Director Introduction
My name is Josiah Halstead, I am the writer and director of Sell Out, a short thesis film. I am a senior film and television major at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
I came up with the original idea of Sell Out when looking at my ever-growing and changing neighborhood. I grew up in a burrow outside of Philadelphia and as such have had a front-row seat to the gentrification process across Philly. I found that the places I often visited as a child were erased. I witnessed small family own businesses get run out and replaced by large corporate chains. I want audiences to walk away from Sell Out and recognize the role they play in the cruel machine that is capitalism and to recognize and support the people who get trampled over.
Sell Out Introduction
Logline: Desperate to change his way of life, a young man bargains away his neighborhood to a real estate agent for the chance to finally be free.
Film Summary: Ethan Marshal, a wayward young man, is desperate to get out of his neighborhood and finally make a life for himself. When he meets a real estate agent, Matthew Casino, Ethan plans to sell out his home in order to get enough money to go off to school. Betraying the values that his family tried to instill within him, Ethan gets the money he wished for but ends up with no home to go back to.
Funding
We are looking to raise $2000 for the production of Sell Out! This money will be used to pay for the various locations we will be filming in within Savannah, pay for the meals of our amazing cast and crew, and pay for the art direction of the film so we can present you with the best product possible! All funding will be directly put into the production and distribution of Sell Out!
No donation is too small! Even just $10 will ensure that a cast or crew member is able to have lunch for a day! And if you are unable to financially support us, please share the link to this Indiegogo around! Tell your parents, grandparents, and even that one annoying neighbor next door! Spreading the word about our project would help so much!
Your Impact
By supporting this project, you are lifting up the voices of those who often go unheard! You are helping my amazing and talented team and I bring awareness to an issue that can no longer afford to be ignored. And personally, you will be helping me make my dream come true, as I have been wanting to share this story for years now. Thank you truly from the bottom of my heart.