TEXAS CITY
On April 16th, 1947, the largest man-made disaster in U.S. history destroyed Texas City, TX. This is the TRUE story of everyday people who became unsuspecting heroes on that fateful day.
Interview with Writer and Producer Jay Thames
Congratulations! Why are you making your film?
There are no memories of my childhood as strong as the ones with my Grandfather, Jesse Thames, telling me the story of the Texas City disaster and his role in it. Like most of the men in his generation -- he was not an outwardly emotional person. He was stoic, composed, soft spoken. But when he recounted his experiences as part of the largest man made disaster the US has ever seen, his emotions would boil to the surface. The sadness, anger, exultation and ultimately reckoning of what he (and tens of thousands of others) had experienced was truly riveting.
I asked him to repeat this story to me hundreds of times, up until the day he died. And his experiences form the basis of our movie -- and it will be an awe inspiring, eye opening, emotional, factual retelling of an event that will capture global attention with equivalent exposure -- inciting reactions like, "why didn't I know about this" from audiences from all walks of life.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You're going to be taken on a journey that is unlike anything in any historical film ever made before. The massive explosion set off a chain events that, if fabricated, would not be believed. There was the aforementioned explosion, an 8.0 aftershock, hundreds of fires big and small, a 20' surging tidal wave, ammunition and shrapnel tearing through the air, a massive cloud of deadly toxic smoke and then another explosion of the same magnitude. Visually speaking -- you will have seen nothing like it before -- and it's all true.
But ultimately, as impressive as that is, none of it is very emotional without the human element -- and TEXAS CITY is truly a story about people -- and the good in people and humanity. Our film is about every day people -- like my grandfather -- that became unsuspecting heroes on that day. They're truly captivating stories. Young and old, male and female, black and white -- the film is an accurate depiction of real life and the people that inhabited this Texas town. These people witnessed horrors that other human beings had never (and will never again) seen before. And, as my grandfather frequently told me, when the chips are down, you discover that humanity is good. People are good. And they will bond together when in the face of death and fight to help one another survive.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Humanity is inherently good. Out of good, heroes can arise, and that was my grandfather. (And then it continues with answer as it stands now)...He was a hero to me and many others (he would have been anyway without ever telling me that story). So his experience took him to a whole different place in how I measure successful living, shared values and finally - real heroism.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Absolutely. You have to be receptive to good notes. There are always ways to improve the experience on the page -- which will translate to the screen. I've been fortunate to have some key players offer pretty valuable feedback and discussion on how to elevate the material. No one more so than Ryan Saul, my agent, who has been amazing as has Darren Trattner, my attorney. Those guys are experts, and our collective review and discussion has been nothing short of revelatory. So major kudos to those gents, and I cannot express my gratitude enough there -- although they know how much I value them.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It's been incredibly positive. I've had people call me up crying, telling me they couldn't put it down, they were turning pages as fast as they could read them. I've had readers give me good insights into some structural pieces that I improved upon. The main thing though that is imparted to me almost every time is "I had no idea this even happened, I cannot wait to see it on the big screen." I hear that on almost every single read and it never gets old.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Sure. Sometimes the feedback is insightful, even powerful, and you find ways to incorporate that without compromising the truth. Sometimes it's stuff you appreciate but just have to pass on. Bottom line is -- you want to try and give everyone something in the experience that they can relate to, and we've done a very good job of that. But you don't want to water it down or rattle the vision taking every note. It's not good for the end product.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Well, first off, your site and mandates are top tier. We're honored to be aligned with wearemovingstories.com and hope you feel the same. Our community (which includes survivors and families of the survivors of the disaster across the globe) loves seeing articles and data about TEXAS CITY in international and national publications. And we've been fortunate enough to be in quite a few. We hope that your audience feels the same way ours does and gravitates toward the film, sharing and supporting with their networks.
Increased exposure and support online is a great way to build an audience of, ultimately, people that will be buying tickets to see TEXAS CITY in a theater. Because of sites like yours, your interest in TEXAS CITY, and our ongoing initiative -- the audience rightfully feels like they're part of the TEXAS CITY family -- and our movie is THEIR movie. We love that, and we honor that. We have over 1 million views for our sizzle. It's a 5+ minute video. That's very, very hard to do without an engaged audience. But ours is so passionate and supportive that when we expose them to other sites and publications like yours, they support and share that content like no other.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are in the late development phase, so we would benefit from a savvy production partner. We know about where we are budget-wise, depending on some elements (which we have cued up). We're going about it very selectively.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
You always want the best for a film you're involved with, and the people that collaborated with you to make it. This is no different. What we believe we will be able to hang our hat on is a visual experience like no one has seen before, an emotional ride that thrills/excites and captivates, and major profitability for our partners. That's the film we are building -- and it's being built very solidly.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I think the one we are using now is quite effective -- at least our metrics are telling us that. Which is, "Have You Heard of Texas City?" Our content built around that key question is on fire, and people are watching and sharing like crazy. There will be other pushes socially, and more content to arise out of our initiative, but that question is key -- because it is usually met with an answer if " no" -- but once answered (by watching our vids, visiting our site -- texascityfilm.com -- or absorbing our feeds) those people are liking and sharing over 90% of the time.
Would you like to add anything else?
Our gratitude to you, Carmela, and wearemovingstories.com for the interest and the article.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Everything. The work never stops and we love it that way. We are continuing to work with our social media coordinator -- the amazing Lindsay Stidham -- and her team to expand the exposure online. And we are developing that content for our entire online audience with our other valuable partners, as well as assemble the pieces and potential partnerships which will make TEXAS CITY one of the most talked about films of this decade, and hopefully many others.
Interview: May 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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TEXAS CITY
On April 16th, 1947, the largest man-made disaster in U.S. history destroyed Texas City, TX. This is the TRUE story of everyday people who became unsuspecting heroes on that fateful day.
Length: (will be) 116-119 minutes
Director: TBD
Producer: Jay Thames, Todd Lewis
Writer: Jay Thames
About the writer and producer:
Jay Thames, p.g.a., is the grandson of the late hero Jesse Thames (one of the protagonists in film), and a Texan living in Los Angeles. Todd Lewis, p.g.a., is the premiere physical producer in the historical drama, disaster film genre in the entire entertainment industry.
Key cast: TBD
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): ultimately at this time-- awareness
Social media handles:
Facebook: facebook.com/77films
Twitter: twitter.com/77_Films
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seventysevenfilms/
Funders: TBD
Made in association with: TBD