In this black comedy, a teenage girl comes of age seeking revenge against a dangerous loan shark who threatens her father's life.
Great Update News!
Jay Shaw (known to many for his work with Mondo posters) is creating a limited edition print for this film. This numbered poster will NEVER be available outside of this project! This is a great chance to pick up rare work by an amazing artist. Just check out the new donation level of $50 dollars for this specific item. Just a quick note, Jay is currently working on the design, so we don't have his final print yet, but please look at his other work here.
Now...about the film:
Hello indie film supporters! Welcome to our Kickstarter page for What’s the Use? our second feature-length film, shot here in Austin, Texas during the summer of 2011, one of the hottest on record! We’re here to raise post-production funds and would be grateful for your support for these last expensive stages. Here’s a little about this film, and how this works.
About the film:
What’s the Use? is a black comedy about Sara, a teenage girl, who has come home to live with her father, Tony, fresh out of rehab. Tony wants nothing more than to start life over and repair their fractured relationship. He begins by throwing Sara a surprise birthday party. His plans are wrecked however when Shy, a dangerous loan shark, and his cohort, Peck, pay Tony a visit. Sara helplessly watches them threaten her father’s life if he does not pay back what he owes. His deadline? Noon the next day.
Angered by her father’s passiveness, Sara steals a gun that evening and heads out on a rusty bike to hunt down Shy and settle her father’s debt on her own terms. On her way, she encounters some strange individuals that 4th of July evening, including an awkward love-starved perfectionist, a professional Love Guru, and an eccentric who communes with the dead. Finally reaching Shy, her attempts to seduce him fail. Angered, he pushes her to the edge until she is finally forced to see her family’s dark secret, and realize she might be her own greatest enemy.
The video above is a commercial for Shy, the loan shark, and his custom car shop.
The Birth of This Film
On our first feature film, In the Shadow, an artful horror film with Danny Trejo,
(www.intheshadowmovie.com) we learned how to make films using the resources and locations around us. For this project, we ended up with a film that looks like a million dollars, but cost much less to make. Keeping up with the “use your resources” motto, we teamed up with playwright Jason Tremblay for What’s the Use? to create a story using Austin-based talent, both professional and non-actors. Some scenes were tightly scripted, while others were highly improvised. Some locations were talked about weeks in advance while others were chosen minutes before we began to shoot. Working with this organic – hybrid approach allowed us to be real explorers and conscious creators through the entire process and, in addition to being a lot of fun, gives our film a quality that can’t be replicated or reproduced.
I write about the micro-budget mentality with greater detail in an online article from last year in Filmmaker Magazine.
Some examples of What's the Use? merchandise you will receive as a donor! (All design work by Anna Shelton www.annasheltondesigns.com)
On Kickstarter, we need to make our goal in 30 days in order to receive any funding. If we don’t make our goal, you won’t be charged. It's that simple!
Our film's webpage contains more information on the cast and crew, a blog, and well...it's looks pretty good! : http://www.whatstheusemovie.com/
You can also follow our production company, Blue Paper Film Works, here in Facebook where we frequently update our status about What’s the Use? and our other film projects, in addition to posing though-provoking questions about cinema in general. We love to talk about film, and invite others to join the dialogue!
Blue Paper Film Works has a website too!
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
Calculated risks and unexpected challenges are the bread and butter of independent film making. What’s the Use? was shot during one of the hottest Texas summers on record, reeking havoc on equipment, locations, and nerves. Despite the adversity, primary shooting was completed on time.
Post-production brings a whole new set of challenges. Once we receive funding with your support, we will be able to put the film into the various and expensive stages of post-production, including: color correction and grading, sound mixing, print publicity, and festival submissions.
But some other possible risks and challenges still are possible even after funding completion. We could find while editing that the story needs a few more scenes to make it really stand out, or we need to re-record dialogue on a scene with horrible audio but the lead actor lives in L.A. and not Austin. Because this film is going through the shaping that comes with post-production, there will most likely be some areas we need to fix beyond the standard post-production procedures. We can only discover them as we move the project along, so some deadlines as far as a completed film goes, might be pushed somewhat. But this is how a film gets better! Creativity, perseverance, and resourcefulness are the only ways films get made. We've put one feature film through the entire process, and understand how to get to the finish line.
These challenges we face we welcome and are excited to tackle. But we can’t do it alone. We need your help. Every little bit counts. Please share this campaign with your own friends and family and help us complete this amazing little film. Thank you in advance for your support!
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
119
Backers
$8,820
pledged of $8,800 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
Oct 3, 2012 -
Nov 2, 2012
(30 days)
- First created · 6 backed
- Nicole Elmer 249 friends
- Website: bluepaperfilm.com
Pledge $1 or more
7 backers
River City Donor: At this donation level, your name will appear on our donors' thank-you section on our website.
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $10 or more
19 backers
Rodrigo's Joy Ride Donor: Not only will your name appear on our donors' thank-you section on our website, but you will get the nifty 5 button pack and a shout out on Facebook and Twitter.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2013Pledge $25 or more
27 backers
Shy's Skull Ring Donor: Even more fun stuff! At this donation level, you get the cool 5 button pack, a shout out on our webpage, Facebook, and Twitter, AND...a digital download of the film when done!
Estimated delivery: May 2013Pledge $35 or more
4 backers
Maddy's Death Kit Donor: The featured item at this level is a cool 4" x 4" sticker printed here in Austin! You also get thanks on our webpage, Facebook, Twitter, the 5 button pack, and a digital download of the film once completed.
Estimated delivery: May 2013Pledge $50 or more
12 backers
Lester's Zombies Donor: When pledging at this level, the new item is a very awesome t-shirt! (Image in project description to left). You also get mentioned in thanks on Facebook, Twitter, and our webpage; the 5 button pack; a 4" x 4" sticker; and a digital download of the film when done! (Please don't forget to add $6.00 for shipping in the U.S. and $16.00 for overseas.)
Estimated delivery: May 2013Pledge $50 or more
3 backers Limited (142 of 145 left)
A limited edition, numbered, "What's the Use?" poster by artist Jay Shaw. Only available on this film project! If you are wanting other items AND the poster on this campaign, just write us a message letting us know, and add that reward level to your pledge.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2013Pledge $75 or more
1 backer
JC's Broken Eggs Donor: The "schwag" is piling up for your generosity! The new item at this level is a full color 13" x 19" poster! (See image to left) You also get thanks on our webpage, Twitter, and Facebook; the 4" x 4" sticker; the 5 button pack; a digital download of the film once done; and the rad t-shirt. (Please don't forget to add $10 for U.S. shipping and $20 for overseas. This one will come in two separate packages.)
Estimated delivery: May 2013Pledge $100 or more
10 backers
The Love Guru Donor: You patron of the arts! The new item at this level is a limited edition DVD of the film including bloopers and deleted scenes! You can also expect to receive: thanks on our webpage, Twitter, and Facebook; the 4" x 4" sticker and 5 button pack; a digital download of the film when done; a t-shirt; and a full color 13" x 19" poster. (Please don't forget to add $15 for shipping in the U.S. and $25 for shipping overseas. This will come in two separate packages.)
Estimated delivery: May 2013Pledge $250 or more
0 backers
Peck's Russian Book Club Donor: The new item at this donation level is...a thank you in our film credits. Yes, your name in the credit sequence roll at the end of the film! You will also be mentioned on our webpage, Twitter, Facebook; receive the 5 button pack, the 4" x 4" sticker, t-shirt, 13" x 19" color poster, the digital download of the film when completed, and a limited edition DVD of the film. (Please add $15 for shipping in the U.S., and $25 for overseas shipping. This one will come in two separate packages.)
Estimated delivery: May 2013Pledge $500 or more
4 backers
Tony's Close Shave Donor: At this level, you will receive all the goodies mentioned above, in addition to an associate producer's credit in the film! This means you also get a listing on IMDB (the Internet Movie Database). (Please add $15 for shipping in the U.S., and $25 for overseas shipping. This one will come in two separate packages.)
Estimated delivery: May 2013Pledge $1,000 or more
2 backers
Sara's Stolen Dress Donor: Pledging at this level or above means you get all we can give! Wow! Not only will you get top billing as an associate producer and an IMDB credit for the film, playwright Jason Tremblay (our writer) has generously agreed to donate his creative talent to writing a 10 page script on whatever topic you want. The script is yours to keep. You'll also get thanks on our webpage, Facebook, and Twitter in addition to our merchandise: the 4" x 4" sticker, 5 button pack, digital download of the film when done, the t-shirt, 13" x 19" color poster, and limited edition DVD. (Please add $15 for shipping the in U.S., and $25 for overseas. This will come in two separate shipments.)
Estimated delivery: May 2013
