About this project
1st THINGS FIRST
You may be wondering why I'm only trying to raise $20,000 when the film will cost $200,000 to complete. Well, the way kickstarter works is that if you don't meet your fundraising goals you get nada. This is to protect you, the contributor. That said, once we hit our $20,000 fundraising goal we're going to keep going until the time limit is up. Oh yeah!
WHAT'S THE FILM ABOUT?
Herman and Shelly meet in middle school. Both loners, they find a kinship that quickly grows into an inseparable bond. They attend an arts high school where they flourish writing and directing plays with their small group of friends. When Herman becomes the most popular kid in school, he lets it go to his head and his relationship with Shelly is destroyed. The best friends fall out of touch.
Over a decade later Herman calls Shelly out of the blue to let her know his father has died. Though they haven’t kept in touch, he asks her if she can make it to the funeral. She agrees out of pity and shows up to the funeral with her boyfriend Randy, to be reunited with Herman and the group of friends that haven’t been together in years. The new relationships that form between the friends as adults are complicated and unpredictable and Herman and Shelly both struggle to figure out what they mean to each other.
WHAT WILL MY MONEY GO TOWARDS?
There are some immediate expenses such as creating a budget and schedule and casting that the first funds will go towards. After that your money will be spent on everything from props and set designs to paying cast and crew. The hope is that the moolah you so generously part with will get us all the way through editing and post-production. Every donation gets us all one step closer to the completion of a pretty great and wholly independent film. I'm putting every spare coin and stray dollar into this production too. Hey, did you know that if you return 20 beer bottles for the 5 cent deposit you will have one more dollar to give to this production? Yes, I just gave you license to drink 20 beers.
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THIS FILM?
The unique and fortunate part of this whole endeavor is that my producing partner, Vicky Wight, and I are well versed in distributing independent films. Between the two of us we've been distributing film for over 20 years and have distributed over 50 films. We have seen a lot of the financial and creative traps that filmmakers get themselves into and feel that we're in an excellent position to make our film a success. What does that mean for you? Well, we all want our political candidates and our sports teams to win and sometimes we feel a little bit ashamed when we've supported the loser. We're going to do everything in our power to give you your just bragging rights. Picture it: Your friends are discussing the cool new independent film they just saw and you casually drop into the conversation "No big deal but, I helped make that film." Oh yeah.
I DON’T HAVE ANY MONEY, NOT EVEN A DOLLAR, WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
I’m glad you asked! We need props, costumes, locations and all-around creative hard-working people who would like to get involved. Shoot me an email at hermanandshelly@gmail.com and let me know what you’re interested in doing.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
236
Backers
$20,000
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on May 30, 2010.
Pledge $1 or more
Receive my deepest gratitude and email updates on the film and its progress over the course of the next two years from production through distribution.
Pledge $25 or more
Your name will be Included in the “SUPPORTERS” section of the email updates. Woo hoo!
Pledge $50 or more
All of the above and your name will be included in the “Special Thanks” section of the credits. Your name. Immortalized.
Pledge $75 or more
All of the above and a portrait of you (or the person of your choosing) in the style of the film. Close your eyes and think about watercolors, indie film and portraits--yeah, it will be like that.
Pledge $100 or more
All of the above and an autographed Herman & Shelly DVD. My name. Immortalized on your DVD.
Pledge $250 or more
All of the above and a Herman & Shelly ironic T-shirt. I'm a great T-shirt designer. I've never designed one but have total confidence in my ability to create a shirt that your friends will be envious of.
Pledge $300 or more
A short film (30s-2m). You choose a theme, I make the film and send you a digital file. Way better than a greeting card.
Pledge $500 or more
All of the above and an invitation to a test screening of the film. You will watch one of the first cuts of the film, before everyone else! Give us your opinion on what we did wrong and what we did oh so right.
Pledge $1,000 or more
All of the above and the opportunity to be an extra on the film. Whaaaaaaaaat? That's something to show the grandkids.
Pledge $10,000 or more
All of the above and an Associate Producer credit. You bet.
Project By
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Bridget Stokes most recently produced the short film Oui Oui Non Non, written and directed by Vicky Wight. Prior to this, Stokes produced the short, Coffee, also written and directed by Wight. Coffee was an official selection at 2008’s SXSW Film Festival and screened at New York’s IFC Center.
Bridget started working in film distribution at IFC Films where she worked on the release of over 25 films. She expanded her knowledge of the film industry at independent film production, distribution and sales company, Elephant Eye Films. As Director of Production/Development & Distribution, she helped to release Billy The Kid, directed by Jennifer Venditti and Benson Lee’s Planet B-Boy and worked on Elephant Eye's slate of projects in development. After Elephant Eye, Bridget worked as the Research Coordinator on an Untitled Bob Marley documentary and subsequently launched a freelance business consulting on and executing theatrical and semi-theatrical releases of independent films.
