Barrie M. Osborne, the Academy Award®-winning producer whose credits include some of the biggest blockbusters of all-time, among them The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Matrix, has turned to Kickstarter to help fund Talk Is Cheap, an important environmental-themed family drama for writer, director, and producer Jim Jarrett.
The filmmakers, including Osborne, Jarrett and producer Jon Labrie, announced their independent film project today and formally launched their Kickstarter campaign, asking only $1.00 per person to help finance the film’s production costs. Those who contribute will be credited on screen and on the film’s website as an Associate Producer.
Talk is Cheap is an unforgettable and powerful story about a father and daughter and how one teenager’s viral vow of silence ignites a revolution that gives true voice to a generation demanding change.
“It’s a rare and great privilege when you come across a project that you really like that has something very meaningful to say, while also being very entertaining. Talk is Cheap is one of those projects,” said Osborne, who added “each generation comes out with a film that is groundbreaking, iconic, and says something very specific about what is going on with that generation. This film really illustrates the power of one voice to make a difference in the world. Through social media, with the right message at the right time, you actually can change the world one person at a time. That is the heart that drives our movie and it is the heart and soul of our Kickstarter campaign.”
If successfully funded, the film’s on-screen credit crawl will include the individual names of at least 1.5 million Kickstarter contributors.
In addition to Osborne, backers for the project will be joining an accomplished group of Hollywood veterans including the writer, director, producer Jim Jarrett, who is one of the most respected acting teachers in the world specializing in The Meisner Technique. Additionally, he is joined by writer and producer Jon Labrie, who served as the Chief Technology Officer for Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital. Jarrett has tapped Eamon Harrington & John Watkin to serve as directors of photography on the film. They have produced over 150 projects for television, and have collectively won 7 Emmy Awards.
Said Jarrett, “Talk Is Cheap is a family drama that focuses on the dire issue of global warming thru the eyes of a father and his teenage daughter, who disagree on how to make a difference on climate change. No matter what you believe about the science of the debate, our younger generation views the planet as sick and in need of help. They feel profoundly lost about what they can do to make a meaningful difference. This film really is about the power of one.”
Talk is Cheap begins with Mina Scott, a documentary filmmaker, following popular talk radio host Damon Michaels for 48 hours. Hoping to catch a glimpse of what it’s like to be one of the most powerful people in media today, she instead captures the story of a lifetime filtered through a fractured relationship between an opinionated father (Damon) and his alienated and equally opinionated daughter (Nikki). Nikki is fed up with her politically provocative dad, who talks about current issues but never makes a difference. While the documentary crew is rolling, she declares she can accomplish more by NOT talking, than her father ever could as a popular radio host.
At school the following day, instead of announcing her candidacy for student body President, Nikki announces that she won’t speak until the U.S. makes dramatic changes to its policy on climate change – and she encourages other young people to follow her example.
Over the next few days, smart phone videos of Nikki’s emotional and compelling speech go viral. What starts innocently as a simple act of defiance grows into a world-wide phenomenon – fueled by young people, one by one, finding their voice through silence and the extraordinary power of community that is shared and connected by social media.
With both sides of the climate change issue raging in debate and growing more extreme and dangerous by the day, a father and daughter must find a way to come together to lead the millions of people who demand a difference and agree that action must be taken because Talk is Cheap.
ABOUT BARRIE OSBORNE
BARRIE M. OSBORNE (Executive Producer) is an Academy Award®-winning producer of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He took home the statue for Best Picture for the series’ third and final feature, The Return of the King, which also earned him the Producers Guild Award. Additionally, he received Best Picture Oscar® nominations for the first and second films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. Osborne also won BAFTA Awards for The Return of the King and The Fellowship of the Ring, and garnered a nod for The Two Towers as well.
Osborne’s other producing credits include John Woo’s Face/Off, The Waterhorse, The Warrior’s Way, China Moon and Syrup. He most recently served as executive producer on the 2013 worldwide hit The Great Gatsby, as well as The Matrix, The World’s Fastest Indian, Little Fish, The Fan, Dick Tracy, Child’s Play, Wilder Napalm, Rapa Nui and Peggy Sue Got Married.
During a two-year tenure as Vice President for Feature Production at Walt Disney Pictures, Osborne oversaw features including Ruthless People, The Color of Money, Tin Men, Three Men and a Baby, Tough Guys, Outrageous Fortune, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Good Morning, Vietnam.
A native New Yorker, Osborne earned a B.A. degree from Minnesota’s Carleton College and an Honorary PhD from the San Francisco Academy of Art University.
Osborne served as 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 43 before entering the film industry in 1970. Accepted into the Directors Guild of America trainee program, Osborne worked under the tutelage of such directors as Francis Ford Coppola, Alan Pakula and Sydney Pollack, on films including The Godfather Part II, All the President’s Men and Three Days of the Condor. He subsequently worked on a number of films in various capacities, including Apocalypse Now, The Big Chill, The King of Comedy, The Cotton Club, Cutter’s Way, Fandango and The China Syndrome.
For more information about the film and the Kickstarter campaign, please visit http://talkischeapmovie.com or the official Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1718834732/talk-is-cheap-from-academy-award-winner-barrie-m-o
Johnny Naylor is the founder and owner of 1st Shot Music and a feature writer for Jammerzine. His work can also be found on 
