About this project
Synopsis
After years of rotting in Joliet, Les, a wrongfully imprisoned street legend known as “The Ghoul”, is released into a mad search through Chicago’s back alleys for the man who slaughtered his mother and robbed him of his soul. Aided by supernatural benefactors, he must delve beneath the city into a modern labyrinth of gutters whose tendrils have grown deep while he was gone.
What unfolds is a desperate tale of brute force tragedy set in the supernatural underworld of Chicago, where heroes are reduced to horror-shows, villains dream of their own demise, and good and evil prove to be antiquated concepts.
Reasons for making the movie
We want to make this movie, first and foremost, because we love this city. Chicago is one of the greatest unrecognized creative hubs in the world and this movie is a testament to that. The film showcases infamous characters of Chicago’s most macabre subcultures, from Ken Melvoin Berg of Weird Chicago Tours and avant-garde artist JoJo Baby, famous doll maker and nightclub celebrity, to Kristin LeClair and Crystal Portillo of Cirque du Face FX, who will be supplying the (literal) backbone of the film – the gore. Our soundtrack will be crafted by some of this city’s greatest rock acts, mainstream and underground, such as Local H and Preston Graves of Cupcakes.
Aside from the incredible talent pool scattered throughout the city, Chicago represents a rich, compelling, backdrop that transcends the mere distinction of setting by providing a complexity befitting of great character. Should Chicago Rot become the hit it has every right to be, we’re staying. We wouldn’t want to make Chicago Rot anywhere else, and frankly, I’m not sure we could – this place serves as a muse to us all. So don’t just look at this as a short-term investment opportunity in an ambitious independent film, it’s also a long-term investment in Chicago’s creative vitality.
Explanation of Kickstarter
For those of you unfamiliar with Kickstarter, which is part of Amazon.com, it is an all-or-nothing endeavor – if we don’t meet our goal, we get none of what was pledged and nobody gets charged for anything. Unfortunately, we also won’t be able to pay out any of the incentives. However, if we go over our goal, we get all of it! And yes, we will continue to pay out the incentives to donors who contribute beyond our goal.
If you cannot donate, but still want to support us, please “Like” our project, as it increases our exposure and our chances at being listed on Kickstarter’s “Featured” page! Even if you are a donor, please do likewise.
Plan for the money
Although we are mostly filming in actual locations throughout Chicago, the conceptual aspects of the film will require set building, as well as visual and special effects, in order to transform this great city into a playground of the surreal.
The money we hope to raise through Kickstarter will go directly towards production and post-production of the film. We already have an investor who has agreed to match whatever amount we raise, up to $50,000, so everything you donate essentially becomes twice as much...once we reach our goal.
Plan for distribution
Once the film is completed, we plan to pursue every possible opportunity to distribute and screen Chicago Rot. We have every intention of pursuing entry into all major film festivals, and have an open channel to a couple of major distribution houses. We have also initiated discussions with a number of Chicago theaters regarding screenings of the film.
Essentially, we are going to do everything in our power to ensure that as many people see this film as possible, and that anyone interested in seeing it has the opportunity to do so.
On a final note,
Brant and Dorian would like to personally thank all of you who have reached the end of this page. Hopefully that means you are as excited about this project as we are, and have been moved to hit one of our lovely donate buttons. We know what a sh** storm the economy is right now, and if you cannot donate, we completely understand - but please do us a favor and pass this link along to everyone you think would be interested in Chicago Rot.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at - chicagorot@gmail.com
Let’s show the rest of the world that Hollywood isn’t the only place to make a great movie.
Links
To see the video in full resolution, click here and select 1080p.
Credits
STARRING Brant McCrea and Shira Barber
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Kelly Kerr
PRODUCED BY Jeremy Vranich
ASSISTANT PRODUCER Jacob Richards
CINEMATOGRAPHER Ryan Berena
SOUND DESIGN Sam Fell
ORIGINAL MUSIC BY Brant McCrea
WRITTEN BY Brant McCrea and Dorian Weinzimmer
DIRECTED BY Dorian Weinzimmer
INTERVIEW DIRECTED BY Roberto Navia
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
142
Backers
$25,871
pledged of $25,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on July 13, 2011.
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
Thank you on the website, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OF THE FILM, AND A DIGITAL COPY OF THE POSTER IN A WALLPAPER FORMAT.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
Thank you on the website, Digital download of the film, Digital copy of the poster in a wallpaper format, AND A THANK YOU IN THE CREDITS.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
Thank you on the website, Digital download of the film, Digital copy of the poster in a wallpaper format, Thank you in the credits, REGULAR EDITION DVD, AND A CHICAGO ROT T-SHIRT.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
Thank you on the website, Digital download of the film, Digital copy of the poster in a wallpaper format, Thank you in the credits, Regular edition DVD SIGNED BY MAJOR CAST AND CREW, and a Chicago Rot T-shirt.
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
Thank you on the website, Digital download of the film, Digital copy of the poster in a wallpaper format, A PHYSICAL PRINT OF THE POSTER, Thank you in the credits, SPECIAL EDITION "SKIN DVD" SIGNED BY MAJOR CAST AND CREW, and a Chicago Rot T-shirt.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
Thank you on the website, Digital download of the film, Digital copy of the poster in a wallpaper format, A physical print of the poster SIGNED BY MAJOR CAST AND CREW, Special edition "Skin DVD" signed by major cast and crew, A Chicago Rot t-shirt, AN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER CREDIT, A WRAP PARTY INVITE, AND THE FIRST 17 DONORS ARE GUARANTEED SCREEN TIME AS EXTRAS ON OUR ZOMBIE BUS! (Transportation and lodging are the responsibility of the donor)
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
Thank you on the website, Digital download of the film, Digital copy of the poster in a wallpaper format, A physical print of the poster signed by major cast and crew, Special edition "Skin DVD" signed by major cast and crew, A Chicago Rot t-shirt, An Associate Producer credit, A wrap party invite, RESERVE SEATING AT THE PREMIERE, AN INVITATION TO VISIT THE SET, WHERE YOU WILL WITNESS THE FILMMAKING PROCESS AND EAT DINNER WITH THE CAST AND CREW, AND WE KILL YOU IN A ONE OF A KIND CREDIT SEQUENCE AT THE END OF THE FILM. (Transportation and lodging are the responsibility of the donor)
Pledge $2,500 or more Pledge $2,500 or more
Thank you on the website, Digital download of the film, Digital copy of the poster in a wallpaper format, A physical print of the poster signed by major cast and crew, Special edition "Skin DVD" signed by major cast and crew, A Chicago Rot t-shirt, An Associate Producer credit, A wrap party invite, Reserve seating at the premiere, An invitation to visit the set, where you will witness the filmmaking process and eat dinner with the cast and crew, AND YOU GET WRITTEN INTO THE SCRIPT AND KILLED IN THE MOVIE. (Transportation and lodging are the responsibility of the donor)
Pledge $5,000 or more Pledge $5,000 or more
Thank you on the website, Digital download of the film, Digital copy of the poster in a wallpaper format, A physical print of the poster signed by major cast and crew, Special edition "Skin DVD" signed by major cast and crew, A Chicago Rot t-shirt, An Associate Producer credit, A wrap party invite, Reserve seating at the premiere, An invitation to visit the set, where you will witness the filmmaking process and eat dinner with the cast and crew, Get written into the script and killed in the movie, AND THE FIRST FIVE DONORS WILL RECEIVE HAND-CRAFTED DOLLS, BASED ON CHARACTERS FROM CHICAGO ROT, MADE BY CHICAGO LEGEND JO JO BABY! (Transportation and lodging are the responsibility of the donor)
Project By
Has not connected their Facebook account.
Chicago Rot is being made by Painted Face Media, a collective of graduates from Tribeca Flashpoint Academy, and Dakini Productions, founded by Executive Producer Kelly Kerr. Brant McCrea is a local artist, musician, and longtime employee of the nightclub scene, primarily METRO/SMARTBAR Chicago. Dorian Weinzimmer is an up and coming writer/director from the Chicagoland area with numerous short films and music videos under his belt, who is ready to make his mark on the independent surrealist horror landscape.
