FILM SUMMARY
The film follows Liz, a young woman whose parents' marital trouble created an extremely traumatic childhood, so much so that she now suffers from trauma and depression. As Liz spirals deeper and deeper into her depression, becoming reclusive, her mother makes one last effort to pull her out of her spiral. She does this by kicking Liz out of the house in hopes that she will become independent. Upon being kicked out, Liz’s fear comes at her full force. Exit Night is about Liz's battle against mental illness as she searches for a new place to live.
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Exit Night is our passion project, our senior thesis for the University of South Carolina Honors College, and a project we intend to see realized no matter the circumstances. As young and eager filmmakers, we don’t have the luxury of big financiers and film studios to put up the capital for this film. What we do have, however, are friends, family, and local companies who are supporting us in producing this film.
Why are we doing a crowdfunding campaign? It takes a village to make a film, and we want you to join us. Knowing that we have people who believe in us and in this project means the world to us. Your support will not only help us make the film the best it can be, but it will also impel us to make Exit Night for you and for ourselves.
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WHAT WE NEED + WHAT YOU GET
In order to make Exit Night the exceptional quality film we all intend to make it, we have set a budget of $10,000. Then why is our campaign only for $5,000?
Amazingly, we already have people who believe in this project and in us as filmmakers. Through independent financiers and a grant from the University of South Carolina, we already have about $3,700 raised.
That, plus a successful funding campaign, puts us nearly halfway to our budget. Our goal is that with the USC grant and a successful Indiegogo campaign, we will be able attract other investors to our project. That is why your support is vital to us; your support can truly take Exit Night to a professional level of production.
The funds raised in this campaign will go towards securing professional camera, sound, and lighting equipment, costumes and make-up for our actors, creating the world of Exit Night with props and set design, and making certain we have healthy food to keep our cast and crew energized for the duration of production.
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What is in all of this for you? We want you to come on this production journey with us, and be a part of the team. If you peruse our perks, you will see we have a great selection for levels of involvement. We want to engage with you on social media, give you exclusive looks behind the scenes, let you be the first people in the world to see the film, and invite you to our premiere.
If you would like to take a more active role in production, send us an email and tell us how you would like to help. Email us at herman@fourthgenerationpictures.com.
THE IMPACT
This fall and winter, we will spend a total of 15 days shooting Exit Night in Columbia, SC. We are passionate about improving and enriching the art scene in Columbia, not just by consumption, but also creation. Filming Exit Night in Columbia presents us with the opportunity to work with other benefactors, consumers, and creators in our circle.
In recent years, Charleston and Atlanta have served as hubs for film and television production, and we want to help bring film production to Columbia. With your help, we can be one of the first successful indie productions to come out of Columbia.
RISKS + CHALLENGES
Shooting a feature film, let alone our first one, over the course of five months and fifteen shooting days is absolutely a challenge.
We realize we are taking on a massive project with equally massive ambitions - the very nature of which is both a risk and a challenge. How will we approach these challenges? By spending six months in pre-production, planning out every detail of each shoot, making certain we have a backup plan to the backup plan, casting the entire film with talented and hardworking people, and having a crew of dedicated and talented people to volunteer their time on the project.
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It is not going to be easy - making a film with money isn’t easy, and making a film on a microbudget will be even more difficult. Exit Night is also the first feature film for most of our cast and crew, and certainly challenges will arise due to time constraints, budget constraints, and other unforeseen issues. But we are armed with a strong plan for production - scheduling and planning each shoot using industry standards, and a team of people who are ready to tackle these challenges.
THE TEAM
JT Hydrick, Writer + Director
Herman Phillips, Producer + 1st AD
Daniel Fisher, Director of Photography + Producer
Savannah Cerniglia, 2nd AD
Steven Tapia, 2nd AD
Ty Stevenson, Script Supervisor
NaTasha Denise, Production Assistant
Stephen Fisher, 1st AC
David Mathisen, Production Sound Mixer
Joshua Long, Production Sound Mixer
Ryan Brower, Editor
Carl Burnitz, Post Production Sound Mixer
Niño Tria, Marketing and Branding
Daniella DeRobbio as Liz
Hannah Lori as Sarah
Corey Drennon as Gabby
Susan Willis as Laura
FAQ
How can I help?
By purchasing one of the perks listed on the right, you can contribute directly to making this Exit Night. Indiegogo makes it very easy to pay with your credit or debit card - just follow their steps. If you have problems, please don’t hesitate to ask us for help!
If I don’t have any money to help, can I do something else?
YES! Help us reach more people with our campaign! We want to flood social media with this campaign, and with your help we can make that happen. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or help spread the news by talking to people in person!
Why did you choose Indiegogo?
Indiegogo is one of the world’s largest websites for crowdfunding and given their flexibility in terms of raising funds and retaining them, we believe Indiegogo is the right partner to help us realize our financial goals for Exit Night.
How can I get in touch directly with the filmmakers?
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please email our producer at herman@fourthgenerationpictures.com.
What is a stretchgoal?
A stretchgoal is a funding goal that goes beyond the initial funding goal to give us as filmmakers the opportunity to make the film even better. The funds gathered through Indiegogo only covers part of our budget. If we can exceed our goal, we will be able to take our ambitions even further.