Here Is Where the Monsters Live
Oliver is in the middle of a very dark depression. Trying to cope with it, he finds himself reminiscing about his past: his boyfriend, his mother, his job, and his friends - both the good and the bad. Through these events, we come to understand that the darkness has always been there.
Who Am I?
My name is Chance Fuerstinger. I am an actor, screenwriter in Boise, Idaho. But for my full-time job, I work as a receptionist at a doctor's office. I have coped with anxiety and depression since I was 9 years old. Like most people with mental illness, I've had my ups and downs and in-betweens. But my worst downs began in August 2017.
I had just wrapped a two-week shoot on a feature film, and had to return to "the real world". I slipped into a very dark place and didn't know how to pull myself out. My closest friends and family were worried for me. I couldn't afford weekly therapy sessions. So I turned to something that had always been a light for me: writing.
I think I initially began writing Here Is Where the Monsters Live as an attempt to articulate what I was feeling, but it soon blossomed into something far more important. We have all seen numerous movies with characters who have depression. But two things that I've noticed about the majority of these movies: 1) the characters are all given a clear cause for their depression, and 2) by the end of the film, their depression is cured.
But that's not how it works. More often than not, I have no idea why I feel so awful and empty; and I've had depression for over two-thirds of my life: I really don't think it's ever going to be cured. I know I am not the only one who experiences this, and that is why this film is so important to me. In general, mental illness has such a stigma around it. Still, despite the sheer numbers of people who live with it, it remains taboo.
So it was that Here Is Where the Monsters Live was born, and with this film I hope to start an honest and open dialogue about depression and other mental illnesses. With your contribution, we can achieve this goal.
What We Need
We have a proposed budget of $14,000. As of early February 2019, we have raised just over $2,000.
Living in Idaho, paid gigs are hard to come by, but I want to do right by the cast and crew, and that means paying them for all their hard work.
The cast includes 9 speaking roles, and approximately 6-10 background performers. The onset crew is made up of 10 people: the director, assistant director, director of photography, key hair & makeup, hair & makeup assistant, wardrobe consultant, BTS photographer, production assistant, and craft services. All of that, plus the cost for food, insurance, post production, travel & lodging, and festival expenses, I estimate that we can produce the film on a budget of $11,000.
How You Can Help
There are many different levels of perks available to our contributors, some of which include: an autographed movie poster, a special thanks in the credit, and a producer credit!
We understand that not everyone can contribute, but you can still help by spreading the word to your friends and family who might be interested in helping bring this film to life, by sharing this with them! Tell your co-workers. Tweet it. Facebook blast it. Word of mouth will be a key factor in raising the funds for this production!
What Are the Risks and Challenges?
There are always risks that come with any project. It all boils town to bringing together a team whose strengths complement your weaknesses. We have already assembled a strong crew and our principle cast. The only challenge that remains is securing the funding in order to pay for their hard work.
Meet the Cast and Crew
Producer/Writer/Actor - "Oliver": Chance Fuerstinger
Chance Fuerstinger is the writer and producer of Here Is Where the Monsters Live. He will also be starring in the film as Oliver. He started acting from a young age, and currently studies acting under April Matson at Platform Boise. In 2018, he participated in the Will Act 4 Food short play competition, as a writer; his 10-minute play, The Most Lamentable Love Life of Virginia Wilson won both the Judges' Choice and Audience Choice Awards. He has appeared in a number of Boise-produced short films and web series, including Swipe (2017), Blend In (2017), Animal Warmth (2017), and Canyon County (2019). He is best-known for his performance of The Master in the hit fan series Doctor Who Velocity (2017).
Producer/Director: April Matson
April Matson is an actress best known for her role as Lori Trager in the ABC Family cable television network series, Kyle XY. Prior to that she played Penny Chase on the Fox network television series, Quintuplets, alongside Andy Richter. She has also guest starred in various television shows including NCIS, American Dreams and Psych, and has appeared in several short and feature independent films. She's appeared on stage at the Zephyr Theatre in the world premier of Academy Award winner Ernest Thompson's White People Christmas and in the sketch comedy show Show In Television at The Second City Theatre in Los Angeles. In 2016, with the blessing of Ernest Thompson, she produced and directed White People Christmas in Boise, Idaho, starring comedian Tim Northern (Last Comic Standing, 2014.)
In 2015, April founded Platform Boise, an acting studio and theatre/film production company based in Boise, Idaho. In addition to writing, producing and directing independent short films and plays, she is an acting teacher and coach to local actors.
As a filmmaker, April has accumulated awards for short films such as “Best of the Fest” in the Idaho Laugh Fest/Boise Film Fest Comedy Short Film competition (2017) for Swipe, “Best Film” and “Best Screenplay” in the i48 February Challenge competition for Blend In (2017) and “Best Drama Short” for Sage Venom in the Twin Falls Sandwiches Film Festival (2018).
She recently co-authored the book Both Sides of the Desk: A Conversation Between a Casting Director and an Actor which is now available in paperback on Amazon.
Actor - "Jake": David Lathrop
David Lathrop is a Washington native and will be playing the role of Jake, Oliver's boyfriend. He also appears in the upcoming fantasy film, Chosen One (2019).
Actor - "Peter": Scott Grady
Scott Grady is an award-winning short filmmaker and actor in Boise, Idaho. He made his entrance into the entertainment world taking home the title as “Boise’s Funniest Person” in 2015 in a local stand-up comedy competition and soon made his transition into stage and film acting. As an actor, he won the hearts of Doctor Who fans with his portrayal of Davros in the locally produced Doctor Who Velocity: A Fan Special (2017). He has starred in several short films, including but not limited to Sage Venom as Peter (2018), Battle Squadron Alpha: Legends of Time War as SGT Snyder (2018) and recurred in the Boise-produced web series Animal Warmth (2017).
Director of Photography: Andrew Garcia
Andrew Garcia is an award-winning filmmaker. In 2014, he founded Ice Cream Entertainment with his brother Nate, with the purpose of telling cinematic stories with integrity. In a short period of time, they have produced content for some of the world's most recognizable brands including Coca-Cola and Chevrolet.