'98 Honda
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Sci-Fi
'98 Honda is an ode to Niles Abston's childhood. It's steeped in real life events with a heartfelt, sci-fi twist. The reluctant yet mandatory stewardship Michael has over Sean blossoms into an unbreakable bond. To quote the great Roy Wood Jr., "you need to get on this E-MEDIATELY. With an E".
'98 Honda
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Sci-Fi
1 Campaigns |
Green Light
This campaign raised $42,665 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
320 supporters | followers
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'98 Honda is an ode to Niles Abston's childhood. It's steeped in real life events with a heartfelt, sci-fi twist. The reluctant yet mandatory stewardship Michael has over Sean blossoms into an unbreakable bond. To quote the great Roy Wood Jr., "you need to get on this E-MEDIATELY. With an E".
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Michael Pope is your friendly neighborhood dope dealer. It’s July 2004 and he’s currently trying his best to get back on his feet after a few financial misfires. The day starts off by him finding out he can no longer sleep on the couch that he’s been accustomed to because his friend’s mom is tired of seeing him there. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Brittany has to work a double at the diner so she isn’t available to watch her 9 year old cousin, Sean who’s in town for the summer. She figures since Michael doesn’t have anything to do anyway (she doesn’t know that he sells weed) and that he’s using her car that he can watch Sean for the day and take him to see Spider-Man 2. Now Sean is in the custody of the worst babysitter in the world, a drug dealer who is currently in danger for some previous mistakes he’s made. Sean doesn’t like Michael and would rather just play his Gameboy instead of interacting with him but they eventually become the best of friends before the day is over. Their newfound friendship comes in handy when they’re tasked with saving the world before the night is over.
We're making this film because we found ourselves with an opportunity to create something black, original, heartfelt, and fucking funny. All of the proceeds raised will go to paying the cast, crew, and post production team. We have some nice lil' graphs below to illustrate monetary allocation. And most importantly, we're shooting from October 23rd to the 26th. This film will be the first 15 minutes of the feature length script of '98 Honda as a proof of concept short film to pitch and shop around to companies who are making fun and original feature films for the screen. Once we partner with a company that understands the vision, then we can proceed to make a feature length film. Pairing a great script with the beginning of the film visually to grab attention will be a recipe for success. So help us make our dream come true.
With that in mind, contributions from supporters like yourself are imperative. In meeting our goal of $35,000, we can bring ’98 Honda to life by taking these first few steps:
- Hiring east coast production crew
- Casting locally in Massachusetts and New York
- Travel and accommodations for cast and crew
- Securing locations, costumes, props, camera equipment, and general production needs
Our priority is to ensure a safe working environment with a reasonable schedule, fair compensation, and the resources necessary for our cast and crew. With your help, we can take this project past the first phase of production by meeting these above-and-beyond goals:
- At $40,000, we can pay in full for post-production expenses
See below for an at-a-glance look at the production budget breakdown and timeline:
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Equipment
Costs $10,000
We need this film to look incredible.
Casting
Costs $10,000
We want the most talented people in front of the camera.
Post Production
Costs $15,000
We need the best post team to help bring our vision to life.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
NILES ABSTON (FX's DAVE) - WRITER/ACTOR
A note from Niles: My favorite people in the industry come from indie film. Keenan Ivory Wayans and Robert Townsend are the best examples of that. Two funny stand-up comedians who can write great scripts that figured out how to get their unique ideas funded and took off from there. My goal is to be the same way. I got tired of auditioning to be some lazily written Black character that gets crumbs of screen time and wrote my own movie where I could be the main character. I’ve proven myself on the stage across the country with stand up and I’ve proven myself in the writing world by writing on the newest season of FX’s DAVE and now I want to show what I can do on screen in one of the funniest and craziest sci-fi films you’ll ever see. But to do that, we have to make this proof of concept short film first to show we know what we’re doing and we’re only a little bit crazy for believing this is possible. I feel like being a movie star right now so thanks for donating and being a part of something that’s going to be very special.
CHRISTIAN BANDA (The Daily Show) - DIRECTOR
A note from Christian: Ay Christian here. I’ve been in the TV/Film industry for over a decade now, and in damn near every room you can imagine. I’ve gone from grabbing coffees as an executive assistant to walking down the carpet at The Emmy Awards as a producer. A select few in the industry can say that. And while I’m grateful, the producing/pitching/writing I’ve done has always been under someone’s (typically white) thumb. This is institutionally par for the course, but it’s not why I grabbed all those damn coffees.
When Niles asked me to direct a project so close to his heart, I hesitated for a second. That’s a lot of trust in a nigga you just met at the end of 2022. One who’s never directed before, at that. But I think he sees the same shit in me that I see him. And the script man, I saw the whole world he created instantly. So I said yes. We’re doing this for real, and I’m the most excited I’ve been in my career.
It’s about time we get our own opportunity to bring our vision to fruition. Especially as young black creatives with drive. My good friend X Mayo said to me, “This is the fucking energy. Your dream. In YOUR hands”. So why not us? We’re putting everything we have into ‘98 Honda, and we hope you can come along for the ride
ERIC SCHLEICHER - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Bio: Eric first picked up a camera to film snowboarding in the harsh Midwest winters. That DIY spirit and can do work ethic bleeds into his current work, giving him a naturalistic style that falls somewhere between narrative, documentary and experimental film. He is best known for his work on Matt Fifer’s debut feature, Cicada (BFI 2020, Oust 2020) which had its theatrical release in October of 2021.His commercial work includes campaigns for Burberry,Converse and Adidas.
LINDSEY STEER - PRODUCER
Bio: Lindsey Steer is a New York-based producer with a wide range of experience in a variety of film and television content. Her credits include Showtime’s The Circus, You’re Watching Video Music Box, Homeland, AMC’s Ride with Norman Reedus, Bravo’s Project Runway, Netflix’s Brainchild, MSNBC’s What’s Eating America, and others. She most recently co-produced All Up In The Biz, which premiered at Tribeca Festival 2023 and can be found on Showtime and Paramount.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Michael Pope is your friendly neighborhood dope dealer. It’s July 2004 and he’s currently trying his best to get back on his feet after a few financial misfires. The day starts off by him finding out he can no longer sleep on the couch that he’s been accustomed to because his friend’s mom is tired of seeing him there. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Brittany has to work a double at the diner so she isn’t available to watch her 9 year old cousin, Sean who’s in town for the summer. She figures since Michael doesn’t have anything to do anyway (she doesn’t know that he sells weed) and that he’s using her car that he can watch Sean for the day and take him to see Spider-Man 2. Now Sean is in the custody of the worst babysitter in the world, a drug dealer who is currently in danger for some previous mistakes he’s made. Sean doesn’t like Michael and would rather just play his Gameboy instead of interacting with him but they eventually become the best of friends before the day is over. Their newfound friendship comes in handy when they’re tasked with saving the world before the night is over.
We're making this film because we found ourselves with an opportunity to create something black, original, heartfelt, and fucking funny. All of the proceeds raised will go to paying the cast, crew, and post production team. We have some nice lil' graphs below to illustrate monetary allocation. And most importantly, we're shooting from October 23rd to the 26th. This film will be the first 15 minutes of the feature length script of '98 Honda as a proof of concept short film to pitch and shop around to companies who are making fun and original feature films for the screen. Once we partner with a company that understands the vision, then we can proceed to make a feature length film. Pairing a great script with the beginning of the film visually to grab attention will be a recipe for success. So help us make our dream come true.
With that in mind, contributions from supporters like yourself are imperative. In meeting our goal of $35,000, we can bring ’98 Honda to life by taking these first few steps:
- Hiring east coast production crew
- Casting locally in Massachusetts and New York
- Travel and accommodations for cast and crew
- Securing locations, costumes, props, camera equipment, and general production needs
Our priority is to ensure a safe working environment with a reasonable schedule, fair compensation, and the resources necessary for our cast and crew. With your help, we can take this project past the first phase of production by meeting these above-and-beyond goals:
- At $40,000, we can pay in full for post-production expenses
See below for an at-a-glance look at the production budget breakdown and timeline:
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Equipment
Costs $10,000
We need this film to look incredible.
Casting
Costs $10,000
We want the most talented people in front of the camera.
Post Production
Costs $15,000
We need the best post team to help bring our vision to life.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
NILES ABSTON (FX's DAVE) - WRITER/ACTOR
A note from Niles: My favorite people in the industry come from indie film. Keenan Ivory Wayans and Robert Townsend are the best examples of that. Two funny stand-up comedians who can write great scripts that figured out how to get their unique ideas funded and took off from there. My goal is to be the same way. I got tired of auditioning to be some lazily written Black character that gets crumbs of screen time and wrote my own movie where I could be the main character. I’ve proven myself on the stage across the country with stand up and I’ve proven myself in the writing world by writing on the newest season of FX’s DAVE and now I want to show what I can do on screen in one of the funniest and craziest sci-fi films you’ll ever see. But to do that, we have to make this proof of concept short film first to show we know what we’re doing and we’re only a little bit crazy for believing this is possible. I feel like being a movie star right now so thanks for donating and being a part of something that’s going to be very special.
CHRISTIAN BANDA (The Daily Show) - DIRECTOR
A note from Christian: Ay Christian here. I’ve been in the TV/Film industry for over a decade now, and in damn near every room you can imagine. I’ve gone from grabbing coffees as an executive assistant to walking down the carpet at The Emmy Awards as a producer. A select few in the industry can say that. And while I’m grateful, the producing/pitching/writing I’ve done has always been under someone’s (typically white) thumb. This is institutionally par for the course, but it’s not why I grabbed all those damn coffees.
When Niles asked me to direct a project so close to his heart, I hesitated for a second. That’s a lot of trust in a nigga you just met at the end of 2022. One who’s never directed before, at that. But I think he sees the same shit in me that I see him. And the script man, I saw the whole world he created instantly. So I said yes. We’re doing this for real, and I’m the most excited I’ve been in my career.
It’s about time we get our own opportunity to bring our vision to fruition. Especially as young black creatives with drive. My good friend X Mayo said to me, “This is the fucking energy. Your dream. In YOUR hands”. So why not us? We’re putting everything we have into ‘98 Honda, and we hope you can come along for the ride
ERIC SCHLEICHER - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Bio: Eric first picked up a camera to film snowboarding in the harsh Midwest winters. That DIY spirit and can do work ethic bleeds into his current work, giving him a naturalistic style that falls somewhere between narrative, documentary and experimental film. He is best known for his work on Matt Fifer’s debut feature, Cicada (BFI 2020, Oust 2020) which had its theatrical release in October of 2021.His commercial work includes campaigns for Burberry,Converse and Adidas.
LINDSEY STEER - PRODUCER
Bio: Lindsey Steer is a New York-based producer with a wide range of experience in a variety of film and television content. Her credits include Showtime’s The Circus, You’re Watching Video Music Box, Homeland, AMC’s Ride with Norman Reedus, Bravo’s Project Runway, Netflix’s Brainchild, MSNBC’s What’s Eating America, and others. She most recently co-produced All Up In The Biz, which premiered at Tribeca Festival 2023 and can be found on Showtime and Paramount.