An old man in cognitive decline is losing a precious childhood memory, which is becoming more surreal & corroded with each remembering.
Fugue portrays those moments we hear about, but that we hope will never happen to us; not just the inevitable physical decline that comes with age, but the possibility of significant cognitive decline as well, where what was thought to be the unassailable firmament of the self starts to dissolve away. Fugue seeks to capture the poignancy of such a profound uncontrollable personal loss, and serve as a reminder that at any moment everything can be taken away.
There are a variety of factors that inspired me to make this film. As you might expect, part of the reason has to do with seeing elderly family members go through slow mental decline, and my own fear of experiencing such a process later in life. My keen interest in neuroscience and the nature of consciousness also played a role, specifically McGill University neuroscientist Karim Nader's theory that the act of remembering changes our memories, an idea which Fugue explores in an extreme context. The imagery and mood of the film were also heavily influenced by the dream-like music of Groove Armada (specifically At the River) and Martin Stig Andersen (who did the music for the videogame Limbo).
More About the Artists Involved
Ryan Allred
Ryan and I have worked together on independent film productions (including each other's projects) since 2006. I've come to know him as an exceedingly talented illustrator who enjoys experimenting with different drawing and painting techniques. On set he shines as a firm yet fair, cogent Assistant Director. You can see more of his work here.
Mark Martin
Mark has worked his cinematic magic on projects in the corporate, indie film, and web series arenas. He continually impresses me with his skill as a Motion Graphics Artist, with his great sense for shot composition, and his ability to create beautiful scenes even with limited lighting resources. Here are some additional samples of his visual effects work:
Ret Harrison
Ret received her SFX training at the Tom Savini Special Effects Make-up Program and has worked on a variety of indie film and performance art projects (most recently, the multimedia performance piece Lead Bunny). Ret has a phenomenal talent for sculpting and can fabricate everything from masks and prosthetics to animatronic props and large set pieces.
A.J. Lindner (aka Cathartech)
A.J. frequently performs in music venues around Seattle and works as a sound designer for independent films. In 2011, he was accepted into the artist-in-residence program at the Mamori Sound Lab, a field recording and composing project based in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. After seeing him perform at Teatro de la Psychomachia and listening to some of the music on his website, I knew he had the sonic and musical sensibilities I was looking for to make the dreamy, atmospheric music and sound design for the film. Here are a couple of his pieces that convey his particular style:
Aethyrik Drift
Into Prosthetic Fields
You can listen to more of A.J.'s music at his website: SonicMunitions
Cast
"Kevin" played by Jonah Beres
Jonah has acted in a number of projects both theatrical and cinematic. His ability to take direction, yet put his own unique flair into his performance, as well as convey subtle emotions, made him the perfect choice to play Kevin.
"Jonathan" played by Joshua Benham
Josh loves to perform. When he's not studying at the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts and Teatro Zinzanni, he's engrossed with everything sci-fi and fantasy. This combination of pursuits and interests made him the right fit to play the somewhat stranger role of Jonathan.
"Elderly Kevin" played by Paul Eenhoorn
Paul and I worked on a Seattle-based webseries back in 2011. What really impressed me about his performance and interaction with the director of that series, was that he came to set with a variety of ideas and options on how to play various aspects of his character, and was great at coming up with physical mannerisms and keeping them consistent across multiple takes. These great acting skills made Paul an excellent choice for the role of Elderly Kevin. You can find out more about Paul here.
Where Your Money is Going
As I stated in the video, your contribution to this project is going towards what is absolutely essential to completing this film: paying actors, renting equipment, props, costumes, set dressing, insurance, and food.
In addition, if we are able to raise $5,000, then I'll also be able to pay the crew (who are currently volunteering their time and services), a modest day rate.
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
Any film project is bound to encounter Murphy's Law to some degree, but one of things I pride myself on as a filmmaker is the ability to creatively solve any problems that might crop up. Here are some of the possible issues, and how I propose to overcome them.
1. Potential damage to SFX masks and props. Most of the SFX materials being used in the film face little risk of damage. However there is the possibility that our large sand mold -a tool being used for a crucial scene- could break under the weight of the sand we'll be putting in it.
To mitigate this risk, Ret and I will be doing a test run of the mold during the week leading up to the shoot to determine how long the mold will take to set up, and if it is structurally sound. If any issues are found, Ret will make repairs to the mold during the week so it will be ready for the weekend shoot. However, if the worst happens and the mold breaks during the shoot, we will either try to make our sand sculpture by hand or schedule an additional shoot day for pickup shots of our actor and the sand sculpture.
2. Inclement Weather. Seattle has a reputation for having a significant number of rainy days, especially in the fall and winter. The rain we get is usually a mist or a drizzle and our winters are usually rather mild, but sometimes we get full on downpour and have the occasional cold snap.
If the rain is light, we will have rain covers ready for our camera and sound equipment. However, if the rain is heavy and/or the temperature is too cold for the cast and crew, we will reschedule the shoot to a later date.
The other potential obstacle will be the possibility of sunny weather. The beach scene in the script is set to happen on an overcast day, but if that's not possible, we have some grip equipment that will help us control the sunlight.
3. Actors becoming ill. With winter comes the possibility that our actors might come down with something during production. If this happens, we will simply reschedule our shoot dates.
4. VFX speedbumps. A good number of the digital effects that will be in the film utilize well known techniques, but there are some visuals that we aren't exactly sure how to accomplish, which might slow down post production somewhat.
However, Mark has been well trained in Adobe After Effects, has a blazingly fast custom built workstation that will allow him to quickly test and render these effects, and is also adept at creative problem solving. I have every confidence that he'll be able to devise a method of creating these effects that will meet the project's deadlines.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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Dec 23, 2012
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- First created · 7 backed
- Justin Minich 152 friends
- Website: twitter.com
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THANK YOU. You have our eternal thanks! You will be listed under the "Thank You" section of the credits and will of course get backer updates.
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STICKER PACK. You will receive a pack of 4 stickers featuring production art by Ryan Allred.
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DIGITAL DOWNLOAD. You will receive an HD digital download of the completed film.
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DIGITAL DOWNLOAD PLUS. Not only will you get an HD digital download of the completed film, but you'll also a digital download of the soundtrack by A.J. Lindner.
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DVD PACK. You'll get a DVD of the film, a digital download of the film and soundtrack, and the Sticker Pack.
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CREEPY CREATURE TUTORIAL. SFX Artist Ret Harrison will show you the practical effects techniques she used to make one of the strange creatures in the film.
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CINEMATOGRAPHY TUTORIAL. Director of Photography Mark Martin will show you how to achieve beautiful lighting and composition in your scenes with limited equipment and resources.
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ILLUSTRATION TUTORIAL. Our storyboard artist Ryan Allred will show you inking and hatching techniques that will help improve your drawing skills.
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TUTORIAL DOWNLOAD PACK. All 3 Tutorials, and everything in the Digital Download Plus Pack.
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ART PACK. You get everything in the DVD Pack, a script signed by the cast and crew, a limited edition poster for the film, and an original storyboard panel drawn by artist Ryan Allred.
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COMBINED TUTORIAL AND ART PACK. Have the best of both worlds! You get everything in the Tutorial Pack and the Art Pack.
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MASK REPLICA PACK. You get a replica of the mask for the fish boy. These won't be used on set, but will be made from the original mold by our SFX Artist Ret Harrison. In addition, you get everything in the Combined Tutorial Art Pack, and an Associate Producer Credit.
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ORIGINAL MASK PACK. The first fish boy mask that will be used on set and made by our SFX Artist Ret Harrison. In addition, this mask will be signed by Ret on the inside, you get everything in the Combined Tutorial Art Pack, and an Associate Producer Credit.
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ORIGINAL CREEPY CREATURE PACK. This is a one-of-a-kind creature being made by Ret Harrison for the film (I don't want to say too much about it, as it would be somewhat of a spoiler), that will be used on location and signed by the artist . In addition this, you of course get everything in the Combined Tutorial Art Pack, and an Executive Producer Credit.
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