Of Monsters and Men
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Film Short
Action, Fantasy
We've all been called a monster. Some of us, who know our own shortcomings all too well, may have even come to believe it. But this film exists to remind us, as tales old as time and songs old as rhyme have for generations, that there's no beast that can't be redeemed by a display of beauty.
Of Monsters and Men
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Film Short
Action, Fantasy
1 Campaigns | Pennsylvania, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $12,000 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
48 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
We've all been called a monster. Some of us, who know our own shortcomings all too well, may have even come to believe it. But this film exists to remind us, as tales old as time and songs old as rhyme have for generations, that there's no beast that can't be redeemed by a display of beauty.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Have you ever been called a monster?
Maybe not literally, but chances are you've been slandered, lied about, had your words twisted, been blamed, framed, or defamed, or simply cast aside for whatever reason suited your persecutor. And in the long hours of the night when even sleep denied you its assurance you wondered: "Are they right? Am I what they say? Am I a monster?"
This film is about such a person: A Knight, last of an order formed to fight the monsters that once roamed the land, who is framed for regicide, accused of murdering the king he swore to protect. Left disillusioned and physically disfigured by the fallout, he is offered a chance at absolution in exchange for a task: hunt and kill an elusive shapeshifter that plagues a local town.
The Knight accepts, but as his hunt evolves, he begins to realize that this shapeshifter might not be quite the monster he's been told, and that he himself might be more of a monster than he thought. With his life and honor at stake, the knight wrestles with his conscience as the line between man and monster only continues to blur both in his surroundings, and in himself.
Laced with themes of Misinformation, Identity, and Redemption, the story asks the questions:
What will happen to our character he fails his task? But what will he be if he succeeds?
With countless films and video projects between us, acolades from from the Audience Award at NFFTY to the Samuel Goldwyn Award, and the scrappiness and drive to find a way or make one, we're always ready to roll and make a film worth watching, and worth making. Check out some of our past work!
Polaroid - Action Short Film
In this 60 second action short, two theives scramble to survive after an easy job turns out to be a set up. With the goal to throw as much at the viewer as possible in one minute, this short came together over a weekend with some zoom calls and a couple of trips to home depot!
Click the GIF above to watch the whrilwind short!
Hate Me Too - Music Video
When a music video client asked me if we could do something like Inception, I thought "lets just do Inception." 6 days of building later, the artists were performing their song on the walls and ceiling of the spinning room we'd erected.
Click the GIF above to go behind the scenes of the build!
The Control Room - Scifi Short Film
Obviously we couldn't just have a spinning room and NOT make a short film in it. So in between screenings at NFFTY/the National Film Festival For Talented Youth where our Harry Potter origin story short film The Magic Words was about to win the Audience Award, I began brainstorming for a story that would compliment this set. Not even one month after we shot the music video, we were shooting The Control Room, a "Stranger Things meets Ex-Machina" sci-fi action short.
Click the GIF above to watch the mind-bending action short!
Beyond the Lake - Drama Feature Film
My first feature film! While it's not an action piece, Beyond the Lake was the story I created to show that I could create an engaging story without using any action. Telling the story of a former musician who reencounters the woman who caused him to quit music, Beyond the Lake premieres in a week at the time of writing this!
Click the GIF above to watch the whole trailer!
See more short films, commercials, PSA's and other larger than life work of ours at Filmingdom.com
$12,000
With The Witcher, Vikings, The Last Kingdom, Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings spin-offs all hitting the scene at once, the time is now for long-form fantasy content. Ultimately we aim to turn Of Monsters and Men into a series, and show you the vast depth of character, lore, themes and stories this world of Monsters and Men holds.
We aim to raise $12,000 with which we can produce a solid pilot episode to inspire further development.
$13,500
Lets us rent older lenses to give the film a more rustic look to match the ancient setting.
$15,000
Lets us put money towards film festivals and exhibition to get the film in front of the kind of eyes who can grow it even further.
$18,000
Lets us pay for a professional sound mix and score for the film.
Throughout history, the greatest weapon of the maleficent has been dehumanization. From the anti-Semitic propaganda of the Nazi's to the misinformation tactics that fuel todays political machine, there's no better way to fuel destruction than to convince "good" people that anyone different from them is "evil" "less-than" "A MONSTER."
Long have societies encouraged us to deface and destroy those we don’t understand; to see them not as people, but as monsters. This Us vs. Them mentality creates an un-winnable game of monsters and men; the only way not to lose: stay on the right team.
If we are to stand a chance at unity as a nation, community, or even family, we must be willing to recognize that the “monsters” we see, no matter their appearance, might not be the monsters they’ve been made out to be. Because if we look deep enough, we find that there's a monster in all of us.
But this film will serve as a reminder, like tales old as time and songs old as rhyme have for generations, that there's no beast that can't be redeemed with a display of beauty.
My team and I have been working tirelessly since December to bring this project to life. But alas, there are too few of us to fight this beast alone. We need you to join our army.
You'll be armed instantly with fantastic rewards like custom artwork of you, invitations to the screening and even a chance to be in the movie itself.
So if you believe what you've read here today, stake your name to it with a pledge to support the project.
Join us as we send a clear and resounding message to all those whom the world has wrongfully labeled a monster:
You are not what they've made you.
In addition to pledging to the project, help us spread the word about the movie by sharing the project with others who would enjoy it.
Whatever led you to read this far, let others know. Whether its the story, the themes, the fantasy world, or the promise of an action movie with a heart, let the world know why they should check us out as well.
Pro Tip: Want to 10x the chances of your reccommendation prompting a visit from someone? Share the project with them directly via email, text, or direct message. It really does make a difference.
Regardless of whether or not you join this project with a pledge, follow along for the ride. Who knows, perhaps you were brought to this page for such a time as this.
I hope you'll join us on this journey.
Dom
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Fantasy Costumes and Design
Costs $2,000
Production value is one of the most important aspects of the fantasy genre. Help us do it right!
Craft Services
Costs $3,000
As a staunch Italian, I forbid my crew to eat lackluster meals. Fund some quality food on set!
Prop Weapons and Misc. Props
Costs $600
Whats a sword fight without swords???
Transportation Costs
Costs $1,800
Gas prices keep getting crazier nowadays. Help the cast and crew get to and from set.
Wireless Follow Focus
Costs $350
Focus. Focus hard. Focus is hard. Help our AC out.
Storage Media
Costs $500
We plan to shoot until we get it right. Give us the storage space to make that happen.
SFX Make Up and Design
Costs $2,000
This isn't the kind of make up that makes you look pretty, this kind makes monsters!
Insurance
Costs $500
Its always a good idea to have protection when you're getting some action, on camera that is.
Contingency Budget
Costs $500
You never know what you'll need, best to have that covered.
Set Design and Locations
Costs $750
Creating the physical world of the story will bring another level of realism to the film.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
With countless films and video projects between us, acolades from from the Audience Award at NFFTY to the Samuel Goldwyn Award, and the scrappiness and drive to find a way or make one, we're ready to roll and make a film worth watching, and worth making. Check out some of our past work!
Polaroid
In this 60 second action short, two theives scramble to survive after an easy job turns out to be a set up.
With the goal to throw as much at the viewer as possible in one minute, this short came together over a weekend with some zoom calls and a couple of trips to home depot!
And no, he does not shoot her at the end. The shot comes from down the hall.
Click the GIF above to watch the whrilwind short!
Hate Me Too Music Video
When a music video client asked me if we could do something like Inception, I thought "lets just do Inception."
6 days of building later, the artists were performing their song on the walls and ceiling of the spinning room we'd erected.
Click the GIF above to go behind the scenes of the build!
The Control Room
Obviously we couldn't just have a spinning room and NOT make a short film in it. So during my spare moments at a film festival in Seattle, I began brainstorming for a story that would compliment this set.
Not even one month after we shot the music video, we were shooting The Control Room, a "Stranger Things meets Ex-Machina" sci-fi action short.
Click the GIF above to watch the mind-bending action short!
Beyond the Lake
My first feature film! While it's not an action piece, Beyond the Lake was the story I created to show that I could create an engaging story without using any action. Telling the story of a former musician who reencounters the woman who caused him to quit music, Beyond the Lake premieres in a week at the time of writing this!
Click the GIF above to watch the whole trailer!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Have you ever been called a monster?
Maybe not literally, but chances are you've been slandered, lied about, had your words twisted, been blamed, framed, or defamed, or simply cast aside for whatever reason suited your persecutor. And in the long hours of the night when even sleep denied you its assurance you wondered: "Are they right? Am I what they say? Am I a monster?"
This film is about such a person: A Knight, last of an order formed to fight the monsters that once roamed the land, who is framed for regicide, accused of murdering the king he swore to protect. Left disillusioned and physically disfigured by the fallout, he is offered a chance at absolution in exchange for a task: hunt and kill an elusive shapeshifter that plagues a local town.
The Knight accepts, but as his hunt evolves, he begins to realize that this shapeshifter might not be quite the monster he's been told, and that he himself might be more of a monster than he thought. With his life and honor at stake, the knight wrestles with his conscience as the line between man and monster only continues to blur both in his surroundings, and in himself.
Laced with themes of Misinformation, Identity, and Redemption, the story asks the questions:
What will happen to our character he fails his task? But what will he be if he succeeds?
With countless films and video projects between us, acolades from from the Audience Award at NFFTY to the Samuel Goldwyn Award, and the scrappiness and drive to find a way or make one, we're always ready to roll and make a film worth watching, and worth making. Check out some of our past work!
Polaroid - Action Short Film
In this 60 second action short, two theives scramble to survive after an easy job turns out to be a set up. With the goal to throw as much at the viewer as possible in one minute, this short came together over a weekend with some zoom calls and a couple of trips to home depot!
Click the GIF above to watch the whrilwind short!
Hate Me Too - Music Video
When a music video client asked me if we could do something like Inception, I thought "lets just do Inception." 6 days of building later, the artists were performing their song on the walls and ceiling of the spinning room we'd erected.
Click the GIF above to go behind the scenes of the build!
The Control Room - Scifi Short Film
Obviously we couldn't just have a spinning room and NOT make a short film in it. So in between screenings at NFFTY/the National Film Festival For Talented Youth where our Harry Potter origin story short film The Magic Words was about to win the Audience Award, I began brainstorming for a story that would compliment this set. Not even one month after we shot the music video, we were shooting The Control Room, a "Stranger Things meets Ex-Machina" sci-fi action short.
Click the GIF above to watch the mind-bending action short!
Beyond the Lake - Drama Feature Film
My first feature film! While it's not an action piece, Beyond the Lake was the story I created to show that I could create an engaging story without using any action. Telling the story of a former musician who reencounters the woman who caused him to quit music, Beyond the Lake premieres in a week at the time of writing this!
Click the GIF above to watch the whole trailer!
See more short films, commercials, PSA's and other larger than life work of ours at Filmingdom.com
$12,000
With The Witcher, Vikings, The Last Kingdom, Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings spin-offs all hitting the scene at once, the time is now for long-form fantasy content. Ultimately we aim to turn Of Monsters and Men into a series, and show you the vast depth of character, lore, themes and stories this world of Monsters and Men holds.
We aim to raise $12,000 with which we can produce a solid pilot episode to inspire further development.
$13,500
Lets us rent older lenses to give the film a more rustic look to match the ancient setting.
$15,000
Lets us put money towards film festivals and exhibition to get the film in front of the kind of eyes who can grow it even further.
$18,000
Lets us pay for a professional sound mix and score for the film.
Throughout history, the greatest weapon of the maleficent has been dehumanization. From the anti-Semitic propaganda of the Nazi's to the misinformation tactics that fuel todays political machine, there's no better way to fuel destruction than to convince "good" people that anyone different from them is "evil" "less-than" "A MONSTER."
Long have societies encouraged us to deface and destroy those we don’t understand; to see them not as people, but as monsters. This Us vs. Them mentality creates an un-winnable game of monsters and men; the only way not to lose: stay on the right team.
If we are to stand a chance at unity as a nation, community, or even family, we must be willing to recognize that the “monsters” we see, no matter their appearance, might not be the monsters they’ve been made out to be. Because if we look deep enough, we find that there's a monster in all of us.
But this film will serve as a reminder, like tales old as time and songs old as rhyme have for generations, that there's no beast that can't be redeemed with a display of beauty.
My team and I have been working tirelessly since December to bring this project to life. But alas, there are too few of us to fight this beast alone. We need you to join our army.
You'll be armed instantly with fantastic rewards like custom artwork of you, invitations to the screening and even a chance to be in the movie itself.
So if you believe what you've read here today, stake your name to it with a pledge to support the project.
Join us as we send a clear and resounding message to all those whom the world has wrongfully labeled a monster:
You are not what they've made you.
In addition to pledging to the project, help us spread the word about the movie by sharing the project with others who would enjoy it.
Whatever led you to read this far, let others know. Whether its the story, the themes, the fantasy world, or the promise of an action movie with a heart, let the world know why they should check us out as well.
Pro Tip: Want to 10x the chances of your reccommendation prompting a visit from someone? Share the project with them directly via email, text, or direct message. It really does make a difference.
Regardless of whether or not you join this project with a pledge, follow along for the ride. Who knows, perhaps you were brought to this page for such a time as this.
I hope you'll join us on this journey.
Dom
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Fantasy Costumes and Design
Costs $2,000
Production value is one of the most important aspects of the fantasy genre. Help us do it right!
Craft Services
Costs $3,000
As a staunch Italian, I forbid my crew to eat lackluster meals. Fund some quality food on set!
Prop Weapons and Misc. Props
Costs $600
Whats a sword fight without swords???
Transportation Costs
Costs $1,800
Gas prices keep getting crazier nowadays. Help the cast and crew get to and from set.
Wireless Follow Focus
Costs $350
Focus. Focus hard. Focus is hard. Help our AC out.
Storage Media
Costs $500
We plan to shoot until we get it right. Give us the storage space to make that happen.
SFX Make Up and Design
Costs $2,000
This isn't the kind of make up that makes you look pretty, this kind makes monsters!
Insurance
Costs $500
Its always a good idea to have protection when you're getting some action, on camera that is.
Contingency Budget
Costs $500
You never know what you'll need, best to have that covered.
Set Design and Locations
Costs $750
Creating the physical world of the story will bring another level of realism to the film.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
With countless films and video projects between us, acolades from from the Audience Award at NFFTY to the Samuel Goldwyn Award, and the scrappiness and drive to find a way or make one, we're ready to roll and make a film worth watching, and worth making. Check out some of our past work!
Polaroid
In this 60 second action short, two theives scramble to survive after an easy job turns out to be a set up.
With the goal to throw as much at the viewer as possible in one minute, this short came together over a weekend with some zoom calls and a couple of trips to home depot!
And no, he does not shoot her at the end. The shot comes from down the hall.
Click the GIF above to watch the whrilwind short!
Hate Me Too Music Video
When a music video client asked me if we could do something like Inception, I thought "lets just do Inception."
6 days of building later, the artists were performing their song on the walls and ceiling of the spinning room we'd erected.
Click the GIF above to go behind the scenes of the build!
The Control Room
Obviously we couldn't just have a spinning room and NOT make a short film in it. So during my spare moments at a film festival in Seattle, I began brainstorming for a story that would compliment this set.
Not even one month after we shot the music video, we were shooting The Control Room, a "Stranger Things meets Ex-Machina" sci-fi action short.
Click the GIF above to watch the mind-bending action short!
Beyond the Lake
My first feature film! While it's not an action piece, Beyond the Lake was the story I created to show that I could create an engaging story without using any action. Telling the story of a former musician who reencounters the woman who caused him to quit music, Beyond the Lake premieres in a week at the time of writing this!
Click the GIF above to watch the whole trailer!