I've written a film that explores the nature of pain and suffering by depicting a place with none of it, i.e. "heaven."  The problem with this common depiction of "heaven" is that having too much available, too easily isn't pleasurable at all.  Ultimately, the possessions don't matter as much as how we feel about them.  Strife is needed for appreciation.  So, pain is needed for happiness.  This film delivers an important overall message because it discourages the misconception that the pain in life is bad.  And given the economic state of countries around the world today, what better message is there for an audience?  I hope my film, JUST, causes people to stop and reflect on today's society, especially what they take for granted.

What?

The film follows an executed convict into the afterlife.  My crew and I plan to combine the use of film and HD, an experimental choice for a film, but we feel the gritty imperfect nature of film lends itself very well to the real world -- imperfect, but beautiful because of those imperfections.  In contrast, HD is often criticized as being "too perfect" and too clean.  Everything that occurs in "heaven" was shot in HD.

Why?

Think about the things you appreciate most of all -- they're probably not possessions, but your children, your family, your friends.  We love and cherish people because we won't always have them.  Life is finite and fragile, but if we were all eternal beings, what reason would there be to hold human life in such regard?  We appreciate our loved ones because they won't always be there.  We love what we have because we have something to lose.  In that way, pain and loss take on a whole new meaning.  Without them, there could be no joy or love.  Light cannot exist without darkness or else it would be taken for granted -- as common and standard to us as air.

With that in mind, what's your hell?  What's your heaven?

(http://whatsyourheaven.com)

How?

The total budget of the film is $3,000, not including distribution costs.  That includes the materials needed to build a set for "heaven" from scratch.  We rented a backdrop, astro turf, flowers, and tons of fabric to make trees.  Costumes, props, camera costs (renting a jib, buying the HD tapes).  We constructed original angel wings by hand.  Even with all the production design, processing the film takes up most of the budget.  We've finished shooting, but we still have plenty of financial demands left: DVDs, Blu-rays, festival submission fees, artwork printing, etc.

The film was a SAG student film that used many Union performers.

Our goal is to raise $1500!  Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing fundraising website.  We have a deadline, and if we don't reach our goal in one month, we don't get any of the money raised.  No donation is too small ... or too large.

Please donate and thank you so much for taking the time to check out this project.