In March of 2014, Robert Kerr approached Jason Bradley about an idea for a song. Now, this was nothing out of the ordinary, as Robert and Jason had worked on a number of songs together before. The first thing they collaborated on was a couple of guitar solos on Vera Zero’s War and Peace album. They then recorded a video for the song “I Bleed” from that same album, which was based on Carol Reed’s “The Third Man”. After doing the live thing for a time, Robert and Jason wrote, recorded, and submitted a song called “Trax” for the soundtrack of a Hollywood movie by the same name. Unfortunately, that movie got shelved. Robert and Jason have collaborated on a number of songs since. So this meeting seemed nothing out of the usual.

This meeting, however, was very different. Robert had written lyrics and chords for a song that had to do with the Kindertransport. The what? See, that was the thing… You can read more about the history of the Kindertansport here, but Robert also came with storyboards outlining the idea for a short film that helped to tell this compelling story in a way that would make it come alive.

Jason was sold on the idea right away. When Rob gave Jason the lyrics and chords, he took it to his home studio, where he says, “The song seemed to take on a life of its own”. He listened to the song over and over, and he says that “I could just hear the layers coming over the top, so I sat down and played them… guitar, shakers, bass, keys, drums, and background vocals. Soon I had the complete song, and then I went back to record keys and cello for the intro under the violin (played by Taras Umrysh). After it was completed, we mixed it at The Library Recording Studio in Minneapolis with Matt Patrick, and he helped put the finishing touches on it.”

Robert then brought in Minneapolis filmmaker, Anthony Cousins, who shot Robert, Jason, and Matt for the performance shots in The Library, and edited it all together with the footage granted from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. The final product surpassed everyone’s expectations. The film took on an even deeper meaning for Robert when his mother passed during its production. “Having to say goodbye to my Mom during the making of this film made it personal for me, and helped me to relate to the feelings of the children, as they got on these trains and left their parents standing on the platform.”The film has already been entered into a number of film festivals in the U.S. and Europe, including a copy sent to the Kindertransport museum in Austria.

So, sit back in a quiet place, go full screen, and enjoy! Please go out to iTunes to purchase the soundtrack, and share the movie on social media.

Thank you so much for your support!

Film Timeline:
2014
Feb 2: Rob plays a demo of At The End Of The Line and records it on his phone to give to Jason
Feb 10: Rob and Jason meet for lunch and discuss the project for the first time
June 1: Jason completes rough mix of the song
July 2: Rob records the lead vocals at Jason’s studio
July 6: Pre-production of the film begins.
July 22: Rob meets with Anthony Cousins and they discuss the storyboards and a shooting schedule
July 28: Principal photography begins
Sept. 9 Rob and Anthony meet to view the first footage shot two weeks before
Sept 12: Taras Umrysh records violin at Jason’s studio
Oct 13: At the End of the Line is mixed at the Library Recording studio by Matt Patrick and Jason Bradley. Anthony Cousins comes along to scope out the studio for the future shoot, scheduled later in the month.
Oct 20: Band sequences shot at the Library.
Nov. 17: Rob and Anthony begin editing the film
Dec 2: Rob and Anthony have the second editing session
Dec. 9: Rob and Anthony finish editing the film (or so they think)
2015
Jan. 12: Artwork for the DVD packaging created by Mark Clingan
Feb 1: After viewing the test DVD, Rob asks Anthony to make some 11th hour changes to the film. These include adding Roman numerals to the copyright at the end of the film, fixing a mistake on the Holocaust museum title, and lengthening the duration of one of the film’s titles
Feb 8: Viewing party in Edina, Minnesota
Feb 22: Film released to the public on YouTube
April 6: Rob is informed that At The End Of The Line wins an Award of Merit from The Best Shorts Competition