“Two Kates” is a series of short films about an agoraphobic woman after she arranges to have herself cloned to keep herself company and be more productive in her online business. A comedic and dramatic look at isolation, depression and phobias, “Two Kates” follows the identical Kate-clones as they try to navigate their new lives together and apart. Struggling with obstacles both internal and external, the Kates attempt to care for one another as best they can, helping to guide each other through a world that makes them both very, very uncomfortable.
“Two Kates” has been an entirely self-funded production until this point, using a minimalist approach to crew and setting. The final two episodes of "Two Kates" take place on a larger scale, and your assistance can help us complete the grand finale we know this series can achieve.
What we have so far:
- A dedicated crew
- A great cast
- 3.5 out of seven episodes filmed
- An amazing resource in Portland Community Media, a public access organization that provides nearly-free production equipment rental and cable airtime to local filmmakers.
Where the money is going:
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We are currently about halfway through filming our seven episode run, and this fundraiser will help us film our series finale, where the two Kates find themselves on a road trip through 6 different states. We’ve made it this far on our own funding, with our cast and crew working around our already busy schedules to donate our time and energy. These final two episodes are different because they will require us to take time away from our work and families. In addition, the nature of filming on the road means additional expenses, and your donation will help us cover these costs. Any amount you can give will bring us closer to our goal!
Working with a very small crew, we will continue to film as efficiently as possible. We have calculated a budget for a cast and crew of three people for nine days:
- $350 lodging (we plan to stay with friends and family whenever possible)
- $300 meals
- $450 gas (our route will take us over 2600 miles!)
- $200 incidentals
- Total: $1200
Any contribution you make will be a huge help to us as we complete this journey. To show our gratitude, we have a variety of awesome perks that we think you’ll enjoy.
Other ways you can help:
We understand that not everyone can contribute financially, but we appreciate any help you can give in helping us reach our audience. We love this project, and we know that others will love it too.
Who we are:
Prior to his work on "Two Kates," creator Zach Schultz wrote, directed, and produced a feature film called "Arctic Sounds." Zach financed and shot that movie himself, filming the majority of the movie with just one other crew member. This filmmaking style can come with a lot of challenges, but the small crew also can be a huge advantage. In contrast to more conventional filmmaking with larger crews, it’s easy for a two-person crew to jump in a car with the actors and go shoot. It's an exciting and dynamic way to make movies, and it's a style that will give this series a very distinctive and strong ending.
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On "Two Kates," we're all working for free because we love this project. Our crew is made up of a very small but very wonderful and very dedicated group of people. We've had fantastic art donated to the show by local artist Sara Spink, and music donated by some our favorite musicians. We are already so proud of the way everything is shaping up with this series. With some help we know we can give this project the grand, beautiful ending that we know it deserves.
Zach Schultz is a filmmaker based out of Portland, Oregon. At 23, Zach wrote, directed and financed a feature film called Arctic Sounds in Oregon and Washington, later performing all post production duties on the film himself and making the finished product available online for free. Zach spent a number of years making stop-motion animated movies before going on to work with actual human beings. His last short film, Doing Very Well, premiered at the 2013 Portland International Film Festival.
Kate Knappett is a Portland-based writer and performer. Kate has performed stand-up comedy and in dance showcases around town, and has acted in local horror movies, music videos, and public access sketch comedy. Kate has a degree in documentary, experimental, and animated film from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. She is excited to be playing the lead role/s in Two Kates.
Sara Spink is an artist, designer and animator based out of Portland, Oregon. She loves to draw and enjoys working with her hands, creating a variety of mixed media projects and stop motion puppets. During her studies at the Evergreen State College, she produced a variety of short projects using traditional animation techniques. She went on to teach a summer program in experimental animation at the college. Having discovered both a passion for teaching and a continuing love of animation, Sara completed an MFA in Animation and Digital Arts at the University of Southern California. Since then she has had the pleasure of working on music video, television, and feature film projects.