Alex & Me "The Movie"

[alexandmethemovie]

Hello fellow Grey lovers! Greetings from Hollywood! It is my great pleasure to announce the launch of a brand new website offering fans of Alex, the genius African Grey Parrot, a unique opportunity to take part in the motion picture adaptation of the New York Times best-seller “Alex & Me.”

 

This is a heartwarming true story of the incredible bond between Alex and his owner, Dr. Irene Pepperberg, and their work together for nearly 30 years that open an unprecedented window into the hidden world of avian intelligence.

 

The “Alex & Me” writing team will be working over the next year to develop this unique book into a motion-picture screenplay. It is our goal and responsibility to Irene, Alex, and other GREY owners to spend a tremendous amount of time and research to craft a story that is both accurate and entertaining. In order to maintain a day-to-day commitment, the filmmakers need the loving support and generosity from birders and Parrot lovers across the country.

 

Every donation made at will help us expand our creative Movie Lab, post video blogs & fun interactive games, and enable updates with the latest news from Hollywood.

 

$5, $10, $15. So many options.

 

Also, for a minimum donation of at least $20, the contributor will have their name in the credits of the film, as well as full access to everything that goes on inside the Movie Lab! It’s all through PayPal so the contribution is safe and secure.

 

This is a rare opportunity for the bird community. Blog writers, publishers, and bird advocates everywhere should share the news that we are turning the greatest bird story into a movie. Alex and Irene’s story is one of a kind and we owe it to them for all their hard work and amazing accomplishments. The world needs to see this story on the big screen!

 

Please help us spread the word!

 

* to the project.

*Join ourpages!

*Forward this e-mail to friends, co-workers, and bird-lovers everywhere!

*Leave a comment!

 

Thank you for contribution!

 

Warm Regards,

Producers: Joshua Dinner & Chris Godwin

Writers: Trever James & Luke Rold

 

*Please Note: No funds raised on this site directly support Dr. Pepperberg and The Alex Foundation. They are solely and exclusively for use of the filmmakers. If you would like to donate funds to Dr. Pepperberg and The Alex Foundation you can do so here:

Edited August 19, 2010 by Talon

[animalINSPIRED]

Wow this sounds really exciting! Can I make a donation in my parrot's name? Averi would love to have her name in the credits!

[alexandmethemovie]

Hello,

Of course you can. :-) That would be wonderful. Just make a donation as you would, and please email us at alexdonorsgroup@gmail.com to let us know that you made a donation, and would like to have the credit in your parrots name Averi.

 

Thanks so much for your support.

 

Best,

Team Alex

[danmcq]

Has Dr. Pepperberg endorsed this? I have never heard of a "Movie" producer asking for donations, something is very wrong with this post.

 

When I donate, it is to a foundation that helps our avian friends, not a movie that for some reason needs financing and may never make it to a first cut.

 

I would advise all NOT to fall for this.

[GoDiego]

Has Dr. Pepperberg endorsed this? I have never heard of a "Movie" producer asking for donations, something is very wrong with this post.

 

When I donate, it is to a foundation that helps our avian friends, not a movie that for some reason needs financing and may never make it to a first cut.

 

I would advise all NOT to fall for this.

 

This was my thinking as well.

[animalINSPIRED]

Aww I thought it sounded a little fishy. I guess no stardom for Averi after all.

[Jayd]

Hello,

Of course you can. :-) That would be wonderful. Just make a donation as you would, and please email us at alexdonorsgroup@gmail.com to let us know that you made a donation, and would like to have the credit in your parrots name Averi.

Thanks so much for your support.

Best,

Team Alex

 

Welcome, Tell us, What's your Grey's Name? How many birds do you have? How Long?, Do you have any photo's of your Grey? Looking forward to your reply... Were here to help with your Grey....

[Dave007]

*Please Note: No funds raised on this site directly support Dr. Pepperberg and The Alex Foundation. They are solely and exclusively for use of the filmmakers. If you would like to donate funds to Dr. Pepperberg and The Alex Foundation you can do so here: www.alexfoundation.org

 

Maybe you should contact the Alex Foundation for financial backing. You'll need to get the ok from them concerning the making of the movie so they may be in favor of having a movie made. Usually, producers, directors, writers and all others that are involved in making any film already have the money needed to continue.

There's so many videos of her and her bird are around plus she has a long list of speaking engagements all over the country.

Giving a donation to have a name in the credits? Hmmm, sounds a bit strange.

By the way, who plays the role of Pepperburg and who has the role of Alex?

[judygram]

Maybe admin will delete this thread as it serves no usefulness as I can see, an additional one was deleted earlier today.

[danmcq]

I had initially thought about deleting this, but the comments and questions made by all who have contributed here, just may help a person from just laying out some money that at a quick glance, sounds wonderful.

 

However, if it is felt it should be deleted, I will... just let me know. I posted this publicly so all that wishes to can have a voice in it.

[Dave007]

My opinion is to leave it alone so others will see it and not fall for the hype.

Any one wishing to send donations or contributions should send the money to me and I'll mention them in my memoirs.

Edited August 17, 2010 by Dave007

[judygram]

Thanks Dan and no thanks Dave, if people want to give money to a good cause they can donate money to their local humane society, bird rescues and sanctuaries where the money will be put to good use.

[alexandmethemovie]

Woah! Thanks for the feedback and all your input!

 

I think what needs to be addressed is how much we love this story and are fully committed to making a movie that celebrates Dr. Pepperberg's life work. We are sensitive to many of your concerns, but the response from this forum is not what we expected…at all.

 

So…we have worked with Dr. Pepperberg’s team for almost two years now. We own the rights to “Alex & Me” and a lot of money has already been spent crafting a great screenplay. We posted in this forum not because we are desperate for money, but rather because we thought you all would rally behind us and show some love. Crowd sourcing has proven to be a really great way of engaging the audience and letting them feel connected to the making of a creative project. The website is a gift to you to stay updated and learn something about how movies are made.

 

Next week, we are headed to Boston to meet with Irene, see the science lab, collect more information, and really hone in on the essence of her character and journey with Alex. Our travels and day-to-day commitment to the writing process requires a fundraising effort.

 

All her life, Irene has been dependent on donations, scraping for grant money in order to continue with her passion. Plain and simple, the success of this film will change all of that. It will provide financial stability in order to charge forth with more research.

 

I met a girl last night who didn’t know anything about Irene and by the end of the conversation was in tears because she was so inspired to continue to pursue her passion for zoology. Irene gave her a sense of hope for all women in the field of science. It is people like that who have come to our side.

 

Maybe we stepped into the wrong party here, but hopefully you can see what our real passion and goals are for this project.

 

With Love,

The Writers

Edited August 17, 2010 by alexandmethemovie

[judygram]

Maybe we stepped into the wrong party here, but hopefully you can see what our real passion and goals are for this project.

 

 

I think I see your "real passion" here and that is funding for your movie project plain and simple, you thought you would come here since we are all a bunch of grey lovers, well that part is true but we put our money where it counts and that is for our birds and to help other birds who have no one to help themselves. I don't give a rat's patootie if my name would appear in the credits for a sizeable donation I would not give to this project as the producers need to come up with the funding elsewhere, who knows if this movie will ever see the light of day.

I loved Alex as much as everyone else and would love to see a movie about his life with Dr Pepperberg but it will have to be made without any funding from me.

[danmcq]

If Dr. Pepperberg is advocating the making of this movie and it provides funds to continue more research, I am all for it. But, until she actually makes a statement publicly regarding this movie, I will remain cautious. If the true essence of Alex and Me can be captured, with perhaps even a cameo appearance by her and perhaps one of her other greys like Griffin much more credibility for this movie would be gained..

 

I appreciate your follow-up post. Please understand, we all have followed Dr. Pepperberg and Alex for years and as you can see by the forum name and the Greys we own, we are very protective in many aspects. I cannot begin to say, how many people are out there with their hands out asking for money by pulling at our heartstrings, so we are cautious and perhaps phobic much like our Greys.

[Jayd]

Can you show us proof that the Good Doctor has endorsed any of this? ????

[Elvenking]

LOL...I don;t send any money to anyone with a 'GMAIL' account. What a joke. It's 2010 and there is not a lot of 'good faith' left unfortuantely. I mean what is the differnece between me starting a campaign for myself with no recourse or eveidence that anything is legit. You can't just expect the momentum of this community to generate funds for an undocumented project. Anyone in the world can set up a webpage like you did and it could be a total farce. So prove it! And maybe we listen.

[GoDiego]

I loved the story about Shindlers List and felt that this was a story that needed to be heard, however, as far as I know the film makers and production team never required money from the people it effected all those years back? If you feel that you have a worthwhile film, this is your call and down to you to fund it. By using the word donations you are implying that it is for a charitable cause, the only place I see the money going at the end (if the film is a hit) is back in your pocket. Can you explain why you feel you are a charity? Where the money will be going? What the money will be used for i.e. conservation of wild parrots, protection of endangered species, protection of abused and neglected animals? And finally your registered charity number to prove that you are an legitimate charity. Without these, all you are doing is begging and misleading people to part with their money.

 

Basically what you are trying to do is to find investors into your film, when I invest into anything, I need to know what the money will be used for, where the profits will go, the percentage of my return (or in this case the percentage that would go to the Alex Foundation). However, it seems to me that nobody investing will receive a return from the film, not even The Alex Foundation. Below is a quote from your website

 

*No funds raised on this site directly support Dr. Pepperberg and The Alex Foundation. They are solely and exclusively for use of the filmmakers. If you would like to donate funds to Dr. Pepperberg and The Alex Foundation you can do so here: http://www.alexfoundation.org

 

The above quote does not make sense when your previous post stated:

 

All her life, Irene has been dependent on donations, scraping for grant money in order to continue with her passion. Plain and simple, the success of this film will change all of that. It will provide financial stability in order to charge forth with more research.

 

After visiting your website, there is nowhere that explains how this will benefit The Alex Foundation and what percentage of money they will receive from the profits of the film. After visiting the Alex Foundation website, there is no mention at all about this film. Both of these things ring alarm bells to me and leads me to ask the question, why should I invest? What's in it for me or the Alex Foundation?

 

Another thing that rings alarm bells, is there are no other contact details other then a free gmail email account. Any respectable business, would include a HQ address and contact telephone numbers.

 

but the response from this forum is not what we expected…at all.

 

I hope that with what I have outlined above, you can now understand why you have recieved this kind of response from this forum.

 

I have a very deep love and passion for our feathered friends and have no problems with donating to worthwhile causes and charities. However, I am also a businesswoman and will not be wanting to invest into your project as the information you have provided is less then satisfactory.

 

Good luck with your movie (if there is one), I hope there won't be too many disappointed people out there that have invested into it.

Edited August 17, 2010 by GoDiego

[KimKim]

Hi everyone, this person also posted in another grey forum, and is having better luck there. One of the members or moderators said they contacted Dr. Pepperberg and she said it was true... Anyway, I agree with GoDiego, if it is real and it makes money, the people who donated money should get their money back. Here is the link to the other forum. http://www.africangreyforum.com/forum/f27/alex-me-the-movie-4110/

[Elvenking]

Hi everyone, this person also posted in another grey forum, and is having better luck there. One of the members or moderators said they contacted Dr. Pepperberg and she said it was true... Anyway, I agree with GoDiego, if it is real and it makes money, the people who donated money should get their money back. Here is the link to the other forum. http://www.africangreyforum.com/forum/f27/alex-me-the-movie-4110/

 

If it's really true, that is very cool. I still am a bit gun shy with this stuff on the internet though.

[Acappella]

I think I'd need more information before I made a decision either way about this project. Just because a book has been optioned and a screenplay is in development means very little in the real world. Projects like this can float around 'Hollywood' for years and never get any real traction. A big part of this reality is the search for funding. These film makers may just be using the internet to help get over this hurdle. There's every chance that they are well-intentioned persons looking for innovative ways to tell the educational and inspirational story of Alex's life. Certainly the public support of Dr. Pepperburg would be a step in the right direction, but I'd like to know more than the website currently provides. What will be the focus of the story? If it's going to get the full "Hollywood" romanticizing treatment a film like this could actually be harmful to the welfare of birds in captivity, much like what happened to the numbers of dalmations in rescue after the film '101 Dalmations" hit the silver screen.

 

My msg to the founders of this thread would be: I'm very glad you've discovered the story of Dr. Pepperburg and Alex. Her work is very near and dear to the hearts of parrot lovers in general, and grey lovers specifically. Please, as you're writing your screenplay and shopping it out for funding, try to strike a balance between showing the world how intelligent and delightful these animals are, and showing the hard work and dedication it takes to develop a relationship like the one the Dr. had with Alex. Don't take it personally if your project is being viewed with some trepidation right now. You may be paying for the sins of people before you who have used the internet as a tool to scam, rather than to educate. Some of us will just need more information before we jump on board. Keep us in the loop. If you are everything you say you are it will become obvious in time. I hope your meeting with Dr. Pepperburg goes well.

[lovethatgrey]

I think I'd need more information before I made a decision either way about this project. Just because a book has been optioned and a screenplay is in development means very little in the real world. Projects like this can float around 'Hollywood' for years and never get any real traction. A big part of this reality is the search for funding. These film makers may just be using the internet to help get over this hurdle. There's every chance that they are well-intentioned persons looking for innovative ways to tell the educational and inspirational story of Alex's life. Certainly the public support of Dr. Pepperburg would be a step in the right direction, but I'd like to know more than the website currently provides. What will be the focus of the story? If it's going to get the full "Hollywood" romanticizing treatment a film like this could actually be harmful to the welfare of birds in captivity, much like what happened to the numbers of dalmations in rescue after the film '101 Dalmations" hit the silver screen.

 

My msg to the founders of this thread would be: I'm very glad you've discovered the story of Dr. Pepperburg and Alex. Her work is very near and dear to the hearts of parrot lovers in general, and grey lovers specifically. Please, as you're writing your screenplay and shopping it out for funding, try to strike a balance between showing the world how intelligent and delightful these animals are, and showing the hard work and dedication it takes to develop a relationship like the one the Dr. had with Alex. Don't take it personally if your project is being viewed with some trepidation right now. You may be paying for the sins of people before you who have used the internet as a tool to scam, rather than to educate. Some of us will just need more information before we jump on board. Keep us in the loop. If you are everything you say you are it will become obvious in time. I hope your meeting with Dr. Pepperburg goes well.

 

 

Thanks!! Great post!!

[Cheshire Cat]

I've got to say that most screenplay writers and people who wish to start a film go to production companies and that is how they get their money; they don't come asking for it like a charity. I agree what was said earlier on the board, I'd rather give my money to an actual bird charity or rescue centre, not some film production team. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Alex on the big screen, but there are birds out there (and the people who look after them i.e. rescue centres) who need the money more than film makers do. Sorry!

[danmcq]

If it's going to get the full "Hollywood" romanticizing treatment a film like this could actually be harmful to the welfare of birds in captivity, much like what happened to the numbers of dalmations in rescue after the film '101 Dalmations" hit the silver screen.

 

That was and is one of my greatest fears of a movie about Alex and Me. We just have too many people watching you tube as it is. They run out, buy a parrot, then get pissed at this bird that poops all over the house, chews on everything it can, bites if you try to turn it into a cuddly puppy dog and needs a diet prepared that takes as much time and money as cooking for your human family. Next thing you know, that parrot is either in a rescue or dead.

[Cheshire Cat]

That was and is one of my greatest fears of a movie about Alex and Me. We just have too many people watching you tube as it is. They run out, buy a parrot, then get pissed at this bird that poops all over the house, chews on everything it can, bites if you try to turn it into a cuddly puppy dog and needs a diet prepared that takes as much time and money as cooking for your human family. Next thing you know, that parrot is either in a rescue or dead.

 

I agree completely with this. My mom said that during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles phase, people were going out and buying turtles and then once they realised they couldn't look after them were getting rid of them and even flushing them down toilets!