A year or so ago I came on tradgang and told you guys I was trying to get started on making a film about the late Ben Pearson of Pine Bluff, AR.
Well, I was able to put myself in debt and I acquired some professional HD video equipment and editing gear to make the film with.
I'm going to begin recording interviews very shortly. My first is going to be with a gentleman from Arkansas that spent some time in the White House in the 90s.
I'd like to ask if you folks may have some friends of family members that worked in Pearson's factory making bows that would like to be interviewed on camera for the film.
Also, I'm looking for vintage Ben Pearson items to use in the film with demonstration footage and displays (props). In exchange you'd receive credit in the film and a DVD copy of the film mailed to you once it's completed.
The items donated will be kept by me and some of the items may be donated to the Jefferson County Museum(or another suitable museum) where Pearson Inc. was founded.
I'm looking for anything for the film. Bows, arrows, broadheads, magazine ads, catalogs, manuals, historic photographs (of people, equipment, store displays, competitions, Pearson buildings, signs, etc), quivers, packaging, boxes, signs, etc. Anything and everything that will help show the magnitude of Pearson Inc. back in its heyday.
Also, are there any of you guys from around Arkansas, Eastern Texas, Southern Missouri, Western Tennessee, Western Mississippi or Northern Louisiana that have some great hunting stories to tell from your younger years of hunting with Pearson bows and equipment? Any boy scout archery stories? I'd like to interview regular folks about their memories of Pearson bows as well.
Thanks for your time guys :)
-Lee
Oh, I forgot something.
You can contact me at stubbyfilms@gmail.com for more detailed information or stories you'd like to share. Or you can use it to send me your contact information for an interview.
It would be hard to keep track of the PM messages sent on here. So, if you're not replying in the thread then please e-mail me.
stubbyfilms@gmail.com
Thanks
Hmmm, that old signature is still showing up.
Since picking up this project I have also purchased some traditional wooden arrows from 3Rivers to use with my KM Special.
I have to say, I REALLY like it. I think I'm done with compound archery. I'm a convert.
There is something really great about those heavy wooden arrows and sheet metal broadheads that you have to glue on yourself.
I wish I would have started out on a traditional bow when I was a kid. I feel like I have been missing out -- I KNOW I have been missing out on real archery for the last 14 years.
Good luck with your project!
Some people might prefer to allow filming of their items without actually donating it permanently.
I'm sure you're a genuine bloke with good intentions, but because of con-artists in the past, some people are also dubious about newbies with out-of-the-ordinary requests, so perhaps you could tell us more about yourself, and about your own Pearson bows and hunting adventures. Photos would be great!
Ben Pearson is a heck of a legend, eh. Have you seen the DVD his son made about him, using lots of Ben's personal hunting footage?
Cheers,
Ben
Well, I'm not a con artist, no worry.
I don't have any bow hunting photographs. I grew up in and around Pine Bluff and heard about his hunts. When I was a kid I took swimming lessons at Ben's house at his indoor pool. It was just down the block from my elementary school. He had long since passed by then though about 18 years before.
I started shooting a "Robin Hood" compound bow when I was about 12 years because I was obsessed with Robin Hood. Then I got a better Jennings bow a couple of years later that I still use today.
I didn't pick up a real traditional bow until I started researching Ben Pearson and his company for this documentary film. And I really don't know if I will use a compound again. I'm just kind of mystified with the wooden recurve and longbows.
It's given me much more appreciation for the craftsmanship of the woodwork from the Pearson bows from the 1950s and 1960s. They had some absolutely gorgeous bows. And the coolest part is that they made them in my hometown before I was around.
But it kind of makes me feel bad that traditional bows are being ignored and the majority of hunters aren't using them. I was ignorant for sure. I wasn't introduced to traditional bows when I was young and went straight to those soulless mechanical bows. They don't have heart and you don't need ANY skill to use them.
I think that is why they are so popular. Anyone can use them. It takes a lot of practice to get good at a traditional though and you feel much more connected to it.
I feel the same way about muzzleloaders. I can't stand the in-line but I love the Hawken sidelocks.
And to show you guys that this is a real film then you can check out the rejection letter I just got back last week.
http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/?action=view¤t=BushInterviewLetter.jpg
And I didn't ask him to be in the film per se. I was asking if he had experience with bows and bow hunting and if he had heard of Ben Pearson. That's just what I got back.
For those that are inseparable from their Pearson bows then I don't recommend sending to be used in a film and possibly donated to a museum. But we all know that a lot of archers prefer other famous bowyers. So, if they happen to have equipment around they aren't as attached to then feel free to help out a film about Ben Pearson.
I can't afford to ship back everything people may donate to the film via UPS. I'd need a new budget simply for that. But nothing that is sent to me will be trashed or resold, nothing.
Right now I've only been able to buy two bows.
I bought a KM Special last year(taking it hunting for the first time this season) for too much money. Even though it's not perfect, it's still beautiful. It's made of Zebrawood staves and it just kind of shimmers in the light from the wood grain.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Bow2.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Bow1.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Bow3.jpg
It's a 50lbs bow with a 28'' draw. I need to refinish the glass on the back and belly. It has some scratches and two little nicks that bother me that I need to fix. I will do it after this deer season.
The other bow it a youth bow that was used by groups like the Boy Scouts. It came in a water-damaged box as an archery set with a bow, four arrows, a target and an arm guard.
It's a Jet Bow 333 youth model.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/JetBow2.jpg
No pics over 640 pixels wide please
Instead of bringing the mountain to Mohammed, maybe you can bring your camera gear to visit some of the serious collectors. As much as I'd like to see a movie made about Ben Pearson, it would be really hard to give up a bow or memorabilia for the cause. (Not that I'm a serious collector by any measure..)
I always wondered what bow Bubba got as governor of Arkansas when he was presented with Ben Pearson's millionth bow or whatever it was... hope it was a recurve!
Good luck with your project.
Well, if someone has a great collection then I will probably visit them. But I also want footage of these bows used at an outdoor range.
I'm trying to get in contact with Mr. Phillips to interview him for his broadhead collection.
And Bill was given the six millionth bow and 200 millionth arrow from the company during the 50th anniversary in 1988 while he was serving as governor of my state.
Pearson made a few bows :p
Lee,
Would you please keep us updated on your progress and when and where the documentary will be shown? Will it be available to the public as a DVD-maybe from some of the sponsors here?
There is a forum dedicated to Legends and Pioneers, including some stuff about Ben Pearson.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=95;t=000001
Well, I am expecting to be done with the film aroun next Summer. I'm hoping to wrap it up by the end of Spring so I can start entering it into film festivals.
It will be across the country at different film festivals. That is if it's accepted at each festival. It's all on individual basis.
I plan to also have it shown at some sporting conventions for those that attend.
And I will eventually have it distributed to retailers that deal in sporting goods and archery.
I will do what I can. I'm a one-man band.
Just got off the phone with Mr. Gail Martin. What a nice guy. He started out with Pearson bows before he started making his own.
Will try to get up to Washington to interview him in October if I can find the money to travel.
Man that's awesome.
I have a bow like that with twisted limbs... :(
When I first got the bow last year I had heard that you HAVE to use a bow stringer because if you do it the quick way by bending it through your legs that you can twist the limbs.
So, I made sure to pick up a stringer when I got it.
Going to be calling Bob Lee tomorrow down in Texas to see if he'd like to participate in the documentary about Ben Pearson.
I'd like to hear some of your stories too. I'm trying to figure out the lack of interest among traditional bow hunters on here.
I don't think it is a lack of interest, more they don't want to give up their Pearsons. (http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd251/bens5218/GEDC0246.jpg) (http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd251/bens5218/IMG_1186.jpg) Here are a couple of harvests I've made with my old Mercury Maurader td in the last 10 months.
Glad to see you're still using that Mercury takedown. It's nice.
And I'm not forcing anyone to give anything up. you don't even have to give anything up to participate. I'm looking for old-timers that are seasoned hunters that have used Pearson bows for a long time as well.
There are a lot of people in the archery community that don't think a lot of Ben Pearson. And if those people have gear they aren't using, then why not donate it for a better cause?
I'm not saying to get rid of your prized bow that you've used for years. I'm looking for unused equipment that will cause no consequence once gone from your closet.
It doesn't even have to be a bow. It seems like a few people are getting hung up on that. I'm even looking for just manuals, catalogs and magazines with advertisements. It's not just bows. It's all important.
You can either sell a catalog on **** for $5 or you can have it used for a nationwide documentary film preserving archery history of a forgotten man that's the reason for the widespread proliferation of the sport of archery through his mass production for all age groups.
Did you travel to hunt that black bear or did you find him in Kansas? Didn't really think Kansas would have many black bears.
Very cool. I really want to bow hunt bear.
And to let you know that you're not alone, there is a gentleman from Oregon that cares a lot about archery that's donating a very beautiful Pearson "Hunter" or Mercury (don't know yet) to be used in the film.
He's got a collection of bows and he wants the bow to be used for a purpose. Very nice guy. He will be in the credits of the film and he'll see his bow use in the film when he's sent a DVD copy.
People would definitely be interested in your finished product, and interested in helping, but the request for bows to be donated for posterity is a little off-putting. A lot of fellows like to have their own mini-museum at their own home. I have a couple of older Bears on my rack that I hardly-ever use, but I would still hate to sell them let-alone give them away. If you weren't such a nice bloke, your request might be misconstrued as being a little-bit cheeky. Also, with such a project, it may be better for Mohammed to go to the mountain, rather than the other way around. When the Masters of the Bare Bow lads did their films, they travelled. Another thought: Check with Ben Pearson, Jr. He is a nice, helpful bloke (the time I e-mailed him about getting a copy of his father's DVD), and would probably be happy to have you visit him. He would probably have lots of items for you to film.
Thanks Ben.
I have been speaking with Jr. and I'm going to interview him in October when it cools down and the leaves start turning colors (so it will make for a good backdrop). He's a real nice guy for sure.
But like I said, I haven't the money to travel to visit everyone with a bow collection. These things cost a lot of money and I can't find resources in the way of grants or underwriting for this film.
I'm going to be honest with you. No one seems to care about archery history or Ben Pearson outside of a small group. The larger population of bow hunters, non traditional, is what is carrying archery and they have no concern with the old days. They just want the Ultra 5000 Magnum Super Duper XXX compound bow that came out the last week.
I haven't even been able to get the archery trade association on board with this project and they are the folks that fund shooting programs for youth.
Cabelas TV network that produces outdoor shows for cable TV passed on the idea. And most organizations that give out documentary film grants have no concern with regional historical films outside of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s.
So, right now, after I pay my rent tomorrow, I will have $150 in my bank account to make this film with. I don't think $150 is going to go very far.
It's going to take me around $5-$6,000 to travel across the country and interview the big names in the archery world and others. Then I have archival 8mm and 16mm home video I'm going to have to pay to be scanned into 1080p HD video files that will cost me between $6,000 and $10,000.
Then I'm going to have to pay around $1,000 for music scoring for the film. Software upgrades are going to cost me about $1,500 for graphics generation and add-on packages.
I'm going to have my living expenses to keep up with that will run me about $15,000 for the next twelve months.
I have $20,000 in debt invested in my new HD video equipment and editing setup.
When the film gets finished I'm going to pay around $1,500 for DVD printing and packaging for 1,000 initial copies of the film.
Then I will need around $3,000-5,000 for film festival entries across the country and in Canada. I won't be able to afford the European festivals outside of Germany. There is a traditional archery following in Germany I believe.
Then if I win awards from those festivals then I will have to pay royalties to use their wreaths on my DVD packaging to show it's an award-winning film. That usually runs between $500-1,000 a year depending on the festival.
So, if we add all of that up I'm looking at a production cost of around $58,000 when you factor in my $20,000 worth of equipment.
How am I going to come up with $58,000? I have no clue brother. But I'm going to do the film anyway because I think Ben Pearson deserves it. The man did a lot for my hometown when he was running things. He made for a lot of jobs and gave Arkansas great products to market for decades.
I'm proud of the man and I wish he was still around because I'd love to meet him.
I admire your efforts in this endeavor. You should contact CJ Pearson on this board, since he is a distant relative. I believe some of his family were involved in the business.
Thanks Apex. I will look for him.
Just a recommendation that may open some doors for you, would your local museum accept donations and be able to provide a reciept to donors for tax purposes?
For you that may take some of the nobility out of it, but for others that don't know you it's a guarantee the equipment will be on display for the public.
I have one bow I am told is a Ben Pearson. It's a fiberglass 2-pc take down that was bow fishing outfit. It has no markings left on it but scratches.
One thing is for sure there are plenty of Pearson fans on this site!
Well, that's why I'm here. I figured there would be some Pearson fans.
Sounds promising about interviewing Mr. Bob Lee. Spoke with his grandson today about it, but Mr. Lee wasn't in the office.
It will be great having the opportunity to speak to Mr. Martin and Mr. Lee for this film.
Oh, and I may be a bit slow to respond in this thread this next week. I'm about to head to the mountains to get prepared for archery season. I won't have much access to the internet.
But if you have any leads on people I should contact then feel free to e-mail me at stubbyfilms@gmail.com
Thanks guys.
i just received a beautiful Ben Pearson Longbow from the 1940s.
The thing looks brand new. It's made of lemon, walnut and hickory. It's definitely been taken care of over the years. It looks like it's in the condition to where it could be used tomorrow.
It came from a collector in Minnesota that had competed in traditional archery in his youth and set some records.
Awesome. Just thought I'd keep you guys updated.
Just got off the phone with hall of famer Jim Dougherty and he's on board with the documentary. Nice guy and I think he will add a lot to the film.
I'm excited about this bow. It's nice and clean. It came from a collector in Minnesota.
Lemon wood, walnut and it looks like hickory. It will look great in the documentary.
It looks like a very thin strip of black fiberglass laminated to the back of the bow.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Longbow1.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Longbow4.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Longbow5.jpg)
I got a nice result today. I found some archived footage from 1953 at the Ben Pearson factory in Pine Bluff, AR.
Now I just have to see if the Smithsonian Institute will give me an HD scan of it and allow me to use it in the film.
Details matter, especially in a documentary. Not seeing that care here. Simple, common mistakes don't cut it. The Smithsonian is an Institution, not an Institute. If you hope to impress them favorably, you will need to get the name right.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jim from Maine, now in Kentucky:
Details matter, especially in a documentary. Not seeing that care here. Simple, common mistakes don't cut it. The Smithsonian is an Institution, not an Institute. If you hope to impress them favorably, you will need to get the name right.
I appreciate your worry over internet forum minutia. Please don't mistake my courtesy updates for you guys as being my actual work on the documentary film.
I'm working on this film every day all day long behind the scenes. Please don't assume anything.
Update: It looks like the Smithsonian is going to allow me to use the footage. Should hear back from them this next week to see how much a new HD scan from their lab will cost.
I'm guessing it's going to cost around $400-$500 with film rights. Kind of expensive for a few minutes of footage, but it should be really good footage. So far it's the only clip I have found from inside of the factory that's still around.
Little Update here. I got Mrs. Ann Clark and Mr. Byron Ferguson on board for the documentary film.
I also have a web site that should be up in a few days so I can keep a production blog and DVD information available for archers that are interested to check out.
Making progress. Slowly, but surely.
So, I have been working this last week on a web site. I think it is looking ok. It should be online very shortly. It will be a place where you can participate in the film, keep up with the production blog for photos from interviews, view video clip updates, and contact me. Feel free to offer some feedback about the site.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/MasterImagew-Tab-Small.png)
I got to interview Mr. Byron Ferguson. He's a very nice down-to-Earth guy. It was nice meeting him.
The guys over at the Goodman Ranch in Henderson, TN were great hosts. Mike Goodman was very hospitable and he's got a nice spread out there.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/ByronFerguson-1.jpg)