About this project

ABOUT THIS FILM

The 'Skirts is the story of two young women in a post-apocalyptic world, and their struggle to survive against the only surviving city, now a fascist regime.

Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic near future, there exists a single society: Strata - a totalitarian dystopia ruled by a charismatic and manipulative figurehead, wherein its denizens must adhere to strict conformity or be subject to execution or banishment. Beyond its borders is the outskirts - the wasteland that is the rest of the world. Starving and poor, for those on the outside it's every man for himself, as Strata's elite mercenaries (known as shepherds) are sent not only to keep the 'skirts out, but to prevent and destroy any forming civilizations or organized society. Knell, a shepherd defector, now living among the 'skirts, is being hunted by her former fellow enforcers. When she and her companion, Scrap, a mentally unhinged vagabond-warrior who raised herself alone on the outside, must fight back -- they become Strata's prime targets.

Charming New Society is a filmmaking and video production team of friends from a variety of creative backgrounds, all with a passion for making films. We’re a diverse group comprised of filmmakers, artists, writers, actors, musicians, and even a magician.. (seriously). Filmmaking is, afterall, a collaborative art-form. And we are pooling our varying talents and resources to create film projects that are a united vision.

WHY WE'RE WORTH IT

All we want to do is to tell a story. This is our first substancial short film, taking a giant leap from anything we've done in the past. And we're looking for you to take a chance on us. We want the opportunity to show the world and the filmmaking community what we're truly capable of, without the limitations we've had with shoe-string out-of-pocket budgets. And to be able put our full potential out there. This is an exciting and new undertaking for us, and our hope is that this will fuel people's passion to help us achieve our goal.

WHY WE NEED THE MONEY

Our projects have thus far been self-reliant and self-financed. And our pockets are not deep. We love being DIY filmmakers, and we plan to keep that spirit alive no matter how far we ever get. We enjoy the process of creating things ourselves, finding innovative and guerilla methods to make things work, and keeping the crew small, familiar, and intimate. But our imaginations and ambitions far surpass the things we can do without a budget. And while we make do with what we have at our disposal, much of our tools are rudimentary and will not produce the quality we strive for. And this film will be a first attempt for us create a short, not only with production value we can truly be proud of, but to tell a story the way we see it in our heads.   

We have already moved as deep into pre-production as our own wallets and personal resources will stretch. We have recruited volunteers, and have the support of the Houston filmmaking community behind us. And with a modest budget for what we plan to be an epic-scale short film, we still have a long way to go. So we are reaching out to you to help us make this a success.

The larger scope of our film is about dueling societies, in which the story is only as strong as the universe it is set in. We are creating original sets within abandoned locations and lost places, arming our villains with unique weapons, creating an entire city through a combination of digital FX and miniatures, and transforming an ordinary 2003 Outlander into one bad-ass armored post-apocalyptic vehicle.

SPREAD THE WORD

So of course not everyone can contribute to our project monetarily, but that's not the only way you can help. If you would like to see this film made, please tell your friends about us. The more attention we get, the better our chances are of successful funding, and the bigger an audience there will be to enjoy it when it's finished.

You can also help to support our project by following & LIKING our FACEBOOK PAGE

THANK YOU!