Who We Are
“We sleep well at night because we dream while we’re awake…”
Pale Moonlight Cinema is extremely excited to tackle this story of morbid justice. Here's a taste of our previous work.
Through the Stephen King Dollar Baby program, we have received an opportunity to adapt a story from the horror master himself. In order to do him justice, we are raising money to create the best adaptation possible.
“Popsy” is a simple story, yet complex in scope. Your donation will go to securing the multiple locations: malls, gas stations, motels, gambling halls, etc. We’ll need access to camera, lighting, and sound equipment.
“Popsy” is also somewhat of a period piece, set in the early 90’s. Our production crew is working hard to find wardrobe, hairstyles, and building exteriors that are period specific.
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Pale Moonlight Cinema started in 2015 and (we say ever so humbly) we’ve been winning awards from the beginning.
Our short "Dyscrasia" has won several awards including Best Director (HorrorHound 2017) and Best Editing (Chicago Horror Film Festival 2017) and garnered a nomination for Best Actress (Edmonton Festival of Fear 2018) .
Our second short, "Hinterland," took home FIVE awards from the Independent Horror Movie Awards including Best Short, Best Actress (Kelly Figley), Best Sound, Best Scare, and Best Atmosphere. Hinterland's Nicole Lehrman was also nominated for Best Directing at the Women in Horror Film Festival 2018.
Tryst, our most recent short, just premiered as an Official Selection at HorrorHound 2018 this past August.
These shorts were all produced on little-to-no budget. With your help, we’re going to elevate “Popsy” to a realm of production that PMC has yet to see. We will be using your donations to produce a more captivating final product - not only for you our audience, but for Stephen King himself.
What We Need & What You Get
We’re not asking for money and expecting you to get nothing in return. We’re offering up fun incentives such as:
- Pale Moonlight Cinema koozies
- A customized Pale Moonlight Cinema trading card, complete with a Fun Fact that we'll personalize to you.
- Customized rings, made by hand (and in high demand), by our director Jac Kessler.
- The official Popsy film poster
- Check the sidebar for even more!
As we’ve said, every dollar donated is going to be seen on screen in some form or another.
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Let’s face it, camera gear is costly. So a major portion of what we raise over the next 31 days is going towards ensuring we have the best cameras and lenses required to capture the vision of our director, Jac Kessler.
“Popsy” is also going to be extremely special effects heavy. They say the best special effect is a great actor, and those cost money too.
Most of our crew are college students, working for free out of a passion for film, horror, and getting hands on production experience. So what we can’t pay them in money, we make up for with catering. And with a crew of 20-30, those food orders can add up quickly.
There are also a lot of hidden expenses that are not typically considered when it comes to film production: permit fees, insurance coverage, and even festival entry fees. And we are excited to get this in front of as many audiences as possible!
Meet the Crew
Jac Kessler, Director
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PMC founder, Jac Kessler, writes most of the time, even if it's just in his head when no one is looking, and directs when his lures work. He loves anything that makes his audience laugh or jump and can't wait to tackle Stephen King's Popsy, an opportunity he truly never imagined he'd find himself helming. He's very thankful for everyone that has given this campaign a look, a share, or even a thought. Here's to you!
Henry Tegeler, Cinematographer
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Henry is a cinematographer, editor, and photographer. During the week he shoots, edits, and composites video and photo for the American Lawn Mower Co, and on the weekends he is usually planning, or shooting the latest PMC film.
Abigail Urbik, 1st Assistant Director/Producer
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With all the scheduling and organizing that goes into filmmaking, Abby has her hands full with "Popsy”, working as the 1st Assistant Director, a role she’s filled on many previous PMC productions.
She is especially excited to be working alongside Jac Kessler (again) and hopes one day to meet Stephen King, to express her ingratitude for his creation of Pennywise.
Kyle Benham, Executive Producer
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Kyle Benham has been lifelong friends with Kessler. They met in 5th grade and performed Abbott and Costello bits together in middle school. Though he moved away in 8th grade, he and Kessler remained close - Kessler was even a groomsman for Kyle at his wedding (years later, not in 8th grade). Benham now lives in Los Angeles where he has produced on shows like "Carpool Karaoke: The Series" for Apple Music, Chelsea Handler's talk show "Chelsea" for Netflix, and "The Arsenio Hall Show" for CBS.
Check https://www.palemoonlightcinema.com/ for even more PMC crew!
Still feeling generous?
If you’ve donated (thank you!) and still want to help, please post about our campaign. Use https://igg.me/at/popsy and the hashtag #PopsyGonnaGetcha to spread the word.
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