Hello Indiegogo!
My name is Samuel Anthony Atilano (The guy in the middle, there. On the left is lead actor Alan Meza, and on the right is lead actress Nancy Camacho.) I am a 16 year old independent filmmaker from Southern California with a great passion for cinema and storytelling.
The film I am promoting here is my directorial debut, but also something I have been working on and planning for over a year now. So, though it may be my first film, it will surely be a great one.
The film is called "Lollipop" (stylized as "LOLLiPOP") and it is a romantic comedy that slowly turns into a terrifying psychological horror film, starring Alan Meza as Billy Pollack and Nancy Camacho as Rose Marie. The film depicts Billy and Rose's three year relationship. How they met, how they bond, how they struggle, and eventually (once jealousy and obsession come into their relationship) how their love runs rotten. Think "500 Days of Summer" meets "The Shining" with the narrative structure of "Full Metal Jacket" and a dash of "Eraserhead" and "Twin Peaks" surrealism.
I am not here to make a poorly shot, poorly edited amateurish student film...I'm here to make something that will last, something that will entertain and intrigue people for years to come. No bad acting, no gross visuals, no awful sound mix, just a genuine cinematic experience that will grip you from the first second to the last.
What We Need & What You Get
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- In order to make the film the best it can possibly be, and distribute a great end product to all of you beautiful people, I will need a minimum of $10,000.
- The money will go towards purchasing the right equipment for the job, as well as any props that could be necessary; paying my cast and crew, helping post-production go as smooth as possible, and finally, getting the special edition DVD's made (which will include an in-depth behind the scenes making of the film, featuring cast and crew interviews and exclusive on-set footage.)
- The perks you can get here range from cool to ultra cool. Want your name in the credits? DONE. Want a special edition DVD before anyone else gets one? NO PROBLEM. Want a SIGNED special edition DVD before anyone else gets one? YOU GOT IT. Want a box of extremely rare, limited, totally awesome merchandise including t-shirts, signed DVD's, original one-of-a-kind drawings from the director dedicated to you, and much more? DONE AND DONE.
- So...what if we don't reach the $10,000 goal? Any money that is raised for this film will still go towards the production of the movie. If, for whatever reason, we only raise $5,000 then I'll adapt the film to be a $5,000 production, and so on-so forth. However, the more money we can raise, the better the film will be and the cooler you'll feel when you tell people you donated to it, so, let's aim high and do our best to meet the goal!
Why Should You Care About "LOLLiPOP" ?
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- Well...you really don't have to. I completely understand that it could be difficult donating your hard earned money to an essentially unknown teenage "independent filmmaker" that could easily just be some hipster with lazy ideas trying to make a boring hipster flick-BUT, I can assure you, I'm a sincere fellow with solid intentions and a powerful vision. I know exactly what I want to see, and I know I can get it made properly.
- I have learned all I know from watching other movies (I watch at least 1 movie a day.) I am a total film nerd, and I am absolutely confident in my ability to helm a full length motion picture production. I study all I can on any director that I am a fan of or become a fan of, namely Stanley Kubrick.
- Stanley Kubrick is the only director I truly aspire to be as great as one day. Kubrick made his films with such a beautiful precision, some times borderline crazy precision. He was a disciplined filmmaker, with an eye for remarkable cinematography and well choreographed dialogue. All of his films mean so much more than what can be seen on the surface, he really took care of his projects and he made sure every single detail was perfect. THAT is what I'm aiming for with "LOLLiPOP."
- I'm going to nurture this film, make sure every single detail, every single frame, every single bit of dialogue, is flawless, and I am going to bring YOU, the generous donor, a grand piece of cinema that you will watch and love and be interested in for years to come. I truly, wholeheartedly care about my audience and the resulting film I give to them, and I will not settle for anything less than GREAT.
Don't have money to contribute but you still want to help out?
- First of all, thank you even just for wanting to help out in general. It really does mean a lot, and I just want you to know that you are genuinely appreciated. I need all the help I can get!
- Share this page on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other social media site that you typically use.
- You can also help by simply spreading the word. Tell your friends about the film, get the word out there, let the people around you know that they can contribute to the BEST indie film of the year.
