I'm Connor Thorpe, and I am the writer and director of "Baby". I started writing "Baby" as a fun, little horror short, but as time (and countless drafts) went on, it turned into something a little more personal. As I developed the script, I felt that I wanted to explore grief - how we repress it, how we resolve it, how it shapes us. I always found it strange how the spectre of someone's absence tends to spill out into other parts of your life the more you try to contain it. I thought it would be interesting to personify Audrey's loss as this mysterious, unruly thing that she has to struggle against. 

I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to check out this page and consider contributing to our project. We have a great team working on "Baby" and, with your help, we can't wait to make it the best film it can be. 

PRODUCTION

During the production of "Baby", our primary costs will be:

• The rental of camera, lighting and grip equipment. The primary team on this project are all professional film technicians, so we have the benefit of knowing exactly what we need. Though we are lucky enough to have established relationships with rental houses, there will still be some costs involved in securing the gear we require.
• Location fees. We've been lucky enough to secure a fantastic primary location that will serve as "The House". Part of the campaign funds will go towards city filming fees, permits and damage deposits (which will be reallocated into post-production budgeting when they are returned).
• Hiring a cat wrangler: Yup. That's a thing. We've scheduled one full day for our "cat work" and have determined that we'll need to hire a focused, professional feline to get the job done without derailing the rest of our shoot. 

POST-PRODUCTION

We have a heavy workload ahead of us in post-production. Some elements we want to focus on are:

• Sound design and score. An effective soundscape is a huge part of what will give this film the character we're looking for. Along with the scratching and the knocking, we need to have a score composed that will mirror Audrey's emotional journey. We see this playing out as a recognizable motif that is used at different speeds and pitches throughout the film, leading to its reveal as a melody from Audrey's past.  
• Visual effects. Though we are going to try to shoot the film in a manner that requires the least visual effects possible, there are several shots that will require them to tell the story we want to tell. As you could imagine, this ain't cheap. 

FESTIVAL FEES

Once the film is finished, we move onto the task of actually getting people to watch it. Having a successful festival run is key for us in getting eyes on this film, and some of the funds raised by this campaign will go towards festival application fees. 

Christie Burke - "Audrey"

Indie darling Christie Burke probably has mixed feelings about Twilight: Breaking Dawn coming up first on her IMDb, seeing as she's shared the screen with the likes of Sam Rockwell and William H. Macy in A Single Shot, and played the lead role of a tormented young mother in Shudder's hit horror from last year, Still/Born, all while having fulfilled her responsibility as a Vancouver-based actor with major chops by doing stints on Supernatural, Van Helsing, Falling Skies, and what have you. Getting Christie to do this part was a major score for the sleazy filmmakers pictured below, and boy, do they know it!

Connor Thorpe - Writer/Director

Connor is a Vancouver based writer who has had his fiction and poetry published in The Antigonish Review (Issues 177 and 189), A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, The Lantern, The Gap-Toothed Madness and The Liar. "Baby", which will be his first produced screenplay, won the November 2018 Script Competition at Sunday Shorts, along with recognition at several other festivals. He also took home Best First Time Screenwriter (December 2018) at Top Shorts along with an honourable mention in the same category at the Los Angeles Film Awards.

"Baby" will be Connor's narrative directorial debut.

Bjorn Hermannes - Director of Photography

Bjorn is a cinematographer who has received numerous awards and nominations for his work, and has been continuously evolving his craft for over a decade. Bjorn's most recent work includes the feature "Martin & Margot", shot in Guatemala and premiering in 2019, and "Acedia", a short thriller.

Andrew Marchand-Boddy - Producer

Andrew is a film producer, director, editor, and camera technician. He is founder of AMB Films, a production company dedicated to producing independent film, music videos, and advertising. His filmography includes titles such as “The Roots Remain” (Best Feature Documentary - Victoria Film Festival, RIDM-Montreal Documentary Festival, Wales Documentary Festival), “Abismo” (Best International Short - Santo Domingo Film Festival), "Boarders Without Borders” (LA Film Festival, Victoria Film Festival). Most recently he produced and directed three short documentaries for World Vision Cambodia. 

Andrew holds a bachelors degree from the renound Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. His talents as a producer and director are demonstrated by his ability to find a balance between business and art to create award winning content.

Aidan Kahn - Producer

Aidan is an actor and filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada. Notable credits include HBO's Lewis and Clark, iZombie, Supernatural, Van Helsing and the X-Files. He has produced and directed a number of shorts and music videos. His first feature-length film as a producer hits theatres in early January.

Aidan is represented by Mary Falcon at Play Management in Vancouver and by Matt Luber at Luber Roklin Entertainment in Los Angeles.

There are several aspects of the story that come with major technical challenges we'll have to face in the production of "Baby". These include:

The Void

The central metaphor of "Baby" lies within the void that now occupies Audrey's childhood bedroom. We want the void behind the door to be portrayed as a threatening, dynamic entity, vast and empty but somehow still very much alive. We plan on achieving this effect with meticulous lighting, a handful of tasteful VFX shots and rich sound design.

Blood

There's a lot of blood in this film. Congealed blood, smeared blood, pooled blood, a deluge of blood from the void. As such a visible element in the story that serves a metaphorical purpose, we want to make sure it's done right. No food colouring and chocolate syrup here. 

First, I want to thank everyone who has talked about, shared or contributed to this campaign. I can't tell you how much your support means to us and how far it will go in making this project a reality. 

If you can't contribute financially, we'd be thrilled and forever grateful if you'd help us get the word out about our campaign by sharing this page on social media. Thank you!