Friends & Family,

 

"Gator Farm" is my thesis film as a graduating senior at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and will be my seventh independent short film. We are very excited to go into production on this project, which will be the culmination of my career at NYU. 

 

The 15-minute dark comedy set in Florida follows a wildly dysfunctional family struggling to stay together when Neil, the father and husband, is fired on the same day an alligator escapes from a local sanctuary. 

 

Popular in the southern US, gator farms are adorable institutions that raise numerous alligators in a safe, peaceful environment until the gators are adults, when they're taken into the back and turned into wallets. I come from a wildly dysfunctional family myself, and began thinking about how oddly similar gator farms are to families; large groups of strangers who are forced to live together & love each other, forever. It can begin to feel like being trapped in a cage that you're desperate to escape. 

 

The film is ambitious and is very close to my heart. The drama & awkwardness of family life is the best venue for comedy - I know my family is - and this film is funny. 

 

Bitingly so.

 

Best,

Writer/Director

 

Past Successes

 

The Gator Farm team is coming together again after Zoe's most recent independent film, "ADULTS" with Chris Gethard, star of Comedy Central's "Big Lake" and guest writer on SNL. ADULTS was completed in September 2011 and screened during the same month. Recently, the film was offered to be featured on the homepage of Adam McKay's Funnyordie, a big honor for us. 

While ADULTS was a comedy crafted for web exposure, Gator Farm is headed for festivals, and we expect to meet our goals as we did on Adults. 

The Gator Farm team is already deep in pre-production! Check out what we've got locked down --

 

- An award-winning script & pitch. All NYU thesis films are pitched, but only half are awarded the NYU thesis allotment - equipment, insurance, and $1,300. In a competitive voting process, where both students & faculty were asked to vote for the best thesis pitches, Gator Farm was voted by a vast majority, and we've become an official NYU thesis film for the class of 2012. We are honored. 

 

- Palm Beach locations, and free lodging in Palm Beach homes for cast & crew. Florida can't be faked on a budget - we are committed to extreme, turquoise suburbia, endless sun, and visuals that pop.

 

- An all-star crew. The most important part of film school is meeting talented people & close friends who you'll work with for the rest of your career, and that's who our team is. 

 

Our team is dedicated to this film. When we admitted that his equipment was too expensive to rent, our DP Seth Hagenstein lowered his rates considerably to be able to be a part of the project. 

 

- An all-star cast. The script was written for Neil W. Casey of UCB NY, a legendary NY improvisor who's performed with the likes of Chevy Chase, Robin Williams, Amy Poehler, Rob Riggle, etc. at UCB NY. We are very excited to announce that Mr. Casey has agreed to play one of our main characters, "Neil". (Check out Casey here).

 

We are also in talks with a notable & incredibly distinguished NBC actor and Broadway talent for the part of "Jay". Stay tuned for updates!

 

- A live alligator & wrangler. We're in talks with animal wranglers both in New York and Florida. Yes, that's a real thing. 

 

- The newest technology. Our cinematographer Seth Hagenstein, a commercial DP with numerous independent shorts & music videos under his belt, owns both a RED Epic & RED Scarlet, the freshest gear available in this digital age. This technology allows us to be mobile, economic, and cutting edge. 

Student directors coming from NYU Tisch live or die by their thesis films. They are the calling cards for successful independent NYU alums making low-budget features like Sean Durkin of "Martha Marcy May Marlene", Chris Kentis of "Open Water" and the recent "Silent House", and Luke Matheny of the Oscar-winning "God of Love". 

 

However, a low budget is still a budget, and we need a little help!

 

ABBREVIATED BUDGET TOPSHEET:

 

Transportation: $5,000

Camera/G&E: $2,000

Sound: $300

Set Operations: $3,000

Properties: $500

Production Design: $2,000

Animals/Picture Cars: $700

Wardrobe/MU: $500

Contingency: $1,000

 

= $15,000

 

WHERE IT'S COMING FROM:

 

Director's Personal Savings: $5,300

NYU Allotment Grant: $1,500

Donations: $8,000

 

If this seems high, keep in mind that a single minute of a modest Hollywood film costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

 

If this seems low, it is! An NYU thesis film costs, on average, $25,000. Fortunately, we have a great producer, we're shooting digital, and by now we know how to wrangle some great student deals. 

 

The bottom line: your donation will contribute to a film that will be successfully completed, and the next wave of indie filmmakers who are changing the game from the ground up.