Years after civilization has fallen, Sleep, Wake, Forget follows the story of two brothers who were able to survive their destroyed world due to a unique gift - the ability to look into the minds of others. Through collected memories of a past they never knew, they learned how to survive on their own... and how to defend themselves against the creatures that mankind had become.
The dangers of this world, however, cannot be avoided forever. The infected are uncontrollable, deadly - anyone bitten must be killed immediately. But when tragedy strikes, one brother casts aside these rules, stopping at nothing to try to save his only family.
Ariel Vida began writing Sleep, Wake, Forget in 2010. After working multiple jobs while attending college full-time, Vida was able to fund her dream in 2012, covering production costs and purchasing film equipment including a RED Scarlet-X Camera and Zeiss lenses in order to bring Sleep, Wake, Forget to life with her dedicated cast and crew.
Read more about Ariel's passion and persistence here in The Big Green.
After receiving over 2,000 applicants from across the midwest, Andrew Way and Velizar Ionikov were selected to fill the roles of Liam and Max. Inspired by the narrative themes of The Road and 28 Days Later, as well as the fantastical visual nature of films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Pan's Labyrinth, the passionate cast and crew of young filmmakers spent long days and nights of filming and traveling throughout the state of Michigan to showcase a world where human civilization has collapsed but nature still thrives… and hope still flickers.
In capturing this tale of two brothers at the end of the world, the team spent thirty-five days of production from August to November in locations including Michigan's magnificent Upper Peninsula landscape and the cities of Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Jenison, Lansing, Detroit, and Ann Arbor. Sleep, Wake, Forget was featured in articles in The Detroit Free Press and The Muskegon Chronicle after a rigorous day of filming in Muskegon with almost 100 zombie extras.
Post-production for the film continued into the summer of 2013 as Vida finished her final year of studies at Michigan State University, graduating in the spring. However, as Sleep, Wake, Forget is edited, some final steps are needed in order to bring this independent film to audiences.
We are currently at a crossroads with Sleep, Wake, Forget. While we have completed filming, there are still some final steps needed before the movie can be sent to festivals and shared with audiences. There are several elements of post-production that require additional funding, and we can't complete the film without your help.
While sclera contacts were used to show the spread of the infection in the diseased creatures, some visual effects are still needed to finalize a cohesive look for the infected. Composite work is also needed in order to further bring to life the crumbling post-apocalyptic city.
Great audio is crucial to a film's quality, and there is a lot of work to be done with sound mixing in a fantastical story that involves not only looking into the memories of others, but falling into the chaos caused by infection as Max's memories turn against him. A considerable amount of studio time is needed in order to record foley, ADR, telepathy voiceovers, and our original soundtrack.
And finally, in order to share this film with you, Sleep, Wake, Forget will be entered in film festivals both nationally and internationally - which amounts to a great deal of festival submission costs.
These are the costs associated with each step of post-production:
Visual Effects: $750
Festival Fees: $1000
Recording Original Score: $1000
Sound Mixing: $2000
Pick-Up Filming: $750
Music Rights: $1000
ADR & Telepathy Voiceover Recording: $1000
Total: $7,500 (Post-Production Budget Needed)
+ $850 (Kickstarter & Amazon fees)
= $8,350 (Our Kickstarter Goal)
Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects like ours to raise enough funding to finish a quality film. Every day, thousands of amazing people donate to independent filmmakers, game developers, musicians and more. And remember - every Kickstarter must be fully funded before its time expires, or the production does not receive any of the donations. For more information, visit the Kickstarter info page here.
ANDREW WAY (Liam) is a Music Theatre major at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Some favorite theatre credits include A Chorus Line (Zach), Les Miserables (Marius), and The Pajama Game (Sid) as well as the U.S. premiere of Eric Whitacre's new musical, Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings.
He has been spotted performing in Carnegie Hall, Duke Chapel, and the Washington National Cathedral. He also recently made his choreographic debut with Schoolhouse Rock! Live at St. Richard Theatre Company in Ohio.
VELIZAR IONIKOV (Max) has always found comfort and joy in working with film. Having moved from Bulgaria to the United States at age 6, film became an outlet to learn the language and he fell in love with storytelling.
Velizar started acting in high school and has gone on to train at various acting studios to develop his skill. He has since worked on commercials (D.A.R.E), short films (T.R.U.SA) and modeling with Jennifer Avello. His first major break was landing the lead role in the film Luzia (2011).
ARIEL VIDA (Director & Screenwriter) grew up in the world of theatre and has always been enamored by storytelling, the magic of bringing to life compelling worlds and fascinating characters. Ariel won the first place award for undergraduate filmmaking at Michigan State University in 2012, graduating in 2013 with the Board of Trustees Award for highest grade point average. Her previous work has been shown in film festivals internationally, and her original plays have been selected for regional theatre festivals.
Ariel filmed Sleep, Wake, Forget while studying Arts & Humanities, Film, and Theatre at MSU - personally funding the production with a variety of jobs over her college career including Resident Assistant, Night Supervisor, Professorial Research Assistant, Media Lab Consultant, Teachers Assistant, Waitress, and Theatre Technician. Ariel, 22, was recently awarded a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs in order to produce a music documentary in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, following The Lansing Unionized Vaudeville Spectacle.
Learn more about Ariel at wondriafilms.com.
And learn more about the rest of the hard-working Sleep, Wake, Forget crew here.
Thank you for your time and have a lovely day!
Risks and challenges
'Sleep, Wake, Forget' has completed all filming save for a small handful of pick-up shots for transitions between scenes, so there is no risk that the story will not be captured for audiences to see - it is already there, waiting to be shared with you! The funds we are raising now are in order to make the finished product as solid as possible, to do justice to this story, with excellent sound and visuals.
Every step of creating a film, especially a feature film, comes with challenges - expected and unexpected - but we are confident that we will overcome these impediments just as we have throughout the past years of working passionately on this project. The finish line is within sight, and we're elated to meet you at the end.
Donors to our Kickstarter will be notified of each step we take throughout post-production, including any of these challenges that may make delivery of prizes or the film itself take any longer than initially imagined. Our progress will be transparent to all of our supporters, and we will answer any questions or concerns you have at any point even after this campaign has ended. We cannot thank you enough for your support and belief in us, and therefore we will not let you down!
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Funding period
- (24 days)