Episode 4 - Family Ties

**DIGITAL COPY OF THE FILM**

In the Old West; a former gunslinger and his family brave a savage untamed world of killers, highway robbery, Indian raids, and fabled treasure. 

The Big Muddy short film series chronicles the life of the Sackett family in the late 1800’s as the country struggles to recover from the Civil War and the lawlessness that is running rampant in the western boom towns. William Sackett, the single father of John and Mary Ann Sackett, cashed in on his skills learned during the Civil War for both criminal and just causes as he meandered life from a young member of a notorious gang to a professional bounty hunter. After a job went sour and William accidently shot an innocent kid he gave up the life and uprooted his entire family from Wyoming to Montana where he became a simple farmer, until his past finally caught up with him and this is where the real story begins.

The hook of the series is the fascination with the historical context of the old west. It’s an area that people have always been fascinated about because it is wrapped in emotional content with plenty of action, romance, and lore. The fact that the characters, villains, situations, and locale are a mesh up of a wide array of true historical people and places creates an entertaining venue for the exposition of the “Wild West” in a gritty and emotionally charged fashioned.

The real appeal, which is the inherent subtext of the series, is truly the emotional dynamic of an “average Joe” and his family of the time as they are thrust in and out of grace and hardship in a turbulent world. The focus is on the drama of the characters and the action is a byproduct of choices they make and/or have made which becomes the catalysts through the entire series. William is past his prime but still has a unique skill set which serves him well when the going gets tough but has serious drawbacks from a familial perspective so the turmoil of the character dynamics and relationships are also on display which will allow the audience to relate and empathize with both friend and foe alike as action and consequences unfold.

The target audience is anyone who has an affinity for the Old West as well as appealing to a broader audience of action/drama fans by placing emphasis on both historical accuracy and good storytelling in order to be appealing across a wider fan base range. I also have the first, or pilot episode, complete that can be slightly reworked to be part of the engine that drives the idea forward to show that we can do this because we’re already doing this and those that want to come along for the ride will be welcome as we explore a romantic and violent period of American History.