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Way Down in Chinatown

Victor and Jessica just want to write a great play ... but once temptation comes calling they will never be the same.

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Way Down in Chinatown

Way Down in Chinatown

Way Down in Chinatown

Way Down in Chinatown

Way Down in Chinatown

Victor and Jessica just want to write a great play ... but once temptation comes calling they will never be the same.

Victor and Jessica just want to write a great play ... but once temptation comes calling they will never be the same.

Victor and Jessica just want to write a great play ... but once temptation comes calling they will never be the same.

Victor and Jessica just want to write a great play ... but once temptation comes calling they will never be the same.

Eric Michael Kochmer
Eric Michael Kochmer
Eric Michael Kochmer
Eric Michael Kochmer
1 Campaign |
Los Angeles, United States
$6,020 USD 81 backers
40% of $15,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Choose your Perk

Inside The World

$5 USD
Est. Shipping
June 2012
18 claimed

Be Careful You Might Go Down

$10 USD
Est. Shipping
January 2013
27 claimed

LISA LORING AUTOGRAPH

$25 USD
Est. Shipping
October 2012
2 claimed

The 70's Was Dark

$35 USD
Est. Shipping
July 2012
2 claimed

The End

$50 USD
Est. Shipping
August 2012
6 claimed

It's Happening!

$60 USD
2 claimed

Chinatown Associate Producer

$100 USD
12 claimed

An Underground Spectacle

$250 USD
1 claimed

Way Down Vampire

$500 USD
Est. Shipping
February 2013
1 claimed

Chinatown Cameo

$600 USD
Est. Shipping
June 2012
0 out of 10 of claimed

Chinatown Supporting Role

$2,500 USD
Est. Shipping
June 2012
0 out of 4 of claimed

Executive Producer Package

$3,000 USD
Est. Shipping
June 2012
1 out of 4 of claimed

Short Summary

WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN

A 22MM PRODUCTION

A MOnsterworks66 PRODUCTION

In association with Checkhov Studio International and We Make Movies

Starring: JUSTIN DRAY, STEPHANIE SANDITZ, ERIC MICHAEL KOCHMER, ANGEL CORBIN, MARIA OLSEN, NANCY WOLFE of Helter Skelter & LISA LORING of The Addams Family (further cast to be announced soon!)

Cinematography by: KIKO SUURA

Produced by: JONATHAN HALOOSSIM of 22MM PRODUCTIONS

Produced by: ANGEL CORBIN & MARIA OLSEN of MOnsterworks66

Written and to be Directed by: ERIC MICHAEL KOCHMER

BREAKING NEWS:

AMAZING NEW PERKS JUST ADDED on 05/23/2012:

MASSIVE THANKS TO GREG HALL, ALLAN GILBREATH, FRANCESCO MASSACCESI AND EW BRADFUTE FOR THEIR DONATIONS!!! WE LOVE YOU ALL!

THIS PERK WAS CLAIMED BY THE WONDERFUL CHRIS DORMAN ON 05/24/2012: ADDITIONAL PERK FOR $25 LEVEL of Lisa Loring Autograph: ONLY 1 AVAILABLE! The very next person to contribute $25 will become a co-host along with radio personality EW Bradfute on an upcoming episode of TMV Café’s exciting and popular live show Free Pie Night!! THIS ONE ROCKS!

ADDITIONAL PERK FOR $100 LEVEL of Chinatown Associate Producer: Eric Michael Kochmer will record a thank you video personalized to the contributor

NEW $150 LEVEL “Dark Words and Voices”: everything included in the $100 level AND

(1)  Eric Michael Kochmer will phone you personally and, in that sexy voice of his, read you a dark underground poem that has YOUR name in it…AND

(2)  An autographed copy of esteemed author Allan Gillbreath’s book A SHORT STORY COLLECTION (fantasy, science fiction and steampunk, oh my!)

NEW $200 LEVEL “Dark Readings”: everything included in the $100 level AND you get:

(1)  A signed copy of Greg Hall’s wonderful novel AT THE END OF CHURCH STREET, a Goth thriller, AND

(2)  A copy of DEATH BE NOT PROUD, a zombie anthology filled with works by best selling and Bram Stoker Award-Winning authors (also from the great Greg Hall!)

ADDITIONAL PERK FOR $250 LEVEL of An Underground Spectacle: a copy of the rare special edition Cannibal Holocaust DVD in English and Italian.  Note: There are ONLY 2 COPIES available.  The next 2 contributors at this level will get this DVD.

NEW $300 LEVEL “Angel Stories”: everything included in the $250 level AND

(1)  you get to choose a name for Angel Corbin’s character in the movie (it can be anything…even YOUR OWN name!) AND

(2)  you get autographed copies of Allan Gilbreath’s wonderful books A SHORT STORY COLLECTION and GALEN

ADDITIONAL PERKS FOR $500 LEVEL of Way Down Vampire:

(1)  An autographed copy of Francesco Massaccesi’s 500-page dictionary of American Horror Films from 1980 to 2000, including interviews and extensive cult pictures. Note: this book is in Italian and there are ONLY 4 COPIES available.  The next 4 contributors at this level will receive this perk AND

(2)  Autographed copies of the amazing Allan Gilbreath’s books A SHORT STORY COLLECTION, GALEN and DARK CHANCES.

NEW $501 LEVEL “Your Story”: everything included in the $500 level AND BE A MAIN CHARACTER IN A SHORT STORY! For the next person who contributes $501, acclaimed author Greg Hall will write a short story in the genre of your choice – horror, romance, action, comedy, whatever! – with YOU as the main character.  This is something that’s an out-of-this-world-deal! This is HUGE so DON’T PASS IT UP!!!!

 

The world is slowly falling apart. Strange sounds are breaking through the atmosphere. Chinatown - Night. An empty city. A strange smell is in the air. Two strange man-like creatures appear… 

They have cold and eerie faces. They walk down a dark stairwell into a theater…

...and see a strange performance.

They decide that they need more talent…MORE PRESTIGE. They are in charge of hiring all the entertainers, and they oversee all aspects of presentation in the society that is being formed underneath. Agents are not needed. The world above is ending and the secret portal to the new underground world is…WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN.
 
Earth’s atmosphere has finally taken too much, and there will only be a few months before people can no longer breathe. It’s the end of the world, but playwright Victor Mitchum and his director wife, Jessica, are distracted by their theater project. They have auditions to get through, a show to mount and agents to deal with. They don't notice two very pale and very strange creatures following them wherever they go. Why do Victor and Jessica obsessively focus on their art? Why do these creatures follow them? Why are they so very pale?
 
 
WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN is, without doubt, a genre film, but it’s almost unclassifiable as to WHICH genre it belongs to.  This film is truly unique and will be both breaking new ground and paying homage to the traditions of a grand and thrilling cinema genre established almost a hundred years ago.  To be made in the style of German Expressionists Fritz Lang and Robert Weine, WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN will combine elements of science fiction, film noir, horror and psychological thriller in order to make a feature film event that won’t soon be forgotten and that will undoubtedly gather a cult following like classics Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN is an ambitious project that will harness the talents of a first rate production and talent team, and the overall vision that writer/director Eric Michael Kochmer has for his project is meticulous, detailed and totally spellbinding.

WHAT WILL YOUR MONEY BE USED FOR? 

If we’re lucky enough to reach or go above our goal, here is a little taste of the budget:

Camera/Equipment/Transportation rental: $2,500

Location Costs/Permits: $1,500

Food Costs: $1,500

Insurance: $1,500

Crew/Cast Partially Deferred Salaries: app. $8,000 for over 30 actors and a few crew for THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS OF SHOOTING.

For the most part, however, the actors and crew involved are donating their time on this shoot, as this work is truly a labor of love.

Many people have asked if they can donate after we’ve reached our goal, and the answer is YES.  The WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN team can collect donations until the fundraising campaign ends.

WHY DO WE KNOW OUR MOVIE WILL BE AWESOME? 

Eric says: I've been working a lot with the production collective WE MAKE MOVIES www.wemakemovies.org.  WE MAKE MOVIES workshops and develops scripts right from the first step, with actors’ reading first drafts, to the last step of launching the short, pilot or feature if there is sufficient funding. It was with this proactive attitude that we began workshopping the script for WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN last year. The lead actors and I met in late July of last year and read a first draft that I had put together. From there I would revise and then discuss with them where the script was going.  In this way, the overall concept and style of the script was developed until we were all satisfied with what we had created and were eager to take it to the next level.

The next step was to find a cohesive way to present WAY DOWN to a producer in order to find funding.  Although a Noir/Horror isn’t common, it isn't exactly unmarketable and, in fact, it could be a huge hit. The quest to find a producer ended in early March when a company that had recently hired me as an actor, 22mm Productions, decided to come on board.  Shortly after that, we secured the services of the great actress Maria Olsen, who agreed to join the team both as actor and as Associate Producer for Marketing and Fundraising, as well as the extraordinarily talented cinematographer, Kiko Suura. The innovative, dedicated, enthusiastic AND talented Angel Corbin has also since joined the production team - also as Associate Producer for Marketing and Fundraising - which will do nothing but ensure that this campaign is a success.

To cut a long story short, team WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN thinks this film is going to be a success because:

A) The script pops

B) We have access to TONS of wonderful resources and extremely talented people that would normally cost a lot of money but that, because they believe in the project’s quality, we are getting for next to nothing

C) We're all experienced on short and long shoots that require a lot of extra sacrifice, and we’re going to be putting that experience to good use here

D) Everyone involved is good…no, beyond good: THEY. ARE. AWESOME!

E) WE HAVE YOU!
 

MEET SOME OF THE WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN TEAM

PRODUCTION TEAM

Eric Michael Kochmer: Director/Writer/playing: Ken Chen

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1550056/

http://vimeo.com/25684545

www.thewritermovie.com

www.wemakemovies.org

Eric is an actor/writer/producer/director who has been based out of Los Angles for the past six years.  He has appeared in over 20 films since relocating from New York, where he acted and was a playwright for Feed the Herd theater company.  Mentored by Elizabeth Swados at La Mama Theater, with whom he collaborated by writing portions of and performing in her play A Poltical Satire, Kochmer graduated with a BA in theater from MMC (Marymount Manhattan College ). Since moving to LA, besides acting, Kochmer has also produced two films: Dialogues, which he starred in and which was directed by the famed structuralist George Landow a.k.a. Owen Land, and The Writer (2011), directed by Anthony Ferraro, which Kochmer co-wrote and also starred in. Further films featuring Kochmer coming out in 2012 include features White Rabbit (dir. William Kinder) and Virginity (dir. Saeed Khoze) as well as shorts, both produpced and funded by We Make Movies, Hipster Backlash (dir. Sam Mestman) and Forget You (dir. Courtney Jones).     

Maria Olsen: Associate Producer/Partner in MOnsterworks66/Playing Bob

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1864017/

http://www.coolwatersprods.com/id182.html

Maria Olsen came to America in January 2005 and hasn't taken time to breath since she got here.  In five short years she has performed in 15 stage plays (including one Off-Broadway), directed 3 plays, written and directed her own play and first feature film, shot at least 40 feature films, 70 shorts, 10 web series, 10 music videos and recorded 5 voiceover gigs.  She has also won four awards (including awards for both acting and directing), had two short films appear at the 2009 Cannes Short Film Program, one at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and became a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild in March 2009.  Best known for her appearances as Mrs. Dodds/The Fury in Fox’s Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief – where Chris Columbus directed and Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman starred - and as one of the Paranormal Activity 3 witches, Olsen’s features and shorts have also screened at other international festivals such as Sundance (Renegades), the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors (Justin Paul Ritter’s A Gothic Tale), HorrorFest (Patrick Horvath’s Die-ner (Get It?) - where she won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rose the Waitress - and the International HBO Latino Film Festival (Sam Benavides’ Mansfield Path).  Features IJE: The Journey, Vile, Folklore, The Mudman and Blue like the Morning are currently collecting awards on the festival circuit, while Dragonquest, Sam Hell, Die-ner (Get It?), Alone Together, Darkening Sky, Shellter, Embers of the Sky and Humanity’s End are now all available on either DVD or VOD.   She has also recently completed shooting on several further features, including Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem, Mark Edwin Robinson’s The Levenger Tapes, Jose Prendes’ The Haunting of Whaley House, Brandon Scullion’s Live In Fear (where she also produced), Carl Lindbergh’s Bunnyman 2, Claudia Damasceno’s Feed Me and Jose Figueroa’s San Francisco 2177. Future projects include horror features Bert Havird’s Reunion and Mike McLarty’s Southbound - where she will also produce – Craig Ouellette’s road-trip horror Straight On Till Morning as well as the gritty crime drama Cockroaches and the intriguing mockumentary LoveTouchHate.  Olsen is THRILLED to be part of Eric Michael Kochmer’s soon-to-be-cult-favorite WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN.

Angel Corbin: Associate Producer/Partner in MOnsterworks66

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4135422/

Angel Corbin grew up in North Canton, Ohio, but always knew that her enduring love for all things films would one day bring her to Los Angeles. She has recently joined MOnsterworks66 as a full partner, and she and Olsen are looking forward to working together on the many projects their production liaison company has in development. Corbin, a multi-talented actress, writer, director and producer, began concentrating her energies on the film industry in 2010 and landed several short films before booking the leading role in a trilogy of features.  She should soon start pre-production on the trilogy, Second Son, under the watchful eye of director/writer Glenn Grant.  Grant, who is based in South Africa and New Zealand, picked Corbin for the leading role in this, his passion project, from hundreds of hopefuls after viewing a simple YouTube video of her, which only goes to show how powerful her on-screen presence actually is. Corbin is also planning to start up her own production company, Cornucopia Productions, in the near future, and Olsen will also partner.  Cornucopia will be set up specifically to produce mainstream and independent shorts and features, as well as television series, in all genres, while MO66, which will be affiliated to CCP, will work mainly in horror.  As the saying goes: together they’ll conquer the world.  As far as future projects are concerned, Corbin’s first feature film, DisOrientation, will have its premiere screening later this month at no less than the esteemed Graumann’s Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard as part of the Dances with Films film festival.

 Kiko Suura: Cinematographer

Kiko Suura, originally from Plano, TX, first decided to get into film during high schoolafter participating in a film project for Humanities class. After falling in love with the filmmaking process and thoroughly enjoying the teamwork and collaboration involved, Kiko moved to Orange, CA, to enroll in Chapman University’s film production program. At Chapman, Kiko worked on numerous productions and realized a strong passion for cinematography, especially lighting. After gaining a strong background as key grip/gaffer, Kiko went on to shoot seven short films throughout the four years at Chapman. Kiko graduated from Chapman University in the spring of 2010 with a BFA in film production with an emphasis in cinematography and a minor in mathematics. Currently residing in the Los Angeles area, Kiko has gone on to shoot several shorts, music videos, films, and promotional videos as a freelance cinematographer. Kiko’s ultimate dream is to change the world through creating socially aware stories engraved in the audience’s mind and soul through powerful cinematic storytelling.

Jonathan Haloossim: Producer

Mr Haloossim is an accomplished producer, director, writer and editor.  He is a Los Angeles native, so, obviously, film reels run through his veins.  He graduated from UCSB with BAs in Film and Psychology.  He lives for the weird and unknown.

LEADING AND SUPPORTING ROLES

LISA LORING AS “VERA”

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0521006/  (Lisa Loring)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057729/ (The Addams Family)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048845/ (As The World Turns)

http://www.morehorror.com/Way-Down-In-Chinatown-Exclusive-Casting-Announcement

Lisa Loring is best known for playing Wednesday Addams on The Addams Family television show in the early 60s. She was also a featured actress on the ABC sitcom The Pruitts of Southampton.  After her childhood career, Loring was a cast member of the CBS soap opera As The World Turns from 1981 to 1983, where she created the role of Cricket Montgomery. Active in the horror scene, Loring also appeared in such genre films as Iced, Doctor Spine and Blood Frenzy.  After a long hiatus and a career in real-estate, Lisa is happy to make her return in front of the camera for her good friend, Eric. 

NANCY WOLFE AS “LINDIE”

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0938114/

Nancy Wolfe caused major waves in horror / serial killer movie circles with her eerily terrifying portrayal of Susan Atkins “Sexy Sadie” in the 1976 made-for-television movie Helter Skelter, which tells the story of the gruesome Los Angeles murders masterminded by Charles Manson.  Wolfe is also known for her appearances on the popular 70s TV shows Baretta and Barnaby Jones as well as for her roles in other made-for-television movies including Journey from Darkness and The Ordeal of Patty Hearst.  Horror fans may recognize her from her roles in The Attic Expeditions, where she starred along with Seth Green, and The Intruders, where she played Steven Bauer’s mother. Currently active in the industry in both Los Angeles and New York, Nancy is looking forward to shooting with Eric on Way Down in Chinatown next month.

JUSTIN DRAY AS “VICTOR MITCHUM”

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0237267/

http://justindray.com/

Justin Dray is an actor/filmmaker who graduated from VCU with a BFA in Theater and who has, ever since, been working steadily as a character actor in films like The Contender, Asunder and Lake City and television shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous, Desperate Housewives, CSI: NY, Southland, Men of a Certain Age, Monk, FlashFoward and Heroes to name a few. When he was located in Richmond , VA, Justin founded the theater company Yellow House Theater, and, since living in LA, he has founded the production company New Verb, which recently released the short film starring Mr. Dray Charles Bukowski’s The Little Tailor.

STEPHANIE SANDITZ AS “JESSICA MITCHUM”

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1102885/

www.brokenpictures.net

Stephanie Sanditz is an actress/writer.  Her acting credits include the television series Strangers With CandyLaw & Order, and Law & Order Criminal Intent and studio feature Kate and Leopold.  She has also played leading roles in numerous independent films including The WriterBrotherTransdermal and Nice Guys Finish Last as well as in the web series, Amuse Bouche. She also has a leading role in the feature DisOrientation, which will premier at the prestigious Los Angeles festival Dances with Films in June, Snuggle Bunny, and she stars in Sweet Illusions, which premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. She has recently finished writing The Mediator, the first of possibly 6 features for Greenestreet Films, as well as a feature length modern film noir, Moving Picture.  She is also presently developing her own television series, Show Me States, surrounding the darkly comedic world of riverboat gambling. She has also just landed a job with UFA Cinema of Germany adapting the International best seller, Cathy's Book, into a feature length thriller.  Stephanie also can’t wait to start shooting Eric’s apocalyptic thriller this summer!

WAY DOWN IN CHINATOWN

Produced by: Jonathan Halloosim and 22mm Productions as well as MOnsterworks66 (Angel Corbin & Maria Olsen)

In association with The Art of Acting Studio, Checkhov Studio International and We Make Movies

Written and to be directed by: Eric Michael Kochmer

 

 

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