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Chasing Rabbits: The Film

What would you do if you thought your mom was a spy?

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Chasing Rabbits: The Film

Chasing Rabbits: The Film

Chasing Rabbits: The Film

Chasing Rabbits: The Film

Chasing Rabbits: The Film

What would you do if you thought your mom was a spy?

What would you do if you thought your mom was a spy?

What would you do if you thought your mom was a spy?

What would you do if you thought your mom was a spy?

Jacob Smith
Jacob Smith
Jacob Smith
Jacob Smith
2 Campaigns |
Washington, United States
$5,872 USD by 85 backers
$5,772 USD by 82 backers on Jul 31, 2015
Highlights
Mountain Filled 2 Projects Mountain Filled 2 Projects

Chasing Rabbits

Chasing Rabbits is a short film about a 13-year old girl who suspects her mom might be a spy and enlists the help of her best friend to launch their own espionage effort to find out.


(Thanks to Sherlee Jones for the amazing concept art!)

We love the story because it’s about a couple of strong, smart, and determined female protagonists who are faced with an incredibly unsettling realization - mom may not be what she seems - and rise to the challenge. We also love the relationship between Ericka and Maggie, two adventurous and mischievous girls doing what best friends do, and the relationship between Ericka and her mom, which evokes some of the uncertainty and yearning for recognition that so many of us remember from our youth.

The story also touches on an important and incredibly relevant question: what is like to live in a world where surveillance is ubiquitous and the tools of surveillance are available to nearly everyone?

And - we'll be honest! - we love the story because it lets us make a cinematographically complex film with all sorts of cool shots involving multiple drones, lots of movement, and even a chase scene. It's going to be a fun and challenging film to produce and even more fun to watch.


How You Can Help!

We’ve been able to beg, borrow, and otherwise scrape together much of what we need to make this film and to do it well. We’ve got great locations, a​n assortment​ of camera equipment, a couple of drones (and the same number of drone pilots), and a ​solid ​light kit and sound equipment.​ Our shoe-string budget of $4,200 covers all of the food for our cast and crew (who are all volunteering) for all four days of production, renting a bit of additional equipment, ​​insurance, ​certain ​props that we haven’t been able to borrow, and a few other odds and ends.

The budget:

  • Audition space rental: $75
  • Equipment rental (monitor, dolly track, lenses, etc.): $1,200
  • Meals (20 people x four days): $1,345
  • Props and costumes: $150
  • Post-production audio mix: $250
  • Insurance: $400
  • Festival submissions: $400
  • Contingency: $380
  • TOTAL: $4,200
Over there on the right side of the page you'll find a great range of perks covering an equally great range of giving options, from $5 all the way up to the "become an executive producer of the film" level. We'd be thrilled with your support at whatever level makes sense for you.

AND ... here are three more things you can do!

  • Share this “Chasing Rabbits” Indiegogo page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
  • Email your friends and family - anyone you think might enjoy the project - and encourage them to check out the campaign page and considering contributing.
  • Visit and ‘like’ the Chasing Rabbits Facebook page and the most recent posts on the page.

The Filmmakers

Jacob Smith, our director, is a filmmaker, a non-profit founder, a former mayor, an author, and a former U.S. Senate staffer, and he's currently the programs director with a Colorado-based sustainability-oriented nonprofit. He’s been the assistant director on a host of short films produced in the D.C. area, his documentary “48 Hours in Baltimore” (with Kate Williams, the assistant director on Chasing Rabbits) is in post-production, and his documentary on the 2016 presidential campaign (as part of a team that includes the talented and award winning filmmakers at the Vermont-based Bright Blue Ecomedia) is in production.



Julia Myers, our producer and director of photography, works as a post-producer and editor at Discovery Communications (in Silver Spring, Maryland) by day. Julia brings a colorful and diverse filmmaking background to the project, having worked on over 50 short films and two feature films in a wide variety of roles from writing to directing to DPing to editing. Her past work also includes video production for Yale University, shooting and editing short promotional videos ranging from official research highlights to creative portraits of talented undergraduates. Beyond Chasing Rabbits, Julia's current projects include developing a feature film script based on The Invalid Corps of the Civil War, in parallel with Day Al-Mohamed's development of a nonfiction documentary on the same group (www.invalidcorpsfilm.com).


Our cast members are all experienced actors in the D.C. region, starting with the super talented Carolani Bartell in the role of Ericka, the girl who begins to suspect her mom might not be what she seems. Fourteen-year old Carolani Bartell nabbed the lead role and we couldn’t be more pleased. Carolani has a list of voice over and theater credits taking up most of the page on her resume, with a nice dose of screen and fashion credits for good measure. More importantly, she perfectly conveys the combination of intelligence, impulsiveness, and determination that sparks Ericka’s espionage adventure. We’re thrilled that she’s part of the film.


Carolani is joined by Isabella Kaze as Maggie, Ericka's best friend (and the other lead role in the film). Eleven-year old Isabella Kaze impressed us the moment she walked in the door with her confidence, professionalism, and humor. Her resume boasts a strong theatre background including performances in regional theatre productions such as The Lion King, Jr. (Young Simba) and The Big Bad Musical (the Wolf), as well as training at the Littleton Theatre Summer Acting Workshop. Isabella's colorful, energetic personality brings the role of Maggie perfectly to life, and we couldn't be more excited to be working with her.

We'll introduce the entire cast over the next few days.


We're also thrilled with the very talented crew we've assembled, which includes cinematographers Bart Johnson and Joe Dzikiewicz, sound director Kyle Judd, editor Ashley Blue, assistant director Kate Williams, craft services maven Lynnette Farrell, and a bunch of other folks.

(From left to right: Kate Williams, Kyle Judd, and Joe Dzikiewicz on set during the 2014 D.C. 48 Hour Film Project)

(From left to right: Julia Myers, Matt Winterhalter, and Russ Allnutt on set during production for Julia Myers' "Touch of Love.")


Risks & Challenges

Filmmaking is unpredictable. Put a director, actors, a crew, a script, a bunch of equipment requiring loads of electricity, uncontrollable weather conditions, and a deadline all on a set together and the only certainty is that things won't unfold quite as you planned. But we've got an amazing cast, a talented and nimble crew, a strong script, a bunch of contingency planning, and a generous shooting schedule, so we'll deal with whatever comes our way. And when it's all over, we'll have made a great little film about a couple of girls who are taking on the world together.

Thanks for your support! We can't wait to show you the film.

- Julia and Jacob

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Choose your Perk

Spook

$5 USD
You just scored a virtual high-five for yourself from everyone on the Chasing Rabbits cast and crew. Thank you for the support!
Estimated Shipping
August 2015
1 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Asset

$15 USD
You’ll earn a virtual high-five AND a digital copy of the original script, plus we’ll shout our thanks from the rooftops and the Twittertops.
Estimated Shipping
August 2015
1 claimed

Mole

$25 USD
You'll get a credit in the film (perhaps the beginning of your film career?), a digital full-resolution download of the final Chasing Rabbits film, and the thanks-shouting and virtual high-fiving included among the previous perks.
Estimated Shipping
October 2015
29 claimed

Agent

$50 USD
In addition to all of the previous perks, you’ll also receive a hard copy of the Chasing Rabbits script.
Estimated Shipping
October 2015
6 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Spy

$85 USD
All of the perks mentioned above, plus your hard copy of the script will be signed by members of the crew and cast.
Estimated Shipping
October 2015
3 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Double Agent

$100 USD
The perks keep piling up! In addition to all the previously mentioned perks, you will find yourself the owner of a limited edition original Chasing Rabbits film poster. What? There's more? Yup! You'll also get an invitation to be an extra in the film (if you'll be in the DC area during one of our four production days).
Estimated Shipping
October 2015
4 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Handler

$150 USD
You’ll receive everything already mentioned, and the limited edition Chasing Rabbits film poster, but your poster will be signed by the Director and the Producer/Director of Photography. And, as a special bonus, we’ll throw in an exclusive “deleted scenes" download ... the stuff we loved but just couldn't fit into the film.
Estimated Shipping
October 2015
1 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Case Officer

$250 USD
The perks keep getting better and better. You’ll not only get everything listed above, but you’ll also receive a VIP invitation to participate in a screening of the rough cut of the film. And for those who aren’t near DC or Denver we’ll send you a hi-resolution download of the rough cut so you can still watch and provide feedback.
Estimated Shipping
October 2015
0 out of 12 of claimed
Ships to United States of America

Station Chief

$500 USD
You'll be invited to participate in a free 30-minute drone flying lesson (in the D.C. area) with one of our two skilled drone pilots! Plus, of course, you'll get all of the other perks already listed.
Estimated Shipping
October 2015
0 out of 4 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
sold out

Spymaster

$1,000 USD
Estimated Shipping
October 2015
2 out of 2 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
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