Kickstarter

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.

Chicago Rot - Facebook

Chicago Rot - Twitter

Chicago Rot - Blog

Painted Face - Facebook

Painted Face - Twitter

Painted Face - Blog

Dakini Productions

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