Overview

When 20-something dreamer, Lacey, finally builds the guts to quit her day job at the insurance company to pursue her dreams of being a Broadway star, the decision gets a little harder when her office crush, Will, asks her to stay.

We've already started hiring an amazing crew for this movie, and now we need your help to turn this vibrant and endearing musical into a reality!

OFFICE BREAK is a student short film written & directed by Marie Bargraser for the TH 4394 Senior Film Capstone class at Texas State University.

Director's Statement:

"Artists, like ourselves, are driven by passion. Stability, security, love, and family, are all things we have considered and are most likely things that we desire, but our passion for the craft drives us to make decisions that put our art and career forward.

But everything costs money. Even making art can cost money. We all need money. Therefore, we all need a job. But what happens when you get the job, the side hustle that will financially help you pursue your passions, and you get comfortable? Before you had the money, insurance plan, and decent savings, risking it all didn’t seem so bad. After all, you didn’t have much to put on the line. But now, you have more to lose. Do you still risk it all? And what if those other things, like stability, maybe love, are now so close within reach? Is it still worth the risk?

This film is deeply rooted in the artist’s fear of getting too comfortable. Of losing the fierceness it takes to make it in the industry. The fear of regret. At the end of the day, what are you scared of losing the most?"

But this isn't just another romantic musical movie. Imagine a blend between the workplace environment of THE OFFICE, the musicality and love of LA LA LAND, and the innocent feeling of chasing your dreams from TANGLED.

We would tell you more, but we don't want to give away too much! But what we can say is that this short film provides a unique experience for everyone - catchy music, spectacular choreography, office existentialism, and one heartwarming romance.

Marie Bargraser (Writer, Director) is a 4th-year film student at Texas State University pursuing a BFA in Theatre with a Concentration in Film. Her directorial work includes her Texas State Advanced Directing Short Film, "The Childen are Listening," as well as the two-episode YouTube web series, "Superbad (Kindagood)." She has produced a multitude of short films, including "Sunny Afternoon" by John Field Brown and "Día Temido" by Luis Diaz, which screened at the ATX short film showcase this past August.

John Field Brown (Producer) is a 3rd-year film student at Texas State University pursuing a BFA in Film Production at Texas State University. His producing credits include "yer smackin," "The Children are Listening," "Sunny Afternoon," "Locked Doors," "Superbad (Kindagood)," "Proof of Desire," and more. John's prior works have won awards and screened at festivals like the Waco Independent Film Festival, Film Shortage, El Paso Film Festival, IndieX Film Fest, and Austin Spotlight Film Festival.

Elisa Pedraza Sanchez (Producer) is a senior BFA Performance and Production major with a Business Administration and Honors Studies minor at Texas State University. She will be attending the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London to pursue an M.A. in Creative Producing this fall. Born and raised in Mexico, she brings her passion and culture into her work. She is an avid advocate for theatre education and arts outreach. In her work, she aims to highlight the voices of BIPOC and Latinx creators and provide opportunities to unrepresented voices.  
Elisa is mainly a theatre director and producer. Past projects include She Was Here (Assistant Director) at Austin Playhouse, Big Love (Assistant Director) at Texas State University, FADE (Director) produced by Jeremy Torres Lab Theatre, and an upcoming production of Hedda Gabler. She is also the proud Co-Managing Producer of Jeremy Torres Lab Theatre, the only student-led non-profit theatre company at Texas State University. 

...And an incredible team is being assembled to make this film! So far, this team includes: Aydin Haleftaris (1st AD & Stage Manager), Emery Jones (Script Supervisor), Josh Quidilla (Dance Chroeographer), Victoria Gregg (Music Director), Sam Hamilton (Composer), Mercedes Salazar (DP), Noah Gaskie (Sound Mixer/Boom Op.), Michael Parrington (Gaffer), Lis Ledoux (PD), Kole Wooster (Set Decorator), Avery Evans (Wardrobe Supervisor), and Mark Figueroa (BTS Photographer)! With many more talented people coming onto this project in the near future, trust us - this film is in good hands.

Lauren Magee (as "Lacey") is a senior at Texas State University, getting degrees in both acting and public relations. Having grown up in Fort Worth, she started her professional acting career at age 8, playing Marta in Casa Mañana’s production of The Sound of Music, starring Broadway veterans Jacquelyn Piro Donovan and Steve Blanchard. Since then, she has been in over 25 productions at Casa, with her favorites being Hello, Dolly! (Ermengarde), A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim (Soloist), Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson (Elizabeth, Naomi, Ensemble), and The Little Mermaid (Adella, Ensemble). Her TXST credits include Three Sisters (Irina), The Rocky Horror Show (Janet), When Thou Wakest (Witch 2), and Antigone (Guard, Movement Captain). Additionally, Lauren has been a lead in multiple student short films, including The Crickets with Mighty Morphin Productions and Interference, Morning Brew, and Carbon with Zartman Productions.

Making a movie costs money. Especially with this being a student production, money is an extremely valuable resource that drastically impacts the production value of the film. Your graciously donated dollars will fund the production expenses of our film, which is scheduled to shoot this April 2025! In other words, your support allows us to make this movie - and to make it amazing.

Every dollar counts. Sometimes it's hard to imagine what it takes to make a movie since we only ever see the final product, but there are A LOT of moving factors behind-the-scenes that are crucial for the success of the film: set decoration, props, wardrobe, hair & makeup, special effects, crafty, catering, film festival submission fees, music licensing, cast and crew, renting production gear (lights, sound equipment, camera equipment), marketing, footage hard drives, and much much more.

$2,000 will help cover all expenses needed to make this film. Considering we are staging an entire kitchen and dining room to appear as a 1960s Southern Texas home, this amount will help us transform this atmosphere into that reality and help us shoot this movie with the best and highest possible production quality. Which is ideal, so we can then deliver a professional, well-done, entertaining short film back to you!

Please consider donating! Any help goes a long way. Plus, we'll be updating all Indiegogo backers throughout the process of making this film.

Spreading the word also goes a long way. Please share this Indiegogo page everywhere and anywhere (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.). Word-of-mouth also helps this crowdfunding campaign be successful.

Have any Questions? Need more info? Interested in other investment opportunities? Email us at yersmackinshortfilm@gmail.com, or find us online at:

https://www.instagram.com/officebreakshortfilm/

Please support OFFICE BREAK! Thank you very much!

As with every independent film production, there are many uncertainties and challenges that come with making a movie. However, our team is highly prepared and extremely passionate about creating this short film. Our team and these crew members have overcome challenges in the past, and we have proven that we have what it takes to craft a good movie.

However, we can't make this movie without your support. We've already invested hundreds of dollars and many months of work to get to this point, and now we need your help to make this film happen. Your support would be extremely appreciated. We are all very eager to make this short film, and we will do everything in our power to make it the best movie it can be.