THE STORY

Marcus always comes through in a pinch. But while doing a peculiar favor for a friend, he finds himself drifting into treacherous waters.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Since graduating film school, I've spent almost a decade as an editor and director working in advertising, fashion and television. While it has been fiscally necessary and in certain ways creatively rewarding (collaborating with artists, honing my respective crafts, etc.), I need to return my attention to my need to create original narrative work. I am passionate about Different Day and it is an essential stepping stone towards, and proof of concept for, a larger project.

THEME

Different Day will explore issues of perception, race, class, gentrification, and identity. It takes aim at a prevalent, and often unconscious bias.

STYLE AND INFLUENCE

Different Day will draw inspiration from films and filmmakers who have informed my approach to cinematic storytelling.

The film will use the language of suspense, inspired by the work of Hitchcock and Clouzot, to create raw tension, amplify viewer bias and thwart expectations even as we keep the audience one step ahead of the protagonist. Different Day will also in many ways be a 'physical process' film, so the influence of eternal badass Robert Bresson has to be noted. A Prophet and The Beat That My Heart Skipped, more contemporary films both by the master Jacques Audiard, have a naturalism and urgency that I want to achieve in our film. Likewise our film will aspire to mine the stressful, deadpan relationship between triviality and peril often found in films by the Coen Brothers. The Coens in particular share a sense of rote determinism that Different Day hopes to channel.

For Different Day we intend to create a spare soundscape built on the contrast between interior and exterior sounds, between quiet and loud, between safety and exposure. We will work with our composer and sound designer to manipulate certain diegetic elements to build rhythmically and to increase tension to push naturalism into more expressive terrain.

Visually we intend to capture the isolation of Far Rockaway in the off-season, drained of its summer colors and fair weather visitors, and to enhance the interior colors of the main location as well as the wardrobe and skin tones of our protagonist to reinforce the safety of the former and vitality of the latter.

WHAT WE HAVE

Good Company, the production company that represents me commercially, was incredible in its support of a test shoot that strengthened our resolve to officially move forward with this film. Good Co. remains steadfast in its support of the official film and will be providing production interns, post-production support, and otherwise costly insurance. We owe the whole Good Co. team a big shout-out and a huge debt of gratitude.

WHAT WE NEED & WHAT YOU GET

We are currently seeking production funds to get the film in the proverbial can. That means:

• CAST
• CREW & MEALS
• EQUIPMENT RENTALS
• TRANSPORTATION & VEHICLE RENTALS
• ART DEPT/PROPS/WARDROBE
• PERMITS/LICENSES
• INCIDENTALS

Perks for your contributions range from early streaming links to rough-cut feedback to tickets to screenings to full Executive Producer credit.

CAST

We are truly honored to have an incredible actor in the works to play Marcus. Stay tuned for the official announcement!

OUR TEAM & TRACK RECORD

WRITER/DIRECTOR: ROBERT BROADHURST received his MFA in film from Columbia University where the short films he wrote, produced, and/or edited played festivals from Tribeca to Toronto. Following film school he leapt into professional editing, cutting every format from commercials to trailers to fashion projects to network docudramas. After working on Kanye West's first three fashion launches, culminating in his role as creative director for the CLIO-winning livestream of the sold-out Yeezy Season 3 / Life of Pablo event from Madison Square Garden, he kicked off his directing career with back-to-back campaign films for Adidas Y-3. Below is a list of selected agencies and brands he has worked for, which is only mentioned to suggest that if networks, ad agencies and giant multinationals trust his creative acumen then hopefully so can you.

ABC, Adidas, Apple, Balmain, BBC, Bose, Chiat/Day, Conde Nast, Diageo, Diesel, Dreamworks, Equinox, Google, History Channel, H&M, Michael Kors, Mother New York, Mr. Porter, MTV, NBC, Paramount, PBS, PEN/America, Samsung, Sephora, Sonos, Sony, Syfy, Spotify, Target, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Toyota, USA, Wieden+Kennedy, Y-3, Yeezy (Kanye West)

PRODUCER: CHARLES HAYES IV is an NYC film and theater producer whose credits include CBS, Warner Bros., ABC, Marvel, Netflix, Scott Rudin Productions (Fences), Showtime, HBO, the Food Network, GQ, Fisher-Price, and a number of independent stage and theatrical productions (including Broadway & Off-Broadway). With this range of production experience, and a B.S. in Biology [from Morehouse College], Charles’ unshakeable faith (in “knowing the power of loving oneself”) commands an unrelenting focus. The “empowering message”, to any story, is the paramount principle to this rising-juggernaut filmmaker.

CINEMATOGRAPHER: FRANK APOLLONIO spent ten years in Philadelphia learning his craft on commercials and M. Night Shyamalan films before moving to New York in 2016. He has quickly proven his mettle as a rising star in the commercial cinematography world where he has shot for brands including Adidas, Alexander Wang, Peloton, Todd Snyder, and Vogue. Talented, prolific and unstoppable – and still under 30.

EDITOR: FLORA GUILLON is an award winning editor based in New York. Trained as a classical musician, she later studied Film, English Literature and Media at Université Lumière in France. Over the past decade she has worked across a wide range of genres in film, documentary, advertising and experimental art projects. Flora previously taught in the film and graphic design department at the School of Visual Arts and currently runs and co-owns STACK, a boutique creative studio in Brooklyn, NY. Robert and Flora first met when Robert led post-production for the Alexander Wang x H&M launch event and they have subsequently enjoyed successful collaborations on a range of projects for clients including Adidas and Balmain. Flora has worked with countless brands, agencies and artists including Beats by Dre, Budweiser, Coach, Google, Barney’s, Wendy’s, Vice, The New York Times, Topic, Quartz, JWT, Grey, Select, Vayner, Paul McCartney, Diana Krall. Her work earned a CLIO, an Edward R. Murrow award and recognition at art festivals in Martinique and France.

COMPOSER: JOHN MARSTON is an LA-based multi-instrumentalist and composer. His work spans pop music, film, television, commercials and video games. John and Robert first worked together on Adidas and Equinox commercials and have since enjoyed a collaborative partnership on a number of projects. John currently works with acclaimed composer Atli Örvarsson (Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, FBI, Rams) at Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions.

Risks & Challenges

Obviously, any film is a complicated endeavor. While we can never know ahead of time how the film will turn out, or how it will be received, we've spent enough time honing the script and doing our homework to go into production with a clear idea of the world and the story we are trying to create.

We're excited at the prospect of shooting in Far Rockaway, with fantastic NYC-based talent and crew. 

Other Ways You Can Help

Help us by sharing this page across social media! Facebook, Instagram, Twitter... and whatever else cropped up overnight on the app store.

If you can't afford a donation, but want to help out on set or through in-kind contributions, barters, or even well-wishes, we'd love to hear from you!

Our gratitude runs very, very deep.

Thank you!