Summary
Hi! My name is Sam David Zhang. I'm kind of a goof-ball, amateur chef, and I absolutely love horror films. When I received the opportunity to spearhead my own film project here at school, I immediately knew I wanted to make something both personal and thrilling. Back when I was in college, I struggled with some personal addictions and became glued to the computer screen, staying up every day until 5am consuming all kinds of content. My daily routine included skipping class, eating junk, and thinking dark thoughts. It almost ruined my life.
I like to think that part of my life was a monster that I somehow managed to escape from. This is what my film Binge! is all about. I want to tell a story about someone who has to choose between continuing their spiral downwards or finally breaking free. Throw in bloody SFX, uncanny videos, a grotesque body transformation and voila we have a fun scary movie!
I am currently in the pre-production stage for Binge!, which serves as a capstone project for the cinematography discipline at AFI Conservatory. Known in my program as a "visual essay," this 3-minute story must be shot entirely on 35mm film and told with only visuals and music. Binge! will be screened at AFI's end-of-the-year Visual Essay Showcase and submitted to festivals all around the world. This past year, the visual essay films Im Finstern and Skin won Student Academy Awards and ASC Heritage Awards.
Lastly, the cinematographer's visual essay at AFI commonly becomes their calling card. It speaks to their tastes and sensibilities as well as informs industry professionals and film lovers everywhere what we cinematographers care about.
What We Need
Kodak and Panavision have generously donated the film stock and camera package for me to shoot my film, but there are still inherent production costs in order to bring this story to life. I am asking for crowdfunding to help cover the expenditures of principal photography. These include...
- $3200 for location rental costs
- $1500 for art department to build and dress a set
- $1300 for food to feed the team
- $500 for transportation logistics
- $400 for a dolly rental
- $350 for makeup and SFX
- $250 for miscellaneous costs and contingencies
Any and all help towards making this dream come true is greatly appreciated! No donation is too small. Thank you for taking the time to read this through and helping me finish my MFA program with style!