Meet the ASP3 Kickstarter Contributors: Joel and Diane Schlercheim
Posted by rawskinnion 12 years, 3 months ago to Entertainment
This week, several of our Kickstarter contributors were on-set for the filming of “Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt?” Our Students for Liberty interns sat down with them to find out more about their experience. This interview was conducted by Ross Kenyon.
Name: Joel and Diane Schlercheim
Question 1: How did you hear about the Kickstarter campaign and what motivated you to contribute?
Diane introduced me to the book when we were in college and dating, and I became an Ayn Rand devotee. To see what was going on in the world and make the connection to the book was intriguing. When there was an opportunity to become involved in a big way, (we had purchased memorabilia from parts 1 and 2, and we got an email from the purchases) I said to Diane maybe this could be my Christmas present. [We] would have been involved financially in part 1 and 2 if there had been an opportunity to do so.
The book is lengthy and intimidating to some of our friends and family, so this is a great opportunity to get the message across. Three parts breaks it down. Part 3 will sum it up and stand alone, or they can go back and watch all three. We wanted to be involved because they went to a bunch of studios and weren’t able to film the movie that way.
We heard a lot of people say “I didn’t hear about it or I would have gone and seen it,” but more people would have gone with more marketing. Kickstarter is here to get the promotion working. There’s nothing wrong with the message, just needs to be promoted.
We also wanted to meet people who understand the message. It’s important to get together with others who feel similarly.
Question 2: What has your experience on-set been like or what did you find most interesting being on set?
[It has been] interesting to watch the monitors and see what the directors and producers see, and see how the movie is actually made. Also, [it] was great fun to be an extra yesterday.
I don’t think people realize how many people are involved behind the scenes. A hundred people working together for what will be five seconds on screen is incredible. Great to see the message, and see Kristoffer Polaha play John Galt. [To] see his passion gives us goose bumps. He is phenomenal in the part. Seeing the recent scene between Dagny and Jim; she has a very strong character, you can see the character in the book coming out in her.
We had the headphones on for Wyatt’s office scene and when he asks “Who are you?” And the response is “I am John Galt,” - it’s amazing to hear it said out loud.
Once you’ve read the book four times. You have visions of what’s going to occur and to see it occur on screen is remarkable.
Question 3: How has Ayn Rand/ Atlas Shrugged influenced your life or thinking?
Let’s start with the individual first. Rand and Objectivism are all about taking responsibility for your own life, not the government. It’s our job in our life to be responsible for our actions, and we try to instill that in our lives and through our daughters, which makes us proud.
It’s hard to believe this book was written in the 50s. Rand had a knowledge base coming from the Soviet Union, but to see the governing party working for the people [and] the pedestal that the current Congress and the president put themselves on is so reminiscent of what she wrote about in the book. The railroads in the book are the financial institutions in life. The bills that are being written today are the same level of control that happens in the book.
I think in the book it makes a big point of the regulatory rule of the government, and we tend to be living out those unfortunate situations with the regulations they’re putting on business. They want to consolidate and control everything.
I appreciate in the book that John Galt, Hank Rearden, Dagny Taggart, [and] several of the characters, you see how principled and uncompromising of those principles they are, and thus they leave their old lives behind where they can live in accordance with their principle in the life that they want
Question 4: What, if anything, do you wish to see the film accomplish?
I would like the film to be embraced by the people who feel connected to the message but ultimately it’s more important for people who haven’t read the book to hear the message that too many rules and regulations cause people who are running businesses to make choices they don’t want to make that don’t serve the people well.
It’s a simple but complex message. You can either let others make decisions for you, or you can be in charge of making your own decisions, and which is going to be the better life? The movie shows what happens when the producers of society start leaving and you basically have anarchy at that point.
Question 5: Do you believe that stopping the motor of the world, or a similar occurrence of innovators going on strike or “vanishing” must occur before the world you want to see is created?
We’re in a stage of innovation now that is actually quite remarkable. The government can’t stop innovation - they can limit success. If you take a look at Atlas Shrugged, the innovators left and started their own world. It’s a matter of where innovation takes place. Humans by their nature are innovators. They will go where they have to in order to innovate.
I think it’s difficult for a lot of people who do produce to continue when government makes it hard to continue. There are so many ways the government in the book comes in and tells Rearden Steel that they have to treat everyone “fairly,” but it isn’t actually fair.
Question 6: Are your closest family members/ friends supportive of your decisions (or “in the know” of Ayn Rand philosophy) in taking a larger role in the financing and production of Atlas Shrugged Part III?
When we told some people this weekend they were excited and [thought it was] fabulous that we were involved. I don’t think we’ve openly told everyone because it was a recent decision. As it gets closer to the movie release, more and more of our family and friends will hear about the process we’ve participated in.
Diane has the bracelet of Rearden Metal, and my daughters have it too, and they’re very supportive because they understand what it means to be responsible for your own decisions. We hosted a Super Bowl party and everyone who heard thought it was neat. We’re considering potentially buying out a theater and inviting people to come. Why not have friends come and cheer for a movie with the right message instead of just sports?
And frankly, my [Diane’s] father is the one who introduced me to the book in the first place. I read it as a teenager. Now that I’m more mature, I understand the messages more. As you become responsible and start to contribute to society you start to understand the messages of Rand much better.
We often think the younger generation has bought into the idea of entitlement; [however], I get a chance to talk to students on college campuses in business classes a few times a year, and I’m always surprised by the numbers of students who have read the book and are also concerned about the sense of entitlement. I use the quotes in my PowerPoint and a huge number of kids are familiar with the book and thus have given me renewed enthusiasm for the next generation.
Name: Joel and Diane Schlercheim
Question 1: How did you hear about the Kickstarter campaign and what motivated you to contribute?
Diane introduced me to the book when we were in college and dating, and I became an Ayn Rand devotee. To see what was going on in the world and make the connection to the book was intriguing. When there was an opportunity to become involved in a big way, (we had purchased memorabilia from parts 1 and 2, and we got an email from the purchases) I said to Diane maybe this could be my Christmas present. [We] would have been involved financially in part 1 and 2 if there had been an opportunity to do so.
The book is lengthy and intimidating to some of our friends and family, so this is a great opportunity to get the message across. Three parts breaks it down. Part 3 will sum it up and stand alone, or they can go back and watch all three. We wanted to be involved because they went to a bunch of studios and weren’t able to film the movie that way.
We heard a lot of people say “I didn’t hear about it or I would have gone and seen it,” but more people would have gone with more marketing. Kickstarter is here to get the promotion working. There’s nothing wrong with the message, just needs to be promoted.
We also wanted to meet people who understand the message. It’s important to get together with others who feel similarly.
Question 2: What has your experience on-set been like or what did you find most interesting being on set?
[It has been] interesting to watch the monitors and see what the directors and producers see, and see how the movie is actually made. Also, [it] was great fun to be an extra yesterday.
I don’t think people realize how many people are involved behind the scenes. A hundred people working together for what will be five seconds on screen is incredible. Great to see the message, and see Kristoffer Polaha play John Galt. [To] see his passion gives us goose bumps. He is phenomenal in the part. Seeing the recent scene between Dagny and Jim; she has a very strong character, you can see the character in the book coming out in her.
We had the headphones on for Wyatt’s office scene and when he asks “Who are you?” And the response is “I am John Galt,” - it’s amazing to hear it said out loud.
Once you’ve read the book four times. You have visions of what’s going to occur and to see it occur on screen is remarkable.
Question 3: How has Ayn Rand/ Atlas Shrugged influenced your life or thinking?
Let’s start with the individual first. Rand and Objectivism are all about taking responsibility for your own life, not the government. It’s our job in our life to be responsible for our actions, and we try to instill that in our lives and through our daughters, which makes us proud.
It’s hard to believe this book was written in the 50s. Rand had a knowledge base coming from the Soviet Union, but to see the governing party working for the people [and] the pedestal that the current Congress and the president put themselves on is so reminiscent of what she wrote about in the book. The railroads in the book are the financial institutions in life. The bills that are being written today are the same level of control that happens in the book.
I think in the book it makes a big point of the regulatory rule of the government, and we tend to be living out those unfortunate situations with the regulations they’re putting on business. They want to consolidate and control everything.
I appreciate in the book that John Galt, Hank Rearden, Dagny Taggart, [and] several of the characters, you see how principled and uncompromising of those principles they are, and thus they leave their old lives behind where they can live in accordance with their principle in the life that they want
Question 4: What, if anything, do you wish to see the film accomplish?
I would like the film to be embraced by the people who feel connected to the message but ultimately it’s more important for people who haven’t read the book to hear the message that too many rules and regulations cause people who are running businesses to make choices they don’t want to make that don’t serve the people well.
It’s a simple but complex message. You can either let others make decisions for you, or you can be in charge of making your own decisions, and which is going to be the better life? The movie shows what happens when the producers of society start leaving and you basically have anarchy at that point.
Question 5: Do you believe that stopping the motor of the world, or a similar occurrence of innovators going on strike or “vanishing” must occur before the world you want to see is created?
We’re in a stage of innovation now that is actually quite remarkable. The government can’t stop innovation - they can limit success. If you take a look at Atlas Shrugged, the innovators left and started their own world. It’s a matter of where innovation takes place. Humans by their nature are innovators. They will go where they have to in order to innovate.
I think it’s difficult for a lot of people who do produce to continue when government makes it hard to continue. There are so many ways the government in the book comes in and tells Rearden Steel that they have to treat everyone “fairly,” but it isn’t actually fair.
Question 6: Are your closest family members/ friends supportive of your decisions (or “in the know” of Ayn Rand philosophy) in taking a larger role in the financing and production of Atlas Shrugged Part III?
When we told some people this weekend they were excited and [thought it was] fabulous that we were involved. I don’t think we’ve openly told everyone because it was a recent decision. As it gets closer to the movie release, more and more of our family and friends will hear about the process we’ve participated in.
Diane has the bracelet of Rearden Metal, and my daughters have it too, and they’re very supportive because they understand what it means to be responsible for your own decisions. We hosted a Super Bowl party and everyone who heard thought it was neat. We’re considering potentially buying out a theater and inviting people to come. Why not have friends come and cheer for a movie with the right message instead of just sports?
And frankly, my [Diane’s] father is the one who introduced me to the book in the first place. I read it as a teenager. Now that I’m more mature, I understand the messages more. As you become responsible and start to contribute to society you start to understand the messages of Rand much better.
We often think the younger generation has bought into the idea of entitlement; [however], I get a chance to talk to students on college campuses in business classes a few times a year, and I’m always surprised by the numbers of students who have read the book and are also concerned about the sense of entitlement. I use the quotes in my PowerPoint and a huge number of kids are familiar with the book and thus have given me renewed enthusiasm for the next generation.
