Everything It Takes
Shortly before Mary Helwig signed up to fulfill her dream of running the 2016 Iditarod, a 1,000-mile long sled dog race across Alaska, she lost her home and her dogs' houses, plus almost all her racing gear and possessions to the Sockeye Fire. Everything It Takes documents the year of Mary's life leading up to race day as she and her dogs struggle to ready themselves for the challenge of a lifetime.
-
Jennifer HawksDirector
-
Jennifer HawksWriter
-
Jennifer HawksProducer
-
Mary HelwigKey Cast
-
Jennifer HawksDirector of Photography
-
Project Type:Documentary
-
Runtime:59 minutes 3 seconds
-
Completion Date:March 29, 2017
-
Production Budget:5,000 USD
-
Country of Origin:United States
-
Country of Filming:United States
-
Language:English
-
Shooting Format:Digital
-
Aspect Ratio:16:9
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:Yes
-
Student Project:No
-
Equinox Women's Film FestivalPalmer
United States
March 10, 2017
North American Premiere
Best Overall Film
I studied film theory and history at the University of California at Santa Barbara while pursuing my B.A. in literature. As a lifelong storyteller, my tools have always been photographs and the written word. Everything It Takes is my first full-length feature film.
Today’s digital cinematography world is very different than it was even a few years ago. It’s now a perfect storm of high tech and low prices. One of my goals for Everything It Takes was to create an incredibly visual story packed with emotional highs and lows but without a Hollywood budget, or a Hollywood-sized production crew.
I produced Everything It Takes with a crew of one (me) and a budget of less than $5,000. I truly believe that everyone has a story to tell, and if you’re so inclined, making a film is easier than ever. Will it look like a Hollywood blockbuster? Probably not. But a good story needs to be shared. No excuses.