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Introduction
Hello, my name is Mike Cowan. I am the Writer and Director of Plain White Van. For as long as I can remember, I have loved Horror films since the old b&w films, with Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff. As I grew older, John Carpenter's Halloween came out and loved the narrative and idea of the story. From then on, I was hooked on wanting to make something of that style and caliber, but had no idea of how to begin. Once I retired from the United States Navy, I took classes on film making and screenwriting at Southwestern Illinois College and began helping other local productions to gain more experience. Once I felt confident enough to explore my chance at film making, I decided to write something in the same format as Creepshow. Over the course of three months, I wrote my first anthology, picked a story from it, and just finished filming Plain White Van over the Labor Day weekend.
Our Director of Cinematography, Lilton Stewart III, captures the vision of Mike's story, but here are his accolades, which speak for themselves. Lilton Stewart III is a seasoned Award Winning DP/Cinematographer with over 8 years’ experience. He has over 40 hours of ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) Master Class Training with Award Winning ASC Cinematographers. Lilton also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Filmmaking & Video Production. His goal is to produce the best possible cinematic experience to represent great ideas and stories. Some of the projects he has worked on is the award winning short films, Depravity & Provocation. Lilton is currently working on his next short film Michaela which already has over 3,000 people talking about it on Facebook.
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This campaign page is to help me raise funds to cover the little things I have left to pay for, such as editing, very small amount of VFX, and various other things that will be listed below, and for a starter bundle to make the second story from the anthology. You, the potential contributor, will have a chance to contribute to something not only artistic, but something that is scary and intriguing.
What We Need & What You Get
Here is what we are in need of: $3000.
This money will go to the editor, VFX artist, SFX make up Artist, van rental, promotional material, and film festivals. To help raise the money that we need, we are doing something special for the perks, which will benefit everyone that contributes what you can COMFORTABLY afford. If you can not afford to contribute, please get the word out to your family and friends. Some of these unique perks will be the ACTUAL props from the film, copies of the screenplay that are autographed by the actors, and one major perk.......THE van itself that was used in the film. It will be accompanied with a certificate of authenticity and it is autographed. We'll even throw in the mattress that was used in the film.
The Impact
By contributing what you can, you will not only gain some really cool props from the film, but you will also further the Arts in the St. Louis area, and open the way for other films to be made over time. Your dollars will attract other contributors and will place your name in the Special Thanks To... area in the credits. The more you contribute, the better the perks become. Making a movie takes a team to do so. Be part of that team and be one of the important facets of film making in the St. Louis area.
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Risks & Challenges
As with everything that involves money, there are risks. Normally, those risks are giving money to a project that is not even made. The great thing about this project is; we have already filmed the movie, and we need YOUR help to do the post-production. Any money that we gain after everything is paid for will be used for the next film, and you will have your name in that film as well.
Other Ways To Help
As stated before, if you are not able to contribute the way you want, please get the word out to your family and friends. EVERY person and contribution is important and will be GREATLY appreciated.
