Update:10/15/07

                 Hi Everybody! Been a long while since I made a formal update. In fact, I haven’t changed a thing since I put this little site up, so here we go.

                 Well, I’ve gotten some great submissions from a number of people, I really think this is going to come together quite nicely. I’ve received emails from a lot of people offering ideas, services, or just their support and I really do appreciate all of it and thank you all very much. I invite everyone to continue to send me any thoughts or ideas you have.

                 Here is what’s happening right now, and where we’re going from here:

                 At this time, I am using my new editing suite to put together a music video for Rushtour.com called “The Main Pre-Show Monkey Business”. I’m using all submitted footage from Rushtour meetups from the tour, all of which were centered around the Rushtour.com Banner. I’m so proud of our little rag-tag group at Rushtour, we got that “colorful rag” to almost every show of the North American portion of the tour, most of the US states and all 3 countries in North America. It wasn't always easy, but Rush fans seem to have an ability to come together and get things done. The back of the banner is completely full of signatures from members, a truly inspirational sight. We have banner 2 in the works for the rumored 2008 dates, so sign up on Rushtour.com and get involved!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                 As for the actual film project, there’s been a little change. It became clear pretty early on in the tour that getting a submission from every show probably wasn’t going to happen. Also, we found the focus of all our interviews shifting away from this tour in particular and onto people’s level of devotion and great stories from past tours. So, the focus of this film has gone away from the Snakes & Arrows tour and has really become a more in depth look at Rush fans themselves. I really believe that it’s a special group and I hope I can put something together that everyone will enjoy. We have decided to really take our time and do this well. I want to shoot as many interviews as I can in a professional setting. Since I’m a regular guy, with a somewhat regular job, It’s probably going to take a while. I really want to get as many people involved as possible. I know it may not be possible, but I would love to have at least 50 interviews to use. I am planning on doing some traveling to try and get more interviews next year, so stay tuned.

                 I want anybody that wants to be involved to go ahead and shoot some stuff and send it in. In the next couple of months we should have a new site together which will include a more “professional” and thorough explanation and example of how to shoot your own interviews, as well as a list of questions to use. If anyone gets upset that they’re not in the final cut, they will only have themselves to blame! This is for all of us, I’m just putting it together.

                 So, that’s the story for right now. I hope all of you were able to see the boy’s this summer! What a great presentation they put together this time out, eh? They’re still the best.

 - Ray

Update:11/22/07

                 Made a few small changes to the site today.

First, the samples section. I have a very small sample of “The Main Pre-Show Monkey Business” music video we’re putting together for RushTour.com. We didn't want to give anything away, so it’s quite short, stay tuned! It should be a winner when its finished.
Also, I put up a link to a youtube user page you have to check out! Andy, one of our newest contributors, made a few Rush road trips around the UK for this tour and has made a series of video blogs to tell the story. They’re really cool and he did a really nice job putting them together, check out his “Rushin’ around series”

Second, the links page. I updated the link page to finally include one of our biggest supporters, Rushisaband.com. Ed has made mention of our little effort here a couple of times and you should see the traffic increase every time! He’s got THE site that everyone runs to for the latest rumors and I think he does a fantastic job.
I also added a link to the new Rush Fan Film Project Myspace page. Still have work to do there, but I have some fun ideas, so befriend us and keep an eye out!

 

 

 

Update 12/26/07

 

                 We  finally have a small finished product (other than the Laurie Video) to show for our efforts!

As I mentioned in past updates, we have been working on a music video for The Main Monkey Business featuring RushTour.com member’s meetups from the North American portion of the 2007 Snakes and Arrows tour. The video is centered around the RushTour.com banner which made it to nearly every show!

                 Also, I’ll use this opportunity to introduce you to our new Youtube channel. We’re going to use this to show things we’re working on and any other little things we think people may enjoy (i.e. the Laurie Video). So go ahead and log on to youtube and subscribe to our channel! If you see anything Rush fan or Rush related, let us know so we can add it to our favorites!

 

Now, without further ado,

The 2008 Tour is underway!

*Update 4/12/08

 

             The 2008 Leg of The Snakes & Arrows tour is underway! We’re still looking for any volunteers to film their Rush related exploits while we continue to work toward making a documentary that will really capture the essence and devotion of Rush fans.

 

             In other news, this year, I took the task of designing the RushTour.com Banner. Last year, our very own stephana came up with the idea and design and the rest of us over at RushTour really just took it and ran. I’ll be linking to the RushTour.com banner page once it’s created. Until then, here is the first Banner pic of 2008!

RushTour.com banner at show #1 in Puerto Rico

Now, the Real big news from opening night regarding the banner is that vaportours and chipper from RushTour.com took it with them into their meet and greet and it was signed by the one and only Mr. Alex Lifeson!

I have a feeling it’s going to be a great tour!

in association with RushTour.com

The Idea:

             I always thought it would be cool to follow Rush for an entire tour, filming as I went and assembling a documentary just for and about Rush fans from around the world. What they do before a show, how far they’ve traveled, who they go with etc. However, this would be very expensive and time consuming and not a realistic goal for me at this stage of my life.

             I have been thinking about it more as a new tour approaches and I came up with an idea.

"What if I could get people going to the shows to film themselves doing their own Rush concert rituals?"

             I’ve  been thinking about a way to do this and I’m fully confident that this could work and work well. I know not everyone  is a Video Professional, but I can make up for a lot of that with technology and by giving a few simple instructions and requests of what I need from everyone that will make this thing flow and have a feel of continuity. I can also shoot and post some examples of the type of stuff I’ll need.

                                                    I look forward to working with all of you!
                                                                                          

                                                                                           Ray

The Banner is Rolling along!

*Update 5/9/2008

 

             The Tour is in it’s 2nd month, with reports of strong performances by the boys at every stop and a bit of set list drama from some fans. I got to the Houston show myself and they were great!

 

             The RushTour.com Banner, now featuring Alex Lifeson’s signature! is rolling along. We don’t have quite the level of support that we had last year, probably due to some people still being broke from last year’s tour (like me!) and a lot of people say they are unmotivated for multiple shows due to the lack of change in the set list.

 

             This year’s Banner gallery can be found on this site by clicking on the 2008 Banner Gallery Link on the left side of this page.

 

            

             That’s all I got for now, Thanks to everyone for your support, Once this tour wraps up, I should have a signifigant amount of interview footage to work with, but next year, I’m hoping to get out there with a new camera and really accumulate some interview footage! Until then, I’m still running around at the shows I get to, collecting B-roll and meeting more fans. Keep your eyes on the “How can I be a part” page on this site for a new Interview script so you can all be producers in this effort!

Hard At Work!

*Update 10/22/2008

 

             Well, Snakes & Arrows Leg 2 has been over for a while now, and I’ve been extremely busy lately, but I needed to update this site just a little.

            

             Right now, I’m editing a new video capturing the essence of this year’s RushTour.com banner’s travels entitle La Pre-show Strangiato. Production is coming along slowly but surely, and I’m 100% confident that this year’s banner video will blow away last year’s Main Pre-Show Monkey Business video.

 

              The La Pre-Show Strangiato video will be done some time in the next couple of months and posted on this site and youtube. If you got into a RushTour Banner pic on this tour, you’ll be somewhere in the video, so keep an eye out! Here is a very small tease of this year’s video. I was sure not to give anything away, but enjoy!

 

             Other than that, I’m hoping to revamp this whole site some time in early 2009, and hopefully start to gather more interviews for the actual film. As I’ve said in the past, It’s tough to make a film with an almost $0 budget, but it’ll get done eventually. I’m young, I got time…

 

             It’s been a blast thus far, I’ve met a number of really great people that are excited about this idea and see the potential in telling the story of all these people that have such an allegiance to this most underappreciated band. I think it’s a great story, and one day, we’ll have it all on film. So far, the stories are all different, but somehow familiar. For the most part, Rush fans are great people, I’m looking forward to meeting more of you as I go along here.