About
Loss of Mt. Rainier
$2,117
32
Our Story
Loss of Mt. Rainier is many things. It’s a short film about two social media stars, Justin and Jacey. It’s a little Weekend at Bernie’s, while also happening to be a loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story "Loss of Breath". It’s got candy colors like the 1990’s as well as refrigerator magnet letters for a title font. It’ll have some horror, some comedy, some terror, and a shock or two between macabre laughs on its way to Mt. Rainier.
The film brings together the talents and creativity of a number of artists, many of whom are connected with the Olympia Film Collective, a nonprofit organization devoted to filmmaking located in Olympia, WA. Money that this Kickstarter raises will go to those same awesomely talented cast and crew (you can read about them below), as well as food, costumes, props, and equipment.
The Team
Michael Gray - Writer / Director
Michael Gray is a filmmaker and media artist. Some of his past personal projects have included LJ’s Trip, a time-tripping web series, the short film Tuesday, the H.P. Thomcraft cycle of tales, and the documentary Turning Negative Positive / 4200 Cedar Mural. He is the host of the film spotlight TV show Short and Sweet and has also created videos for non-profits and artists with missions of social justice. In addition to making movies, he is a professor of film production/media communication at South Puget Sound Community College and serves on the board of the Olympia Film Collective. Mike resides in Olympia and still finds time on Sundays to play old-school pen-and-paper RPGs with his friends.
Riley Gibson - Producer
Riley Gibson is an international award-winning film director, cinematographer, and documentarian. He has produced over 150 commercial videos and is one of the founding members of the Olympia Film Collective. Riley’s past films have included an adaptation of the Raymond Carver story Where I’m Calling From, a music video for the Harry Nilsson/John Lennon collaboration the Flying Saucer Song, and the feature film Sink. He currently teaches video editing at South Puget Sound Community College and has co-owned and operated Sky Bear Media since 2014.
James Clark - Justin
Growing up, James lived in a cabin next to Salmon Ditch Creek in the small town of Littlerock, WA. (It's not as bad as it sounds.) After graduating from Tumwater High School, he attended Central Washington University where he studied sociology and theater.
Ariel Birks - Jacey
Ariel Birks is an Olympia based actor, singer, and writer. She studied musical theater at the Evergreen State College where she regularly appeared on stage, in musicals, and even hosted a fictional game show. Her writing has been published in several zines and poetry publications. Her music recordings can be heard on the Well, I Don't See Why Not series on the Antiquated Future label. Ariel is also currently a member of the Evergreen Experimental Music Ensemble.
Jim Stewart Allen - Adam
Jim Stewart Allen is a stand-up who found his comedic groove and voice in Bellingham, WA, while getting his history degree at Western Washington University. He now performs all over the Pacific Northwest, delighting audiences with his excitement and enthusiasm. Hell bent on making the strangest of topics hilarious to everyone, you can usually hear Jim ranting about 18th century battle tactics, NFL punters, and even the ever so famous educational computer game, “The Oregon Trail.” Jim has performed in the 2014 Seattle International Comedy Competition, and his historical video recently won “fan favorite” in Comedy Central’s Drunk History video competition. He is being featured on the new Oregon Lottery commercials and has been seen on Portland's NBC affiliate network KGW8 playing and talking about the educational computer game, "The Oregon Trail," in preparation for his upcoming documentary!
Crystal Meyer - Maddie
Crystal Meyer is an actor and has appeared in a number of short films including: Post-It, Perpetual, Movie Fight, and Us. She can sing, play ukulele, dance, and is a trained clown. Crystal is based in Olympia, WA.
Dylan Glockler - Director of Photography
Dylan Glockler is a full-time filmmaker and part-time explorer. While acting as cinematographer on micro independent films, he has garnered experience on larger motion pictures including Lovelace by Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein and Rabbit Hole directed by John Cameron Mitchell. With a background in design, development, and business management, he does web design and development for clients in entertainment when he is not shooting films.
Marena Teixeira - Graphic Designer / Camera Department
Marena Teixeira has assisted in many Olympia based films and has directed a few of her own, Matthew being her most recent. Her interests in directing and assisting camera developed once she enrolled in South Puget Sound Community College’s film program. She is currently studying film and painting at the San Francisco Art Institute.
Leo King - Camera Department
Leo King is a filmmaker and camera operator based in Olympia, WA. His past films have included The Lost Peacock Documentary and The Goat Psychic. As well as serving on the Olympia Film Collective’s education committee, he is currently working on a documentary dealing with homelessness in the Pacific Northwest.
Ruby - Canine Actor
My name is Ruby. My favorite things are burrowing in crotches and biting Gidget.
Gidget - Canine Actor
I quite like George Clooney. I hope he’ll be in this film. Love, Gidget.
Follow Us Online
Facebook - Loss of Mt. Rainier
See you on Rainier :)
Risks and challenges
Murphy’s Law might as well be a euphemism for filmmaking. Even with the best planned productions, things go wrong. For the filmmaker who does not anticipate difficulty, obstruction, or even a straight-up maelstrom from the pages of Poe, it can lead to ruin.
The people working on this film, however, are seasoned professionals. Significant time and effort have gone into the planning of the filming itself. We have also built our production in such a way that there is ample time to readjust in the event that the unexpected happens.
While there are risks associated with making any film, we also all love making movies; this is a challenge we are ready to meet.
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Funding period
- (24 days)