Following a young immigrant named Tyler, "A Dead Pixel in the Sky" is at it's core, a story about the pursuit of a dream at the convergence of cities and the internet.
Why the campaign?
The team has great ambitions for the story. Central to this project is a desire to capture the authenticity of Tyler’s engagement with his environment, an ambitious project which necessitates resources that our student loans unfortunately cannot cover. Because of this, we’re asking for a little help.
Who are we?
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As you might’ve guessed already, we’re a team of student filmmakers. Currently in the final year of the BA (Hons) Film Practice course at the London College of Communication, “A Dead Pixel in the Sky” will be our graduation film.
After giving brief introductions in the video, in no particular order, here’s a little more information about the crew who are currently on board the project:
Having penned the story himself, Justin Chen will be in the director’s seat for this film. With experience of directing shorts, editorials, music videos and more, his understanding of visual storytelling is unparalleled.
In the role of production designer is the equally accomplished Lili Min. Having worked with Justin on another script entitled “Blue Moon” back in the 1st year of studies, the pair’s strong collaboration is going to be central to making this film happen.
Similarly, another member of our crew, Aimee Li, was part of the aforementioned project with Lili and Justin. Taking on the role of sound designer and recorder for “A Dead Pixel in the Sky”, Aimee’s attention to the details of everyday life will be a great asset for this film.
As for the camera and lighting department, we’re in the safe hands of Tilo Zhu-Dollenbacher, our cinematographer, and Limon-Li, our gaffer. The two handled the visuals of a recent uni project called “Cloud”, which involved filming on board moving vehicles and weaving a camera through a dimly-lit gambling hall. Further enhancing Tilo and Limon’s collaboration, we’re fortunate to have Adam Cady as 1st AC. With experience directing a huge list of films across London, his passion for storytelling, as well as his knowledge of filming across the city, make him a much-needed part of the team.
Handling the producorial side of things, we’ve got Barney Gibbons, who will be continuing to work in a role he has specialised in for a large part of his studies. Reading the script, he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be producer once more.
Last but definitely not least, Ruxi Bratfalean-Igna will be in the cutting room for this project. For some time now, Ruxi has taken on the mantle of editor for films both inside and outside of university, so much so that editing has become second nature to her. Willing to expand her experience though, Ruxi will also be our 1st AD on the project. Her combined skill in both roles will no doubt be crucial to bringing this story to life.
Where will your donations go?
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Having received some funding already, we’re looking to crowdfund £2,000 in order to shoot the film comfortably.
To communicate this story with resonance requires capturing the vast change in space Tyler experiences as he enters the city by car. Because of this, we’re in most need of money to cover our transport and location costs.
We’ll be filming our lead actor driving through various boroughs of London, something which will involve renting both a car for him to drive and a support vehicle to carry crew and equipment. Complying with the Met Police Film Service Unit’s guidelines, we will need to apply for various Notices of No Objection in order to film in a moving vehicle, a cost which can reach as high as £75 per day. Not only this, we’ll also need to obtain permits from multiple boroughs to create unit bases where the crew can be situated while the actor is driving.
As well as capturing the city’s breadth, we’re also looking to communicate its depth, another element of the project which has sizeable costs. We’ll be filming the final act of our script in a Chinese Diner. As you can perhaps imagine, taking the business of the owners out of action for a while is unfortunately not cheap. Additionally, Lili has plans to add custom-made décor to the space, and for this she requires money for materials.
Apart from transport and locations, other significant chunks of our budget will be taken up by camera, notably mounts to fix equipment to Tyler’s car; catering - to ensure our cast & crew are fed and watered throughout production- and a contingencies buffer for safe measure.
What do you get in return?
We’ve put some thought into devising a whole range of perks we can offer you in return for any size of donation you can afford. These include:
- A digital thank you message from the team
- An early release, digital copy of the film
- Tickets to a fundraiser night we’ll be putting on * (for more info, please see the poster below)
- “A Dead Pixel in the Sky” postcard with a handwritten thank you from the team (shipped internationally)
- A signed, A3 fold-out "A Dead Pixel in The Sky" poster (shipped internationally). This will be designed by our good friend Jonathan Chen (https://thisisuntitled.work)
- Special Thanks credits, which will also come with a selection of our best perks
- Executive producer credits, which will also come with a selection of our best perks
To get your hands on any of the above, please head on over to our perks section on the right (computer) or above (mobile).
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Other Ways You Can Help
While every penny helps, if you are unable to contribute financially, sharing the project across social media and with family and friends would be greatly appreciated. We’ll be posting updates on the project via our Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/adeadpixelinthesky/) and through newsletters (via adeadpixelinthesky@gmail.com).
Your Impact
And finally… we hope that in reading this post you can feel assured of one thing - by offering to support this film in any way possible, you’ll be helping to bring to life a story which, through an engagement with both current and timely themes, provides a wholly worthwhile resonance.
Many thanks,
The "A Dead Pixel In The Sky" Team
