Our Story
Paradise Cove tells the story of a ten-year-old girl named Tati who, while on vacation in LA with her mom, befriends a beautiful, self-proclaimed mermaid living in the rundown Paradise Cove motel. The ‘mermaid’ promises to award Tati with fins of her own if she can complete three tasks, but as the tasks become increasingly difficult, Tati begins to question this new friendship.
Meet The Team
Co-Writers and Co-Directors: Jack Flynn and Charlotte Lobdell
Producers: Julia Johnson and Kyle Hrabe
DP: Sam Wolff
Jack Flynn grew up in Arizona and found his love of film while exploring the desert through the literal lens of high school friend and Paradise Cove cinematographer, Sam Wolff. Jack is currently a senior at USC in his final semester, studying Film & Television Production with an emphasis in directing.
Charlotte Lobdell is from Tiburon, California and is a current USC Film Production Senior. She enjoys writing, directing, and watching female driven narratives.
Hailing from Atlanta, GA, Julia Johnson applied to film school on a whim because she didn’t know what else to do with her life. Finishing up her degree in Film & Television Production as well as Business Law, she has produced commercials, branding spots, live TV, short films, and done a bit of event planning as well.
Kyle Hrabe grew up in Phoenix, Arizona where she got her filmmaking start “producing” (I.e. making her friends act and hold cameras) during high school. Since starting college, she's produced live TV, a feature film, a web series, and a slew of short films.
(Fun fact: Kyle and Jack were high school speech and debate rivals who became friends after they found out about their shared love of filmmaking. They went to prom together senior year of high school.)
Longtime friend of Director Jack Flynn and NYU Alumni, Sam Wolff will be flying in to be the Director of Photography for this project. He has a strong visual style, and we are so excited to work with him! You can check out his past work on his website http://www.samwolff.com/ .
Min-Jay Kang is a filmmaker, production designer, blink-182 apologist, and long-time collaborator of Jack Flynn. Min-Jay will be graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts this spring with a BFA in Film & TV Production, a minor in Gender Studies, a well-informed pessimism about the future, and a well-intentioned hope to be proven wrong.
What We Need
Fro the beginning of the project, we’ve divided our costs into these eight categories. Our production is able to put in $10,000 but we need an additional $7,000 to make this project come to life.
Location Fees | We will be renting out exteriors and interiors at two fabulous motels in the greater Los Angeles area. The Paradise Cove motel is a character in itself and extremely important to the aesthetic of the film. Being able to rent space at each of the motels we have scouted will allow us to make the film look as realistic as possible while setting a consistent visual tone in the story.
Equipment Rentals | We will be renting a majority of our equipment in order to create the highest quality product possible. These rentals will cover camera equipment, including an underwater filming rig, lighting gear, and an audio equipment package as well.
Production Design | This film is set at the Paradise Cove Motel. We have found three amazing locations to turn into this hotel, but in order to make the scenes look as realistic as possible we have to dress each of the sets.
Wardrobe, Hair, and Makeup | The stars of the story are two young girls, and the transformation of Tati is the crux of the narrative. We will be buying a pink wig for when Tati “dyes” her hair, paying for a makeup artist and their kit fee, and making sure the wardrobes of our characters are spot on.
Craft Services | Everyone on our cast and crew are amazing people who are working on this project for free. The least we can do is feed them! We will provide lunch for everyone working on the project as well as snacks to keep energy up throughout the day and drinks to keep everyone hydrated.
Miscellaneous | There are many other behind the scenes costs to this production that quickly add up. Two of the most important are fees for a studio teacher due to our under age actors, and a lifeguard, for the water portion of the shoot.
Post-Production & Distribution | This will include music licensing, IMDb fees, VFX costs, color correction costs, marketing materials, and festival entrance fees.
Incidentals | No matter how much we plan in pre-production, something will change. We hope to set some money aside as contingency.
Risks & Challenges
With any film there are risks and challenges. We will be shooting in multiple expensive locations which puts us on a tight schedule. We must feed a cast and crew of 30 people, and we are filming at a location an hour and a half from Los Angeles (where we are based), which mandates transportation for all of our equipment and people. Luckily, everyone on our crew has lots of valuable experience. Our producers, directors, and cinematographer have all worked on a variety of projects, and we know how to adapt and work together to figure out any hiccups. With your help, we can overcome some of these barriers and give you the highest quality project possible!
Other Ways You Can Help
You can like and share our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ParadiseCoveFilm) where we will be posting updates as we get closer to the project, and live photos and behind the scenes from set.
