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A Living Nightmare, Psychological-Drama Short Film

A Living Nightmare, Psychological-Drama Short Film

A Living Nightmare, Psychological-Drama Short Film

A Living Nightmare, Psychological-Drama Short Film

A Living Nightmare, Psychological-Drama Short Film

A roommate horror story

A roommate horror story

A roommate horror story

A roommate horror story

Anya Barrus
Anya Barrus
Anya Barrus
Anya Barrus
1 Campaign |
Los Angeles, United States
$1,150 USD by 20 backers
$1,150 USD by 20 backers on Sep 2, 2024

Logline

During a police interrogation, a young woman recounts her growing frustrations with her roommate’s erratic behaviors and discovers the dark truth behind them.

Director's Statement

It took me until the end of my freshman year of college to recognize just how strange the relationships I’d fostered with my roommates were. They were people that had seen me at my most personal, most intimate, most disgusting moments. They had seen me wrapped up with wet towels, breaking down from stress, and bedridden from illnesses. Yet, they weren’t even what I’d consider acquaintances, let alone friends. A part of me wondered if it was jarring for them to be reminded that I had a life outside of the small environment we resided in—to see how the rest of the world perceived me. 

This idea propelled me when creating “A Living Nightmare.” I was fascinated by how people could live in the same space but lead completely different realities than me. Conversely, this film centers on a protagonist who can’t comprehend this idea, and instead refuses to give empathy for her roommate who clearly shows sign of mental decline—until, of course, it’s too late. I wanted to explore how someone’s entire view of the world and themselves can be completely shattered in one day, and how guilt can fundamentally change a human being. 

Through this story, I aim to urge audiences to take the extra second to think about how someone’s behavior can come from factors beyond their usual character. In a world as judgmental as this one, it can be easy to slip into a never ending blame game, but a little bit of empathy can go a long way—especially to those who might be too afraid to ask for it.

Budget

G&E Equipment: $200

Production Design: $80

Hair & Makeup: $50

Set Operations: $120

Lunches: $330

Transportation: $40

Festivals: $200

Contingency: $79

Why This Film?

Independently produced by USC film students Katie Youn, A.K. Barrus, and Gabriel Tiong, this film tackles mental health and depression, issues that are becoming increasingly important to the lives of college students and young adults. “A Living Nightmare” is a cautionary tale about what happens when mental health issues are overlooked or ignored. Through this film, we aim to shed light on the reality of college students who often have no choice but to balance a variety of responsibilities alongside their grief and mental illnesses.

The Team

Katie Youn - Director/Executive Producer

Katie Youn is a Korean-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles and Phoenix. Originally hailing from the greater Philadelphia area, her passion for filmmaking began in middle school with class projects. Since then, she has directed and produced multiple award-winning films and has been featured in local news outlets like NBC10 Philadelphia. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Film and Television Production at USC, where she’s collaborated with her peers to create KLBR Films, the student-run company behind her most recent film, Caramel. Katie aims to create raw, humanistic stories from underrepresented communities and is excited to dive deep into “A Living Nightmare.

A.K. Barrus - Writer/Producer

A.K. Barrus is an independent filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where she attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and studied Cinematic Arts and Media Production. As a child, she acted in independent films. Inspired by the female directors who encouraged her both on and off screen, she decided to pivot her love of filmmaking to behind the camera. Since beginning her filmmaking journey at fourteen years old, she's written three features, and countless short films. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Film and TV Production at USC. Through her work, A.K. hopes to tell complex stories that explore political and social issues through a genre lens.

Gabriel Tiong - Producer

Gabriel Tiong is currently a freshman at USC studying Business of Cinematic Arts. He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and his dream was to make it to LA and become a producer.
He has loved movies and tv ever since he was a little kid and dreamed of being able to create stories of his own. He joined his high school’s film program where his film teacher, Mr. Raphael, helped to teach Gabriel everything he knows and got him into USC. Gabriel hopes to create stories that celebrate diversity and inclusion and represent Asian Americans in film. He is so passionate about bringing stories to life and hopes to keep growing as a producer and as a person.

Brandon Jaiyen - Director of Photography

Brandon Jaiyen is a Thai-American filmmaker pursuing a BFA in Film and TV Production at the University of Southern California. He was always putting a lot of effort into video projects in middle school and eventually became a producer for his high school video journalism class. Through that experience, he has been a semi-finalist in Orange County's Artist of the Year and grew a wide portfolio writing and directing his own work, while working on his peers' projects as a cinematographer. Brandon works towards creating films which targets human emotions and themes that are important to him which is why A Living Nightmare is a project he’s very excited to work on.

Sarah Fan - Marketing Director

Sarah Fan is a Chinese-American brand strategist, content creator, and filmmaker raised in Shanghai, China. Her passion for curating memorable experiences and fusing diverse art forms has earned her various awards at the Across Asia Youth Film Festival and the Shanghai Student Film Festival. She also serves as Director of New Media at the Asian Pacific Cinema Association and VP of Social Media at the Marshall Entertainment Association of USC. Currently studying at the intersection of design, computer science, and entrepreneurship at the USC Iovine and Young Academy, she co-founded KLBR Films with its debut project, Caramel. Dedicated to connecting artists with their respective target audiences and amplifying voices, Sarah will ensure that “A Living Nightmare” reaches the people it was made for. 

Gi Gonzales - Production Designer

Gi Gonzales is a Film and Television Production student at USC, hoping to pursue production design as a career. Their passion for production design arose while working on “We Were Strangers,” a student film by Maddy Tsai. Since then, they have also worked on “Caramel,” and plan to work on “Can’t Celebrate” and “In the Gray” in the fall, along with this film. Raised in San Jose, Gi began making films in their junior year of high school. They knew they wanted to help others feel seen through film, especially those who are queer or those who are struggling with mental health issues. This is what drew them to “A Living Nightmare,” both the message and the heavy presence of production design required for this film. Gi hopes that this film makes someone feel seen and understood in their struggles, and sheds light on the difficulties of mental health.

Xander Beaky - Production Designer

Xander Beaky is a game designer based in Los Angeles and Seattle. His dream to create games became a reality in high school when he saved money to buy a computer and studied YouTube videos to learn programming, art, and design. He’s created many experimental games and is proud to have released CYBERDAD on Steam after a program with the Digipen Institute of Technology. He is pursuing a BFA in Game Design and Interactive Development at USC, where he has had the opportunity to collaborate with folk with diverse skill sets and experiences. Since then, his creative interests have now expanded to include film and physical art mediums, and he is thrilled to be a production designer for “A Living Nightmare.”

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A Living Nightmare Playlist

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