Kickstarter

We're making a movie, and we want YOU to be a part of it!

THE STORY

Charlie, a compulsive liar, and his older brother, Neal, do their best to fend off the boredom that comes with summertime in a quiet, Southern town.  One day, they decide to take a shortcut through the woods and soon realize that they're both going to have to grow up a lot faster than they thought.

It's a Southern Gothic, coming-of-age short film--which means there are deeply flawed characters, a little bit of spirituality, a little bit of the grotesque, and a lot of Southern charm.  Just imagine if a Flannery O'Connor short story was taking place in the here and now:  you'd get a mixture of "Stand By Me", "Undertow", and "Badlands".  (Flannery O'Connor was a Southern author of mostly short stories that all took place in the South; she was fascinated with violence, religion and morality, and some of the titles of her work are listed as the "rewards" to your right.) 

A LOCAL PRODUCTION

I wrote the film while living in New York, knowing good and well that the NYC area would never be truly fitting.  And then we thought, "What better place to shoot it than in my hometown--the area than inspired the story in the first place?"  So that's what I'm doing: coming home, in a way.

A key part of making this feel authentic will be the people and locations involved, which is why I only want to use things that are local: that means local actors, crew members, sets, musicians, etc. 

But not only that--I want to have the premiere in LaGrange, too, to show how much I appreciate all the hard work and effort put into it by those who helped bring it to life.  We'll be shooting in June, and my goal is to have the premiere before the end of September.

After we premiere, the goal is to get the film into as many festivals as possible and hopefully move on to bigger and better projects (i.e., a feature).

THE FUNDS

So, you may be asking yourself, "Where's all that money going, Ben?  $8000 seems like a lot."  And you would be right.  It's not a small amount by any means.  In short: that all goes to make the movie possible.  All funds raised will go towards hiring a professional cinematographer, as well as renting a camera, lenses, lights, grip equipment, and food for the cast and crew while on set (people volunteering their time are a lot more pleasant when they're not hungry!).

We're looking to shoot on the RED (the same camera that was used on "The Social Network", "The Lovely Bones", "District 9", "The Informant!", and many others).  That's going to give us the most professional-looking image possible (without spending $100K to shoot on actual film), and it gives us a lot of leverage in post-production to achieve the color palette we're aiming for.

ANY AMOUNT will help make the film possible, and there are some pretty cool rewards for donating to the project (just look to the right).

Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing endeavor, which means that, even if we have $7999 pledged and time runs out, we don't get anything.  So if you don't have any money to spare, that's fine, but maybe you can help by spreading the word!

OUR CAST (SO FAR)

Casting is crucial, since the story centers around two brothers, and we're extremely blessed with the cast we have attached so far.

William Harrison will be playing the part of "Neal".  He's a fantastic young actor who can be seen later this year in "Lawless", directed by John Hillcoat ("The Proposition", "The Road") and "Goat Island", directed by D.J. Caruso ("Eagle Eye", "Disturbia", "I Am Number Four").  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4140011/

Cooper Guy will be playing the part of "Charlie".  He's an incredibly strong up-and-coming young actor who can be seen in "Night Terrors", directed by David Buchert, and the upcoming feature film "Continuum", directed by Leslie Lugosi. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4578355/ 

Lesley Warren is a veteran actress who will be playing the part of "Mary Lee".  Check out all her credits on IMDB:  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4008629/

Faith Dillon will be playing "Liza".  After years in the broadcast world, Faith is crossing over into the realm of film acting and has numerous projects in various stages of production.

Adam Boyer will be playing the role of "Hank."  Be sure to check out his IMDB page here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0101997/

Canon Kuipers will be playing the role of "Donnie."  You can see his recent work in "Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies", coming out later this year.

Diane Briscoe Wright brings numerous years of experience in the theater to her role as "Margaret".

THANK YOU for taking a few minutes to check out our project!  If you have any questions about the project, or if you want to be involved in any way, send me a message here on Kickstarter or at ben.watts05@gmail.com.

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