Kickstarter

Dear Friends:

I hope everyone's New Year is off to a wonderful start.  At this time last year, we were in the final stages of Pre-Production for IN THE MORNING.  Currently, we are in the final stages of Post-Production.  Not a day goes by that I am not filled with gratitude for this journey.  For this tremendous opportunity.  Again, I cannot thank you enough for making this film possible.  As we continue to fine tune our work, the film continues to reveal itself more and more.  Now that additional resources have come together, we'll be able to shoot a bit more in the coming weeks.   We'll return to the edit with a wealth of new ideas and material to explore, and we're excited to do so! 

I am also thrilled to report that the rewards are coming!!!  With the exception of the rewards associated with the finished film (i.e the DVD and screening) all other rewards will be sent in the next few weeks.  We do have a special thank you to hold you over until the DVD arrives!  If you haven't yet, please make sure you fill out your backer rewards survey.  It's the only way we'll have a shipping address to send the rewards.  Please note that some rewards will ship separately, as they are coming from different manufacturers. 

I'm leaving you with a sneak peak of the backer reward T-shirt, designed by one of IN THE MORNING'S Costume Designers, Gary Pridgeon.  Gary and his partner Neishea Lemle are amazing collaborators who did a spectacular job with our costumes.   You can see more of his work here. 

Here's the shirt, and a glimpse of myself and the designers with our cast, after our first shoot day.  A happy day, made possible by YOU!!

With love, light and gratitude,

Nefertite

Dear Friends,

I hope this note finds you all very well.  Since our last update, we've continued to work on our film, the film that YOU made possible, IN THE MORNING.  We are entering the final stretch of post-production.   As we get closer to locking picture, we are gearing up for a final round of fundraising to cover those pricey but necessary finishing touches like sound design/mix, color timing, and score. Making an independent film with limited resources is a marathon, not a sprint.  It's been an extraordinary journey with many hard-won victories.  Thank you for staying with us, and cheering us on along the way.   Your words of encouragement keep us going.  We can't wait to share our film with all of you.  We'll see you at the finished line!!  In the meantime, to keep up with our progress, don't forget to 'like' us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Tumblr for updates and new photos.

Here is another image from IN THE MORNING that I'd like to share with you.  It's the introduction to our circle of friends.  In this scene, old friends Bly, Ravi, Amara and Fez chat about love, life and gentrification over brunch.  Our cast: JoNell Kennedy, Hoji Fortuna, Numa Perrier and Alzo Slade had wonderful chemistry, and larger than life personalities.  Shooting these group scenes was always a blast!  This scene was filmed on our very first shoot day.  A day I'll never forget.  I look forward to sharing more with you as we get closer to completing this film, our film: IN THE MORNING.

Again, we thank you.

With love, light and unyielding gratitude,

Nefertite

Dear friends,

I hope this note finds you all very well and enjoying the last of summer.  We have been working hard all summer on our film, the film that YOU made possible, IN THE MORNING.  It's been a beautiful journey.  We've recently hit a milestone, we completed a rough cut.  I'm very proud of what we've accomplished.  It's exciting to see the film take shape, and to discover and explore new ideas in the edit.  In the coming weeks, we'll continue to edit and refine the film.  Once complete, we'll begin the process of submitting to film festivals, and happily turn our attention to fulfilling backer rewards.  To keep up with our progress, don't forget to 'like' us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Tumblr for updates and new photos.  We have fun sharing! 

Here is one of my favorite images from IN THE MORNING.  It's our final moment with Harper, one of our leading ladies, portrayed magically by Kim Hill.  In this scene, Harper says her final goodbyes to the city as she walks triumphantly toward her new beginning.  I look forward to sharing more with you as we get closer to completing this film, our film: IN THE MORNING.

Again, we thank you.

With love, light and unyielding gratitude,

Nefertite

Hello Friends!

I hope this note finds you in good spirits.  We are moving right along with Post-Production for our film, the film that YOU made possible, IN THE MORNING.  Our editor, Ali Muney and I are working hard and having a wonderful time together crafting the finished product.  I can tell you, I am extremely proud of what our amazing cast and crew accomplished together.   I'm certain that you will be as well.  I look forward to sharing it with all of you.  We'll take our time and spend the rest of the summer editing, making the best film we can.  We're also applying for a few Post-Production grants, wish us luck!  We'll keep you posted.  Once the film is complete, we'll send out the backer rewards.  Thank you for your patience with this process and again for your continued support and encouragement.  This film would not be possible without the support of our community, without YOU.

To keep up with our journey, don't forget to 'like' us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Tumblr for updates and new photos.  We post just about every day and share images and insight into our process along the way.  Visit us often, tweet us, tell your friends, share our photos, let us know your thoughts.  We want to hear from you!

Here is a behind the scenes photo from IN THE MORNING of me with one of our leading ladies, Tony nominated actress De'Adre Aziza.  We are sharing a quiet moment, between takes after an emotional scene.  De'Adre and I had quite a journey together and she delivers a very moving performance as Zuri.  Collaborating with actors is truly my favorite part of the filmmaking process.  I can't wait for you to see our beautiful cast shine.

We look forward to sharing more with you.  Thank you for believing in all of us.

Again, we thank you.

With love, light and gratitude,

Nefertite

Dear Friends,

In just eight days, from March 24th through April 1st we completed Principal Photography for our film, IN THE MORNING.  It was a beautiful, life changing experience.  It was thrilling, from beginning to end.  With our wonderful cast, and our amazing and dedicated crew, we all held hands and made this film together.  It would not have been possible without YOU.  Again, we thank you for your support and belief in this film. 

To see behind the scenes photos from our shoot click here for our Principle Photography album.  Please don't forget to 'like' us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to keep up with our Post-Production journey.  Also, you can read articles about us on IndieWire's Shadow and Act blog here and here.  We look forward to sharing more with you!

Here is a photo from one of my favorite shooting days.  We shot a 'walk and talk' scene on DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn and our lovely cast dazzled.  It was a blast!

Thank you for believing in us, much more to come.

With love, light, and gratitude,

Nefertite