Our goal is simple: we will create a frightening, dark and emotionally gripping science fiction version of Edgar Allan Poe's masterpiece, 'The Tell-Tale Heart,' for a modern audience. 

As a pair of astronauts orbit a distant planet in the future, a mysterious man attempts to convince himself of his sanity while describing his brutal act of murder. As his tale unfolds, he becomes haunted by his deed and a thunderous heartbeat that could only come from the far reaches of space.

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We are incredibly passionate about making this short film happen, and we are prepared to take any necessary risk to see it through both creatively and financially. As the cost of production needs outweigh our resources, we really need your help to make this project come to life. 

Below is a breakdown of some production costs that your contributions will cover:

• Set designer 
  
• Technical assistants
• Anti-gravity wire system
• Computer graphics artists
• Sound recorder and mixer
• Studio space - 3 days
• Construction materials & labor
• Food for the cast & crew
• Camera gear 
• Lights & grip
• Costumes
• Props
• Music
• Festival fees

If we exceed our funding goal, every additional penny will go into the film! The space station set would be more elaborate and realistic, the hand-crafted effects would have extra time and finer materials to maximize quality, and the computer graphics, such as those for the planet itself, will have greater detail to seamlessly blend into the film. 

We are prepared to begin production immediately! We have a great stage location in Los Angeles, and we will be able to shoot a majority of the production during the weekend, maximizing availability from our crew. We will wrap the shoot during this spring, and we will complete the final version of the short film by the end of summer. 

We've put together a ton of great perks and incentives that we are excited to share with supporters:

Don Thiel: Co-Director, Producer, Director of Photography

Don is an award-winning director and life-long movie fan. His passion for filmmaking began at a young age in New Jersey, and inspired him to pursue a career in film at Emerson College in Boston. After graduating in 2006, he moved to Los Angeles where he freelances on a wide range of projects. 

As a cinematographer, Don’s portfolio includes work for JC Penny, Clorox and AllSaints, as well as several short films and features. Recently, he shot and edited the 2nd season of ‘Spoilers!’, a review show from filmmaker Kevin Smith. 

In 2011 Don and his lifelong friend and collaborator, Chris Saphire, produced a short film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’. The short was acclaimed by audiences and critics nationwide, and it won several awards including Best Short at the 2011 HP Lovecraft Film Festival as personally selected by filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro.

Nic Camp: Co-Director, Producer, Writer, Editor

Nic Camp grew up in Illinois and, due to an insatiable appetite for watching films, began making his own short movies of at age nine. He consistently created movies as the years went by, and it was an easy decision to pursue a career in film.

After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, Nic moved to Los Angeles and explored the industry through internships at Joel Silver and Ridley Scott's production offices, and through work on an award-winning short film, a television pilot and music videos. He was hired at a booming production startup that enabled him to produce, direct, shoot and edit a wide variety of projects early in his career, which led to full-time freelancing work. 

Freelancing enabled Nic to focus more on passion projects such as ORBIT, which he and Don have been actively working on since the summer of 2012. 

Another great way to contribute to the making of this film is through social media:

Like our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HideousHeart

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OrbitShortfilm

Use the hashtag on Twitter, Instagram & Tumblr: #hideousheart

Check out the official website: http://HideousHeart.com

We are so fortunate and excited to have a resource that reaches directly to the audience. We are equally excited to connect with you all through social media, to ship all of the perks, and of course, to shoot the film! We will be consistently updating the production process with behind-the-scenes videos, photos and written posts on our social media pages. We cannot wait to see how the project evolves through the shooting and editing process, and to hear and see your reactions to the final product!