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Subluminal... a short film

A team is tasked with translating a message from 1000 light years away.

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Subluminal... a short film

Subluminal... a short film

Subluminal... a short film

Subluminal... a short film

Subluminal... a short film

A team is tasked with translating a message from 1000 light years away.

A team is tasked with translating a message from 1000 light years away.

A team is tasked with translating a message from 1000 light years away.

A team is tasked with translating a message from 1000 light years away.

Caley Bisson
Caley Bisson
Caley Bisson
Caley Bisson
2 Campaigns |
Woodland Park, United States
$838 USD 8 backers
15% of $5,500 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
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Short Summary

Hi, I'm Caley Bisson, the writer and director of Subluminal! I'm a filmmaker with ten years of professional experience. I'm not rich or famous, but I love what I do; I'm a film lover. I'm also a science, science fiction, and philosophy lover. Most of all, however, I think I'm a lover of the good in people, of our potential for compassion. It's this empathy that drove me to make Subluminal.

Subluminal is a movie about first contact with an alien civilization, but there are no spaceships or killer robots or laser battles. I wanted to make a movie about reaching out to one another and accepting that embrace, a movie about connection and overcoming the obsticles that prevent it, be they 1000 light years of distance in time and space, insurmountable differences in language, or simply the constructs of society in which we share space with one another, but face the world alone. Sometimes witnessing an epic event together, wondrous or tragic, brings people closer and bonds them, even strangers. To me that may be one of the most beautiful things about humanity. That's what I want to illustrate with this film.

Despite the lack of space battles, Subluminal is an epic short film and, like the theme of the story, the telling of the story must be done beautifully; it must feel majestic and sophisticated and soulful. An undertaking like that requires a community, a community of filmmakers, each experts in their own field, working together to get the story on film AND a community of supporters rooting for the film and getting involved in making it happen.

What We Need & What You Get

To make a film, even a short film, requires money. The cast and crew, many of whom are volunteering their time to make Subluminal happen, still must be fed, so providing meals, snacks, and beverages on those long shoot days is incredibly important and the cost ads up. Although the team I'm working with is awesome at making top notch material with almost no money, there are still unavoidable costs in the rental of locations and the procuring of costumes, props, and set pieces. This film could easily cost $30,000 to make, but I knew I needed to make it for less than a third of that. After trimming the budget, slimming down the script, and determining how much I could realistically invest in the budget myself, I've set $5,500 as the fundraising goal for this campaign. It's an amount this production would certainly fare better to surpass, but I feel like it's a realistically  attainable  amount and a good goal to aim for. 
Subluminal means a lot to me and I am so thankful and so honored for anyone even considering making a contribution to help breathe life into this film. It's important to me to create a platform in which those getting involved are happy to do so and that I do everything I can to express how much I value of their involvement. That's why I've set aside time and money to create a system of rewards that I hope those contributing will feel is equitable; I want people to feel they are getting something of value for their generosity, that it's an exchange not a donation. These rewards are outlined on the Perks section. If you are considering getting involved, check out the Perks; I think you'll find them to be enticing.
I'm confident the fundraising goal can be met and likely exceeded, but, if it isn't, I still intend to move forward with shooting. What would likely happen in this case, is that elements from the story would have to be removed or changed, to what extent depends on how far off we are, should we fall short. If the situation is untenable, then I'll wait a little while, save more of my own money and try to fundraise again, but that would be an extreme and unlikely situation.

The Impact

Who knows if or when we will find evidence of other civilizations in the universe, but given the proximity of even the closest stars it is unlikely we'd be able to interact with any newfound neighbors directly; we'd likely be pen pals, at best, yet so many first contact stories and movies focus on that physical interaction. Would it be war? Peace? Collaboration? Invitation to a larger community? Still, I haven't seen many films that satisfyingly address the idea of us simply knowing that each other are out there or many films that satisfyingly examine the sudden shift in perspective we'd all face knowing we're not alone. I admit, with a short film, I can't even begin to address these themes as much as I'd like to and some day hope to, but I'm proud of Subluminal for presenting first contact in a way that's a little different than what we usually see, more human, and -I think- more emotionally and spiritually satisfying. I think this film -that is in so many ways about connection- could really connect with people and touch their hearts. I would love for you to be a part of that.

Risks & Challenges

There are many moving parts that go into making a movie and a million and one chances every day for things to go disastrously wrong. Getting enough momentum to move a project forward is challenging. When you can't pay people what they are accustomed to and deserve (or pay them at all), even if you can convince them to join you on your passion project, scheduling them is a nightmare. When you can't afford even close to the typical rate a location charges for a day of shooting you're forced to either try to make a deal with a location owner for a cut rate or write a story that takes place entirely in your living room. Also, there is the cost of equipment rental to consider. You start cutting corners, which is why independent projects typically look so unprofessional.

I feel this is where Subluminal may benefit from my experience and the team I'm bringing together. I've directed and/or produced many films at this budget and have always impressed people with how professional they looked, but for the last few years I've been making other films come to life, professionally, as a production designer. As successful as my previous projects have been I'm excited to take it to the next level on a movie so dear to me.

Other Ways You Can Help

In addition to or instead of monetary participation, there are other ways you can get involved that I would appreciate your help with. I may need some extra hands setting up and breaking down. So if you're in the LA, NYC, or NJ  areas and want to help out, please send me a message. I'm also on the look out for some great locations. So if you know of an office, warehouse, factory, press-briefing-type room, empty space to build a set in, hospital, cafe, bar, or some other cool place that we could film in for free or for a low cost, please message me. Finally, sharing this campaign with other people who may want to get involved is also super helpful. 

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