Alex & Me

[Bokkapooh]

Anyway, yes, bad idea. I hope the movie is not made. Documentaries are great. Movies are always dramatizations, even of real events. Lord knows what would happen with Alex's story. Movies are made to make money, not to teach. Some have done both, but rarely.

This has me thinking, perhaps there shouldnt be a movie on "Alex and Me" made but better yet, a documentary with perhaps some movie-like scenes in it?

 

[Cynth]

I have seen this bird many times over the years. does any one know how he died? This was a great work in the bird relm.

 

[Saemma]

I *think* the cause was a heart attack. I passed on my book to Jadie so I really can't verify.. but perhaps someone who knows the facts can chime in soon.

 

[alexandme_themovie]

[FONT=&quot]Greeting from the Alex & Me Movie Team.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I was forward the thread/discussion earlier today, and have been meaning to respond.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]1st off, I'd just like to say that this is very exciting for us to hear so many different sides, opinions, and suggestions. This was our goal as far as reaching out to people who actually own a parrots.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Sadly this step is missed when adapting for a Hollywood movie, and we want to make sure we do not make that mistake and upset a large number of people and followers.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We are adapting the story with-in the book, that is our mission. As much as people may think it's just about a parrot, it is even more about a Journey of an amazing woman.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]As you know in her book, Over the 30 years that Alex and Irene we together, there were definitely ups and downs. We want to make things very clear as she says in her book, "I chose the species (African Grey) as a study animal because they had been shown to be very smart; I wasn't choosing a PET."[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]There are so many wonderful moments in the book. Including positive and negative as far as GREY'S and taking care of them. I do know from personal experience in reading the book for the 1st time, even though I was completely moved and shed a few tears, I did not feel the need to want to go out and buy a GREY or parrot as a pet. I believe IRENE did a wonderful job as far as defining that fine line between the positives and negatives and focused more on their research.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]And it is our responsibility and goal to Irene, Alex, and all of you to honor that the best we can. The story really is bout Irene's life, and Alex in it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]As in other movies, Like "Marley and Me" Yes the dog was pretty crazy, wild, and they played on your emotions of NOT wanting a dog through-out the film, but then turned around and changed that feeling by the end. They made you feel that the "Home" family life really is better with a pet or a dog. So I'm sure lot's of people went out and got a dog after that film. As other movies with animals in them.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]But this story really isn't about the "Home" or needing a pet, this isn't about Grey's as a whole, or as pets[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. It's more so about Irene and Alex's accomplishments in the world of science. Their journey as two colleagues that discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence, and formed a very unique deep bond in the process.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]But, I promise we will try our hardest to represent GREY'S accurately and do our best on educating the viewing public on both the positives and negatives of parrot intelligence and care take. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]And of course through your support as well as others, we will be able to do this together.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Thanks for reading,[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Team Alex[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]www.alexanmethemovie.com[/FONT]

 

[southernbirds]

Thank you for your response. Emphasizing the merit of Science over Pet Ownership is critical to the focus of the book and movie. It speaks well that you are tuned in to the patter that circles around anything that is debatable in the world of animal ownership. It would be nice to have a disclaimer in the credits that states what you have mentioned, which is the focus on Irene's life and how she came to work with her "subject" bird. Again...from what you have written I am certain that the writers will be taking this into consideration when the script is written.

 

[lamagdalena]

I think this is one of the most touching (emotionally) and awe inspiring stories there are about a person and a bird.
And that being said I think all of us bird people (lol) have trepidations on if owning a bird will be glamourized in the film. Only showing how cool it would be to own a genius level talking parrot. And then after the movie ends we get a huge number of ignorant people wanting to go out and buy a pet bird who will inevitably suffer when they find out it isn't all that is seems.

so if all during the movie there are little "lessons" or instances where the audience is truly educated on what it is like owning a parrot, for us bird people the movie will be a true success

 

[jmfleish]

He did indeed die of a heart attack, despite the best of diets and excellent vet care. He had been at the vet shortly before his death and had been given a clean bill of health. Heart problems are hard to find unless you are really looking for them and African greys are notorious for heart problems such as stroke and heart attack. Exercise is critical in their well being and are probably best left fully flighted.

 

[Bunkybird]

hhhmmmmmm this seems a bit strange to me...usually, hollywood movies have Exec Producers (Kennedys'~Spielbergs~Coppolas') and the main job of a "Producer" is $$$$$$$$$$$ so, this seems a bit odd to me to be asking for donations online.....i dunno? I am one of 'those' that barely makes online purchases ( i don't trust the internet with my info)

 

[Cynth]

[FONT=&quot]Greeting from the Alex & Me Movie Team.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I was forward the thread/discussion earlier today, and have been meaning to respond.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sadly this step is missed when adapting for a Hollywood movie, and we want to make sure we do not make that mistake and upset a large number of people and followers.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We are adapting the story with-in the book, that is our mission. As much as people may think it's just about a parrot, it is even more about a Journey of an amazing woman.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And it is our responsibility and goal to Irene, Alex, and all of you to honor that the best we can. The story really is bout Irene's life, and Alex in it.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But this story really isn't about the "Home" or needing a pet, this isn't about Grey's as a whole, or as pets[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. It's more so about Irene and Alex's accomplishments in the world of science. Their journey as two colleagues that discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence, and formed a very unique deep bond in the process.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]But, I promise we will try our hardest to represent GREY'S accurately and do our best on educating the viewing public on both the positives and negatives of parrot intelligence and care take. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]And of course through your support as well as others, we will be able to do this together.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Thanks for reading,[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Team Alex[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][URL="http://www.alexanmethemovie.com"]www.alexanmethemovie.com[/FONT][/URL]

Alex it is good to hear from you here on AA. I think a lot of us really don't want a bunch of people to run out and buy a grey due to seeing an "intellegent" pet. It causes rescues to fill up quickly. We have two Greys due to this.
I hope your team uses wisdom in promoting the work that has been done in a documentary and gives insight and truth to a much needed area of work without abuse. Thanks again for your work. I will be interested in what the outcome is.
Cynthia

 

[alexandme_themovie]

Woah! Thanks for the feedback and all your input!

I think what needs to be addressed is how much we love this story and are fully committed to making a movie that celebrates Dr. Pepperberg’s life work. We are sensitive to many of your concerns, but the response from this forum is not what we expected…at all.

So…we have worked with Dr. Pepperberg’s team for almost two years now. We own the rights to “Alex & Me” and a lot of money has already been spent crafting a great screenplay. We posted in this forum not because we are desperate for money, but rather because we thought you all would rally behind us and show some love. Crowd sourcing has proven to be a really great way of engaging the audience and letting them feel connected to the making of a creative project. The website is a gift to you to stay updated and learn something about how movies are made.

Next week, we are headed to Boston to meet with Irene, she the science lab, collect more information, and really hone in on the essence of her character and journey with Alex. Our travels and day-to-day commitment to the writing process requires a fundraising effort.

All her life, Irene has been dependent on donations, scraping for grant money in order to continue with her passion. Plain and simple, the success of this film will change all of that. It will provide financial stability in order to charge forth with more research.

I met a girl last night who didn’t know anything about Irene and by the end of the conversation was in tears because she was so inspired to continue to pursue her passion for zoology. Irene gave her a sense of hope for all women in the field of science. It is people like that who have come to our side.

Maybe we stepped into the wrong party here, but hopefully you can see what our real passion and goals are for this project.

With Love,
The Writers

 

[Holiday]

Woah! Thanks for the feedback and all your input!

I think what needs to be addressed is how much we love this story and are fully committed to making a movie that celebrates Dr. Pepperberg’s life work. We are sensitive to many of your concerns, but the response from this forum is not what we expected…at all.

So…we have worked with Dr. Pepperberg’s team for almost two years now. We own the rights to “Alex & Me” and a lot of money has already been spent crafting a great screenplay. We posted in this forum not because we are desperate for money, but rather because we thought you all would rally behind us and show some love. Crowd sourcing has proven to be a really great way of engaging the audience and letting them feel connected to the making of a creative project. The website is a gift to you to stay updated and learn something about how movies are made.

Next week, we are headed to Boston to meet with Irene, she the science lab, collect more information, and really hone in on the essence of her character and journey with Alex. Our travels and day-to-day commitment to the writing process requires a fundraising effort.

All her life, Irene has been dependent on donations, scraping for grant money in order to continue with her passion. Plain and simple, the success of this film will change all of that. It will provide financial stability in order to charge forth with more research.

I met a girl last night who didn’t know anything about Irene and by the end of the conversation was in tears because she was so inspired to continue to pursue her passion for zoology. Irene gave her a sense of hope for all women in the field of science. It is people like that who have come to our side.

Maybe we stepped into the wrong party here, but hopefully you can see what our real passion and goals are for this project.

With Love,
The Writers

Oh, I see what the issue is, I think. You are interested in making a movie about Dr. Pepperberg, her life and work. You see it as inspirational and interesting from the human side (and it is). But, we are a bird forum, all about the birds and their welfare, and as it happens, many of our members are involved in rescue (steeped in the issues that arise from the overcrowded pet market, and familiar with instance after instance of abused or neglected birds, many of whom were obtained because their misguided owners wanted a bird like Alex or other "star" birds they saw on tv, in films, or on youtube). In short, we're all about the birds here. I am a fan of Dr. Pepperberg and her work, and I'm fascinated by animal intelligence, as many here are, but our priorities are birds first, other things second. Consequently, we are bound to focus primarily on what impact your film might have on the birds in the pet market. And we naturally have our concerns.