Velvet Sky
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Other
A young filmmaker named Miguel meets his directing idol in Victor, who agrees to mentor him. Their relationship turns toxic as Miguel must decide if Victor's guidance is more valuable than it is vindictive. This story deals with themes such as "crab mentality" and the damaging effects it can have.
Velvet Sky
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Other
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $15,877 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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A young filmmaker named Miguel meets his directing idol in Victor, who agrees to mentor him. Their relationship turns toxic as Miguel must decide if Victor's guidance is more valuable than it is vindictive. This story deals with themes such as "crab mentality" and the damaging effects it can have.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
I shot a scene from the feature film script of "Velvet Sky"
This proof of concept short film spec was shotover the course of three days in September, 2021. The first two days were shot at Mack Sennett Studios in Echo Park on Labor Day weekend in some back room that looked like a backstage acting class. The minute I saw the location, I knew that was the place. A place that Victor, our lead antagonist would have held an acting class in the twilight of his career. Our final shoot day happened that same week in Gardena, outside of my work in a parking lot, which was graciously lent to me by my boss.
I was truly blessed to have found such a talented and hardworking crew during the course of these three days, along with such a dedicated and delightful cast that brought my words to life in ways I could have never imagined. We pulled our resources as a team and made it happen and I am forever grateful to their energy, presence and love.
I am so excited to gather all the magic and put it together for you all to see soon enough. Hopefully I can earn the funds to make that into a reality. So any contributions you are able to make (and no amount is too small) will go directly into the hands of the people who have helped me create the magic of cinema.
Finding the X-men. Pre-production and the audition process:
Since I have been living with these two main characters in my head for so long, I feel like I've always secretly been in a casting session. So all my actor friends, I had asked to audition for the role because I needed to make sure I searched far and wide to find this cast. More importantly to the actors individually, the dynamic of the two young men had to be right. I saw brilliant actors who brought such interesting and dynamic elements to both Victor and Miguel, which made it even more difficult, but I had to make sure the two of them had the right chemistry. After much deliberation and internal matchmaking I settled on two actors who I thought encapsulated the characters I had written but also had a balance with each other that propelled the drama of the words into a place that made it believable but also carried a heart to it. My producer Leon Pierce, Jr. was adamant on the idea that no villian is ever really just a villian, and no hero is never truly just that as well. I wholeheartedly agree and that's what I saw with our Miguel and Victor.
The mission, carried out.
This whole thing couldn't have had it's true spark without the heart and energy brought on by producer Leon Pierce, Jr. We had a zoom call regarding me helping him find some people for another project of his, and we got to chatting about film. It was one of those inspiring conversations that has you stuck in a corner at a party where everything in the background is just a murmur in slow motion. I ended up pitching my feature film idea in this conversation and one day he called me up and asked if I was interested in creating a spec short for it. I never really thought to go down this route before but once I had a scene I thought could work, I knew it had to be done this way. So I chose a scene in the feature script that acts as a bridge between the 1st act and 2nd act. This is the scene where Victor's menace starts to rear its ugly head to the naive Miguel, who learns the hard way that meeting your heroes is not always the best idea.
The story itself (for the feature film):
On the same night that MIGUEL ENDRES got signed by a movie studio to make his first feature film, he also met his filmmaking idol, VICTOR SORIANO—a local legend in the twilight of his career.
Victor agrees to mentor Miguel on the basis of his new found fame, but their relationship soon derails into a toxic one that leaves Miguel to wonder if Victor is really out for his best interest or is on a warpath to sabotage him for his own personal gain and fear of being even more so obsolete.
This journey leads them down a path of self discovery. A dark and lonely road that sometimes we all need to experience to end up being the best versions of ourselves in the end. Our film, "Velvet Sky" deals with mentorship that starts off inspiring, but derails into a place of toxicity. The film explores themes of self-love and the true power of building up our community with the people around us.
A letter to a future audience sitting in a dark movie theatre, before my film is about to play..
Dear movie lover,
"Velvet Sky" is very personal story to me because it is one that I went through myself. It hit me then like a ton of bricks as it played out right before my eyes. It has stung and shook my bones, and ultimately stuck with me ever since.
I have been thinking about telling this story as a movie for the past three years, maybe even longer. I wake up every morning and think about this film. I see the scenes play out in my head. As I'm driving in LA traffic, or people-watching at the Ralphs grocery store by my house. Or sometimes in the shower even. The scenes won't leave me alone actually.
It's one of those stories that I need to get out of my system. It burns inside me so much, I think I need some sort of conjuring exorcism to get these demons out. I have been manifesting it into fruition since the idea came to me. I want this to be my first feature film. Whether or not I do it like a true auteur and shoot it myself on my Canon rebel t3-i in black and white with some great local actors, or if I sell it to Netflix or MGM Studios for 5 million dollars and get some of my wishlist dream actors to play the parts (*ahem* Jon Jon Briones).
Anyway, thank you for sitting in the audience today and spending a few of your hours inside my imagination. To hear a story that I have to tell. I don't know why it has to be, but all I know is that it just does. So I hope you grabbed some popcorn, your favorite bevy, and get something out of it. Whether it's a good laugh, a needed cry, or some inner rejoice that you felt seen by something on the screen. This is the reason I escape into the movies. It's a magical escape of time travel and catharsis and my ultimate hope is that I get to add to that list of dreamers and escape artists with my little film.
Sincerely,
A fellow movie lover,
Charles Gray
...Lights, camera, action.
P.S.
It truly takes a village, to carry out a vision.
I couldn't do it without them, and I can't continue to do it without YOU.
So thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Anything you can give, would be an immense contribution.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Colorist
Costs $450
to make the colors come to life and help accentuate the visuals that we created during production.
Camera Package
Costs $1,200
We shot our feature film spec short on an Arri Alexa LF. This is magnificent cinematic quality.
Festival submissions
Costs $550
submit this film to many festivals in hopes that someone will want to finance the feature film.
Actors
Costs $2,800
Without Actors, your story doesn't breathe and come to life. They are the soul, blood, and heart.
Crew
Costs $5,400
To make a film, you need a village. From gaffers and grips to makeup and COVID compliance officers.
Score and Sound Design
Costs $650
To make your film soar, you need the music to let the world breathe into it's own unique world.
Location rentals
Costs $900
We needed a home for our world to live in. Mack Sennett Studios in Echo Park was just the spot.
Food & Crafty
Costs $550
To do our best work, we need the fuel to recharge and to go about our day.
Insurance
Costs $500
We need to pay certain fees to get this project spring-boarded off the ground.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Leon Pierce, Jr. (PRODUCER)
Leon is our rockstar producer who has helped put this amazing team together and getting us all prepped for our shoot. He has been a great friend and mentor in the process, as well as helping us feel insured that we are putting out the best product possible. He is a filmmaker himself and recently finished his first feature film called, "Welcome Matt" under Gravitas Ventures.
Roni Canieso (ASSISTANT DIRECTOR)
Roni has been a great collaborator and confidant throughout this entire process from pre-production to production. She has helped make sure we go about our days in the most efficient way and has gone above and beyond to ensure that. She will always have your back no matter what and be the best spring board for ideas and support.
Iya Baclagan (LINE PRODUCER)
Iya came in and helped us get everything in order from our budget, paperwork, and our team in check to make sure we were all on the same page going into our shoot days. She also wore many hats on set including supporting actor on top of all her other duties. She always gives 110% and her work and grace is always appreciated.
Manny Streetz (Executive Producer)
Manny has been in the entertainment business for a long time and brings great mentorship and positive energy to the team with his heart and dedication to the project. As a believer of the project, Manny is helping us to make sure we have the best resources around us to give us the best possible product as we go from spec short to feature film in the coming days ahead.
Arlyn Dela Pena (Campaign Manager)
Arlyn is such a positive force of nature with the right attitude to help us lead the charge during post production. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge as we hit our goals while keeping us engaged and making sure we our hitting our marks as we reach for success during our campaign.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
I shot a scene from the feature film script of "Velvet Sky"
This proof of concept short film spec was shotover the course of three days in September, 2021. The first two days were shot at Mack Sennett Studios in Echo Park on Labor Day weekend in some back room that looked like a backstage acting class. The minute I saw the location, I knew that was the place. A place that Victor, our lead antagonist would have held an acting class in the twilight of his career. Our final shoot day happened that same week in Gardena, outside of my work in a parking lot, which was graciously lent to me by my boss.
I was truly blessed to have found such a talented and hardworking crew during the course of these three days, along with such a dedicated and delightful cast that brought my words to life in ways I could have never imagined. We pulled our resources as a team and made it happen and I am forever grateful to their energy, presence and love.
I am so excited to gather all the magic and put it together for you all to see soon enough. Hopefully I can earn the funds to make that into a reality. So any contributions you are able to make (and no amount is too small) will go directly into the hands of the people who have helped me create the magic of cinema.
Finding the X-men. Pre-production and the audition process:
Since I have been living with these two main characters in my head for so long, I feel like I've always secretly been in a casting session. So all my actor friends, I had asked to audition for the role because I needed to make sure I searched far and wide to find this cast. More importantly to the actors individually, the dynamic of the two young men had to be right. I saw brilliant actors who brought such interesting and dynamic elements to both Victor and Miguel, which made it even more difficult, but I had to make sure the two of them had the right chemistry. After much deliberation and internal matchmaking I settled on two actors who I thought encapsulated the characters I had written but also had a balance with each other that propelled the drama of the words into a place that made it believable but also carried a heart to it. My producer Leon Pierce, Jr. was adamant on the idea that no villian is ever really just a villian, and no hero is never truly just that as well. I wholeheartedly agree and that's what I saw with our Miguel and Victor.
The mission, carried out.
This whole thing couldn't have had it's true spark without the heart and energy brought on by producer Leon Pierce, Jr. We had a zoom call regarding me helping him find some people for another project of his, and we got to chatting about film. It was one of those inspiring conversations that has you stuck in a corner at a party where everything in the background is just a murmur in slow motion. I ended up pitching my feature film idea in this conversation and one day he called me up and asked if I was interested in creating a spec short for it. I never really thought to go down this route before but once I had a scene I thought could work, I knew it had to be done this way. So I chose a scene in the feature script that acts as a bridge between the 1st act and 2nd act. This is the scene where Victor's menace starts to rear its ugly head to the naive Miguel, who learns the hard way that meeting your heroes is not always the best idea.
The story itself (for the feature film):
On the same night that MIGUEL ENDRES got signed by a movie studio to make his first feature film, he also met his filmmaking idol, VICTOR SORIANO—a local legend in the twilight of his career.
Victor agrees to mentor Miguel on the basis of his new found fame, but their relationship soon derails into a toxic one that leaves Miguel to wonder if Victor is really out for his best interest or is on a warpath to sabotage him for his own personal gain and fear of being even more so obsolete.
This journey leads them down a path of self discovery. A dark and lonely road that sometimes we all need to experience to end up being the best versions of ourselves in the end. Our film, "Velvet Sky" deals with mentorship that starts off inspiring, but derails into a place of toxicity. The film explores themes of self-love and the true power of building up our community with the people around us.
A letter to a future audience sitting in a dark movie theatre, before my film is about to play..
Dear movie lover,
"Velvet Sky" is very personal story to me because it is one that I went through myself. It hit me then like a ton of bricks as it played out right before my eyes. It has stung and shook my bones, and ultimately stuck with me ever since.
I have been thinking about telling this story as a movie for the past three years, maybe even longer. I wake up every morning and think about this film. I see the scenes play out in my head. As I'm driving in LA traffic, or people-watching at the Ralphs grocery store by my house. Or sometimes in the shower even. The scenes won't leave me alone actually.
It's one of those stories that I need to get out of my system. It burns inside me so much, I think I need some sort of conjuring exorcism to get these demons out. I have been manifesting it into fruition since the idea came to me. I want this to be my first feature film. Whether or not I do it like a true auteur and shoot it myself on my Canon rebel t3-i in black and white with some great local actors, or if I sell it to Netflix or MGM Studios for 5 million dollars and get some of my wishlist dream actors to play the parts (*ahem* Jon Jon Briones).
Anyway, thank you for sitting in the audience today and spending a few of your hours inside my imagination. To hear a story that I have to tell. I don't know why it has to be, but all I know is that it just does. So I hope you grabbed some popcorn, your favorite bevy, and get something out of it. Whether it's a good laugh, a needed cry, or some inner rejoice that you felt seen by something on the screen. This is the reason I escape into the movies. It's a magical escape of time travel and catharsis and my ultimate hope is that I get to add to that list of dreamers and escape artists with my little film.
Sincerely,
A fellow movie lover,
Charles Gray
...Lights, camera, action.
P.S.
It truly takes a village, to carry out a vision.
I couldn't do it without them, and I can't continue to do it without YOU.
So thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Anything you can give, would be an immense contribution.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Colorist
Costs $450
to make the colors come to life and help accentuate the visuals that we created during production.
Camera Package
Costs $1,200
We shot our feature film spec short on an Arri Alexa LF. This is magnificent cinematic quality.
Festival submissions
Costs $550
submit this film to many festivals in hopes that someone will want to finance the feature film.
Actors
Costs $2,800
Without Actors, your story doesn't breathe and come to life. They are the soul, blood, and heart.
Crew
Costs $5,400
To make a film, you need a village. From gaffers and grips to makeup and COVID compliance officers.
Score and Sound Design
Costs $650
To make your film soar, you need the music to let the world breathe into it's own unique world.
Location rentals
Costs $900
We needed a home for our world to live in. Mack Sennett Studios in Echo Park was just the spot.
Food & Crafty
Costs $550
To do our best work, we need the fuel to recharge and to go about our day.
Insurance
Costs $500
We need to pay certain fees to get this project spring-boarded off the ground.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Leon Pierce, Jr. (PRODUCER)
Leon is our rockstar producer who has helped put this amazing team together and getting us all prepped for our shoot. He has been a great friend and mentor in the process, as well as helping us feel insured that we are putting out the best product possible. He is a filmmaker himself and recently finished his first feature film called, "Welcome Matt" under Gravitas Ventures.
Roni Canieso (ASSISTANT DIRECTOR)
Roni has been a great collaborator and confidant throughout this entire process from pre-production to production. She has helped make sure we go about our days in the most efficient way and has gone above and beyond to ensure that. She will always have your back no matter what and be the best spring board for ideas and support.
Iya Baclagan (LINE PRODUCER)
Iya came in and helped us get everything in order from our budget, paperwork, and our team in check to make sure we were all on the same page going into our shoot days. She also wore many hats on set including supporting actor on top of all her other duties. She always gives 110% and her work and grace is always appreciated.
Manny Streetz (Executive Producer)
Manny has been in the entertainment business for a long time and brings great mentorship and positive energy to the team with his heart and dedication to the project. As a believer of the project, Manny is helping us to make sure we have the best resources around us to give us the best possible product as we go from spec short to feature film in the coming days ahead.
Arlyn Dela Pena (Campaign Manager)
Arlyn is such a positive force of nature with the right attitude to help us lead the charge during post production. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge as we hit our goals while keeping us engaged and making sure we our hitting our marks as we reach for success during our campaign.