ABOUT THE FILM
HEADLESS is a feature length film.
Headless is the story of college student Marie Cunningham, who is dedicating her thesis paper to an investigation of the legend of Hannah Singer, a young girl beheaded for witchcraft in 1846. Marie’s passion for her topic is driven by the fact that Hannah’s story took place in the last known location of Marie’s twin sister, presumably killed in a mountain lion attack. Could the fates of the two women be connected in some way? A family of fanatical evangelicals may hold the answer. But Marie must fight forces real and supernatural to learn the truth. And is the truth worth risking her head over?
Marie Cunningham breaks the mold of women usually found in the horror film genre. She is a strong, defiant character, and a worthy protagonist—no helpless female victim here!
BACKSTORY
The story behind Headless is one of headlong dedication. The story concept and script were completed in four weeks. Financing, casting and production were accomplished within an equality stringent time frame.
By the end of December, the production was in full swing, with a principal photography deadline of January 7, 2013. Working around the clock and against the calendar, the filmmakers took advantage of the current season in Northern California, creating a look and feel that helped shape the story behind Marie's journey.
With the right crew, strong acting, a solid story, and a lot of elbow grease and determination, it took only seven day to complete principal photography on this feature film. We proved it can be done!
Headless was filmed on the Canon 5D Mark II, combined with a set of Zeiss CP.2 Super Speed lenses. The final product is astounding picture quality, full of crisp colors and sharp images. The 2011 film Silent House starring Elizabeth Olsen was shot with the same setup.
Sacramento, CA and the surrounding towns of Sutter Creek and Volcano provide settings for Headless. But the primary location is a remote tract of land in the Northern California wilderness. A disquieting sense of isolation is present there as we follow Marie, and it enhances the mystery surrounding the Legend of Hannah Singer.
WHY GIVE TO THE FILM?
As our pitch video demonstrates, we are serious filmmakers with the technical skills and creative thrust to deliver a film beyond your expectations and with minimal expense. We do it because we love it.
The final product is nearly here! Securing finishing funds will allow us to complete the post production work that will make Headless the strongest film possible.
Further funding, beyond the post production goals, can help us bring the film to market faster, and opens up the possibility for extra perks, and a wider audience.
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
Post Production
Funding will be applied toward the cost of crucial post production work (such as mixing, sound design, and color correction) to ready Headless for the film festival circuit. We will be maintaining frequent updates regarding the production status in the form of behind-the-scenes pictures and videos. Be sure to check back when we send out the update emails!
- SOUND DESIGN
- COLOR CORRECTION
- VISUAL FX
- KEY ART
- MUSIC RIGHTS
- FESTIVAL FEES
- MARKETING (WEB DESIGN, PRINT MEDIA, ETC)
WHO WE ARE
Toby Lawrence (Director/Writer/Producer) - Toby is an award winning filmmaker and graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, where he earned his MFA in Film Directing. He wrote, directed, produced, and edited his thesis film, The Prospector, featured at the Cannes short film corner. To date, Toby has made over 20 short films and videos, many of which have been screened in regional and national festivals. He has worked in Super-8, 16mm, 35mm, and HD, and has filled almost every position in the filmmaking process: Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, Cinematographer, Assistant Director, and Actor. He is currently teaching film at the Art Institute of California-Sacramento.
Chris Campbell (Producer) - A film lover since he was old enough to reach the VCR, Chris understands the impact that films can have on people’s lives. Hailing from Kansas City, his earliest memories involve the silver screen. Operating as the managing producer of Big Heart Studios, Chris takes care of the "nuts and bolts" of film production, such as budgeting, logistics and scheduling.
The crew we've put together are a team of dedicated professionals and are the gold standard when it comes to film production:
Director of Photography: Tim McConville
Production Sound: Rich Gavin
Loren White (Colorist) - Another graduate of CalArts, Loren is an accomplished and professional colorist who has worked on many films, commercials and music videos since 2008.
Loren's Demo Reel: http://vimeo.com/25882372
http://www.lorenwhite.com/
Nathan Ruyle (Sound Designer) - Nathan acquired his MFA in Sound and New Media Design from CalArts and holds a wide range of background skills: performance, live, interactive, film, music and software development. Four of the most recent films he's worked on were selected for the Sundance Film Festival in 2013.
http://thisissounddesign.com
HOW TO GIVE
Contributing is easy! Simply click on your preferred perk and follow the instructions.
We want to make sure that you are aware that even though we would like for Headless to get the widest release possible, we cannot guarantee things such as a distribution deal or acceptance into a festival or marketplace. However, we are confident that the project will find a home and we will do our very best to get the film out to you, the ones that helped make this dream a reality. While we do still have some challenges ahead of us, the majority of the heavy lifting is finished and we are officially 2/3 of the way to the goal line. All that is left is some post production. And that will yield an opportunity to expose Headless to the only thing missing-an audience!