What We Need & What You Get
We are seeking funding to help provide us our location and pay for our crew. This movie has a creature, so the costume is key (mock up below). As is making sure that we have all the required insurance and permits to provide us a safe set. Our incentives are integrated with the film and it’s characters providing a harmonious experience.
Who We are
Upper Hand is an independent production company based in Los Angeles, California. The team consists of Jacob Figueroa and Bryan Biebl.
Jacob Figueroa is an American-Latino writer/director/producer/actor. His most recent short THE MARIGOLDS LISTEN (2021) is currently on the festival circuit and an official selection for the 2022 Tallgrass and NewFilmmakers LA festivals. In addition, he has multiple screenplays in various stages of development, including ScreenCraft Fellowship Quarterfinalist Feature Film, TEXAS WHEN I DIE. As an actor he has worked with Fox, Warner Brothers, Amazon and Disney. His diverse biological buildup and upbringing allow him to express different perspectives with familiar sensibilities in an attempt to express the human experience.
Bryan Biebl is a writer/producer based in Los Angeles, CA. He is currently developing three features and a television series. Accolades include ScrrenCraft Fellowship and Tagble Read My Screenplay Quaterfinalist Feature Film, TEXAS WHEN I DIE and Los Angeles International Screenplay Award Finalist, THE FOOL.
The Story
THE ARCHITECTURE OF SUCCESS
A stage. The light beams down on Duke, this is his shining moment. The words flow with ease as he touches on all of his self-made techniques; The Alpha Breathwork to his pillars of success- DCUPS. Dream, Concieve, Unblock, Persevere, Suceed! From the outside looking in, he's got it all; a healthy hairline, a million dollar smile, he's the 16th most downloaded motivational speaker in the Southwestern United States. But suddenly we realize, this isn't the stage. This is the public restroom of the auditiorium that houses the stage. This is an exercise, an exhibition, a test run. Too much time in preparation allows demons in.
Enter the Grimbleworm.
A slithering amalgamation of doubt and fear, hellbent on removing Duke's mask. A battle over ego and self-belief transpires. A worm in human form is terrifying enough, but give it a voice and those deep dark thoughts that reside inside and you have yourself a nightmare incarnate. Duke cowers into a bathroom stall. He's got nowhere to hide. The Grimbleworm might finally get the best of him.
But!
Duke has a secret weapon; his wife, Piper, the star of "Hustler Mommy Grind Time" herself. One phone call could end this all and put the Grimbleworm back deep where he came from. Sometimes all you need is a reminder of who and what you are!
This story is about the "ALPHA" mindset. It's more satire, poking at the ego and false sense of self. How one can peddle a certain mindset but inside house something deeper that wavers their own belief of self. All in the fun form of man vs demon or, in this case, man vs his own demons.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
This film, like it's premise, deals with the layers of the human psyche. On the surface this story can seem fun and funky but deep down inside there is a lingering void opening wide that will consume us, if we allow it. THE ARCHITECTURE OF SUCCESS is very much about the masks we wear, the labels we give ourselves and the voices that we attempt to silence in order to represent them.
For as long as I can remember I've been making up stories, whether with assitance from my action figures in my toybox growing up or the backstories I give the grocery clerk. We all have stories and we all have history, I've found that I enjoy playing with them; the good, the bad and the ugly, they're all valid in this medium.
I hope that you decide to take this trip with me and venture into the internal world that we all avoid. The one full of darkness and doubt, the other side of the ego- the one we wish we could flush down (pun intended).
Thank you for your time and consideration,
JACOB FIGUEROA.