A Cycle of Violence
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama
"What do you do when God is silent?" -- Our story reflects the present as much as it does the past -- a lesson we refuse to learn as a country. We're stuck in a cycle of perpetual intervention that ruins lives globally, just as we were 20 years ago, just as we were 50 years ago.
A Cycle of Violence
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
52 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$8,195
Goal: $14,895 for production
"What do you do when God is silent?" -- Our story reflects the present as much as it does the past -- a lesson we refuse to learn as a country. We're stuck in a cycle of perpetual intervention that ruins lives globally, just as we were 20 years ago, just as we were 50 years ago.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Fr. Andrew Graham is the head of a small Catholic parish in the tri-state area. He begins to
experience feelings of doubt in his faith in God, which slowly begins to effect his mental
state.
One day he is surprised at the church by his childhood friend Gregg Chambers, who is now a Senator from Pennsylvania. After briefly catching up, Chambers asks Graham if he would hear his confession before a big vote on a war resolution which the Senator himself is leading, which would declare war on Iran for seemingly dubious reasons. Graham agrees, and the two go to the confessional.
During the sacrament, Chambers reveals that he is suffering from terminal brain cancer from his exposure to toxic burn pits in The Iraq War. In addition, Chambers admits to murdering civilians in Fallujah during that same period.
Fr. Graham must test his already faltering faith -- should he violate the sanctity of the sacrament by revealing this information and assuring his excommunication from the Catholic Church, or should he keep this information locked away -- allowing foreign policy to be shaped by a man who wont be
alive to see it through as he attempts to send more young people to die overseas.
With this film, my intention is to touch upon those moments in our lives where it seems there is nothing out there in the great beyond, where we are consumed with doubt and fear about what our purpose is and if we are really alone.
The vehicle I chose of a Catholic priest going through a period of religious doubt spawned from my very own adolescence growing up in the Catholic Church. When I would present my feelings of doubt to my instructors, I was reprimanded. This shocked me, as they could've used it as an opportunity to help me understand these feelings and perhaps even deepen my faith and resolve -- but they instead stuck to their own dogmatic rules.
This led me to add the confession aspect of the storyline, where Fr. Graham has an opportunity to act in accordance with his personal faith -- not dogma,
when he must decide what to do with the information given to him by Senator Chambers. This ties in the overarching religious themes with a critique of the military industrial complex filling the minds of young men and women with their own unquestioned dogma, which then allows those men and women to fill the minds of future generations of young people who will be sent off to foreign lands to kill people for questionable reasons -- changing millions of lives for the worse.
Visually, our intentions are to present our subjects in akinetic shots, so that we may showcase their emotions and surroundings more directly and truthfully. We will make use of shorter to middle range focal lengths in order to create some distance between the viewer and the subject.
We will also borrow a bit from the lineage of transcendental cinema, which is a form of cinema that managed to reach a more spiritual plane by employing austere camerawork, acting devoid of self-consciousness and editing without editorial commentary. Now, we will only be employing these characteristics in some moments and scenes, as the plot itself and the way it unfolds contradicts these very pillars -- so in that way, we will have a balancing act with high artistic potential.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Post Production
Costs $1,000
The editing and coloring of the film, as well as sound mixing!
Pay Our Crew
Costs $3,105
Help compensate our hard working crew for their amazing efforts!
Shooting On Film
Costs $1,500
Help us shoot on 16mm film, which will allow us to capture a unique texture, color, and a sense of visual intimacy.
Locations and Transportation
Costs $2,500
For the rental of our locations, where we will bring the film to life. This will also fund our transportation of the equipment.
Production Design
Costs $2,840
Designing costumes, dressing locations, and the purchasing of materials to do so.
Equipment Rental
Costs $2,600
For the rental of camera and lighting equipment to shoot the film with.
Crew Meals & Crafty
Costs $750
For providing our hard working crew food, drink and snacks over the course of our shoot days.
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer & Director: Trey Rogan
Trey is a director & screenwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated in 2021 from the Savannah College of Art and Design after completing his senior thesis film, "Amos". Since then, he has written a feature film and directed two short films, "Wilted" and "Triplicate". He's very excited to work with such a supremely talented roster of creative people he's lucky to call friends, as they set forth together to make A Cycle of Violence a reality.
Producer & Cinematographer: Max Fly-Goldstein
Max is a Brooklyn, NY based cinematographer originally from Houston, TX. He works primarily in the narrative and music video spaces with a passion for character driven storytelling. He strives to bring the audience closer to the emotional weight of narratives through an expressive lens.
Producer: Stacey Torkelson
Stacey is a writer, director and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. She's worked on set and in production offices on NYC-based productions including Severance, Killers of The Flower Moon, Girls5Eva, and Saturday Night Live. After departing scripted production, Stacey worked at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Assistant to Jimmy Fallon & as Supervising Producer. Stacey currently works on the Special Events Team at Sesame Workshop, while dedicating personal time to producing and directing independent short films and features in the NYC area.
Producer: Theo Matza
Theo is a filmmaker based in Bushwick, NYC. He graduated in 2021 from Wesleyan University's College of Film, where he lensed several sort films on both Digital and 16mm. Since then, in addition to his narrative work, he has directed several music videos, pre-screened for the New York Film Festival, and has worked as Assistant to filmmaker Ari Aster. He is humbled to be working with such professional and talented artists, many of whom have been steady collaborators.
Actor (Father Graham): Max Avery Lichtenstein
Max is a Critics Choice nominated film composer (THE JANES, 2022) who recently turned his creative energies towards acting. In the summer of 2024 he began his studies at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. As a consummate collaborator with decades of experience expressing emotion through the performing arts, he's excited to now be exploring his craft in front of the camera and live theatrical audiences.
Actor (Senator Chambers): John L. Shortt
John is an Actor and Singer based in New York City, originally hailing from Tillamook, Oregon. After attending Portland State University on vocal and dramatic scholarships, Mr. Shortt embarked upon an operatic career that took him all over North America and Europe as a leading dramatic tenor in the most heroic, intensely strenuous and iconic roles of the standard romantic repertory (most frequently as the lead or title role in Pagliacci, Otello, Carmen, Samson et Dalila, Fidelio, Die Walkure, Aida, Il Trovatore and Turandot). Mr. Shortt has also appeared onstage extensively throughout the US with many opera companies, theater and musical organizations (including The Metropolitan Opera Club and Guild, the San Francisco Opera, the New York City Opera Guild, the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall and The Carnegie Hall ‘Artist’s in Concert’ series) in concert and recital. He has added to his growing list of theatrical roles (Death of a Salesman, 12 Angry Men, Mandela and the title role of Zusman) and music theater roles (televised shows include Fiddler on the Roof, Kiss Me Kate, Man of La Mancha, South Pacific, Carousel, The Vagabond King), by recently expanding into the realms of film (PinkCity, The Call, Chad and Stacy: A Modern Day Love-Story, Agents Of Influence, The Bell Affair, Tick, In The Pines, Watergate: Secrets and Betrayals and Word), television (Think Like A Killer, The Murder Tapes and Pilgrims), virtual productions (The SS Robin, Brown VS The BOE, Dracula) of plays and screenplays as well as entering the field of voice-over, contributing portrayals in several of the categories above, in addition to the realms of video game (Transient) and podcast endeavors (Wordtastic, Clash of Cousins and March). Future projects include many leading and supporting roles (Mr. Jack, A Cycle of Violence and Moby Dick), while adding song recordings, voice-over and narrations in a wide variety of musical, theatrical, film and television genre.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Fr. Andrew Graham is the head of a small Catholic parish in the tri-state area. He begins to
experience feelings of doubt in his faith in God, which slowly begins to effect his mental
state.
One day he is surprised at the church by his childhood friend Gregg Chambers, who is now a Senator from Pennsylvania. After briefly catching up, Chambers asks Graham if he would hear his confession before a big vote on a war resolution which the Senator himself is leading, which would declare war on Iran for seemingly dubious reasons. Graham agrees, and the two go to the confessional.
During the sacrament, Chambers reveals that he is suffering from terminal brain cancer from his exposure to toxic burn pits in The Iraq War. In addition, Chambers admits to murdering civilians in Fallujah during that same period.
Fr. Graham must test his already faltering faith -- should he violate the sanctity of the sacrament by revealing this information and assuring his excommunication from the Catholic Church, or should he keep this information locked away -- allowing foreign policy to be shaped by a man who wont be
alive to see it through as he attempts to send more young people to die overseas.
With this film, my intention is to touch upon those moments in our lives where it seems there is nothing out there in the great beyond, where we are consumed with doubt and fear about what our purpose is and if we are really alone.
The vehicle I chose of a Catholic priest going through a period of religious doubt spawned from my very own adolescence growing up in the Catholic Church. When I would present my feelings of doubt to my instructors, I was reprimanded. This shocked me, as they could've used it as an opportunity to help me understand these feelings and perhaps even deepen my faith and resolve -- but they instead stuck to their own dogmatic rules.
This led me to add the confession aspect of the storyline, where Fr. Graham has an opportunity to act in accordance with his personal faith -- not dogma,
when he must decide what to do with the information given to him by Senator Chambers. This ties in the overarching religious themes with a critique of the military industrial complex filling the minds of young men and women with their own unquestioned dogma, which then allows those men and women to fill the minds of future generations of young people who will be sent off to foreign lands to kill people for questionable reasons -- changing millions of lives for the worse.
Visually, our intentions are to present our subjects in akinetic shots, so that we may showcase their emotions and surroundings more directly and truthfully. We will make use of shorter to middle range focal lengths in order to create some distance between the viewer and the subject.
We will also borrow a bit from the lineage of transcendental cinema, which is a form of cinema that managed to reach a more spiritual plane by employing austere camerawork, acting devoid of self-consciousness and editing without editorial commentary. Now, we will only be employing these characteristics in some moments and scenes, as the plot itself and the way it unfolds contradicts these very pillars -- so in that way, we will have a balancing act with high artistic potential.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Post Production
Costs $1,000
The editing and coloring of the film, as well as sound mixing!
Pay Our Crew
Costs $3,105
Help compensate our hard working crew for their amazing efforts!
Shooting On Film
Costs $1,500
Help us shoot on 16mm film, which will allow us to capture a unique texture, color, and a sense of visual intimacy.
Locations and Transportation
Costs $2,500
For the rental of our locations, where we will bring the film to life. This will also fund our transportation of the equipment.
Production Design
Costs $2,840
Designing costumes, dressing locations, and the purchasing of materials to do so.
Equipment Rental
Costs $2,600
For the rental of camera and lighting equipment to shoot the film with.
Crew Meals & Crafty
Costs $750
For providing our hard working crew food, drink and snacks over the course of our shoot days.
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer & Director: Trey Rogan
Trey is a director & screenwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated in 2021 from the Savannah College of Art and Design after completing his senior thesis film, "Amos". Since then, he has written a feature film and directed two short films, "Wilted" and "Triplicate". He's very excited to work with such a supremely talented roster of creative people he's lucky to call friends, as they set forth together to make A Cycle of Violence a reality.
Producer & Cinematographer: Max Fly-Goldstein
Max is a Brooklyn, NY based cinematographer originally from Houston, TX. He works primarily in the narrative and music video spaces with a passion for character driven storytelling. He strives to bring the audience closer to the emotional weight of narratives through an expressive lens.
Producer: Stacey Torkelson
Stacey is a writer, director and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. She's worked on set and in production offices on NYC-based productions including Severance, Killers of The Flower Moon, Girls5Eva, and Saturday Night Live. After departing scripted production, Stacey worked at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Assistant to Jimmy Fallon & as Supervising Producer. Stacey currently works on the Special Events Team at Sesame Workshop, while dedicating personal time to producing and directing independent short films and features in the NYC area.
Producer: Theo Matza
Theo is a filmmaker based in Bushwick, NYC. He graduated in 2021 from Wesleyan University's College of Film, where he lensed several sort films on both Digital and 16mm. Since then, in addition to his narrative work, he has directed several music videos, pre-screened for the New York Film Festival, and has worked as Assistant to filmmaker Ari Aster. He is humbled to be working with such professional and talented artists, many of whom have been steady collaborators.
Actor (Father Graham): Max Avery Lichtenstein
Max is a Critics Choice nominated film composer (THE JANES, 2022) who recently turned his creative energies towards acting. In the summer of 2024 he began his studies at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. As a consummate collaborator with decades of experience expressing emotion through the performing arts, he's excited to now be exploring his craft in front of the camera and live theatrical audiences.
Actor (Senator Chambers): John L. Shortt
John is an Actor and Singer based in New York City, originally hailing from Tillamook, Oregon. After attending Portland State University on vocal and dramatic scholarships, Mr. Shortt embarked upon an operatic career that took him all over North America and Europe as a leading dramatic tenor in the most heroic, intensely strenuous and iconic roles of the standard romantic repertory (most frequently as the lead or title role in Pagliacci, Otello, Carmen, Samson et Dalila, Fidelio, Die Walkure, Aida, Il Trovatore and Turandot). Mr. Shortt has also appeared onstage extensively throughout the US with many opera companies, theater and musical organizations (including The Metropolitan Opera Club and Guild, the San Francisco Opera, the New York City Opera Guild, the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall and The Carnegie Hall ‘Artist’s in Concert’ series) in concert and recital. He has added to his growing list of theatrical roles (Death of a Salesman, 12 Angry Men, Mandela and the title role of Zusman) and music theater roles (televised shows include Fiddler on the Roof, Kiss Me Kate, Man of La Mancha, South Pacific, Carousel, The Vagabond King), by recently expanding into the realms of film (PinkCity, The Call, Chad and Stacy: A Modern Day Love-Story, Agents Of Influence, The Bell Affair, Tick, In The Pines, Watergate: Secrets and Betrayals and Word), television (Think Like A Killer, The Murder Tapes and Pilgrims), virtual productions (The SS Robin, Brown VS The BOE, Dracula) of plays and screenplays as well as entering the field of voice-over, contributing portrayals in several of the categories above, in addition to the realms of video game (Transient) and podcast endeavors (Wordtastic, Clash of Cousins and March). Future projects include many leading and supporting roles (Mr. Jack, A Cycle of Violence and Moby Dick), while adding song recordings, voice-over and narrations in a wide variety of musical, theatrical, film and television genre.