Short Summary
Hi, I'm Noah, the director and co-writer of this project. It started about a year ago, when I decided to write a movie that would have such a crazy and fun story that it could be shot with a shoestring budget (and a bunch of talented people), but still be entertaining to watch.
I've always loved fast paced, high concept movies that are willing to go anywhere and do anything, and I love it even more when they are funny. So, that is the kind of movie we are going to make.
Our story focuses on a private detective, who begins his day by taking a new, seemingly straightforward case. As he follows the clues, they lead him to a staggering realization about the nature of his reality that takes him on a wild and unpredictable ride into the unknown, towards an impossible goal.
I don't really want to say much more than that because I hate spoilers. It will be worth it to be surprised by the reveals and twists when you finally watch it. I promise.
By helping to fund this movie, you will be supporting an indie (in the truest sense) project that will strive to entertain as much as possible with a bare minimum of expenses. We have a great script, locations, and an AMAZING cast. Seriously. I would be excited to have this cast even if we had a million dollar budget.
Nowadays, technology is cheap, and it is easier than ever to create high quality entertainment on a low budget. We are a passionate group of entertainment professionals who want to make a project that we believe deserves to be made, but without having to spend years in development hell, and as such are willing to work on spec. Below I've broken the budget down so you can see how little is really needed to make a movie when the cast and crew are willing to donate their time.
Thanks for believing in us - we can't wait to show you the result.
Creationist Cat
For the past several years, my friend Vadim Newquist and I have been helping a miraculous creature named Creationist Cat make his Youtube channel. We currently have over 37,000 subscribers, and we try as hard as we can to make frequent content (approx. one video a week) that is as entertaining as possible with no budget at all. This experience has given me a lot of practice in creating entertaining content very quickly and cheaply. Creationist Cat is one of the co-writers of the script, and will also be lending his distinctive animation style to the animated sequences in the movie. If you are not familiar with CC, here are two videos from the channel:
(Note: this video was shot with a consumer level camera, and as such does not represent the production quality we will have on our shoot. I'm including it here to show a range of what we are doing on that channel.)
The Cast
We have an amazing cast, which is one of the main reasons I am so excited to make this movie.
In the lead role as the detective, we have Aaron Perilo. Don't be fooled by his boyish mug. A veteran hollywood actor of some 15 years, Aaron is a talented actor who has been on Key and Peele, True Blood, and is willing to slick his hair back to play a classic noir detective. He also helped write the movie, so I think he understands the character. Sold. Next.
As the female lead, we've got Laura Slade Wiggins, who is also a producer on the project. You may know her from her fantastic ensemble work on the Showtime series Shameless, where she played Karen for 3 seasons. She was also a cast member of the sci-fi TV show The Tomorrow People (CW), and has shot a large number of indie films. You can watch her demo reel here (password: demo reel): https://vimeo.com/99895396
Then... there's Haley Joel Osment! Such a rare talent and a true class act. We are so lucky and excited to have him playing the role of Vinnie, Mr. Gagliano's nephew.
We are also incredibly honored to have Xander Berkeley, in the role of a lifetime - my words, not his - as the elegant arch criminal Mr. Gagliano. You will know Xander from, well, everything. Terminator 2, Heat, 24, Salem, Shanghai Noon, Year One, Kick-Ass...this list is practically endless. Here is his demo reel, from his website (indiegogo will only let me link to youtube or vimeo): http://www.xanderberkeley.net/XBHD/
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In addition to the main cast, we have an excellent supporting cast that we are very excited about.
What We Need
Where does the money go? How is it possible to make a feature film for only $18,000? Here's the simplified breakdown:
Sound: $5,000. To get professional quality sound, we need a a handful of Sennheiser lavalier microphones, a boom microphone, a field recorder, and memory cards, as well as a full time sound man.
PIcture: $5,000. We have the cameras already (2 Canon 60D's), but need additional lenses, a simple glidecam rig, and a drone for crane shots, as well as basic things like power cables, tape, and other accessories.
LIghting: $1000. This amount will get us a basic 3 point lighting set with a light meter.
Locations: $1000. Most of the locations are being donated, but there will be a few that have to be paid for.
Sets: $1000. We need materials to build a few sets. We have the manpower, tools and space to construct these sets, but we need the materials themselves.
Food: $3000. This adds up quick! We will be eating sandwiches and the like - nothing fancy - but to feed a cast and crew for 15 days or so gets expensive no matter what. Since everyone is working for no pay, the least we can do is feed them.
Props/MIsc: $2000.
The most important things above to enable us to get started are the sound gear and steadycam rig. So, even if we don't raise the entire amount, we can still start shooting the movie. If we raise more than the amount we are asking for, we will be able to get better equipment, more locations, and more crew.
Other Ways You Can Help
Let me guess: you're excited about what this movie could be and you really want to help, but you just got back from Vegas where your crippling gambling addiction finally cleaned out your bank account once and for all? No problem - you can still help us! Please share with your friends in email, on social networks, and with the bartender you will try to convince to start you a tab without a credit card. Thanks!
