The Story
Ben Bennett is a talented, teen pianist who suffers from severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He skillfully hides his compulsions from others and never speaks of them to anyone. Playing the piano is his only sanctuary from the outside world and only relief from his tormented mind. But, the pressure of an upcoming music school audition combined with his obsessive nature cause him to agonize over the one thing that once brought him relief: music. He must make a choice: take a step toward accepting vulnerability and confide to his friend Sky, or remain closed-off, allowing his obsessions to consume every aspect of his waking life and even his dreams.
Why is this film important?
Filmmaking is a powerful art form with the potential to move its audience, encouraging positive changes. Your support will allow us to bring the effects of OCD on the sufferer to light in greater detail. Rather than portray this mental disorder as a mere nuisance to the patient, consisting of trivial compulsions and rituals, Sky delves deeper into the life and mind of someone living with severe OCD.
Sky is not an educational film on the mental disorder, but rather shows how growth comes from even the most painful circumstances. My hope is that this film inspires someone who is suffering in silence to gain the courage to reach out for help without fear of judgment.
How can you help?
Filmmaking is a collaborative effort and requires input from many creative minds to bring a story to life. We are committed to telling an impactful story that reveals good and beauty, but we cannot do it without your donation and support.
Our goal is to raise $30,000 so that we can bring this vision to the screen. Your donations will allow us to pay the expenses incurred throughout the various phases of production. Make sure to check out the perks you can choose from for your donation.
Production:
- Rates for crew members such as the Director of Photography, Camera Assistant, Gaffer, Grip, Sound Engineer, Make-Up Artist, Stunt Coordinator, etc. as well as the cast.
- Additional funds are needed for rental of camera, sound, and lighting equipment, location permits/fees, insurance, props, wardrobe, catering, and travel expenses/room & board.
Post-production:
- Music composition, surround sound mixing, and post production equipment.
Distribution:
- DCP and Blu-Ray production, donation perk awards, film festival entry fees, and travel expenses.
Timeline
- Pre-production:
- Crew Call - Underway
- Casting Call - August 2018
- Rehearsal - September 2018
- Principal photography: First week of October
- Post-production: Following principal photography
- Completion: April 2019
- Private Screening: May 2019
Cast
Augustus Cosby (as Ben Bennett)
16-year-old Augustus is a talented actor and a skilled pianist from Austin, Texas. In addition to rehearsals with the cast, Augustus is working with composer Amos Cochran, as he will play the score for Sky live on set.
Lara London (as Sky)
Lara London is an actress from Houston, Texas. She is 16 years old, and she recently filmed her first short film, ApocaFISH. Lara is very excited to be starring in Sky!
Charlotte Gilbert (as Kimberly)
Charlotte Gilbert completed her M.S. in Plant Breeding at Texas A&M University - College Station, and received her undergraduate in Chemistry & Biological Sciences. She has seven years experience working in a hospital setting & currently teaches Robotics & Computer Science at a gifted & talented school in Galveston,TX. Charlotte was an Information Systems Technician in the United States Navy & thoroughly enjoys recreational theatre.
Katelyn Kapocsi (as Val)
Katelyn Kapocsi is a Houston native who began her acting career through musical theatre. Katelyn has appeared in films such as Indigo Valley and The Delta Girl (nominated for HollyShorts Film Festival Award). Her other passions include learning to fly, traveling the world, and writing.
Michael Olinger (as Eli)
Michael Olinger has performed both on stage and film in the greater Houston area. Mike is currently pursuing a musical theatre degree, and looking forward to working with this talented cast and crew.
Spencer Altman (as The Bully)
Spencer Nigel Altman was born in Chicago, and lived in New Jersey for 10 years before moving to Texas. His passion for acting grew out of his love of comedy and stand-up, which was some relief from growing pains. Spencer takes his enthusiasm wherever he goes.
Crew
Lance Childers - Writer | Director
My name is Lance Childers, and I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. After graduating from the University of Houston, I discovered my passion for filmmaking. I've directed and shot several short films including The Gold Line which was selected last year as part of the Houston Film Commission's Texas Filmmaker's Showcase. I'm especially excited about this next short film.
Caleb Gonzalez, Ph.D. - Producer
Caleb, a cancer researcher at Texas Medical Center in Houston, has a passion for filmmaking. He collaborated with Lance Childers on The Gold Line, and also produced/directed a fundraising film, which helped raise $2.5 million for the construction of Lee & Joe Jamail Skatepark.
James Pinedo II - Director of Photography
James has worked as a producer, screenwriter, and director since graduating with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin Film School in 2011. He has directed short documentaries filmed in all parts of the world, while working with Family Theater Productions in Los Angeles, CA on their short format content.
Amos Cochran - Composer
Emmy nominated composer Amos Cochran is an American musician living in Arkansas. His compositions for film, theater, radio, and television have received many honors. Cochran has gone on to score numerous films including, Dayveon, which had its world premier at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and its European premier at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival.
(Photo: Wendy White)
Janet Jensen - Gaffer
Janet Jensen has been a member of the filmmaking community in Austin Texas for 15 years. Her lighting credits include Tree of Life, Boyhood, Friday Night Lights and Sonic Highways.
Roseann Garcia - Assistant Camera
Roseann Garcia is a director and producer from San Antonio, Texas. She has also worked as director photography and camera op on various short films. She is currently an associate producer for The City of San Antonio.
Javier Paredes - Assistant Director
Javier has worked as a camera operator, editor, and director, leading him to be the assistant director of this upcoming short film, Sky.
(Photo: Michael Macedo)
Alethea Delmage - Stunt Coordinator
Alethea is a certified Personal Trainer, state champion gymnast, metal winning martial artist and mixed martial artist with a collective 9 years working in film production.
Production and Challenges
There are always challenges and unexpected obstacles to overcome while making a film. However, my team and I are confident that the final product will be of the quality that we can all be proud of because of our diligent, rigorous pre-production planning and preparation.
To ensure that we have enough time to prepare visually pleasing sets and to capture genuine, nuanced performances by the actors, I've set our shooting schedule for this 14-minute short film to 5 days. That's less than 3 screenplay pages per day. I've even allotted one extra "pickup" day in case of poor weather or other issues. My crew and I will do our best to adapt to unforeseen problems that may arise during the course of production, and we will exhaust all alternatives in pursuit of this film's completion.
I like to plan for the worst and hope for the best. If we are unable to reach our Indiegogo campaign goal of $30,000, we will have to reduce the available rate for the cast. If we still come up short, we will re-negotiate the rates for the film crew positions, or find other (possibly less experienced) crew willing to accept lower rates.