About the Film

To Meet the Faces You Meet is a feature-length independent science fiction film based on the 1972 underground comic Fever Dreams written by Jan Strnad (DC Comics, Disney, Heavy Metal) and illustrated by Richard Corben (Heavy Metal, Fantagor, Dark Horse Comics). The film is animated and directed by J. Allen Williams (Darkstar: The Interactive Movie, Everything), who co-wrote the screenplay with Strnad.

To Meet the Faces You Meet will star the talented Samuel Hunt (Chicago P.D., Empire, Unbroken: Path to Redemption) as its protagonist Friz and Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens, Young Adult, Ratatouille) as Friz's symbiotic robot MEAD, whose parts have already been recorded.  The antagonist chasing our heroes across the universe is none other than the incomparable Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager, the Stargate franchise, The Orville) as the villainous Admiral Gillette. The film will also feature the iconic voice of Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, The Tick, Family Guy) as Timmy the Wunderbot, a 300 foot tall toy unleashed on the bad guys.

Why We Need Your Help

After nearly four years of work, the entire 94-minute feature film is nearly complete, including animated plates, editing, music score, and sound effects. In fact, just one crucial final stage remains — filming the live-action sequences and adding the performances of our stellar cast.

In order to finish the film and make it the very best it can be, we could use your help. The purpose of this IndieGoGo campaign is to raise crucial funds for additional actors, their airfare, hotels and food (craft services) while they are in our care during the shoot, SAG fees, studio space, set construction, lighting, sound, and other ancillary production needs.

Thanks to a Kickstarter event earlier this year, we were able to raise enough funds to hire the actors Samuel Hunt, Patrick Warburton, and Robert Picardo, in addition to a few others (see our CAST video).  We were able to add more actors than anticipated by matching the KS funds with our own studio funds, but by doing so the costs for production went a lot higher than anticipated — travel, lodging, food, SAG fees, etc increased exponentially with each “name” actor we added to the cast.

We've set a minimum goal of $10,000 for this campaign to add to our funds already raised, but that's just it—the minimum. Every dollar beyond this goal will go to making the production look and sound even better by teaming up with potential backers like you! 

Synopsis

The military thought they had created the ultimate weapon－a soldier (Friz) linked symbiotically with an artificially intelligent spaceship (MEAD: Mobile Extrasensory Autonomous Deceptor) with the ability to project illusions so real that they cannot be distinguished from reality. Together, Friz and MEAD became the most deadly fighting force the world had seen.

There was one problem: An errant bit of programming instilled MEAD with a conscience and pacifist tendencies that made him and his human symbiote useless for military purposes. Scheduled for "decommission," Friz and MEAD go on the run, pursued by bounty hunters and the unscrupulous Admiral Gillette－who has a personal axe to grind. He won’t stop until MEAD is destroyed and Friz executed for desertion.  The truth is, it’s all about revenge.

Perks for Backers

No contribution will go unrewarded when backers help make our film look and sound as great as it possibly can. Our list of perks includes adding your name in the film's end credits scroll, a Blu-Ray copy of the film (sent to YOU before anyone else sees it), art prints and posters, a signed 32 Collector's Card set, props, and more. Check out our list of perks for more info… there's something for everyone!

Risks & Challenges

To Meet the Faces You Meet will be made regardless of the outcome of this fundraiser. The purpose of this campaign is to raise the additional funds needed to complete the film so that we can make the final product better than ever without driving the studio into more debt and slowing their ability to complete the film quickly.  Remember, 90% of the film is complete after nearly four years of production (check out our videos), we just need a bit of help over the finish line to make the film BETTER FASTER.  Parallax Studio has funded this first 90% including all of the CGI and animations, Patton Oswalt’s fee, studio fees in Hollywood — everything done to date. Covid-19 has really hurt the film industry, especially independent studios like ours.  We are ready and able to finish TMtFYM regardless, but your help will make a huge difference — a game changer.  We want to be poised to release our film through a major distribution network when Covid finally recedes and the film/theater industries are ready for content.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you can't afford to back our campaign (understandable, given the current state of the world), please consider spreading the word about our film on social media and IRL. We're grateful for every Like, Share, Re-Tweet, and Mention! Anything you do to get MEAD onto screens everywhere will be appreciated and acknowledged. THANK YOU!