Hello, my name is Robert Filion (
IMDB Page). I've been afflicted since childhood with a disease that the CDC denies exists... filmmaking. In college, I began my journey as a fledgling television production major because I couldn't afford tuition to a film school. I struggled through 8 years of corporate and TV gigs until I decided it was time to focus a bit harder on creativity and my passion. Since that time, I not only continued to expand my TV and corporate resume, but also completed about 30 shorts and 6 feature films with various groups and in a wide variety of capacities. All of this work has lead to not only me sharpening my production skills in Sound, Photography, Lighting, Editing, Producing, Production Management and Directing, but also to my decision to create my first feature length production... aka the Holy Grail of filmmaking.
My eyes were fully opened after my American Zombie competition win in 2009 when I was able to meet one of my life long heroes, George A. Romero. At that moment, I knew I should be doing this full time.
Watch See the Dead
Original Award Winning Short Film from Robert W. Filion
Learn more about me...
- An interview for Fangoria Magazine
- Inspirational Filmmaker of the Week
- An interview with me for Eerie Digest
- American Zombie Win with Creative Loafing
I discussed all of the options with my family, and came up with a way to pay for the production and much of post out of pocket. Why out of pocket? Well, I hate to shatter your illusions of me, but I don't know any Hollywood moguls, or investors with deep pockets, I'm simply a very hard worker with a bit of ability and talent, a core group of family, friends, and colleagues eager to assist and two miniature dachshunds. Simply, this has always been a dream of mine, and I've worked my fingers to the bone to make it happen to this point... and will continue long after this has been read and shared. It's been years in the making, even prior to recording the first frame.
So what is "Athena," you ask?
(or perhaps you didn't, but I just put it in your head, so now I've committed to an answer)
"Athena" (Athena Facebook Page) is Michael Louis Calvillo's (Michael's Blog) final writing project. He has since moved on from this world, and I now have the honor of completing it as a tribute of sorts. Michael was a phenomenal writer, and was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award with his first novel "I Will Rise" in 2007 and again with "Blood and Gristle" and "7 Brains" in 2011 (Michael on Amazon). It was my pleasure to know him as a friend and now to be charged with taking his first script from print to screen.
More than that, "Athena" (Athena on IMDB) is a multi-layered character study containing elements of horror, science fiction, drama, and a touch of dark comedy.
It's about Carl (Played by Matthew Ewald), whose life has crumbled, and who now exists as a shell of a man. His wretched existence is punctuated by the loss of his wife and all of the emotional scarring that has created.
It's also about Emily (Played by Vanelle), who is not well herself. She may be slightly schizophrenic and manic depressive, but she's doing fine in general... stable job, active social life. Things could be better, if only she had Carl.
There is hope, however. Hope in the form of a voice which appears to Carl, then to Emily. That voice is Athena (Voiced by Mahri Shelton), but is she merely manipulating the situation, or is she genuinely attempting to help these two people? Life is messy, and she could be making things worse.
For 19 days, principal photography ran nearly flawlessly over several weekends from October 2011 - July 2012 with the help of a professional and hardworking cast & crew. Between the days of photography, I was in post production for thousands of hours, editing together and fine tuning what I feel is the best representation of the work.
To this day, I still toil with the huge amount of work between my day job, side jobs and this project. Together with Joseph Miller, who is charged with creating the original music and final 5.1 surround sound mix (Joe's Website), and Xaavia Studios who are charged with the more complex animations (Xaavia's Website), we have come to this point. I need to include more people in the mix... people qualified to deliver a quality finished motion picture and specialize in some very specific fields.
What We Need
We are raising finishing funds to help with the costs of this very expensive motion picture. When we set out on this project, I knew it would take more money than we had to put into it, but felt that we could more easily get people behind us with a nearly completed project than with one merely part of a dream I had last night.
In order to finish "Athena," the more money we can raise, the faster we can turn out the finished project. At this point, the finish line seems to be within grasp, but doing things as I have been is simply slowing the proceedings and likely sacrificing quality.
I've set a $15,000 goal for the short term, but should we exceed that, there are still plenty of avenues where that money could help in the ongoing struggle to get this project into the hands of fans like you.
So, why $15,000? First, don't believe all of the press about some movie being made for pennies and receiving distribution.. this happens for perhaps .001% of all indie projects created. Timing and relationships must also be factored in as well. Most filmmakers will attest that making motion pictures is an exceedingly laborious act of passion which requires resources and donations from all involved, especially on the independent level. We can count on vast amounts of sleepless nights, watching our bank accounts dwindle down to pocket lint and our homes becoming infested with vermin because we can no longer afford the basics. Now, the numbers...
Main Costs
- $5,000 *Foley and Sound Design
- $5,000 Color Grading
- $1,000 Poster, lobby cards & Disc cover creation and printing
- $4,000 Film Festival & Convention Submissions & DVD Duplicates
*Foley is the process by which additional "life" sounds are created in a controlled environment and placed within the sound track of a movie. Things like footsteps, material rubbing, etc.
Additional Costs (for funding over the $15,000 mark)
- $2,000 Additional for original motion picture music & final mix
- $10,000 Additional for Film Festival & Convention Submissions, Prints & Attendance
There are so many other avenues for this money to be used, but the above represent the most vital at this point. Below are a few more future avenues, though, costs have not yet been assessed.
- Attorney Fees
- Copyrighting
- MPAA Rating
Should we not make our goal, the game is not over. Every little bit will help, and as a result, we opted for the flexible funding campaign. No matter what, we will finish this project, it's simply a matter of time and generosity; we are hoping that fans will be interested in assisting us in this.
Please check out our perks on the right... you will receive something at every level as well as my personal gratitude. We place great pride and love in everything we do as a group, and are so pleased you are interested in helping us on this project.
Other Ways You Can Help
I know what you're thinking now... how the heck can I help if I haven't two pennies to rub together? The answer is simple, please share this most humble request with your friends and family. We know times have been rough lately, but feel this is entertainment worth getting out there. Please don't hesitate to use Facebook, Twitter or even the Indiegogo sharing tools located just under the pitch video above. This can only happen with your help and support. Thank you so much for your time.