Lloyd Alexander Soundtrack

The entire soundtrack for "Lloyd Alexander" is now available online. The music was written by Stephen R. Voorhees, and is magnificent. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Here it is: Lloyd Alexander Soundtrack

Lloyd Alexander QA & Banquet

This last Thursday, October 18, 2012, we had the first of the Lloyd Alexander events in conjunction with the film.  That day at 11:00 a.m. MDT we had the showing of the mini-doc, Lloyd Alexander: America's High King of Fantasy. Following the film we had a QA session with Dr. James Jacobs (author of the dissertation, "Lloyd Alexander: A Critical Biography"), Dr. Michael Tunnell (Author of "The Prydain Companion") Rachel Wadham (Education and Juvenile Collections Librarian, and Curator of the Lloyd Alexander Collection at BYU), and Jared Crossley (Director of the Lloyd Alexander films).  Here are a couple of pictures from the event:

That evening, we had the "Lloyd Alexander Banquet" with a keynote address by Dr. James Jacobs. What a wonderful event. It was great to listen to a man who knows about the life of Lloyd Alexander as well as anyone. 

In the process of making the film, I searched high and low for those who knew Lloyd the best. I realize there are some who knew him very well that I was not able to locate, or get in contact with, however, I was able to interview many of his closest friends and associates. In all of my research, and speaking with these significant people in Lloyd's life, I found one theme, no one knew more than Dr. James Jacobs about the early years of the life of Lloyd Alexander. 

That evening, at the banquet, we were privileged to hear a life sketch of Lloyd Alexander. What a unique experience. We recorded the speech, and hope to make it available to the public on the Lloyd Alexander Documentary YouTube channel. But for now, enjoy these photos from the night:

Stay tuned for the next post about last nights premiere of the Lloyd Alexander documentary.

Press Release

Here is a press release from Provo, UT about the Lloyd Alexander events this week. Check it out:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Roger Layton
801-422-6687
roger_layton@byu.edu

Rachel Wadham
(801) 422-6780
Rachel_Wadham@byu.edu

October 15, 2012

LLOYD ALEXANDER DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES AT HAROLD B. LEE LIBRARY

PROVO—The Harold B. Lee Library will be hosting the premiere of the student-made documentary,
Lloyd Alexander. The library’s Lloyd Alexander Collection contains the majority of Alexander’s original manuscripts, as well as a replica of his office. Jared Crossley, the creator of the documentary, was able to use this replica to film essential scenes.

“We are so lucky to have the Lloyd Alexander Collection,” said Rachel Wadham, the curator of the
collection. “Lloyd Alexander was such a phenomenal author and it has been a pleasure to use our
resources to help Jared make this documentary.”

The documentary will premiere on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. and is an invitation only event. A public
screening of the documentary will be held on Wednesday Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium. A shorter documentary entitled Lloyd Alexander: America’s High King of Fantasy will be shown on Thursday Oct. 18 at 11 a.m. Tours of Lloyd Alexander’s office replica will be available after each showing. The L. Tom Perry Special Collections will be hosting a small exhibit to accompany the documentary. The exhibit features books from The Chronicles of Prydain, pages from original manuscripts, original artwork, calligraphy, and letters sent to Lloyd Alexander by fans, as well as one of Lloyd Alexander’s typewriters. The exhibit will be on display for two weeks.

The Harold B. Lee Library is named in honor of the former President of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and is the main academic library of Brigham Young University. It is the largest religious library and second-largest private university library in the United States. The library currently has approximately 98 miles of shelving for the more than 6 million items in its various collections, as well as a seating capacity for 4,600 people. The Harold B. Lee Library has been consistently ranked in the nation's Top Ten University Libraries by the Princeton Review.

###

Ticketing Closed

Ticketing for the Lloyd Alexander Banquet is now closed. However, see the previous post for a list of other events that are still open to the public.

Lloyd Alexander Extravaganza

The countdown is on, and the time we've been waiting for is almost here. The documentary film, "Lloyd Alexander" is in the final stages, and we are making preparations for next month's premiere.

I am pleased to announce the schedule of events surrounding the premiere of the film. Here is a schedule for the Lloyd Alexander Extravaganza:

Thursday, October 18th

Lloyd Alexander Mini-Doc and Q&A
When: 11:05 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Where: Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium on BYU campus in Provo, UT
What: A 10 minute mini-doc highlighting the work and writings of Lloyd Alexander will be shown at 11:05 that morning. The film will be followed by a question and answer session with a panel of Lloyd Alexander experts.
Tickets: Free. Seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Lloyd Alexander Banquet
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Skyroom at the Wilkinson Student Center on BYU campus in Provo, UT
What: The Lloyd Alexander Banquet will feature a keynote address by Dr. James S. Jacobs, author of the dissertation, "Lloyd Alexander: A Critical Biography"
Tickets: $20.00

To purchase tickets to the "Lloyd Alexander Banquet" please use the PayPal link on the right side of this blog. (Please note, there is limited seating available at the banquet, so once the tickets sell-out the link will be removed.)

Friday, October 19th

"Lloyd Alexander" Premiere
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium on BYU campus in Provo, UT
What: The world premiere of "Lloyd Alexander", the documentary film about the life and writings of beloved children's author, Lloyd Alexander. The film is a little over an hour long. The official run-time is TBA. 
Tickets: Invitation Only. There are limited tickets available for free to the general public. If you would like to attend, please e-mail your request for tickets to lloydalexanderfilm@gmail.com. Please include your name, and how many tickets you would like. (Note: Sending an e-mail does not guarantee you tickets to the premiere as seating is limited).

Wednesday, October 24th

Public Screening of "Lloyd Alexander"
When: 4:00 p.m.
Where: Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium on BYU campus in Provo, UT
What: A screening of the full-length documentary open to the public.
Tickets: Free. Seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Here is a map of the BYU campus, including parking information.

I am very excited for these upcoming events. If you have any questions please direct them to me (Jared Crossley) at lloydalexanderfilm@gmail.com. I am very busy, but will try to respond as promptly as possible.

Thank you for your support of this project. I look forward to celebrating the wonderful accomplishments of Lloyd Alexander with you in October.

Official Trailer for "Lloyd Alexander"

It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything. I've been pretty busy making a movie. Anyway, here is the official trailer for "Lloyd Alexander" which will premiere next month on October 19th in Provo, UT.  Check it out, and let me know what you think.

Moving Right Along

It's been awhile since I've last posted, and so I thought it was about time. Since my last blog post, here are some of the notable things we've accomplished on the Lloyd Alexander documentary:

• We finished filming interviews, wrapping up with Mike Tunnell's interview on August 6th.
• Finished writing the script and narration.
• Recorded the narration with Rick Macy.
• Started the editing (using Premiere Pro CS6)
• Finished the final cuts
• Got the final cuts to the music composer, Stephen Voorhees.
• Did a spotting session for the music with Stephen Voorhees.
• Started audio clean-up, color corrections, and other visual touch-ups.
• And I happened to make a cameo appearance in NBC's Rock Center special about Mormons.

Needless to say, it's been a busy time. However, I am very excited about the progress that we are making. We are right on schedule to meet our October 18th deadline for the premiere. We are currently planning and scheduling various events in conjunction with the film premiere, so stay tuned.

Oh, I also wanted to post one of my favorite pictures of Lloyd that, sadly, did not make it into the film. Here's a photo of a young Lloyd Alexander tickling the ivories. Enjoy!

Welcome to the Lloyd Alexander documentary, Shannon Hale.

Today I got the chance to interview Shannon Hale for the Lloyd Alexander Documentary. Shannon is best known for her New York Times bestselling Newbery Honor book "Princess Academy",  and her "Books of Bayern Series" including her first published book "The Goose Girl".

Shannon Hale is a very talented author, and a delightful person. It was a great opportunity to interview Shannon, and I'm very excited to have her as part of the Lloyd Alexander documentary film. Also, make sure you don't miss Shannon's newest book which is coming out next month. "Princess Academy: Palace of Stone" is the sequel to the highly successful "Princess Academy" and you won't want to miss it.

Thanks for the Support!

We recently reached our fundraising goal on Kickstarter.com. I wanted to take a minute and thank all of the supporters that we have. As many of you know, the Lloyd Alexander Documentary is a non-profit film. My main goal in creating it is to create exposure about the wonderful author Lloyd Alexander. I want to give something to his fans that can help them remember his remarkable legacy. I want to reach those who have never read any of his books, and inspire them to read. I want to reach the child, and get them interested in reading.

Thanks to many of you, I haven't even finished the film, but these goals of mine are already happening. During the fundraising effort, we have received much support from high places. Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson started by showing his support for the project on Facebook, twitter, and his blog.

Various authors and artists showed support by tweeting about the project. There were tweets by Garth Nix, Donna Jo Napoli, Faith Erin Hicks, Kurt Busiek, Brent Weeks, Harry Connolly, Neil Gaiman, to name a few (sorry to those others who also tweeted about it, and I missed).  We also received support from three-time Newbery honor author Jennifer Holm. Even Skippyjon Jones showed support by posting a link on Facebook.

There was an article written about the project by one of Utah's most popular new sources, KSL.

In addition to this publicity, there have been countless fans, friends, family, etc. who have helped by spreading the word.

However, most of all I want to thank the people who have donated to the project. As important as it has been to have support from famous authors and artists, news coverage, and social networking, in the end we wouldn't have made our goal without those of you who decided to sacrifice and donate to the Lloyd Alexander film.

Preview Released

I just put together a rough cut of some footage from the documentary. My purpose in releasing it is to give an idea to everyone what the film will be like. I also wanted to thank everyone who has supported the project. 

The video clip shows some excerpts with Ann Durrell McCrory, Lloyd Alexander's editor for most of his career. In the clip she is talking about working with Lloyd Alexander on the Prydain books. 

Watch the video here, and let me know what you think. Also, if you haven't yet donated, please consider doing so, as there are only 5 days left and we need $3,513 more in order to be funded.  

Thanks again for your support. I hope you enjoy this preview.

Only 2 Weeks Left!!

In the fundraiser on kickstarter.com there is only 2 weeks left to reach our goal. Just a reminder on how kickstarter works. If you make a pledge, and the project is successful, you receive a specific reward depending on the amount of your pledge.  If we reach our goal by the set date, our project is funded. If we are even $1 short, we get nothing, and the people who pledged, don't pay.

Our goal is to raise $15,000 by June 30th. As of 11:55 a.m. MDT on June 16th we have $8,240 pledged to the project. We are in need of $6,760 more in the next two weeks for this project to be funded.

If you haven't yet pledged, please think about if this is something that you feel like you can do.  Also, even if you have pledged, help spread the word. Re-post this video on your blogs, tweet about it, post it on Facebook, e-mail your friends, co-workers, family, and associates. We can make a big push over the next two weeks, and reach our goal.

Donate to the Lloyd Alexander Documentary Film here.

2nd Week of Filming

So we just finished the second week of filming for the Lloyd Alexander documentary film. We flew into Philadelphia on Saturday night, and really got underway on Monday.

Monday was Lloyd Alexander Day at Arlington cemetery in Drexel Hill, PA, which you can read about in my previous blog post. We were able to go to that and film it for use in the documentary.  We also were able to do an interview with Christopher Tripoli on Monday.

Tuesday we went to New York and interviewed one of Lloyd Alexander's editors, Lucia Monfried. That was a great interview, that will really add some special perspectives to the documentary.

This morning, Wednesday, we finished up this week of filming with a neat interview with George Nicholson in New York. Another great interview, another great week of filming.

This is a really neat project that I feel blessed to be able to work on right now. It is such a wonderful privilege to speak with people that knew Lloyd Alexander. Each one of them has given me such wonderful insights, not only into the life of Alexander, but into what it means to be a human being. Which, perhaps is no coincidence, is a lesson that I think can be found in many of Lloyd Alexander's books. 

Tomorrow, I will fly back home to my wonderful family in Utah, but this has been a wonderful week of filming for the Lloyd Alexander Documentary Film.

Lloyd Alexander Day at Arlington Cemetery

Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, PA hosts a "Lloyd Alexander Day" every year to commemorate the life of one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time. Today, June 11th 2012 was the 4th annual celebration, and I got invited to come and film it for the Lloyd Alexander Documentary.

For Lloyd Alexander Day, the 6th graders from Drexel Hill Middle School are invited to come to Arlington Cemetery to hear a presentation by Christopher Tripoli, about Lloyd Alexander. The presentation talks about how Lloyd Alexander uses creativity and imagination to become a succesful author, and how others have used Lloyd Alexander as an inspiration to fuel their own creativity and imagination.

The students are then taken to the mausoleum where Lloyd and his wife Janine are. It is a neat event that is truly a legacy to the influence that this man had, and continues to have even after his death.  I'm glad that I was able to take a part in it. It was also wonderful to have the opportunity to meet one of Lloyd Alexander's granddaughters at the cemetery today.

Here are some pictures of the event:

We also got the opportunity to interview Christopher Tripoli for our documentary. What a great interview.  A few years ago when he started giving the presentations on Lloyd Alexander, he reached out to many people who knew Lloyd Alexander, or whose lives were changed for the better because of Mr. Alexander. Chris has researched Lloyd's life and learned a lot about him.

We then went to a few locations that are a unique part of the Lloyd Alexander story, such as Township Line Pizza, The Post Office, and The Fresh Grocer. These places may seem trivial, but there are fun stories about how they were a part of the life of Lloyd Alexander.

If you are interested in this film, you can still get involved. To get a copy of the film on DVD, or to find out how you can come to the premiere showing in October of this year go here.

Some Help from Brandon Sanderson

I recently reached out to the popular fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson is known for his books such as the Alcatraz series and the Mistborn series. He is also the author that was asked to finish Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.  

This last week Brandon posted comments on his Facebook page as well as on twitter about the project. Here is what his Facebook page said about it:

"When Lloyd Alexander (author of many novels including the Chronicles of Prydain) passed away, he left his papers to the BYU library, which has an exhibit that is a recreation of Alexander's home office. BYU student Jared Crossley is making a documentary on Lloyd Alexander, the short version of which will accompany the exhibit and the long version of which will be used by various literary organizations and libraries. To finance the documentary, he is running a Kickstarter campaign. If you're a Lloyd Alexander fan, check it out."

In the three days since he posted this we have had 25 people donate to the Kickstarter fundraiser raising an additional $1000. We have received tremendous support from people all over.

However we are still in need of an additional $11,341 by the end of June for the project to be funded. If you haven't gotten a chance to donate yet, you can do so here. 

Thank you Brandon for spreading the word, and thanks to all who have donated to the project. Keep up your support.

Big News! Unveiling the Design for the Alexander T-Shirts

As part of our "Lloyd Alexander Day" celebrations we wanted to unveil the design for the t-shirts that we will be giving away for all pledges of $25 and pledges of $45 or more. This design is by Steve Christensen and will still be modified slightly, but we are excited to show them to you. The shirt will be available in black or in white. Get your exclusive Alexander t-shirts here.

Lloyd Alexander Day

5 years ago today the world said good-bye to one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time, Lloyd Alexander. When Lloyd Alexander wrote "The Chronicles of Prydain" in the 1960's his editor Ann Durrell stated "At last, at last America has produced a writer who's a challenger for the great allegorical fantasy crown, worn so long by the British."(Jacobs, 272). Some have compared Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain to the works of Tolkien or C.S. Lewis. While it may be debatable how he compares to these other fantasy authors, there is no debating that Lloyd Alexander was one of the most influential American children's authors of all time.

I was first introduced to Lloyd Alexander in my early childhood when my oldest sister checked out "The Book of Three" from the public library. As a young boy I remember thinking that the book received it's name due to the three characters that I noticed on the front; a boy, a girl and a pig. Years later when I was in middle school I saw the entire set of "The Chronicles of Prydain" for sell at a book fair at my school for $5. I thought "5 books for $5, that's a good buy" (how good of a buy, I had no idea). I decided to purchase them for my sister since I knew she enjoyed them. I for some reason never gave them to her, and after a while decided to keep them and read them myself. I instantly fell in love with the land of Prydain.

Fast forward to a few years ago when I decided to research Lloyd Alexander after re-reading Prydain for the umpteenth time. It was early 2010 when I learned that Lloyd Alexander had passed away only a few years ago. I was devastated. I had no idea that he had been alive for quite a few years that I had been a fan of his books.

However, at the same time I found out that Brigham Young University (which was only about a mile from where I live) had obtained many of Alexander's belongings, and had created an exhibit titled "Alexander's Box" (named after Alexander's nickname for his office, "The Box"). This exhibit was a recreation of Alexander's office and included such items as his desk and typewriter, his Newbery Medal that he won in 1969 for "The High King", the harp that inspired Fflewddur Fflam's instrument in the Prydain novels, photographs of Alexander, and so much more.

I also found out about two professor's at BYU who had close connections to Alexander; Dr. Jim Jacobs and Dr. Michael Tunnell. Dr. Jacobs had written his dissertation as a biography of Lloyd Alexander, and Dr. Tunnell had written his dissertation as a companion to the Prydain series (a Prydain encyclopedia of sorts).

Shortly after this, I started thinking about the possibility of creating a documentary film using these resources that were in my own backyard. I thought I would keep it small, interview the BYU professors, see if I could scan in the photos that BYU had, and put together a film. A year ago tomorrow, on May 18th 2011, I went out to lunch with Dr. Jim Jacobs. I told him about my idea to make a documentary about Alexander. He was very excited about the idea. He agreed to help me in any way that he could.

As I started to work on the film it has grown into something else entirely. I am now making two versions of the film, a 10 minute version that is being made with BYU, and will serve as a supplement to "Alexander's Box"; and a longer independent version (I'm shooting for 60 minutes). We recently interviewed some of Alexander's closest friends and associates including: his editor, Ann Durrell McCrory; his goddaughter, Sharyn November; and his longtime friends Alexander (Sandy) Limont, and Kemie Nix. We traveled to Drexel Hill, PA to obtain footage of places such as Alexander's childhood home, his last home, and the cemetery where Lloyd and his wife Janine are located.

I decided early on that my film would be non-profit and that my main goal was to create renewed interest in Alexander and his books, and to help his books reach a larger audience. I hoped to inspire others to read, not only Alexander's books, but books in general. A way that I have used this project to help work toward this goal already was by organizing "Lloyd Alexander Day".

Today, May 17th, 2012 marks five years since the passing of Alexander, so it was a natural fit for our celebration of his life and writings. In an effort to increase awareness of Alexander's books we have sent letters to elementary schools across the United States and invited over 30,000 school children to join in celebrating "Lloyd Alexander Day" with us by reading/starting an Alexander book today.

We have also received support from places such as The Free Library of Philadelphia, where for the after-school story break this afternoon they will be reading Alexander's book "The Fortune Tellers" and doing an activity based on that book.

This celebration started in Provo UT, but has reached across the world. The non-profit organization "Children's Literature for Children" which was started by Lloyd's good friend Kemie Nix, has informed us that two of their schools in Kenya, Mt. Kenya Academy and Nyeri Primary School, will participate in "Lloyd Alexander Day" making the celebration international, just as his fan-base is.  

In the making of the film, it has grown to be largely outside of my budget. In an effort to make the best possible film that will truly stand as a tribute to this great author, we have started a fundraiser effort through a website called Kickstarter.com. We have set a goal of $15,000 to raise by the end of June. The way that kickstarter works is if we reach our goal, then our project is funded, if we come short, then the people that pledged to the project are not charged, and we get nothing.

Donations can be as small as $1.00, and their are various rewards for pledges of different amounts (DVD of the film, Exclusive Alexander t-shirt, copies of some of Alexander's books, etc.) If you can make even a $1.00 donation, that would help. Just as helpful, spread the word. There are a lot of Lloyd Alexander fans out there who would have great interest in this film if they only knew about it. There are also a lot of people who are willing to donate money to a good cause, we just have to let them know about it. Learn more about the project, or make your donations here.

Here is a video that tells a little more about the project:

So please, join in the celebration of Lloyd Alexander Day with us by reading one of his books, spreading the word about the project, or making a donation. I need your help.

"Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent we are all Assitant Pig-Keepers at heart."

-Lloyd Alexander 

 Author's Note, The Book of Three 

References

Jacobs, James S. Lloyd Alexander: A Critical Biography. University of Georgia, ED.D., 1978.

Coming Soon: Lloyd Alexander Day 2012

Beloved children's author Lloyd Alexander passed away on May 17, 2007. We  are fast approaching the 5th anniversary of his death. In commemoration of his life and writings, I am organizing a "Lloyd Alexander Day". I am hoping to reach as many Alexander fans as I can, and encourage everyone to do something to remember this beloved man. 

Some ideas that I have, of things that we can do to include:

• Re-reading one of your favorite Alexander book 
• Start reading an Alexander book that you've never read before
• Post one/some of your favorite Alexander quotes on your Facebook and/or Twitter
• Spread the word about the documentary that is being made about Lloyd Alexander
• Visit the location of his Urn at Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, PA
• If you were lucky enough to have met him during his life, share a memory

This is something that I am wanting to turn into an annual tradition, however in future years it will take place on his birthday (January 30) rather than the anniversary of his death. Spread the word. I think this will be a wonderful way to commemorate the life and writings of Lloyd Alexander.

Kickstarter Video

Here is the video for our kickstarter project. Let me know what you think.

Project on Kickstarter.com

We officially launched our fundraising efforts on Kickstarter.com. The way that kickstarter works is you can pledge a certain amount to the project (say $20) and you will get a reward (like a DVD of the film) if the project is successful. If we reach our goal of $15,000 by June 30, then the project is funded. If we come up short of this goal, then you are charged nothing, but the project gets nothing. 

However, we have got some way cool rewards, and this project is so worth it. Check out the project here,

and I know you'll want to donate. 

Also, please help by spreading the word. I truly hope to reach many Alexander fans, and get your support on this. Together we can make this happen.

Welcome to the Project, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Macmillan Children's Publishing Group has made a significant contribution to the project. One of the branches of Macmillan Publishing is Henry Holt, who originally published the Chronicles of Prydain. Macmillan currently sells all of the Prydain books, Lloyd's first book "Time Cat", and his last book "The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio". Here is a link to Macmillan's page about Lloyd Alexander.

We are pleased to have this project be associated with Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.

Let's Get This Thing Started

I have been taking 16 credit hours this semester, but my last final is tomorrow. I am ready to fully turn my attention on the Lloyd Alexander project. Here is my list of to do for the next few weeks:

-Finish securing permission to obtain footage of a few key locations in Philadelphia and Drexel Hill
-Launch our fundraiser project on kickstarter.com
-Work more on story
-Travel to NY to interview Sharyn November and Lloyd's editor Ann (Durrell) McCrory
-Travel to Philadelphia to interview Sandy Limont, and obtain footage
-Obtain footage in Drexel Hill where Lloyd lived most of his life
-Travel to Atlanta to interview Kemie Nix

I think this should be enough to keep me busy for the next three weeks. I'm pretty excited to really feel that this project is underway.

A Visit with Lloyd Alexander

I recently received an e-mail giving us permission to use clips from a video that was made by Penguin publishing in 1994. While the video quality is certainly not HD or 1080p it is possibly the best video footage of Lloyd Alexander that is in existence. This is extremely valuable, especially due to the fact the Mr. Alexander has passed away and it is not possible to obtain any new footage, or conduct any new interviews with him personally. This video is also valuable to give an insight into who Lloyd Alexander was. I think his personality really shows through in this video.

If you are interested in my project, but don't really know who Lloyd Alexander is, this video is a must watch. It has been put on YouTube in 3 parts, check it out here:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Art of Justin Kunz

Artist Justin Kunz has done some spectacular renditions based on Alexander's Prydain Chronicles. He has recently agreed to allow us to use his artwork in our film. Check out more of his work here: http://www.justinkunz.com/prydain.html

Alexander Documentary on Facebook

I recently created a facebook page that will also be advertising this film check it out: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lloyd-Alexander-Documentary-Film/354903237873693 The facebook page currently has a sample of the photographs that we have obtained for use in the documentary. Like us on facebook for more updates.

Lloyd Alexander Film

This blog is dedicated to Lloyd Alexander, and a documentary film that I am making about him. I am hoping to share this film with all of you who have read and loved Alexander's books. I first was introduced to Lloyd Alexander by my older sister when I was a young boy. However, I didn't read any of his books until I found the Prydain Chronicles at a book fair when I was in middle school. I instantly fell in love with these books. I thought that they would make great films. Once I saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I knew that Prydain could be made into movies that did the books justice, and I vowed that I would do anything in my power to see this happen.

I decided to go to Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, UT to get a degree in Film in order to achieve this goal. As I was getting ready to start my education at BYU I found out that Lloyd Alexander had agreed that when he passed away, many of his belongings would be donated to BYU. The library on campus now houses this Lloyd Alexander collection and created a special exhibit titled "Alexander's Box" which is a recreation of his office.

I also found out that there were two children's literature professors at BYU who had been friends with Mr. Alexander. Dr. Jim Jacobs had gotten to know him while writing his dissertation, "Lloyd Alexander: A Critical Biography"; and Dr. Michael Tunnell had also worked extensively with Lloyd while writing his dissertation, "The Prydain Companion: A Reference Guide to Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles".

After seeing the the exhibit that BYU has, and meeting these two professors, I decided that I needed to make a documentary film about the life of Lloyd Alexander. I have been working with the Multimedia department from the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU to make a 10 minute version which will be done Fall 2012. I am also working on a 60 minute version which will be done shortly after the 10 minute.

This blog will be dedicated to Mr. Alexander, and this film project. I will periodically post updates on the progress and ultimately hope to make these films available here on this blog. I hope that Alexander fans everywhere will be excited about this project, and look forward to this film's completion.

However, there is one other purpose for this film. I am needing additional funding for this project. I am in need of this funding to make this film the great tribute to Mr. Alexander that I am hoping for. I do not currently have it set up for fans to make donations, but will hopefully do this soon. Stay tuned for more exciting updates on this film project, and let me know if you are interested in this project. I am excited to meet many others who like me, have a special place in their hearts for Lloyd Alexander.