We're almost there!
Thanks to some newly acquired outside funding and a careful reduction of our budget (which we managed to do without compromising our desire to pay, house, and feed our cast and crew), we only need $1,500 more to produce Signal to Noise.
We have the cast, the crew, the equipment, and all of our primary locations lined up. We are so close to the finish line here and we would absolutely love your help getting there.
Thank you again (and again and again) for checking out our campaign and we cannot wait for you to see Signal to Noise!
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Let’s get right to it.
We’re asking you for money. And if you do decide to contribute, no matter how much you give, you will receive a digital copy of the finished film.
We know what we’re asking for and we know what we have to offer. There won’t be any pins or posters or T-shirts. Given the team that we have, the one thing we know we can deliver is the film itself. Because of that, we’ve tried our best to be totally transparent with you.
If you want to know who you’d be giving your money to, check out our bios and pitch video.
If you want to know where your money would be going, check out our budget breakdown.
And if you want to know what the movie’s gonna be like, you can read the whole script.
Every person on the Signal to Noise team wants to make this Santa Cruz set, slow-burning, somewhat fantastical, absolutely queer romance more than anything. And we can’t do it without your help.
Thank you for stopping by and please check out the rest of our campaign.
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What is Signal to Noise?
Signal to Noise is an independent feature film written and directed by Tyler Milles, set to shoot out of Santa Cruz, California in the summer of 2019. Let’s call it a stoner bromance romance with a magical-realist twist.
It follows a stoner whose hazy, solitary life is interrupted by the arrival of an old friend who claims to have gained the ability to experience the dreams of those he sleeps near.
Aiming to test the limits of this bizarre, new ability, they decide to run an experiment. And as they dream together night-after-night, a passion blurring the lines between friendship and romance awakens.
If that's not enough, feel free to read the entire script.
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Who's making it?
Tyler Milles - Writer / Director / Cinematographer / Editor
When I graduated from UC Berkeley’s film studies program, I started calling myself an indie filmmaker. Sure, I had yet to make anything more than a couple shorts, but I wanted to make my intentions clear. No matter what job I took, that was my headline. Whatever money I made was getting dumped into building a filmmaking rig so that if need be, I could take a movie from pre-to-post-production. For as long as I’ve had access to a camera, I’ve been writing, shooting, and editing stuff. And now, with the help of one of my oldest friends whom I’ve been making things with since I met him, I have the chance to make my first feature and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Adam Frey - Producer / Assistant Camera
Growing up just outside of Los Angeles, I've always had a distinct love of movies. Ever since elementary school, when my dad let me use his camera and gave me a copy of Final Cut Express, I've been making short films with my friends. After high school, I got a degree in Economics from Chapman University, hoping that I could combine my knowledge of business and economics with my love of film in order to produce the sort of movie that Hollywood wouldn't normally take a chance on. And now, with Signal to Noise, I have the opportunity to do just that.
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Cristian Caridad - "Vince Santos"
When I was young, I would always get sucked in to watching my favorite movies over and over again. And once I got bored of that, I found myself starting to re-enact scenes from those movies myself. A personal favorite was that scene in Jurassic Park when Sam Neil first sees the brachiosaurus. As I grew older and started to pursue acting professionally, I realized that my passion for acting also applied to the rest of the filmmaking process. I wanted to learn how to be behind and in front of the camera. Being able to work on an indie film like this gives me opportunity to take on all of my passions at once. I'm very proud to take on the role of Vince and can't wait to share Signal to Noise with you.
Nico Yasko - "Henry Marquez"
Since Henry and I are both Latinos and members of the LGBTQ+ community, telling his story is something I'm incredibly passionate about. While I am from Uruguay, I was born in Japan and have lived in places like Conakry, Bangkok, Montevideo, and Grenoble. It's safe to say I was raised all over the world. Right now, I'm studying acting at UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television and plan on working on Signal to Noise between quarters. I hope you enjoy what we're all about to make!
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Eden Bailey - Producer / Assistant Director
Eden is a filmmaker from Surf City, California. He is currently finishing up his bachelor's degree in film direction at Chapman University, and has several short films to his name. Non-film related interests include music, bowling, and just a good round of laser tag.
Matt Somogyi - Sound Mixer / Sound Designer
Matt was born in Burbank, CA and has always been interested and infatuated with film, having been surrounded by the entertainment industry and various studios throughout his childhood. After becoming intensely involved in his high school’s media program, Matt went on to receive his B.F.A. in film production from Dodge College at Chapman University with an emphasis in directing, as well as his M.A. in film studies in an accelerated graduate program. Since graduating, he has been fortunate enough to direct a few commercials and short films but primarily makes his living doing production sound and post-production sound mixing. Matt is incredibly excited to be a creative member of Signal to Noise and looks forward to all of the coming adventures with the cast and crew!
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What do we have?
Equipment
Nearly all of the necessary camera and sound equipment is accounted for by my personal rig. We will be shooting the film primarily on a Panasonic GH5s with another Panasonic GH4 backing it up. Post-production equipment is also accounted for here as I've built a computer expressly for that purpose. You can see my equipment in action in our pitch video in addition to the two last shorts I made Now What? and A Day in the Life of the Passenger.
Microbudget Experience
Everything we've made before has been made on a budget of zero dollars with incredibly tight shooting schedules (and I'd like to think it doesn't show). We know how to make the most out of limited resources, which is why we're asking only for what we absolutely need.
From its conception, Signal to Noise was intended to be shot on a microbudget. This isn't a story that got hemmed in to be made cheaply. Every aspect of the script, from its limited number of locations, to its two-hander structure, to the fact that the dreams are only talked about rather than depicted, was designed with a small-scale production in mind.
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What do we need?
Well--money. But more specifically, money for...
...wages,
I’m not interested in anyone involved in this film (me and Adam excluded) working for free. This is my highest priority. The cast and crew should be paid for each day that they work. “Exposure,” especially for a film of this small a scale is not enough.
...food,
People need fuel to perform and I’d rather the cast and crew did not need to pack their own lunches for a 13 day shoot.
...locations and housing.
There are a limited number of locations featured in the film, the most important of which is the studio apartment where the majority of the film takes place. These private locations will need to be rented. Additionally, because the shoot will be based in Santa Cruz, the majority of the cast and crew will need to be housed for length of the shoot.
For a more detailed overview, check out our Budget Breakdown.
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Why should you give us money?
Because you want to see the movie we’re trying to make. Plain and simple.
There aren’t going to be pins or posters or T-shirts. We do not want to promise things that we cannot deliver or raise our budget to attempt to expand beyond our reach.
Given the talent that we have, the one thing we know we can deliver is the film itself. Because of that, contributions of any size will let you see the film for free. All that the tiers determine is when you get to see it.
For inquiries about becoming a financier of the film, or about seeing more of our work, email us here: signaltonoisemovie@gmail.com
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If you've gotten all the way down here, we want to thank you for taking the time to check out our campaign. Please consider donating to Signal to Noise and helping us make this movie a reality. Any amount goes a long way. Thank you.
And if you want to keep up with what we're doing, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
