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Tormenting the Hen: Post-Production

A feature film tumult of social malaise and toxic love -- set in the picturesque Berkshires!

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Tormenting the Hen: Post-Production

Tormenting the Hen: Post-Production

Tormenting the Hen: Post-Production

Tormenting the Hen: Post-Production

Tormenting the Hen: Post-Production

A feature film tumult of social malaise and toxic love -- set in the picturesque Berkshires!

A feature film tumult of social malaise and toxic love -- set in the picturesque Berkshires!

A feature film tumult of social malaise and toxic love -- set in the picturesque Berkshires!

A feature film tumult of social malaise and toxic love -- set in the picturesque Berkshires!

Theodore Collatos
Theodore Collatos
Theodore Collatos
Theodore Collatos
3 Campaigns |
Brooklyn, United States
$6,223 USD 88 backers
70% of $8,800 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 3 Projects Mountain Filled 3 Projects
Overview
Hello friends, neighbors, strangers and film fans! My name is Theodore "Teddy" Collatos. I am the writer/director behind the feature film Tormenting The Hen, which stars Carolina Monnerat, Dameka Hayes, Matt Shaw, Josephine Decker, Brian H. Brooks and David Malinsky. As my team and I enter the final stages of post production we are looking to broaden our community and audience, and that starts with you and your support in finishing our film, which in turn becomes your film, too.


 

When playwright Claire is invited to set her latest work at a rural theater company, her fiance Monica tags along for a much-needed vacation. Upon encountering Mutty, an enigmatic groundskeeper with a gross lack of social boundaries, Monica's hopes for respite, her future with Claire, and her very sanity are thrown into jeopardy.

 

These days, it seems words can be just as offensive as actions as we're in a constant state of war, civil unrest and social denial.

Tormenting The Hen is a response to the crossed wires and frayed emotions of our times.

Instead of looking at this dissonance from an "us vs. them", micro vs. macro mentality, the film gets in on the person to person to person level. I love the tense psychological chamber dramas of early Polanski and Bergman and I wanted to create a film in this mode while exploring characters at odds.

A key question at the heart of our movie lies right there in the title: Just who is the hen and who is the tormentor? Then one must ask: Is there only one of each? And does it truly matter? 



 

Produced on a micro-budget in the Summer of 2015, we have edited the film and are now entering the home stretch of post-production.

To finish the film we need $8,800 for the following post-production services and film festival related fees:

Sound Design & Mix - $3,000
Jay Lifton, Alexandra Kalinowski and the team at Pulse Music NYC  will enrich the strange summer night landscapes of Hen with an otherworldly, isolating feel, making it the perfect soundscape for either the home or theatrical experience.

Color Correction - $1,000
Colorist Guillermo Tuñon will use his "set of magic wands" to deepen the texture, psychology and mood of Hen's visuals to startling, perhaps even maddening effect.
 
Music licensing - $500
The indomitable Noveller has a track we'd like to use in relation to some original score.

Festival Submission Fees & Travel - $3,500
Getting your film seen by programmers at world renowned film festivals can add up in price, not to mention the bread it takes to fly and lodge cast and crew out.

IndieGoGo Fees & Processing - $800
Being fully transparent here: This is a service we are using, and as such there are fees for this soapbox, too.

Our ultimate hope is that we have made an engaging and socially challenging film that generates conversation and debate across the international festival circuit and beyond. That conversation starts right here with you. 






Depending on where you want to be in "the pecking order", our perks run from a special thank you infused with our radical title font, advanced access to the finished film, an exclusive comic, cool buttons, professional film services, and subscriptions to Fandor, the exceptional online streaming platform for independent and world cinema! So take a gander inside the roost and see what strikes your fancy ...

For example, for an Executive Producer Credit you'll receive an original work by Jeremy Penn. Jeremy is a world renown, MOMA and Metropolitan Museum of Art recognized artist!

His work is sought out by collectors and is a real value. Here is the piece!


 

At first glance Tormenting the Hen wouldn’t seem like a particularly personal film but it is very much so.

The origins of the story come from an experience I had with my future wife after moving from Chicago to the small town of Richmond in Western Mass. There was a man who was familiar in every way around town, but not to us. Needless to say I found myself feeling defensive from merely his use of language and odd directness, and found myself resenting the man.

Over the years we became good friends, but this idea of how language, perception, different lives colliding amidst confusion and mistrust, fascinated me.

Another wrinkle to building the story, Matt Shaw who in the film plays “Mutty”, a gentleman with Asperger’s, also lived with a man with the Syndrome, which added much authenticity to his performance, in addition to our behavior specialists that were present on set.

Realizing this story through characters of vastly different origins, economic class, culture and ethnicity seemed like a great dramatic vehicle for illustrating the world we live in.


 

The cast itself is built from an eclectic group of talented actors I’ve always wanted to bring together for a project, so I designed the story specifically with their voices in mind.



MATT SHAW ("Mutty") is an actor I’ve been working with over many years. He stars in the award winning feature Dipso (available on Fandor) and the short Albatross (featured on Filmmaker Magazine).



CAROLINA MONNERAT ("Monica"), my wife and producer (Dipso, Albatross, Time), is a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is a Curator for lululemon where she gets to create engaging multi cultural programs in New York City. As a dancer she is a graduate in Vaganova technique and has worked for several years with Eugenia Feodorova, appearing as a soloist in the ballets Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty. Carolina is also company member and rehearsal director for Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. 

Carolina has worked personally as a soloist with renowned choreographers and ballet maitres including Kevin Iega Jeff, Gary Abbott, Dwight Rhoden, Milton Myers, Jennifer Muller, Vera Timachova, Alexander Gorbatsevich and Galina Shlyapina among others.

She has had the pleasure of performing works by Jose Limon, Leni Wylliams, Shapiro and Smith, Laura Dean, Donald Mckayle, Deeanna Hiett, Paula Weber and Mary Pat Henry.

Monnerat feels extremely proud of being part of this film and having the chance to work with such amazing artists. 


DAMEKA HAYES ("Claire"), is a two time Audelco Award nominee and has performed in theaters on Broadway, off Broadway and in television and film. Some of her best loved credits include: Roaming the Pride Lands in Disney's The Lion King, playing the role of "Squeak" in the first national touring company of Oprah Winfrey's The Color Purple,“Coretta Scott King” in NETC's Martin Before The Dream", "ARIEL" in The Tempest and "Thaisa" in Pericles at Orlando Shakespeare Theatre Co. Stunting in the 2014 film version of Annie, produced by Jay-Z, Will Smith, and directed by Will Gluck, stunting in FOX's Gotham, and appearing on HBO's Boardwalk Empire.

BRIAN H. BROOKS ("Joel"), is a Meisner trained actor and dancer. He has acted in the feature films Across the Universe, Lifted, and appeared on the HBO's Boardwalk Empire. Brian’s teaching, choreography, and artistic leadership are an important part of his career. He has worked as the rehearsal director for Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Donald Byrd / The Group, as site director for the Alvin Ailey Camp Missouri and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, as well as the Dance Captain for The Color Purple’s First National Tour and for Broadway’s Motown. Brian sees performing art as a privilege and a service, and is grateful to continue to serve the arts.

DAVID MALINSKY ("Adam"), is an actor, historical playwright and voice over artist from New York City. He has written, researched and performed in his own one-man history play, Playing at War, and was a lead in director Onur Turkel's feature film Abbey Singer/Songwriter. His latest work is the online sci-fi comedy podcast, Damocles Clash.  He is currently in the midst of an advanced History Degree at the University of Aberystwyth, Wales, examining the relationship between War, Art and Education in Britain and America during the French Revolution.

JOSEPHINE DECKER ("Sarah"), said to be ushering in a “new grammar of narrative” by The New Yorker, aims to spark curiosity and wonder in audiences. Part of Time Warner's 150 incubator, a recent alum of the Sundance Institute New Frontier Lab and one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, Josephine Decker premiered her first two narrative features at the Berlinale Forum 2014 to rave reviews. Josephine recently developed video content for the Museum of the City of New York's new Future of the City Lab, has directed content for United Way and other non-profits, and helped to produce documentaries for A&E and Discovery before moving into indie film with her feature documentary BI THE WAY (SXSW, MTV’s Logo and Netflix).  Her adaptation of a dancer’s dream – in which she explored formerly incarcerated individuals’ surreal first days out of prison (part of collective: unconscious) -- premiered in Narrative Feature Competition at SXSW 2016 and has received over 500,000 views as part of its free release on BitTorrent and Vimeo.



 



BEN UMSTEAD (Producer) is a Los Angeles based filmmaker, programmer and journalist. As a development specialist Ben has worked with producers from the Sundance winning Fishing Without Nets and Fruitvale Station, as well as filmmaker Paul Solet, director of horror feature Grace. As a producer, Ben’s short Three Fingers, about a female marine veteran, has played internationally, garnering awards from the Sidewalk, Oxford and Nashville Film Festivals, among others. Ben is the U.S. Editor at ScreenAnarchy.com, the leading voice in global cinema, and a programmer for the Slamdance and Cucalorus film festivals.



GEORGE MANATOS (Producer, Co-Editor) is a Brooklyn-based editor and filmmaker. Tormenting The Hen marks George's third feature film as editor/producer. His previous film, Come Down Molly, premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. In 2014, George wrote & directed his first feature film, titled Red Right Return. George's directorial work has played at the Miami International Film Festival, as well as Comcast On Demand, presented by Xfinity.

MATT GRADY (producer) is the founder of Factory 25, an independent film distribution company launched in 2009. Factory 25 is a home for conceptually provocative narratives and documentaries. Grady was recently named "One of the Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture," and has been called "One of the most important curatorial voices of new, independent American films." His mission is to expose the world to under-the-radar films, music, and other curiosities theatrically, digitally, on TV, VOD, via subscription, on VHS, limited edition DVDs with vinyl LPs and books. Recent and upcoming titles include Uncle Kent 2, Stinking Heaven, Christmas, Again The Color Wheel, Hellaware, Sun Don't Shine, The Sheik and I and Kid Thing. Grady also produced Onur Tukel's Applesauce and Summer of Blood.  Factory 25 headquarters is in  Brooklyn, New York.


THEODORE "TEDDY" COLLATOS (Writer/Director) is a Brooklyn NY / Berkshire MA based, multiple award-winning photographer and filmmaker, who works in both fiction and documentary. Best known for his features Dipso (EntreVues Belfort, Best Film at Athens International Film Festival and available on Fandor) shorts Time (Short of the Week), and Albatross (Filmmaker), Collatos has been profiled in Filmmaker Magazine, Huffington Post, Filmwax Radio, Talkhouse Film, and Chronic'Art, among others. His feature documentary project Nightshade (Working title) shot in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, was a Creative Capital Grant Finalist in 2015 and is being co-produced by Wheelhouse Creative NYC, with fiscal sponsorship from The San Francisco Film Society.
 


 

The biggest challenge with this film, as with any film, is getting it into the spotlight for a greater audience to see and share, and this is where your contribution comes in! If you are unable to fund, than seek out the art patrons and wannabe art patrons in your lives and networks and show them our campaign. Support us by good ol' word of mouth and social media.  Indiegogo makes it easy for you to share with friends and family, too!

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Choose your Perk

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Cluck Master

$75 USD
A limited edition comic strip adapted from a scene from the film, featuring original artwork by TYLER RUBENFELD, AND a customized hand-drawn thank you graphic done up in "chicken scratch" title treatment to display on social media, PLUS, everything at the $25 level.
Estimated Shipping
February 2017
3 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Egg-cellent!

$5 USD
Get a thank you in the credits of the film!
Estimated Shipping
January 2017
2 claimed

Shell Cracker

$10 USD
Get a digital copy of the film, in advance of its festival premiere! Plus a thank you in the credits of the film.
Estimated Shipping
January 2017
7 claimed

25 Factory 25 DVD's!!

$10 USD
Breaking news! LAST DAY special offer get 25 Factory 25 DVD's for $10! Curated by Matt Grady!!! (Shipping NOT included). If you get 2-$10 last-day-deal you'll get 25 additional titles!! Good lord, this is a STEAL! Browse what could possibly be yours here: factorytwentyfive.com
11 out of 25 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

A good egg

$20 USD
Get a dozen eggs, organically bred in the Berkshires, straight from the hen! (NYC or Berkshire residents only) If you've never had a real egg from the source you don't know what you're missing. Rich creamy yolk with sumptuous flavor and nutrients... Yum.
0 out of 10 of claimed

Little Pecker

$25 USD
Receive a three month subscription to FANDOR! Fandor is an exceptional online streaming platform for independent and world cinema. PLUS, a digital copy of the film, as well as a thank you in the credits.
Estimated Shipping
February 2017
8 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Hen Honcho

$50 USD
A hip Tormenting the Hen button done in the "chicken scratch" style title treatment. PLUS everything available at the $25 level.
Estimated Shipping
February 2017
4 out of 200 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Coming Home to Roost

$100 USD
Eight curated DVD's from FACTORY 25! Factory 25 is the premiere home for conceptually provocative narratives and documentaries. PLUS, everything at the $25 level.
Estimated Shipping
February 2017
2 out of 10 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Eggs-pert

$200 USD
Ben Umstead, our producer and creative development specialist, will give you personalized written feedback on a project/script of your own. This perk is specially designed for artists and filmmakers to develop their craft and create community with our team. PLUS, a 3 month subscription to Fandor, a digital download of the film and a thank you in the credits.
Estimated Shipping
February 2017
3 out of 5 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Associate Producer

$1,000 USD
You will be forever immortalized in the main block of credits for the film as an Associate Producer! PLUS, nab yourself a digital copy of the film, a button, the subscription to FANDOR, and comic!
Estimated Shipping
February 2017
0 out of 3 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
sold out

The Nitehawk

$60 USD
1 out of 1 of claimed
sold out

Suzuki '79 GS 850 G Motorcycle

$200 USD
1 out of 1 of claimed
sold out

Executive Producer

$2,000 USD
1 out of 1 of claimed
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