INTO THE WILDERNESS
An invitation to support a new feature length Documentary
Director Nick Aldridge
About the Film
People from underserved communities work through trauma, addiction and anger issues on a 90 day group therapy programme in stunning south Utah. A coming of age story featuring people of all ages ‘Into The Wilderness’ observes the patients and therapists on an epic physical and emotional journey of discovery.
In stories throughout time – from Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ to Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ – there is a continually recurring motif. Heroes journey out into the wilderness searching for a dark but life-giving secret, only to find that they hold the answers within. My uplifting and poignant documentary will show this in manifest as a group of patients embark upon an epic journey in the beautiful landscape of Utah as part of a group therapy program.
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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Story Summary
Legacy Juniper’s therapy model is based on the hero’s journey and the film’s three act structure will follow this established narrative arc. The documentary will feature a diverse and engaging cast of characters made up of patients on both the female and male programs, who will be attending for different reasons, and searching for different truths. The patients have spent much of their lives desperately seeking an escape from themselves. Over the course of the film they will confront their issues and be forever changed by what they learn about themselves in the wilderness.
During Act One, as the patients begin their 90 days of therapy out in nature, we will learn why our characters are attending (PTSD, Substance Abuse, ADHD, ODD and Sexual Trauma are amongst the most common) through naturally occurring expositional dialogue during verité scenes in the wild, while archive footage and photos seen on their phones will hint to their trauma.
Many of the patients are from cities and unaccustomed to hiking up mountains, riding and looking after horses, weaving through slot canyons and sleeping under vast night skies. In Act Two we will realize that these are not feats to be endured, but carefully designed so that the patients become comfortable relying on each other, learn to build healthier relationships and the importance of community. How we cope with our ‘wounds’ dictates much of our behavior, our social habits and how we relate to the world.
The walking and horse riding incorporate bilateral stimulation into the patients’ treatment plans, which essentially ‘settles’ the brain and aids the therapists as they undertake trauma work during talk therapy. This process encourages patients to reframe how they see their experiences and their place in the world. The organizations also uses, amongst others, ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy), IFS (Internal Family Systems) as well as using EFT (Emotion Focused Therapy) and Attachment Therapy to heal relational wounds and foster better family and couple communications.
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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Story Summary Cont.
The story builds to Act Three as patients who have had little contact with the outside world are reunited with, and reconnect to, their families in an intensely emotional finale. Trauma, afterall, is about a loss of connection to ourselves, our families and the world around us. Through this renewed connection patients realize they are the main character of their story. The hero of their journey.
Amongst all this, at the midpoint of the film, it will be revealed that two of therapist Derek Daley’s close family members committed suicide after struggling with addiction for years. The reason Derek works so passionately trying to save families from low income backgrounds is because he was unable to help his two aunts. They were unable to afford therapeutic care. It is a hole that he can never fill. Many other workers at Legacy Juniper previously struggled with addiction themselves and graduated from the organization’s program.
At its heart this documentary is a coming-of-age story. We return to coming-of-age films time and time again because they portray the feeling of moving from one part of life to the next. The ‘patients’ will live out these moments in the extreme. The stakes couldn’t be higher – the choicesthey make will echo through their futures, and their families’. This will be documented with empathy in an experiential and immersive film where the stories of the ‘patients’ and ‘therapists’ are ones that audience members can relate to. Think ‘The Work’ meets ‘Homeroom’.
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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Sizzle
The patients in our sample tape are at the end of a 90 day therapy process. Although they are not the patients that will appear in the film, instead we filmed the sample tape with them over 5 days to create something that gives an impression of where patients can get to, rather than where they come from. The sample tape also features imagery of the extraordinary locations that will appear in the film, the therapists who we shall follow and demonstrates the variety of therapy work that they utilize.
Ways You Can Support:
Help Clients Experience This Form of Treatment:
If you have a client in need of treatment, we have a scholarship fund available. This is a fantastic opportunity to help those who may not have the financial means to access such transformative care.
Financial Support:
Your donations can directly fund the production of this documentary and help us reach a broader audience. Contributions will go towards filming, editing, and distributing the documentary to ensure its message is shared widely.
Spread the Word:
Share our project with your network. The more people who know about the transformative power of nature in healing, the more we can collectively support this important work.
To view the clips and learn more, please contact Derek Daley at 801.358.2974 for the password.
Pitch Video
Additionally, here is the pitch video for the project, where filmmaker Nick shares his personal story and motivations behind this endeavor. We are using this video to attract investors, seeking a number of supporters rather than a single funder.
Trailer
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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An Invitation to support
The film is budgeted at $1.3m and we seek to raise funds from a combination of grants and private equity to produce the film. Our team has successfully raised and completed films with budgets up to 3m with distribution secured with companies such as Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon, and Paramount among many others.
Finance Plan
– 10% Non-recoupable institutional grants from film organization such as Sundance and IDA.
– 40% Non-recoupable grants from organizations / individuals / family foundations with mental health focus.
– 50% Private equity.
Crediting Tiers
For grant funding up to and above 150,000 we provide an Executive Producer credit to the funder in the main credits of the film. We offer Co-Executive Producer credit for grant funding of $75,000 or more.
For Equity funding up to and above $200,000 we offer an Executive Producer credit. $125,000 is the level for Co-Executive Producer credit.
Other crediting levels available for different tiers of funding. There is no minimum funding amount.
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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Directors Statement
The WHO states that Mental Health Conditions are increasing across the globe. The statistics behind this statement are startling. One in three are experiencing a mental illness. Suicide kills twice as many people as homicide. Poor Mental Health costs the global economy more than $1 Trillion a year. The pandemic had an extraordinary effect on Mental Health, but the roots of this crisis were planted long before Covid and these statistics tell only part of what is a truly global story.
During my own struggles with depression and isolation, I could never see my face in such numbers. My problems were acknowledged far too late. Friends who have battled addiction and eating disorders shied away from professional help and some attempted suicide. Mental Health disorders remain widely unreported. The Mental Health crisis has always existed, our parents’ generation simply didn’t have the language for it.
How we develop the conversation around Mental Health can improve and ultimately save lives. This film is not trauma porn, it is a non-invasive window onto an urgent global Mental Health crisis. The story of people attempting to turn their lives around will allow the film to explore wider questions regarding the barriers underserved communities and those trapped by poverty face when attempting to access mental health care.
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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An Invitation to support
The film is budgeted at $1.3m and we seek to raise funds from a combination of grants and private equity to produce the film. Our team has successfully raised and completed films with budgets up to 3m with distribution secured with companies such as Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon, and Paramount among many others.
Finance Plan
– 10% Non-recoupable institutional grants from film organization such as Sundance and IDA.
– 40% Non-recoupable grants from organizations / individuals / family foundations with mental health focus.
– 50% Private equity.
Crediting Tiers
For grant funding up to and above 150,000 we provide an Executive Producer credit to the funder in the main credits of the film. We offer Co-Executive Producer credit for grant funding of $75,000 or more.
For Equity funding up to and above $200,000 we offer an Executive Producer credit. $125,000 is the level for Co-Executive Producer credit.
Other crediting levels available for different tiers of funding. There is no minimum funding amount.
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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Care and Impact
Informed consent is a major consideration for the production, especially in regards to those taking part in the therapy process. As part of our filmmaking practice of care we are establishing strict rules in regards to securing releases. The issue of consent will be revisited with every patient at various stages of production. A risk assessment will constantly be revised throughout production.
During the research phase we conducted calls with a range of former patients, various therapists, & held discussions with regulatory bodies. Legacy & Juniper have never let anyone into film before, but after a year of talks we were allowed access to film a sample tape with a group of patients and the experience was overwhelmingly positive leading to the organization’s 100% support for the project.
There are numerous studies that show the effectiveness of immersion in nature as a therapeutic aid. Yet 100 million Americans live without a quality park within a 10-minute walk from home. This is a statistic repeated all over the world. Our disconnection from the natural world has been linked to a diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses. The film’s Impact Campaign will be a catalyst to change in all the issues raised in the film.
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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The Team
Nick Alderidge - Director and Cinematographer
Nick’s first feature documentary Hillsong Church: God Goes Viral was commissioned by the BBC as part of its prestigious Storyville strand & was bought by broadcasters around the world. British broadcaster Channel 4 acquired Nick’s multi-award-winning 30 minute documentary ‘The Boy With An 8 Hour Heart’. His film ‘The Men And The Chairs In Front Of My Window’ qualified for the BIFAs & will be screened at The House of Lords to launch a new Mental Health campaign. The director was commissioned by XTR Studios to make the short documentary ‘Crypto Farmers’ to launch the Documentary + originals strand.
Nick has worked as a cinematographer on Oscar qualifying documentaries. He has shot films for Universal Studios, XTR, Lady & Bird, TFANA, Insel Films, Earthling Films, Dorothy Street, Global Media, The History Channel, BBC Reels, Red Bull & The Guardian.
Julian Cautherley - Producer
Julian is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker whose projects have participated at Sundance, Berlin, SXSW, Tribeca Film Festivals & have been twice short-listed for the Academy Awards. Their projects have been distributed by Netflix, HBO, NEON, Hulu among others. Julian has a track record of making films that are character-driven, revelatory investigations considering a complex range of issues.
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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Director
Nick Aldridge
nickseanaldridge@gmail.com
Producer
Julian Cautherley
julian.cautherley@gmail.com
Dir. Nick Aldridge
- Into The Wilderness -
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“Dear Friends,
I hope this message finds you well. My name is Derek Daley, and I am thrilled to share a project that can change lives by expanding access to transformative behavioral healthcare and addiction recovery services.
For over 20 years, inspired by personal losses to suicide and addiction, I’ve dedicated my life to bringing the healing power of nature and human connections to as many people as possible. We were recently approached by filmmaker Nick Aldridge, whose previous project informed mental health discussions in the UK Parliament. We hope his new documentary will achieve something similar.
Our documentary will follow Legacy clients through an adventure therapy experience, asking, “What is the best environment for healing?” It will showcase the profound effects of nature on mental health, highlighting the incredible journeys of our clients and guides. Imagine the world witnessing the healing that occurs when individuals, burdened by their struggles, gather around desert fires, climb peaks, and find solace in the serene waters of a mountain lake.
In today’s world, as we lose our connection to nature, we see a rise in mental health challenges. This project aims to reconnect us with the natural world, fostering a kinder, more compassionate society.
The rough-cut clips are still being refined but will give you a sense of the film’s tone and style. We hope they resonate with you as much as they have with us.
Ways You Can Support:
Help Clients Experience This Form of Treatment:
We have a scholarship fund available for clients in need of treatment.Financial Support:
We are securing funds now for the documentary’s production, ensuring its message reaches a broader audience.Spread the Word:
Share our project with your network to collectively support this vital work.
To view the clips and learn more, please contact Derek Daley at 801.358.2974 for the password.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Together, we can make a profound difference in the lives of many.
– G R A T I T U D E –
Derek Daley’