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ABOUT
A young girl falls asleep and imagines her mirror is a portal to another world filled with nonsense creatures who challenge her notion of civilized society. The longer she sleeps, the further her dream devolves into a nightmare.
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There is an adaptation and reinvention of the classic Lewis Carroll novel by the same name. Though originally penned as a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Looking-Glass is a profound story of aging and death, alternate perceptions of reality and our interior worlds, as well as a tale of nonsense that begs to be revered and interpreted as a stand-alone piece just as much as a companion to Wonderland.
Our version of the classic will interpolate fresh concepts and ideas into the tale, while staying true to the original themes. Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There will bring together puppetry, animation, nonsense, and surreal horror to illustrate the other side of the mirror. You will be reintroduced to timeless characters such as Alice, Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, the Red and White Queens, Humpty Dumpty, and more - you may even meet some new faces and explore new places rooted in the nonsensical world we find ourselves in today.
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Pictured here is a mock up character design for our "Walrus and the Carpenter" animation by Sam Henry
WHO ARE YOU?
My name is Grace Tarducci and I am a DIY filmmaker, stop motion animator, and a passionate fan of Alice. I make art about women finding their place in and coming to understand the world. This includes my previous feature film, Blue World, as well many other shorts and animations I have done over the years.
The Alice stories are the most important books in the world to me. I have read both of them countless times, I have written and directed an Alice play, and I am a card-carrying member of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America.
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WHAT WE NEED
This is the first fundraising campaign for our film, and based on our script and speculated practical needs, we have set a goal of raising $20,000 to enable us to make this movie the way we've envisioned. The $20,000 will be used to shoot pre-production animation and the live action portion of Looking-Glass.
Requirements for Looking-Glass Include:
- Puppet fabrication (for both live action and stop motion puppets)
- Set design for stop motion sequences
- A cinematographer/DP who can work with both our puppets and our actors
- Power for night shoots, which will take place in both the woods and a city
- Hard drives
- Makeup/Special Effects artist
- Location Rental
- Studio Rental
- Period Costumes
- Transportation
- Food for actors/crew
PERKS
We've set up a crowdfunding perk program that includes:
- Special Thanks in our end credits
- A Surprise Unbirthday Present
- A personalized greeting video from one of our puppets
- A one of a kind print from our pre-production photoshoot
- A copy of the book Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There signed by the entire cast and crew
- Associate Producer Credit
- Executive Producer Credit
And best of all:
- One of three prototype puppets used in the proof of concept
- A puppet used on the set of the film for three special big donors
We plan to make this movie next year regardless of whether or not we reach our entire goal amount. We are aware that making a movie independently is extremely difficult, and we are committed to this project even if we are unable to make our ideal version. As DIY filmmakers we are no strangers to coming up with inventive low budget solutions. However, reaching our goal would be monumental in allowing us to fully make our dream film a reality. Our ultimate ambition is to make the best version of this film we can make. Any contribution big or small is greatly appreciated, and puts us a huge step closer to this goal!
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WHY THIS FILM, WHY NOW?
We live in a time of turmoil and contradiction. It is times like these when escapism through the arts, particularly fantasy, can be extremely valuable. Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There considers universal questions that both reflect the moment we are in and allow us to retreat into our own psyches. Plus it has puppets and cartoons!
Our team is made up of multidisciplinary artists who love movies and have more than one long-form project under their belts; Blue World (written and directed by Grace Tarducci, starring Sophia Tarducci, produced by Eric McKenzie, scored by Marcel Legros) and Dream Makers (written/directed by, and starring Eric Mckenzie).
Looking-Glass will present a version of Alice you have never seen before. The Alice books are near and dear to so many of us and we would love to present an Alice that a contemporary audience can see themselves in. Making this film independently is the way we see most fit to push boundaries thematically, emotionally, and aesthetically. If you are someone who appreciates media that is outside of the box, please consider supporting this film.
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TEAM BIOS
Meet our wonderfully ambitious team of artists. This tight-knit team has worked together on multiple projects and is thrilled to be embarking on this journey together.
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Grace Tarducci (Writer/Director/Animator) (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based director, writer, stop motion animator, and visual artist. Tarducci has an extensive body of short-form work, both live and animated. In 2023, she completed her first feature film, Blue World, for which she won the ELOA grant and was featured in the Los Angeles Liftoff Festival. You can find her inventive micro-budget work on YouTube, Vimeo, and Instagram @gracetarducci.
Eric McKenzie (Executive Producer) (he/him) is a writer, director, producer and comedian based in Chicago. He’s worked on lots of scrappy little projects like a web series he created called Dream Makers. He also produced Blue World, Grace’s debut feature. Eric thinks this Alice film is just the kind of freaky ambitious low-budget work the space needs right now. How do I know that? He is me. Eric is currently in post on some exciting things but in the meantime you can see him react to an episode of Sex and the City every day on TikTok @sixandthetwenty.
Sophia Tarducci (Puppeteer) (she/her) employs puppetry in live performances, video works, and stop motion animations. Alongside her creative partners, Ethan Simone and Soph Schiavone, Tarducci founded the Chicago-based collective, Shoestring Puppets. Shoestring Puppets has performed in Nasty, Brutish and Short, The Yuck Show, many SAIC showcases, and their very own Shoestring Puppet’s Cabaret at The Color Club. Sophia also has several solo projects available on YouTube and has performed in the New Orleans Giant Puppet Festival in Jacqueline Wade’s production. She often works with the International Puppet Festival of Chicago as a production assistant and puppet builder. In addition to her robust puppet repertoire, Tarducci has also acted in several film projects, including her starring role in Blue World.
Marcel Legros (Film Composer/Voice Actor) (he/him) is a musician, writer and software engineer based in Brooklyn, NY. Legros is best known as one third of the creative team behind the music software company, Ayisen. In 2022, Ayisen released Observer, a digital synthesizer that utilizes geometric shapes to create uniform musical patterns. Legros has been releasing independent music on Bandcamp and Soundcloud since 2014. His film experience comes from scoring and writing original music for Blue World. Legros’ poetry has been published in jubilat and Sugar House Review. You can find his work on Ayisen.com, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp @marcelegros.
Sam Henry (Animator/Illustrator) (he/him) is an illustrator, animator, sculptor, and designer based in Pittsburgh. He has previous film experience assisting as an audio tech during the production of Blue World. He is currently working on an indie game project called DOLLMAKER, which will be available to download on Steam. He posts developer updates and illustrations on his instagram account @samhenryart.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
Please share, share, share! Attention for projects like this comes mainly from word of mouth, so if you have any interest in this project please tell your friends and share this campaign!
If you would like to contact the team directly, please feel free to send us an email at smallamericanproductions@gmail.com.
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