About Me: Hello ya’ll, Melissa Stephens here. I am a comedian, actor, writer, and now a soon to be director. I'm originally from Georgia, and I used to sound like a redneck until I moved to NYC where I was told to quickly get rid of my accent. We all know you can’t take the trash out of the girl. I moved to LA where I made my way in the comedy world doing Sunday Company at Groundlings, performing stand up at UCB and all over LA. I have a cool podcast on Feral Audio called Fear Based Life. I am terrified to launch this campaign because what if no one donates?  I don’t want to put myself out there anymore. I’ve been doing it for a long time and my little heart is broken. Everyone else said to have faith and I'm believing them. You know what? Things have been falling into place with this short relatively easily so I am hoping that that faith will bleed into this campaign. www.melmstephens.com if you'd like to see my work. 

Story: Now onto Peen, and if you don’t know what that means it’s a delightfully fun way to say ‘penis’. Peen explores the issues of sexual assault and women’s self- judgement as well as their judgement of other women. Many women I know have suffered an assault of some kind, it can be very much the norm, but women can still be reluctant about talking and sharing their experience for the risk of being ‘too much’. I have had the thoughts “TMI”, or “Just go to therapy it’s fine you’re alive” and I’m ashamed of that part of me. I’m also a rape survivor. Now I have grown out of that and gotten some self-awareness obviously. Every woman’s POV in this short is flawed and valid simultaneously. I feel like the world has dictated a right and wrong way to cope with sexual assault and this short explores that. Apologies for getting in there, but I wouldn’t be a woman if I didn’t apologize.

Another aspect of this short is the south. I think people in the south are made fun of a lot, and boy do I love making fun of them, but they are also human beings, deeply flawed human beings. I want to capture on film from a female writer/director POV that perfect in between of comedy and vulnerability in female friendships and the south. How to have/be a friend in 2017 and what that means and looks like for different people.

Who: Christine Woods from Hello Ladies and Mary Elizabeth Ellis have agreed to be in this short. They are both perfect for the parts and bring genius to every scene. Natalie Symka is producing it and her tenacity and belief in me is going to get this thing off the ground. Nate Cornett is the DP. http://cornettdp.com/  His work speaks for itself. I am so excited to work with him and all of these wonderfully talented people and I am grateful that they believe in this project. 

I can’t really express to you in words without sounding desperate and needy which no one in Hollywood likes how much it would mean to me if we raised the budget for this film. Not only to validate me, but that stories like this are worth hearing and investing in. Lets get down to brass taxes.  Our budget is 15,925.00                  

Here is the breakdown. Transparent as the day is long. 

PRODUCER                                                   $650.00
DIRECTOR                                                     $0.00
INSURANCE                                                 $300.00
TOTAL ABOVE THE LINE                         $950.00
CAST                                                              $650.00
PRODUCTION STAFF                               $300.00
OPERATIONS                                              $875.00
ART DIRECTION                                         $500.00
CAMERA                                                       $4,740.00
GRIP & LIGHTING                                      $600.00
SOUND                                                          $300.00
WARDROBE                                                 $350.00
MAKEUP                                                       $250.00
TRANSPORTATION                                  $250.00
LOCATIONS                                                $2,500.00
TOTAL BELOW THE LINE                       $11,315.00
EDITING                                                        $1,500.00
GRAPHICS, VFX, COLOR, STOCK       $1,000.00
SOUND AND MUSIC                                $800.00
PROMOTIONS                                            $360.00
TOTAL POST-PRODUCTION                 $3,660.00
TOTAL ABOVE THE LINE                        $950.00
TOTAL BELOW THE LINE                       $11,315.00
TOTAL POST-PRODUCTION                 $3,660.00
TOTAL PRODUCTION BUDGET        $15,925.00

Now this is where you come in. Donate. Anything helps. If you don't have the money to donate you can still help by sharing this on all of your social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. 

If we get close enough to this goal we will make it work but if we don't make it close at all we will reassess and give the money back to you guys. That's not going to happen right?! Donate. Thank you kindly from the bottom of a bottomless well.