate with his M.F.A. from USC in May.
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Jed Dannenbaum is a non-fiction film writer, producer and director.His historical documentaries on newspaper editor/civil rights advocate Ralph McGill and evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson have been broadcast on PBS, and his making of programson movies directed by filmmakers such as Woody Allen, James L. Brooks, Cameron Crowe, Jonathan Demme, Nora Ephron, Michael Mann, Rob Marshall, Mike Nichols and Martin Scorsesehave appeared frequently on HBO and Showtime, and on DVD. Some of his recent work, for example, can be seen on the DVDs of Almost Famous, Collateral, Everest, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Miami Vice.He co-authored the Simon & Schuster book Creative Filmmaking From the Inside Out.
journal
journal
A.J.'s Blog: "The Road Less
Travelled By"
Mark's Blog: "Sin Loud, Speak Easy"
photo gallery
photo gallery
Crew and the Gaylennium Falcon
The Mountains
Goodbye L.A.
A.J. in the mountains
R.I.P.
Desert Highlands
Burned Land
Tunnel in the Angeles Forest
The road goes ever on...
Sunset - Day 5
East of Littlerock
Railroad
Boxcars in the desert
Ice...This Way
Yucca Palms
Sati and Mark
Islamic Cemetery in the desert
Palisades Ranch
Elmer's Bottles
Rte 66!
AJ in the Mohave
Mark on the RR
Desert billboards
Desert flowers
View back towards Baker
Target practice
Shadow stick-up
Plateaus
Yucca at Sunset
Gas station crows
Crossing into Nevada
Las Vegas!
The Venetian
Leaving Las Vegas
The Hoover Dam
Switching time zones
AJ at the Dam
Tilman Bridge
Mark falls off the dam
Sati
John
Welcome to Arizona!
Snow in the distance
Arizona mountains
Goodbye Nevada
Last February sunset
Santa Fe Church
Stained Glass Light
Church Candles
Back Out in The Wild
Southeast of Santa Fe
Roswell That Ends Well
We see these a lot.
Somewhere in NM
Encino NM
Heading East from Vaughn
Land of Enchantment
Ft. Sumner - Where he died
Antique Cars
AJ and Billy the Kid
Melrose NM
Melrose Church
Eastern NM Border
Clovis Trains
Leaving Texico New Mexico
Texas Border
Mark arrives to Texas
Litter
Muleshoe TX
Giant Robot Factory
Sudan
Littlefield
Lubbock Downtown
BBQ Wing Karaoke
Mark gets a haircut
AJ gets a haircut
Bellys Cafe
Leaving Downtown Lubbock
Cotton Seed Piles
Slaton Ranch
Post Texas Coca Cola
Storms Over Snyder
Ladder into Heaven
Sweetwater Sunset
Cotton
Car in a Cotton Field
Early TX
Happy Easter
Brownwood TX
Lometa Downtown
Coming into Liberty Hill
Austin Storms
Fire Danger High
Kingman AZ
Hopi Museum
Old Timey Dolls
Old Timey Bride Dolls
Somewhere in AZ
Near Grasshopper Junction
Storm coming...
Evil Smileys on Road
Cold Days
Headed into Ash Fork
Sunset Tree
Fellow Drifters
Flagstaff Mountains
Pine Trees in Flagstaff
Bowling Night
Next Stop Albuquerque
Sunset
The Meteor Crater is a bust
Ophelia's Knife City!
One Step at a Time
Joseph City People
Joseph City Factories
The Crew - Day 50
Holbrook AZ
RRAAAAWWWR
Caution - They Bite
Stuck in the Dirt
Stuck Somewhere in AZ
Sunset Trees
Entering New Mexico
Zuni Mountains
Faerie Bus
Mark Collecting Eggs
After the Snow
New Mexico Church
Adobe Ruins in Pink and Blue
Shrine
Railroads...
Still on Route 66
New Mexico Badlands
Spring in Albuquerque
Mark - Downtown Albuquerque
Albuquerque Night
Walking with fellow Activists
AJ and Brittany Arneson
Headed Toward Santa Fe
Los Angeles-Nevada
Arizona-Albuquerque
Santa Fe-Austin
Bat Bridge
Pecan Grove RV Park
Breaking News
Stubb's BBQ
Onward...
Texas Billboards
Westward tracks
Houston TX
Houston Butterfly Exhibit
Museum of Natural Science
NASA!
Moon rock lab!
Old Space Shuttles
He's got the whole world...
Waterwall Park
Highway Casualty
Goodrich tires...
AJ by Moonlight
Sunset in Texas
Zebra Donkey!
Faded Stars and Stripes
Texas fields
Every artist's brush
There's a lot of these...
Mark finishing a walk
It needs it.
Beaux Bridge Cemetery
Excuse-moo!
American playground
Like a beacon in the night...
Just as the floods hit
Baton Rouge Cemetery
The Mississippi
Closed for flooding
Rapture Approaches...
Almost to New Orleans
Get Jesus with your BBQ
Proof of Recession
Mark and Mother Nature
Streets of New Orleans
Superdome!
Bourbon Street!
Bourbon Street Crowd
Big Al Carson
New Orleans houses
Bubble in the French Quarter
Beads in the Trees
LA Police
The Levees
The River
IMG_3097.JPG
Austin-New Orleans
New Orleans-Montgomery
Click images to make them larger
video
video
Check out our facebook page for more short clips
The Journey So Far: Los Angeles to Las Vegas
Click bottom right corner to fullscreen!
radio interviews
radio interviews
Mark's Weekly Interviews on Valerie's New York:
A.J.'s Interview, Day 1: KVB.FM Venice California:
To listen to full shows of Valerie's New York
on WOR News Talk Radio 710, click here!
press
press
June 1st, 2011: OUTSMART Magazine
Feb. 3rd, 2011: Park LaBrea News
Feb. 1st, 2011: West Hollywood Patch.com
Feb. 1st, 2011: The Caledonian Record
Feb. 1st, 2011: Instinct Magazine
January 27, 2011: City of West Hollywood
January, 2011: USC News
December, 2010: USC School of Cinematic Arts
December, 2010: Marriage Equality USA
Nov. 28th, 2010: Accidental Bear
Nov. 24th, 2010: Queerty
Nov. 24th, 2010: USC Daily Trojan
Oct, 2010: Marriage Equality in the Arts
Oct, 2010: Soulforce
interactive
interactive
Tell us your story - how do you feel about same-sex marriage!? Know anyone who's done it? Love it? Hate it? Don't censor yourself -- let us know what you REALLY think.
support
support
Click to make a Donation
Making a film about walking across the country is quite an undertaking. We need to raise money for equipment, lodging, meals, and publicity. We'll be on the road for seven months, and we are relying on the generosity of family, friends, the LGBT community and anyone who believes in equality to make this production happen. There are many ways that you can help us:(1) Please support us financially with whatever resources you have. Your donations will be tax-deductible -- we are non-profit and have 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship through the International Documentary Association. Please click on our "Donation" buttons to redirect to our I.D.A. page for financial support. We need to raise $80,200 to complete both production and post-production on our film. Any amount you give will be acknowledged by credits in our film, as follow:Honored Patron.........................$5,000 and abovePatron........................................$3,000 ~ 4,999 Sponsor.....................................$500 ~ 2,999 Special Thanks..........................$200 ~ 499 Thank You..................................$10 ~ 199(2) If you have family or friends in the towns that we are passing through, who would be willing to provide lodging or meals for our crew, please contact us and let us know. (3) Please click on the Facebook link and join our Facebook page. We’ll be routinely sending out updates about the fim and ways that you can help. Also please share your own stories about love and marriage in the interactive section of our website. (4) We are looking for same-sex couples who want to get married and would like to participate in our film. Please email sati.kaur1_gmail.com(5) You can also support our project through in-kind donations of goods and services or professional assistance in your field or specialty. Below is list of items or services we can use your help with:Camera Equipment Hard Drives and Back UpColor Correction and Post ProcessingFood, Lodging & Travel ExpensesShoesSound Transfer & Mix ADR & Foley Lastly, We would like to thank you in advance for your generosity, encouragements and tremendous support for making our film The Road Less Travelled By a reality.For further information please contact:A.J. Goodrich at roadlesstravelledfilm_gmail.com
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