The Campaign is over but you can still help out! If you want to donate to the project you can do so on our website (http://www.themachinemovie.com) or directly via Paypal.
Who are we?
That is a very good question. By name, we are John, Tricia, Mike, and Mike (yes, there are two), and we are trying to make a movie.
But this isn't about us, its about our project.
So, what is the project?
Welcome to the Machine is a short film, written and directed by John Heuer, and it's about a man named Frank.
Frank is very much like everyone else. He gets up every morning, goes to the same job, has the same conversations with the same people, goes home, goes to bed, gets up the next morning and does it all again ... but this week, everything will change.
Following the death of his mother, Frank's routine life starts to unravel, and the arrival of a beautiful woman, and a few frightening hallucinations, force Frank to realize that he and his ordinary life aren't all they're cracked up to be.
Why should I care?
Who among us hasn't felt as though their life were boring or mundane? Who of us hasn't lost someone close to us, or had another event occur which changed the way we see things? The answer: not many. Welcome to the Machine is a movie about the human condition, and dealing with the realization that your life hasn't gone the way you were hoping. It's about the moments that change us, and our ability to change ourselves.
This film may not seem like much, but it has the potential to resonate with countless people who feel like life has left them behind, and who just need someone to share their frustration.
Why are you raising money?
Productions, no matter how small, are expensive. We are taking great pains to cut back on our costs, but the fact remains that there are things we need, and those things cost money.
Our current goal reflects our estimated budget for the entire production through the beginning of January. This includes the following for a ten day shoot:
- Equipment rental: includes camera, lenses, batteries, lights, and audio equipment.
- Food: includes enough food to feed a crew of 15-20 people one meal per day, plus beverages and small snacks.
- Locations: includes a small budget to secure locations, pay employees to stay for shoot, etc.
- Marketing: includes hosting fees for the Welcome to the Machine website.
Our budget needs are subject to change as the production progresses. We will keep this page as up to date as possible so you know exactly where the money is going.
What do I get out of it?
We wouldn't ask you to give us money without having some way to say thanks. For this reason we have established a number of VIP Perks for donating. These include DVDs, posters, thank yous on the official website and, if we can, Facebook page, and "Special Thanks" in the closing credits of the film itself.
Of course, anyone who donates receives our deepest gratitude, and the knowledge that they helped fund a great project.
How else can I help?
We understand that not everyone who wants to support our project has the ability to do so monetarily. If you are interested in our project, but can't help out yourself, we would be equally grateful if you would help us spread the word. Log on to your Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking accounts and talk us up! Send your "friends," "followers," and anyone else you think would be interested to have a look for themselves. E-mail people you think would be interested in helping to fund our little movie. After all, in today's world of internet media, the more visible you are the better.