YES! Road Runner was not just a short-film. The boys at Fellpeller Studios had a feature up their sleeves all along. Road Runner is a crime drama written in 1970's Detroit about a Drug Mule named Danny and his partner in crime, Chris. Danny smuggles cocaine shipments from South America in a Plymouth Road Runner (hence the title) and garners himself the same nickname. When Canadian Drug-Lord Ronnie submits the operation to investigation by the FBI and DEA, Danny and Chris are forcibly let go due to their erratic behavior by their immediate boss - Police Chief Patrick Duke. This causes them to use their skillset and knowledge of the business to their advantage and take matters into their own hands. Naturally, their decision has some consequences. What might those be? Well, I guess you won't find out unless you help us get our movie made!
The Team
Writer/Director/Producer Jason Allen
Jason Allen is an award winning filmmaker from Fenton, Michigan. Devoted to creating refreshing and high-quality stories, Jason Co-founded Fellpeller Studios alongside a few of his fellow film school classmates in early 2019. Jason has spent much of his time in the company as a Production Designer and Costume Designer, as well as Producing many in-house and client films . His short film 'Road Runner' was made for a budget of only $1,000 and has gone on to win many awards in the film festival circuit - Including; Best Crime Short at Indie Short Fest in Los Angeles, California and Best Production Design at the Trinity Detroit International Film Festival. All of this has happened with a much bigger picture in mind - a feature film for 'Road Runner'.
Co-Producer Matt Szakal
Matt Szakal is yet another very crucial part of the Road Runner team. Matt has spent most of his life acting and directing and is another Co-founder of Fellpeller Studios. Matt has written and directed many award winning films, including the Fellpeller film HARA-KIRI. Recently, Matt directed the Michigan Fan-Film 'CROW' (Produced by Justin Mane, Fellpeller Studios and Tennille T. Productions). With Matt's knowledge of cinema, he truly is an incredible gift to Road Runner.
FELLPELLER STUDIOS
- Fellpeller Studios in an independent film studio based in Michigan. With our in-house resources, connections and consistently growing fanbase, we believe we are able to pull off this enormous project and create something we can all be proud of. You help us raise the money and we'll do the rest!
- This campaign is created to help fund an incredibly ambitious project for both Jason and Fellpeller Studios. With our resources and equipment, we believe this film can be made for a budget of $90,000. Jason is contributing $20,000 of that budget himself, which is why we are asking you to help us raise ONLY $70,000! The reaction and buzz created by the short film has given us the confidence in this project to take it to the next level. But we can't do it without you! If we reach our goal, we intend to shoot this film entirely in Michigan and help draw more attention to local filmmakers. And if all goes as planned, have a worldwide release for the film.
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
Our budget can be broken down into three categories
Wardrobe/Locations/Production Design
- 40% of our budget will go towards creating a believable environment for audiences to get lost in. And the further we get from the 1970's the more difficult this becomes. This is our top priority.
Cast/Crew
- 40% of our budget will go towards paying the Cast and Crew outside of Fellpeller. Everyone knows making a movie can be hard, but the Cast and Crew are the backbone of any set. If they're happy, we're all happy. This money will go towards paying and feeding them. Fellpeller will be taking money on the backend of this project and Jason will be making a total of $0 to help fund the film.
Distribution
- 20% of our budget will go towards distribution. We want to make a good movie, but what's the sense in making a movie if nobody gets to watch it? This buffer will ensure that our movie gets a full blown premiere, and potentially a worldwide theater release. And if all goes well, we can find a home on a streaming service like Netflix or HULU.
The Impact
We have made movies with budgets ranging from $200 all the way to $8,000. If there is one thing we know for sure, money makes a world of difference. With a project of this magnitude and originality, it takes an army to produce the finished film. This film will be getting made no matter what. But your contribution will help make the movie that much better. The short film version of Road Runner has won many awards at festivals throughout the United States, played at drive-in screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic, spawned a hit title track which has over 10,000 streams on iTunes and Spotify, and even premiered to a sold out theater in February 2020. The success of the short film has lead to state-wide recognition for Fellpeller Studios and helped them move on to larger and higher budget projects such as 'CROW' and 'Camp Murder'. We believe that with this sizable budget, we can make a film that will be distributed to mainstream audiences around the globe and recognized for all of its efforts. And most importantly, draw attention to the underground film scene here in Michigan
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't afford to donate but you want to support us and our filmmaking journey, you can always share and help us get our name out there.