Hi and welcome to my Indiegogo page! As most of you know, I've always been passionate about film. I put myself through film school, I've worked in the industry for over 20 years, I've helped other people with their own projects and now I'm finally set to make my own feature film. And I need your help. 

(stills from the test shoot as proof of concept) 

The Story

This film is about a woman trapped on a desert island -- the island is her house and then later, her own head. 

Specifically, it's a story about a woman, Kara (30s) who, unbeknownst to her, is about to have her life cave in on her head. Kara is a force of nature and a dynamic person who finds herself locked down in her house during a global event. We come to find out that she's also recently separated from her fiancé. Despite all of this, she's keeping herself and her life moving forward. 

When we first see her, and even though she’s working from home, she dresses up every day for work. And she looks terrific. She has a unique style – New York punkdom meets 50s Vogue. Kara leads a team of people at her job. Her home office setup is impressive. Her house is tidy. She works out on the reg. She cooks. She drinks (pretty) good wine. She’s not easily knocked down.

The story is broken up into three acts. Each act is represented by a vivid dream (wind, surf, fire). Paradoxically, Kara's a terrible sleeper. In the first act, we see her pandemic routine. She fires up her coffee machine first thing in the morning. Her smart speaker is tuned into the news. She works 10 hours a day (minimum). She cooks for herself every night and then she watches the true-crime series she’s currently binging on. Or Portuguese cinema. Or something in between. She Zooms with friends, she stays active, she connects with her family, attends virtual concerts, she karaokes -- in short, she’s a live wire. 

As time passes though, Kara just cannot sleep and it begins to wear her down. So one evening she takes a sleeping pill. She falls asleep and her first dream takes her to an open field. It’s an impossibly beautiful day. The wind is blowing ever so gently. She wanders around happily until she sees a young girl across the way. Kara freezes. The girl runs off into the woods. Kara then follows the girl until she finally catches up to her at a cabin. The girl runs off again. Kara follows but the girl disappears around the back of the cabin. Eventually Kara ends up at the front door of the cabin. She looks inside. Suddenly the door opens and sucks Kara inside. Back in reality, Kara awakens, gently. It’s 3:42am. She reaches for her phone and then begins scrolling -- no more sleep tonight.

Eventually, Kara gets furloughed. This pulls the thread on her reality. She attempts to maintain her stability but it slowly begins to deteriorate. In the next two acts Kara fights ennui, customer service representatives, family, nature and herself while slowly circling the abyss. Her dreams take her away but they also begin to haunt her as well.

But Kara is a fighter and won’t go down easily. Or possibly at all. Eventually we see that, maybe sometimes you have to go through the looking glass in order to then pick up the pieces on the other side. Maybe these things happen for a reason. Maybe she'll find her way off of the island. Maybe.    

What We Need and What You Get

Indie filmmaking is an enormous challenge and we need all the help we can get. We have a lot of resources already but we need so much more.  The funding raised through this campaign will help pay location fees, it will help rent additional gear, hire more crew members, pay for insurance, transportation, Covid testing & precautions, hotels, in short, it will help allow us to tell the best story possible and keep us safe along the way.  

There are a bunch of perks that come with funding this project. And everyone will receive weekly updates on the progress of this adventure -- good, bad and the ugly. I hope that we can all jump on this ride together. With the weekly updates we will all take this journey from fund raising to production to editing to the final film being available to watch on the big or small screen. So please jump on board and donate what you can! Let's make this film together! Thank you. 

Impact

Hello in Here is a story that is deeply personal for me, and one that I think will resonate with a lot of people.  For those like me who have been struggling for a long time with mental illness, the isolation of this pandemic was a pressure cooker. We were tested and challenged to keep connected to ourselves and others. One of the ways I helped myself get through this challenge was with movies, which can be really powerful tools for developing connection and empathy. Especially independent films made outside the studio system. These kinds of indie films are notoriously challenging to fund, which is a reality I've known for a long time.  I've been working a day job on other people's films and videos for over 20 years, and now I'm finally comfortable using my own voice to tell a story that speaks to the increasingly common experiences of people struggling with mental illness. The film's sole character - Kara - starts off in complete control of her very buttoned-up life, and gradually that control deteriorates as she begins to break down and fight to keep herself tethered to reality. In the end, the movie is not just bleak, it's also hopeful.

This story does NOT require a large budget. But even stripped down stories like this mean that you have to rent equipment, pay and feed a small crew, and purchase insurance. I'm not asking for a lot, but your contributions will help me to do this. For anyone that is able to contribute, you'll get an insider seat with weekly updates and an exclusive behind the scenes glimpse at the filmmaking process. Then after the movie is completed, you'll get to see your name in the credits and know that you were an essential part of making this story happen.