Filmed in Georgia, Beat Kid is a story written by Colten Griffin which will be yet another ambitious short film added to his catalog of several directed short films.

A youthful-faced teenage boy named Donny lives with his younger sister Jordon and his broken, drunk mother. With the life given to him, he feels obligated to be a caretaker of Jordon, forcing him into a life of small-time crime. Without a father, he becomes convinced that committing these crimes is for the greater good of his family.

Over the course of one night, Donny commits a crime that forces him to confront all of the people in his life and what has led him down this path.

Starting from a young age, Colten Griffin has always been driven to create new and ambitious ways of storytelling in both his writing and filmmaking, that have pushed his work to be fully realized.

Having shown his films at his local theater and Seattle film festivals, he was awarded second place at the NFFTY 48-hour film challenge for his film Sometimes Monsters.

Specializing in screenwriting and directing, Colten has seen himself in every aspect of the filmmaking process with experience in sound design, editing, cinematography, and producing. His commitment to each project and seeing it through to the end is one of many qualities that make him a strong filmmaker.

But why this film?

Beat Kid is a story about the complexity of young adults about to venture into the modern world, something I have felt for some time. I wanted to tell a coming-of-age story that touches on the obligations many young adults feel. The intense desire to create a life for themselves while burdened with responsibilities out of their control is something many people face. Many kids are trying to find ways to go to college but are stuck in a life unfitting of that desire. In the case of Donny, he is faced with intense obligation as he had to learn how to take care of Jordon, his little sister, from a young age whilst striving for more.

This story comes from several different aspects of my life in the responsibility that I’ve felt facing the world whilst still taking care of things in my own life. Jordon is a character based on one of my own family members that I spent little time within my childhood, something I desperately wanted to revisit. Although I never had a sister, the situation that unfolds is something I’ve seen firsthand and wanted to demonstrate through the relationship of a brother and sister. Taking inspiration from my family and looking into my own life, I felt compelled to tell this story in a truthful way that doesn’t villainize anyone or treat anyone as a hero. The characters are real, sadly stuck in life out of their hands that they desperately try to unravel.

Raising $21,000 will dramatically help us achieve the vast scale of the project, as we plan to take it to festivals and give it a unique visual style.

• Cast & Crew - A large part of this budget would go towards supporting our cast and crew through transportation, living expenses, and food for each day.  In achieving this budget, we would also be given the opportunity to hire a colorist and sound designer for the film
• Equipment - Gear can be expensive. In order to achieve the professional look we want for the film, our budget is centered around getting industry-standard equipment such as lenses, lighting, camera, and unique rigging.
• Sets - With our amazing Production Designer, Gabby Irving, a successful campaign will enable her to create even bigger and better sets, props, and costumes.  
• Locations - For the project, we will be traveling across the state and up to Dawsonville, GA for the suburban aesthetic of the film. A portion of the budget would help get us permits for specific locations.
• Music - We will be licensing music to use in the film which will be needed to give the impact we want.

There are some amazing rewards that you will receive for your support of our film!

These rewards will include:

• Digital Copy of Film - Receive a digital copy of the film that you can watch from home or on the go!
• Digital Copy of Poster - Get a digital copy of the poster for Beat Kid that only backers of the project will get.
• Physical Poster - Even more exclusive than our digital poster, get one of our few physical posters that will be signed by the Director and Cast of the film.
• Exclusive Behind The Scenes - We got plenty of behind-the-scenes to share, but backers will get private behind-the-scenes looks at the process of making the film. Including commentaries from the producers of the film and our Director, Colten Griffin
• Virtual Screening - The film won't be released online for a very long time, so be one of the few to watch the film in virtual screening with the entire Cast & Crew, where we will discuss the film with you guys!
• Thank you in the Credits - Backers of $500 or more will get a special credit in the film that will be shown in festivals around the country.
• Associate Producer Credit -  To our backers of $1,000 or more, you all will be credited as Associate Producers of the film. 

We have an incredible team of people working on this film that is passionate about bringing this project to life. Starting with our three main producers Colten Griffin, Zach Weber, and Justin Thompson. The three of them have been working on making short films over the past 5 years, from small skits to large-scale indie projects. They have committed to every single project started, making sure that it gets completed to its greatest potential.

The Beat Kid team includes - 

• Writer & Director - Colten Griffin
• Assistant Director - Justin Thompson
• Director of Photography - Zach Weber
• Executive Producer - Matthew Ward
• Line Producer - Horace Sun
• Production Designer - Gabby Irving

We are currently in pre-production from now until the end of April, with on-set prep beginning the last week of April and shooting leading into the beginning of May. We are planning a week-long shoot which will then lead into at least 4 to 5 weeks of Post-Production. The film should be completed by the beginning of June and be ready for festival submissions.