The Logline.
“When the real world becomes too violent, the children of one community escape by imagining a new one."
The Story.
This is a story about…
• Street violence,
• Over-protective parents,
• Missing children,
• And vigilante justice gone wrong.
‘A BETTER PLACE’ is an urban fantasy about an eight year old girl living in a neighborhood where the children are not allowed outside to play. To escape their isolation and boredom, the children begin to fantasize about a different world. They begin to disappear, one-by-one, inside an abandoned building that becomes a portal to their fantasy. Their outraged parents become part of the problem as they violently target local sex offenders and vagrants to find the missing children. They eventually trace them to the abandoned building, but only toys and remnants of their clothing remain.
The Themes.
This story touches on a number of social issues, including street violence and child neglect, but it’s really a statement against the reactionary stance many of us take on these issues. We immediately blame the perpetrators without investigating the underlying root causes of crime and violence… like the lack of education, opportunity and support that drives the most vulnerable of our population out into the streets. In this story, the parents perceive the criminals and outcasts of our society to be the greatest threats to their children’s well-being, but the violence and destruction they use to “clean” their streets creates more disruption and instability, further driving the community’s children to seek a safe haven elsewhere – in a fantasy world – that ironically resides in an abandoned crack house.
The Issue.
I wrote this film as an exploration of how children are affected by violence, past the obvious physical threats to the danger such environments place on the psyche of young minds. Street violence is a problem, but keeping children indoors is not a solution. They need outlets and alternatives, like after-school activities, clubs and organizations that keep them occupied and help them grow.
The Team.
Elizabeth Bayne (Writer/Director) is a Virginia transplant now earning her M.F.A from Art Center College of Design. Her previous education and experience includes a Masters of Public Health from Yale University and several years of public service programming at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where she assisted on a national PSA campaign backed by The Ad Council. Elizabeth employs narrative filmmaking to explore the health and social issues that affect different communities.
Francis Pollara (Producer) is a film producer and CEO of Ladeson Productions; earning his B.A. from Art Center College of Design with a focus on Industrial Design. His productions have received global recognition, winning a College Television Emmy, a Clio Award, the Saatchi & Saatchi 2010 Showcase at Cannes, and a South by Southwest Music Video Award win for Cinnamon Chasers – Luv Deluxe, which has more than two million hits on Youtube.
TJ Tamayo (Co-Producer) is a native Angelino currently earning her M.F.A from Art Center College of Design with a focus in Writing and Directing. She attended Saint Louis University, a private university in the Philippines, and graduated with a B.A. in Mass Communications in 2001. She has worked in several film productions such as The Audition, Marvin and Orange Skies, taking on various lead roles such as director, cinematographer, assistant director, writer and producer.
Justin Gunari (Cinematographer) helms from New Jersey and is currently earning his M.F.A. from Art Center College of Design with a focus in Cinematography. Justin received a B.F.A. from Emerson College in 2005, but has been active since 2002, shooting programs for Food Network, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, the CW, NBC, TLC. He has Cinematographer credits on over 35 short films, music videos and commercials; festival credits include South By Southwest, MTV Movie Awards, and Cannes Int’l Film Festival.
Julie Chen (Production Design) attends Art Center College of Design where she studies Fine Art with a focus in Production design. Julie was born in Taiwan and began her studies at 14, returning to Taiwan for her solo art exhibition at 17. Her great eye for color and texture, sensitivity for surroundings, and strong understanding of story and character have made Julie’s film sets beautiful and unique.
Why $12,000?
$12,000 is what we calculated as the minimum amount of capital needed to begin production (equipment rental, location fees, special effects, and catering) and have enough for post-production (editing and sound mixing) to complete our film for showcases and festivals by the first quarter of 2011! Francis Pollara will be securing the budget and managing costs throughout to allow this project to happen for such a small budget.