THE FILM
The Elf In The Room is a twisted but cautionary psychological thriller inspired by the popular holiday family tradition with a similar name. The story provides perspective on the notion that we are a product of our environment, by exploring the themes of parenting and the consequences of neglect. The idea of “present but absent” occurs when parents are emotionally unavailable to nurture their children. Since attention and affirmation are important to a child’s development, this void can lead to low self esteem and a tendency to act out and misbehave in order to get the attention they crave.
The concept of a “spying” elf doll is an intriguing metaphor, because even if exaggerated, it is conceivable to depict the activity as an easy out for parents; allowing them to shift the responsibility of disciplining and nurturing their children to an inanimate object. This isn’t any different than handing a child a smartphone or video game in lieu of quality time and attention.
By way of fable, our story examines what happens when present but absent backfires. What if the elf is really watching? What if he’s able to respond and teach a lesson?
Despite the serious subject matter and themes of the film, on the surface, we are still making a psychological horror film that plays with the folklore of this holiday tradition. We fell in love with the idea of turning the pop-culture icon into a nightmare inducing horror. It is going to be dark. It is going to be creepy. And it is going to be extremely stylized. In that regard, this film requires a much higher commitment to production value than our previous works, which is why we need your help!
THE DOLL
There are two key prop elements that are crucial to the production of our film, the elf doll and the accompanying story book.
We are ecstatic to have the opportunity to partner with an accomplished and world renowned doll maker to bring our stylized vision to life. Of course, designing, modeling, and creating a poseable porcelain doll that is camera ready is no small feat and it is certainly not cheap. The production process for one doll will take over 4 months and will require a significant portion of the budget.
Regardless, the process is extremely fascinating and exciting, so we will be documenting and sharing the progress regularly with donors. In this way, we hope that the doll takes on a life of his own. Stay tuned for updates!
THE STORY BOOK
In order to properly tell our story, we need to produce an illustrated story book that accompanies the elf doll and explains the folklore of the elf. In the film, the stories read from the book provide valuable context to the narrative. Similar to the elf doll, we are partnering with an extremely talented illustrator to create our own stylized interpretation of the book for use in the film. Again, there are unavoidable costs associated with this process, which is why we need your help!
PRODUCTION
We will be shooting on location in Pittsburgh, PA in Q1 of 2019. Our cast and crew consists of film professionals, many of whom are generously giving up their time to help us out with the bottom line. Due to the seasonal relevance of our film, it likely will not be released to the public until the fall of 2019. That being said, contributors will have the exclusive opportunity to see the film before its release, when production is complete.
THE MONEY
We are looking to raise $10,000 through this campaign to pay for production and post-production costs. We can assure you, none of it will be going into our pockets. We extremely appreciate your kindness, generosity, and dedication to supporting art. THANK YOU.
Here is where the money will be allocated.
The Elf Doll
The Elf In The Room story book
Location Permits
Props & Sets
Wardrobe / Costumes / Makeup
Equipment Rentals & Operators
Lighting
Sound
Camera
Hair & Makeup
Production Supplies
Special FX / Post Production
Meals for cast and crew
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Even if you are unable to contribute financially to the goal, there are still other ways that you can help make this project a reality.
Tell all of your friends, family, or anyone that may be interested in our project.
Share the campaign on social media.
Volunteer your time. If you are local to Pittsburgh, we could always use an extra hand with the production.
THE TEAM
We have put together an incredible team so far (with more to be added) of film professionals all with significant experience in the industry. You can view some of our previous works here.
CAST
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Jennifer Andrada - Alison
Jennifer Andrada has been a professional actress for over ten years, working in film, theater, television, and commercials. A prolific voice actor as well, she has lent her voice to a host of audiobooks, educational videos, television and radio commercials. She can be seen playing the character Sophia Bennett on WGNs OUTSIDERS and is a series regular on the family comedy web series Jack and Emma.
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Allan Snyder - Andrew
Allan Snyder moved to Pittsburgh three years ago from New York, where he appeared on Broadway in Les Miserables (original production, final cast) and off-Broadway in the iconic, long-running The Fantasticks. Allan also traveled the country for two years with the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera, often appearing in the title role. Since moving to Pittsburgh he has performed with the Pittsburgh Public Theater (Hamlet, Daddy Long Legs), the Pittsburgh CLO (The 39 Steps, Titanic) as well as many other local theatres. On camera Allan has appeared in commercials for the Pittsburgh Pirates, UPMC, and Giant Eagle and look for him in the upcoming films Unsinkable and Pickled (starring Seth Rogen).
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Payten Fisher - Megan
Payten Fisher is a brilliant young talent who is making her acting debut in The Elf In The Room. Taking influence from Millie Bobbie Brown of Stranger Things', Payten has a flair for the dramatic, so she is very excited to have a serious role in the horror genre. Although cheerleading is her outlet when she wants to get her groove on, Payten also loves to play the sims and fortnight.
CREW
Darin DiNapoli - Director & Editor
Framing every aspect of his life in cinematic fashion, Darin DiNapoli never ceases to offer an interesting perspective. But, seeing life through his own lense has allowed Darin to develop a style of storytelling that is as intriguing as it is proficient. A creative being by nature, Darin earned his technical savvy over 10 years of working as both a professional editor and director of photography on commercial projects for national brands. In that time, Darin also began receiving major attention for his independent projects, including an Emmy award for a music video produced for his band Identity X. Over the course of the last three years, Darin has been busy collaborating with other industry professionals to make over 9 short films across multiple genres and winning multiple awards; including BEST FILM for the horror flick "Rorschach" at the Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film Festival and a nomination for BEST FILM for “Nakama” at the LA 48 Hour Film Festival. Nakama received continued attention internationally for months following the festival. DiNapoli’s film “Sketch” also garnered attention in the Four Points Film Festival after being honored in the top 25 out of over 200 international entries. Darin’s passion for filmmaking remains strong as he intends to parlay these experiences into a career making movies in Hollywood.
Jonathan A. Joseph - Writer
As a musician and professional web designer, Jonathan Joseph has always been creating. But, it wasn’t until he ‘accidentally’ joined one of director Darin DiNapoli’s projects that he found his passion for filmmaking. When one of his ideas evolved into a major plot point, he suddenly found himself co-writing the award winning and internationally recognized short “Nakama.” Since then, Jonathan has penned six more of DiNapoli’s films, also earning international accolades for “Sketch.” With every project, Jonathan writes with the intention of creating something meaningful. At the very least, he wants the audience to come away thinking.
Amanda Williams - Producer
Amanda Williams is a Pittsburgh native with a 12 year career in professional production, specializing in production management, logistics, and casting. Her highlights include 4 years as the Casting Coordinator and Associate Producer on the Emmy nominated game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, as well as coordinating production logistics for a shoot in the Oval Office with President Obama. Amanda has a passion for evocative stories and believes in film as a powerful outlet for artistic expression.
Chris Catone - Composer
Chris Catone is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose music is deeply rooted in the merging of technology and the natural sound. His life and work is a balance between sacred silence and the din of the outside world. As an active composer of chamber and film music, Chris’ work has been performed by Alia Musica Pittsburgh, Trillium Ensemble, A Far Cry Ensemble, The Heinz Chapel Compline Choir, St. Maurice Chamber Singers, Kassia Ensemble and others. His music for film has won awards at prominent film festivals such as the Los Angeles 48 Hour Film Fest, Four Points Film Festival and Filmapalooza. Chris has also assisted on various projects with film composer/producer Junkie XL at Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions in Los Angeles, California.
