What Is Kick on Kids?
Kick on Kids is a
youth-based comedy-drama web series where the
forces of love, music, drugs, friendship and spirituality collide in the
heightened environment of the Sweaty Bender Room, a place where the party never
stops.
Over the course of a summer, we follow the idealistic space
cadet Ali in pursuit of his dream girl: the gorgeous, spiritual and insightful
Chelsea. While most people fall in love, Ali bellyflops into it. For him, friendship is eternal, music is emotion, drugs are
life-enhancers, and love is pure and poetic. However he is about to find out
how finite and fickle these conceptions are. Between his cynical best friend
Jake, the off-his-lips party-animal Yogi and the contradictory hipster Stacey, Ali
tries to make sense of life, believing the answer is Chelsea. But like the high
they are all so wrapped up in, these naïve preconceptions will eventually come crashing down...
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Let's Talk Money
We have until 23 August to raise enough money to turn this vibrant idea into 7 episodes of outrageous comedy and tug-on-your-heartstrings drama. We will then release it through our YouTube channel for free.
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CREW - While a lot of our crew (and all our cast) are coming on for free, we still need to pay some of them - or at least cover their rent for them. This will include some members of our camera and lighting crews and a 1st Assistant Director who, amongst many other jobs, will schedule the shoot - because an amateur schedule can be disastrous.
PRODUCTION - Camera, sound & lighting equipment, public liability insurance, costume hire, set design, props and make up kit.
LOCATIONS - Home owners need some financial incentive to allow a film crew to take over their residence for long periods of time.
POST PRODUCTION - "The grade": a process all film and TV shows go through to draw out colours in each shot and give the show a consistent look. "Sound design": while we record sound on set, sound will often need to be cleaned up, with the addition of music and sound effects. Sound is one of the most effective ways of overcoming the limitations of a small screen. We want great sound so you can have a cinematic experience on your laptop!
CATERING - So many of our cast and crew are giving up their time and energy for this project, so it's only fair that we give them a hearty meal every day!
FEES - Indiegogo take 4% if we make our target. (9% if we miss out - eep!)
What You Get - "PERKS!"
Enjoying the final product not enough? That's okay because we have devised what can only be described as a robust bouquet of perks for you, the contributor, i.e. the stars that light up the dark, uncertain sky of crowdfunding. They run down the right hand side of the page. Some are tolerably ridiculous, others are irresistible.
The Impact
There is a lack of engaging Australian
drama on television that people our age and younger want to watch. This has not
only turned the younger audience off Australian TV, but also Australian
content. With Kick on Kids, we want to win this audience back, by engaging them
on their own turf – the net – with a fresh 7-part web series that interweaves
independent music, upcoming fashion designers, raucous comedy, heartfelt drama
and young characters trying to find their place in the world.
We want to make Australian content that
young people will get excited about. We want to change the current norm. We
want Kick on Kids to get picked up by a network so we can start steering things
in a better direction, bringing our audience with it. We want to do this for
our audience and our industry.
Music
In addition to telling a compelling story, we also want to use the show to promote independent musicians who we think have a great sound and deserve a push. Already on board are the Blue Mountains, surrealism rock three-piece, Dr Goddard; cheeky Northern Beaches surf rockers, The Ruminaters; future beat stalwart, SAYA; trip-out, psyche dudes, Salvador Dali Llama; the Brisbane-based purveyor of gorgeous folk sounds, Flinter; moody, fairytale pop conduit, atOlla; electronic producer/singer, Astrix Little; the all-encompassing soundscapes of Sydney duo Zebarah; Canadian-based progenitor of throw-dirt-in-your-eyes bass music, Hero Shade; and an assortment of other talented beat-smiths. If you think your music is suitable for the show, send it through - our ears are always open!
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Fashion
We're also interested in upcoming fashion designers looking to have their wares showcased. Get in touch!
Risks & Challenges
On such a small budget, it's not possible to offer payment to many of our essential cast and crew. This can often be detrimental to locking down talented individuals to help bring a project to life. Thankfully, the strength of the project has already attracted many of the key individuals necessary to turn this idea into a piece of visual content that anyone can consume. As you can see, we have cast all our lead actors - and are genuinely impressed by the level of talent! We have also locked down professional and passionate crew members (listed below).
The Cast
Ryan Light - Ali Wilde
Crystal Moran - Chelsea
Matt Castley - Yogi
Ellie Gall - Stacey
Kurt Goehner-Winter - Jake
The Crew
DRE MULLER - Director - Over the years, Dre has written and directed several audiovisual productions, including short films, short documentaries and promo pieces. In the midst of his solo endeavours, he's worked as crew on countless productions for such companies as Kennedy Miller Mitchell Film Services, Fremantle Media Australia, Shine Australia and Disney. Always on the go, always up for new challenges, curious as hell and creating at all costs - whether it be a free-form experimental piece, a short film, a web-spot or simply freezing moments in time at the click of a button - there's never a dull moment for this open mind. Check out Dre's website.
JAMES CRIPPS - Writer/Producer - James has spent the last few years cutting his teeth in story conferences in both creative and assistant roles for production companies such as Screentime, Matchbox and Shine Australia. Since working as researcher/script coordinator on the successful mini series ANZAC Girls in 2013, James has been incessantly buzzing about writers' rooms on upcoming shows such as Janet King 2, Brock, Wolf Creek and many he can't even talk about (under pain of death). He has collaborated with Dre and Sidat before on the short film Scratch, a noir-inspired, psychosexual thriller. When he's not offending people with the written word, James is curled up in bed reading P.G. Wodehouse.
JESSICA GIACCO - Producer - With First Class Honours from UNSW College of Fine Arts for Film and Video Installation, a television career that has seen her work for SBS, Network Ten & Foxtel, and a 2014 short, "Driftwood Dustmites", that premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival 2015, Jessica brings experience and professionalism to any project she so much as sneezes on. Having worked on a plethora of short films since 2013, and picking up a Graduate Diploma in Producing from AFTRS along the way, Jessica is currently working on several short films, a feature film adaptation of a classic Australian children's book and, of course, Kick on Kids.
SIDAT DE SILVA - Cinematographer - Years of experience have seen Sid prove himself across serial drama, TV commercials, high-end corporate videos and an abundance of short films. He's worked for clients such as Sony Music, Paramount Pictures, Red Bull, Qantas and Mardi Gras - he even shot two promos for Taylor Swift's 1989 album campaign! Try shake that off! No project being too daunting for Sid, he has transformed a northern Sydney park into Ancient China, managed to capture the one-take-only shot of the maiden landing of Qantas's first A380 Airbus, and will now turn his skill to capturing the energy, fluidity and heightened reality of Kick on Kids. Do your eyes a favour and check out some of Sid's work.
RACHEL JOLLY - Production Designer - With a Post-Graduate Diploma in Production Design up her sleeve, Rachel has spent the last 6 months working on shows for the Channel 7 & Channel 9 Australian TV networks, short films, commercials and music videos. With experience in set decorating, set dressing, props buying and generally lending a helping hand wherever it's need, Rachel has also thrown herself into costume design - what can't this girl do? Rachel is passionate about transforming stories into visual worlds capable of becoming characters in themselves. It's this approach that Rachel intends to bring to the Sweaty Bender Room of Kick on Kids.
JOSH GROOM - Editor - As an award-winning director, editor and photographer, Josh has directed music videos for artists including Angus & Julia Stone, Birds of Tokyo and The Snowdroppers. In 2008 he won the IF award for Best Music Video (2008) and has received nominations for ARIA and J awards. Josh has edited 'Top Gear: Australia' for SBS, 'Music Max: Coldplay' for Channel V, 'The Great Australian Doorstep,' 'The Beer Factor' for Channel Nine and 'On The Edge' for the ABC. If that wasn't enough, Josh has also been photographing live music for Drum Media since January 2011, shooting countless bands including The Foo Fighters, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden and many more. Check out Josh's website.
CAITLIN LEE - Costume - A recent fashion technology graduate from the reputable Sydney Tafe, Caitlin has already gained experience on productions like ANZAC Girls and the upcoming ABC drama Ready For This. When she's not working in television, bridal couture or labouring for bricklayers, Caitlin is feverishly making her own garments, drawing inspiration from art, music and travel. Intensely passionate and hard-working, Caitlin can't wait to prove herself on Kick on Kids.
KELLY ANDERSON - Production Coordinator - Kelly studied arts at Victoria University Wellington in New Zealand before relocating to Australia where she has been an actor for ten years. Kelly is the creative director of With A Backseat Films, a small media company specializing in on-screen content.
Kelly has an avid inclination for comedy, having produced many projects of the genre and has been appointed the role of "the funny one" on the Kick on Kids production team.
Other Ways You Can Help
If we still haven't convinced you to part with your hard-earned, there are other ways that you can prove invaluable. Share the campaign on social media, talk about Kick on Kids to anyone with ears, or even just send us an encouraging message - we emotionally insecure creative types thrive on positive energy and that might be all it takes to see us across the line.
And send us your music, your fashion and anything else we might be able to use for the project!
