BSU agrees to deal with three filmmakers
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BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Boise State University has reached an agreement with three Boise-based filmmakers to produce a documentary about the football team's undefeated season.
Director Michael Hoffman, producer Heather Rae and producer and writer Russell Friedenberg will begin work on the documentary Monday.
They were among five groups that contacted the school about the exclusive movie rights to the Broncos' story, said Frank Zang, Boise State's director of communications and marketing.
Hoffman is a Boise State graduate who has worked on several major movies. Rae and Friedenberg are Boise State professors who teamed up on the documentary ``Trudell,'' which was shown at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
``They emerged at the top of our list in terms of who we may be interested in working with in this project,'' Zang said, ``because they brought together these impeccable film-making credentials along with a local connection.''
The Broncos were 13-0 last season, culminating in a 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. They finished the season ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press poll.
The trio will produce the documentary as a launching point for a potential movie.
Boise State and the filmmakers likely won't make any profit from the documentary, Rae said. The potential windfall is in the movie rights.
The filmmakers will use the documentary to develop story ideas for the movie and try to sell the idea to a studio, which could bring Boise State a rights fee between $250,000 and $750,000.
The documentary will feature interviews with players, coaches, administrators and fans along with footage provided by Boise State, though access will be limited with coaches and current players. BSU coach Chris Petersen has expressed concern about letting his players dwell on the past.
``It's controlled and appropriate access,'' Rae said. ``It's just as much as we need while being very mindful of the fact that Coach Pete's No. 1 priority is the '07 season.''
