It’s a night out in New York City, baby!
A heartbeat, booming bass shakes the space. Feet shuffle to the rhythm in a sea of legs until we settle into our Oasis. LUCAS (early 20’s) a young man who walks through life with a kind guardedness, sticks to the beat as he dances across from the off-beat JOAN (early 20’s), a young woman who finds the joy of the moment even if it is at expense of self. Joan tries to get the rigid Lucas to abandon the rhythm. Their eyes connect and the bar falls away. They move closer. Their foreheads touch and their connection grows more palpable. She pulls him in, then she pulls him off the dance floor.
We follow our two lovers over the course of a night as their souls intertwine forming an unshakeable connection. But New York is full of surprises, every one of us has a different fate.
Meet the characters:
Lucas - 20’s. A pragmatic law school student. While he is reserved in nature, there is a sea of emotion that storms behind his eyes. While he knows that his restrained nature makes him a side character of life, he is comfortable being a support character. Yet, he still yearns for that person that can let him express his true, fun loving nature. He is a base without a kite.
Joan - 20’s. A small town girl with big dreams who moved to the big city. A poetic soul which seeps into her language. Because her dreams and ambitions fly high, she yearns for grounding. Her people pleasing energy causes her to act in spite of herself and hates that it does. She just wants to be seen and cared about for who she is. She is a kite without a base.
We know that this duo will embody a love that will leap off the screen.
Lucas
Eric Tabach
Eric Tabach is a Juilliard trained NYC actor and producer. At age 19 he became the youngest producer ever hired at Buzzfeed and led their NYC video branch. His videos and online shows accumulated over 1 billion online views. He produced a YouTube documentary series called YES THEORY with over 8 million subscribers, through which he raised over one million dollars to aid refugees of the Ukrainian war while he was helping on the Ukrainian/polish boarder. He has also starred in Movies and TV shows (Netflix, NBC, Hulu, and HBO). Eric most recently produced the Oscar shortlisted documentary film BAD AXE.
Joan
Gus Birney
Gus Birney is a New York actor who has shined on Stage, Film, and Television. THEATER: The Sign In Sidney Brustein's Window at BAM and transferred to Broadway. OFF-BROADWAY: Our Class (BAM), The Rose Tattoo (Williamstown Theater Festival), Connected (59E59). TV: Shining Vale (Saturn Award Nominee), Dickinson, The Mist, Insatiable, Jessica Jones, The Blacklist, Bull, Blue Bloods, Law and Order. FILMS: I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Netflix), Rainy Day in New York, Here and Now, Plan B (Hulu), Happiness for Beginners (Netflix), Asleep in My Palm, Three Birthdays. Upcoming: The Last Frontier (Apple TV) and Black Rabbit (Netflix).
It is a romantic drama that will rely heavily on sweetness and humor. The film is an ode to human connection and the chance encounters we have in the world. We want to show how a stranger can see something in you that is yearning to be set free and how they can be a haven for your truest expression. While there are twists and turns in our story, the audience should be captivated by their chemistry and forget the events that have played out. We want everyone to be swept up in those beginning moments of love that have limitless potential and no expiration date.
How do we measure a moment of connection? Can we disregard societal qualifiers and allow ourselves to express the feelings that are true to ourselves but seemingly ludicrous to others?
These are the thoughts that made me look like a madman walking and mumbling along the streets of New York each morning. I knew that these questions would find no home among my friend's ears. I wouldn’t subject them to romanticized rambling. Instead, I lived in a world of debate between imaginary sides of self. “Am I falling too fast?” “No! It is perfectly reasonable to hear wedding bells on a first date at a coffee shop!”
The debate transcript soon grew, and flowed, and started to feel like dialogue. I would jot down the occasional line every couple of streets. After a marathon of miles, a structureless Ghosted was formed.
I decided to embark on this journey, bringing along a cast and crew of people I love, to create a film that celebrates the beautiful connection that New Yorkers could experience in a chance interaction. It is a love letter to how a stranger can unlock something in you that is yearning to be free. Our goal with this film is to hold an audience’s heart and let it beat as wildly or calmly as possible, to celebrate the space people will hold for one’s growth, and to instill that sometimes a moment is brief and yours while being entirely earth shattering.
While we are set to roll into our production, we need your help to get through to the finish line of post-production. What does that include:
- Editing
- Sound Design & Mix
- Coloring
- Music
- DCP delivery (the final file of the film)
- Festivals & Distribution (to make sure we can share our love far and wide)
Unlike one-night stands, you can count on seeing us again and again as we will be in this for the long haul. No mixed signals and certainly no ghosting! Your contribution secures a reward from us as well as continuous updates on development of our relationship.