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"I don't just dream at night, I dream all day; I dream for a living" - Steven Spielberg
One of my favorite directors, because he sheds light on humanity in interesting and captivating ways. Chalk not only makes people laugh because of its silly nature, but it also strives to tell a story about self-preservation and identity.
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Dreams are fragile and it takes years of hard work and persistence to make sure they don't break or in some cases shatter into a million pieces.
How do you make dreams come true? Through the support of a community. A community like yourselves. They say it takes a village to raise a child, well it takes a community to nurture a dream.
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Chalk is my dream, not my only dream, but one of many and I need your support to make it come true. Lets bring imagination to life.
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Original material is near impossible to find these days, but it is possible. It is up to us as artists to find new and clever ways of shedding light on important topics.
When I write, I'm not always writing with a specific topic in mind. Stories often start with characters or situations and grow from there.
Chalk started out as a silly situation. A "chalk person" is dead and the lead detective meant to solve the case is sorta dumb. He's constantly talking to himself in odd, funny synonyms, and can be a bit confusing at times to the frustration of the other characters involved.
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Then there was a significant shift of discovery. The story grew into this tale of a man running away from his own identity. We can all relate. We've all been in a situation where we felt we couldn't be ourselves. This story is a beautiful ode to people who feel left out or forgotten.
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The backdrop of gentrification only adds to the layer of self-preservation. You all know the story. You're on a path in life when suddenly it gets shaken by the loss of a loved one, a change in career, or having to move to a new home. Our characters struggle with this idea in a city that is, much like New York and other major cities, changing so quickly.
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The challenge of Chalk was deciding how to present this "other world". I knew we had to keep costs reasonable. As much as I want to show Chalk City in all its potential and glory, I knew it wouldn't be possible without major capital. So, how do you show this world and stay true to your imagination and vision? You limit it to one location. A trick many early filmmakers have harnessed for their benefit.
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Our location is Mrs. Chalk's residence, which still looks out over Chalk City, giving us a much needed peek at a larger world of imagination.
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I had so many ideas about how to make a "chalk person" on screen. On stage it was easy, we just lined our actress in glow tape and called it a day, but on film it is not so simple.
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There were so many options, such as using a green suit to animate the whole thing, or covering Mrs. Chalk in white powder makeup (I'm sure our actress Noel Elie would have love that one). Yet, again when you don't have studio level resources, you've gotta get creative.
That's when our cinematographer was like, "What if we accentuate her features, and use a chalk textured overlay in post?" This was brilliant. After a screen test and seeing that it was possible it made all the difference.
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You're only as good as the people you work with. This same rule applies to the community of people who support and cheer for you. This community is you. We want you to be a part of our growing tree of supporters and followers. Even if you can't commit to anything financially, there are so many ways you can still get involved and support our project.
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