Long Story Short

• We are 8 students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's film production program.
• Traces is important because in the United States today, cultural division is at a peak. Our protagonist (Ziqiu) must break down cultural barriers to confide in someone other than her husband and try to find herself in a place so far away from home. This film stands to show that all people, regardless of their backgrounds, can find similarities and unity within one another.
• Contributors will help us pay for locations, equipment rentals, food, transportation, and the art department.
• Traces will be premiering at The Marquee at Union South in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, May 6th at 7pm.
• Follow our journey on Facebook here.

What We Need & What You Get

• We will need $4,000 in order to create a realistic world in which our characters live. This includes renting the locations, creating costumes, and furnishing and decorating our sets. We will also need to rent specific equipment in order to record the world in an artistic and visually compelling way.
• In addition to these, we need to feed our cast and crew during our long days on set and have a way to get to our locations, so a portion of our budget is designated for catering, as well as transportation.
• As a thank you to for your contributions, we are offering awesome perks such as copies of the film, exclusive behind the scenes content, signed movie posters, and producer credit.
• If we don't reach our goal, we still know that we can spin a compelling narrative that tells Ziqiu's impactful story.

Risky Business

Creating a film is no easy feat, and we are risking a lot by tackling the themes and technical finesse that Traces demands, but we are taking on the challenge with optimism.

• We are all students who have practiced filmmaking for over three years, and we have dealt with and overcame the many challenges of producing compelling work.
• We believe that with the guidance of our experienced professors, we will be able to approach this production, one of the largest scale productions any of us has taken on before, with professionalism and creativity.

Other Ways You Can Help

• We understand that not everyone can contribute to this campaign, however sharing this campaign with people you know can greatly impact Traces' success.
• Beyond this campaign, we are accepting food catering donations to feed the cast and crew on set. If you are willing to donate food gift cards, we will happily accept those as well.

Meet the Crew

Ian Perry, Producer

Hometown: Washington DC

Favorite Movie Quote: "You shall not pass" -The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Evan Watters, Director

Hometown: Franklin, WI

Favorite Movie Quote: "That could be anyone's pig crap silo."  -The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Emma Wathen, Director of Photography

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Favorite Movie Quote: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." -The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929)

Ehren Schultz, Assistant Camera

Hometown: Madison, WI

Favorite Movie Quote: "60% of the time it works... every time." -Anchorman (2004)

Kate Feldt, Production Designer

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Favorite Movie Quote: "Most days of the year are unremarkable. They begin, and they end, with no lasting memories made in between. Most days have no impact on the course of a life. May 23rd was a Wednesday." -500 Days of Summer (2009)

Kevin Chen, Sound Mixer

Hometown: Puli, Taiwan

Favorite TV Quote: "If I had a gun, with two bullets, and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden and Toby, I would shoot Toby twice." -The Office (2010)

Violet Wang, Gaffer

Hometown: Wenzhou, China

Favorite Movie Quote: 「君の名前覚えていれば、世界のどこにいっても。必ず会いに行く。」-君の名前は。

"As long as I remember your name, no matter where you are, I will go looking for you." -Your Name. (2016)

Brittany Glassberg, Editor

Hometown: Chester, NJ

Favorite Movie Quote: "I killed Mufasa!" -The Lion King (1994)