Still Here: A Musical Comedy
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Musical
A 1960s musical variety host unravels, turning to murder when her younger replacement appears as a guest on her show. A Musical Comedy Short that will entertain & celebrate the glamor of Hollywood, while also examining the talent, frustration & courage of a woman in the studio system in the 1960s
Still Here: A Musical Comedy
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Musical
1 Campaigns |
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,739 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
175 supporters | followers
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A 1960s musical variety host unravels, turning to murder when her younger replacement appears as a guest on her show. A Musical Comedy Short that will entertain & celebrate the glamor of Hollywood, while also examining the talent, frustration & courage of a woman in the studio system in the 1960s
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Hi! My name is Stephanie Streisand and I wrote this short that I'm now crowdfunding here on seed and spark to produce and I hope you will consider donating.
The short is about Meryl Hartland, a living legend with her own musical variety special in the 1960s. Think Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, Carol Channing... It goes off without a hitch until she realizes that the fresh faced guest on her show is labeled by the Hollywood Studio as "The Next Meryl Hartland." The dark humor ramps up as the insults and injuries disguised as playful banter and musical bits for audiences come faster, until one of them dies. Which one of them dies and which one comes out on top? You'll have to see the short to find out. But first we have to make it!
I came up with the idea for this short while watching a clip of Judy Garland doing fun banter on her show with an up and coming singer. She jokingly said, "You're so good, I hate you." And I thought, "Oh, wouldn't it be funny if she meant it?" I thought about how it could all heighten comedically. I changed her into a character that had survived every attempt to be beaten down, but was bitter by all she had been through. Then I changed the up and coming singer to a character that is transparently fake, from her body, to her "I'm just baby!" personality, to her teeth, and I made her determined to slyly knock the star off her pedestal.
As I thought more on it, I started reflecting that the dynamic between these characters was created by the Hollywood System. I thought about it as a loop. That the older character had surely entered in being the sexy "I'm just a baby" type, determined to be on top, seeing the women that came before her as women in her way. I thought, these are the same woman. What is it like to be face to face with your past self. The past self that was talented but was scared to be authentic and too insecure to let others share in the limelight. Would you give them grace or would you be so ashamed and angry with your past that you'd want to strangle them?
Our industry is currently going through a weird time right now. I'm a writer and an actor and a producer and I'm just not the type to sit around waiting for the CEOs and Execs to figure their stuff out and get back to work so we can all get back to work. I am impatient. I get antsy. I have to make art. And my favorite part of the art that I make is the collaboration. I love collaborating with talented people who want to make art. I hope you like the idea and concept of this short and consider donating so me and some really, truly talented people, skilled in their craft, can collaborate together and make this short.
The money raised through Seed & Spark will go towards paying for:
- Renting a motion controlled camera for the shoot (This will pull off the same kind of effects one can see in movies like Back to the Future 2 where actors can physically interact with themselves)
- Location
- Food for cast and crew
- Line Producer and PAs
- And All the Amazing Artists Involved (Director, DP, VFX, Makeup, Costume, Composer, Sound, Lighting, Set Dec.,)
Thank you for reading.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards location
VFX
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards VFX to make one actor playing two different people real. If we don't have VFX, we don't have a short.
Makeup and Hair
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards an artist to help male Stephanie look like 2 very different people, plus kit fee, plus practical bloody effects.
Producer/Line Producer
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards hiring an paying a line producer.
Camera Rental
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards renting a motion controlled camera for three days.
AD
Costs $500
Money will go towards paying our AD.
PAs
Costs $500
We have some doing a favor at a discounted rate. If we raise more we will pay them more.
Dir., DP, Cost., Lighting, Lights, Elec., Editor, Colorist, Composer, Sound & mixing, Camera Op.
Costs $3,000
Money will go towards all the talented people doing favors for me at discounted rates. I don't want to say who is doing what for how much.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
STEPHANIE STREISAND (Actor/Writer) started performing comedy in NY at the age of 15 and is an alumna of Ann Reinking's Broadway Theater Project. Her Off-Broadway credits include, "Songs for a New World," "The Future Tony Awardz," Liz in "Hidden Voices" and The March Hare in "Alice." She's also performed sketch comedy under "Streisand & Friends" at tons of comedy sketch festival in the US, including SF Sketchfest. She's the winner of the Miss UCB Contest and has the record for longest consecutive sketch cage match wins at IO.
As a writer, Stephanie has written on 5 successful comedy tv shows including THE DETOUR on TBS, Dreamworks' THE MIGHTY ONES, and DRAGONS: THE NINE REALMS on Hulu. In addition, she created and wrote the Amazon show MATTY PAZ IS A NOOB and created and wrote the Off-Broadway musical THE FUTURE TONY AWARDZ and has written digital videos for FunnyOrDie, College Humor and Comedy Central. She also has been a consultant on various TV projects for 6 Point Harness, Mondo, Henson, WB, and Dreamworks and has had development deals with TBS, Dreamworks, Dark Horse Entertainment, and NBC Universal.
ANDREW SECUNDA (Director) was born and raised on the mean streets of Manhattan, where he learned to survive by changing the subject during muggings. He has been an improv performer and teacher at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre since its inception. He began his writing career at LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN for which he was nominated for two Emmys and won two WGA awards, and is most proud of his work with Robert Smigel on his Triumph the Insult Comic Dog’s Star Wars piece. He has also written for SNL’s TV FUNHOUSE and NIGHT OF TOO MANY STARS: AN OVERBOOKED CONCERT FOR AUTISM, for which he received his third Emmy nomination. He’s created sitcom pilots for CBS and UPN including THE MIKE BIRBIGLIA PROJECT with Birbiglia and Bob Odenkirk, and LOVE, INC. with Busy Philipps, which ran for a full season until UPN cancelled itself. He’s had development deals with HBO, NBC, and Comedy Central.
Andrew has directed premium webseries for IGN and Adult Swim’s CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, starring the cast. He also directed during his ten year run rise to Executive Producer at THE GOLDBERGS (ABC) and the spin-off SCHOOLED (ABC).
It's so amazing to have Andrew a part of this project. With his directing, the humor will be elevated and those moments of heart and clarity will really resonate. And his technical directing skills, he - along with the DP, VFX and Editor - will make these two characters that are played by one person seamlessly interact physically and react believably to each other.
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SHONA "CRICKET" PETERS (DP) had her first pro gig as a video camera operator in high school, and is passionate about the craft of filmmaking, and remains awed by the ability of film to bring its audience to a deeper understanding of humanity with all of its potentials and flaws. A graduate of the USC School of CinemaTV, Cricket has concentrated on developing a solid technical background while seeking projects with a perspective on the world. Beginning as a loader and camera assistant, she transitioned into grip and electric after a few years to obtain a greater understanding of all of the tools of the craft, and joined the lighting union in 2001, and the camera union in 2008. Cricket is looking for projects that have something to say about the world, and people who are good to spend her waking hours with making magic and that's two big reasons she didn't think twice when she was approached to DP this project.
ED SCHIMARA (Editor) is an accomplished editor with over 25 years of experience in post production, animatics and broadcast editing. His extensive industry background demonstrates his ability to elevate creative content across genres, balancing technical mastery with strong story visual instincts. Ed’s portfolio includes AMERICAN DAD, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, Nickelodeon's THE LOUD HOUSE, and Netflix's DOGS IN SPACE. He also worked in Saban's in-house CG/VFX department on live action and 2D/3D projects. Most recently, he worked as Netflix's special projects editor. His deep expertise working across many formats is exactly why it's exciting to have him on the team.
JUAN "ROOSTER" BALANDRAN (Costume) is a sculptor, fabricator and costumer who has worked on Sci-Fi hits like STAR WARS: THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT and REBEL MOON. He also was the special costume manufacturer for the films CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD and WAKANDA: FOREVER, the latter which won an Academy Award for Best Costume. His artistry, skills and eye for detail are going to give the characters authenticity, style and the glamorous "armor" they need to survive the world in which this short takes place. His collaboration on this project is going to take the look of these characters to a whole other level.
DAN SANTONI (VFX) is a photographer, computer graphics artist, and art director with over three decades of experience in the visual arts. His work has always centered around storytelling—whether through a single image, a moving sequence, or a fully built world. He's worked on popular film franchises like THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER and HELLBOY and he's worked on popular television shows like GAME OF THRONES, which he won two Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. He was also nominated for an Emmy for his work on LOST IN SPACE and THE WALKING DEAD.
His skills in compositing, VFX Lighting, and more are essential to pulling off the entire short. It's a dream to have him a part of this team.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Hi! My name is Stephanie Streisand and I wrote this short that I'm now crowdfunding here on seed and spark to produce and I hope you will consider donating.
The short is about Meryl Hartland, a living legend with her own musical variety special in the 1960s. Think Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, Carol Channing... It goes off without a hitch until she realizes that the fresh faced guest on her show is labeled by the Hollywood Studio as "The Next Meryl Hartland." The dark humor ramps up as the insults and injuries disguised as playful banter and musical bits for audiences come faster, until one of them dies. Which one of them dies and which one comes out on top? You'll have to see the short to find out. But first we have to make it!
I came up with the idea for this short while watching a clip of Judy Garland doing fun banter on her show with an up and coming singer. She jokingly said, "You're so good, I hate you." And I thought, "Oh, wouldn't it be funny if she meant it?" I thought about how it could all heighten comedically. I changed her into a character that had survived every attempt to be beaten down, but was bitter by all she had been through. Then I changed the up and coming singer to a character that is transparently fake, from her body, to her "I'm just baby!" personality, to her teeth, and I made her determined to slyly knock the star off her pedestal.
As I thought more on it, I started reflecting that the dynamic between these characters was created by the Hollywood System. I thought about it as a loop. That the older character had surely entered in being the sexy "I'm just a baby" type, determined to be on top, seeing the women that came before her as women in her way. I thought, these are the same woman. What is it like to be face to face with your past self. The past self that was talented but was scared to be authentic and too insecure to let others share in the limelight. Would you give them grace or would you be so ashamed and angry with your past that you'd want to strangle them?
Our industry is currently going through a weird time right now. I'm a writer and an actor and a producer and I'm just not the type to sit around waiting for the CEOs and Execs to figure their stuff out and get back to work so we can all get back to work. I am impatient. I get antsy. I have to make art. And my favorite part of the art that I make is the collaboration. I love collaborating with talented people who want to make art. I hope you like the idea and concept of this short and consider donating so me and some really, truly talented people, skilled in their craft, can collaborate together and make this short.
The money raised through Seed & Spark will go towards paying for:
- Renting a motion controlled camera for the shoot (This will pull off the same kind of effects one can see in movies like Back to the Future 2 where actors can physically interact with themselves)
- Location
- Food for cast and crew
- Line Producer and PAs
- And All the Amazing Artists Involved (Director, DP, VFX, Makeup, Costume, Composer, Sound, Lighting, Set Dec.,)
Thank you for reading.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards location
VFX
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards VFX to make one actor playing two different people real. If we don't have VFX, we don't have a short.
Makeup and Hair
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards an artist to help male Stephanie look like 2 very different people, plus kit fee, plus practical bloody effects.
Producer/Line Producer
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards hiring an paying a line producer.
Camera Rental
Costs $1,000
Money will go towards renting a motion controlled camera for three days.
AD
Costs $500
Money will go towards paying our AD.
PAs
Costs $500
We have some doing a favor at a discounted rate. If we raise more we will pay them more.
Dir., DP, Cost., Lighting, Lights, Elec., Editor, Colorist, Composer, Sound & mixing, Camera Op.
Costs $3,000
Money will go towards all the talented people doing favors for me at discounted rates. I don't want to say who is doing what for how much.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
STEPHANIE STREISAND (Actor/Writer) started performing comedy in NY at the age of 15 and is an alumna of Ann Reinking's Broadway Theater Project. Her Off-Broadway credits include, "Songs for a New World," "The Future Tony Awardz," Liz in "Hidden Voices" and The March Hare in "Alice." She's also performed sketch comedy under "Streisand & Friends" at tons of comedy sketch festival in the US, including SF Sketchfest. She's the winner of the Miss UCB Contest and has the record for longest consecutive sketch cage match wins at IO.
As a writer, Stephanie has written on 5 successful comedy tv shows including THE DETOUR on TBS, Dreamworks' THE MIGHTY ONES, and DRAGONS: THE NINE REALMS on Hulu. In addition, she created and wrote the Amazon show MATTY PAZ IS A NOOB and created and wrote the Off-Broadway musical THE FUTURE TONY AWARDZ and has written digital videos for FunnyOrDie, College Humor and Comedy Central. She also has been a consultant on various TV projects for 6 Point Harness, Mondo, Henson, WB, and Dreamworks and has had development deals with TBS, Dreamworks, Dark Horse Entertainment, and NBC Universal.
ANDREW SECUNDA (Director) was born and raised on the mean streets of Manhattan, where he learned to survive by changing the subject during muggings. He has been an improv performer and teacher at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre since its inception. He began his writing career at LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN for which he was nominated for two Emmys and won two WGA awards, and is most proud of his work with Robert Smigel on his Triumph the Insult Comic Dog’s Star Wars piece. He has also written for SNL’s TV FUNHOUSE and NIGHT OF TOO MANY STARS: AN OVERBOOKED CONCERT FOR AUTISM, for which he received his third Emmy nomination. He’s created sitcom pilots for CBS and UPN including THE MIKE BIRBIGLIA PROJECT with Birbiglia and Bob Odenkirk, and LOVE, INC. with Busy Philipps, which ran for a full season until UPN cancelled itself. He’s had development deals with HBO, NBC, and Comedy Central.
Andrew has directed premium webseries for IGN and Adult Swim’s CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, starring the cast. He also directed during his ten year run rise to Executive Producer at THE GOLDBERGS (ABC) and the spin-off SCHOOLED (ABC).
It's so amazing to have Andrew a part of this project. With his directing, the humor will be elevated and those moments of heart and clarity will really resonate. And his technical directing skills, he - along with the DP, VFX and Editor - will make these two characters that are played by one person seamlessly interact physically and react believably to each other.
SHONA "CRICKET" PETERS (DP) had her first pro gig as a video camera operator in high school, and is passionate about the craft of filmmaking, and remains awed by the ability of film to bring its audience to a deeper understanding of humanity with all of its potentials and flaws. A graduate of the USC School of CinemaTV, Cricket has concentrated on developing a solid technical background while seeking projects with a perspective on the world. Beginning as a loader and camera assistant, she transitioned into grip and electric after a few years to obtain a greater understanding of all of the tools of the craft, and joined the lighting union in 2001, and the camera union in 2008. Cricket is looking for projects that have something to say about the world, and people who are good to spend her waking hours with making magic and that's two big reasons she didn't think twice when she was approached to DP this project.
ED SCHIMARA (Editor) is an accomplished editor with over 25 years of experience in post production, animatics and broadcast editing. His extensive industry background demonstrates his ability to elevate creative content across genres, balancing technical mastery with strong story visual instincts. Ed’s portfolio includes AMERICAN DAD, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, Nickelodeon's THE LOUD HOUSE, and Netflix's DOGS IN SPACE. He also worked in Saban's in-house CG/VFX department on live action and 2D/3D projects. Most recently, he worked as Netflix's special projects editor. His deep expertise working across many formats is exactly why it's exciting to have him on the team.
JUAN "ROOSTER" BALANDRAN (Costume) is a sculptor, fabricator and costumer who has worked on Sci-Fi hits like STAR WARS: THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT and REBEL MOON. He also was the special costume manufacturer for the films CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD and WAKANDA: FOREVER, the latter which won an Academy Award for Best Costume. His artistry, skills and eye for detail are going to give the characters authenticity, style and the glamorous "armor" they need to survive the world in which this short takes place. His collaboration on this project is going to take the look of these characters to a whole other level.
DAN SANTONI (VFX) is a photographer, computer graphics artist, and art director with over three decades of experience in the visual arts. His work has always centered around storytelling—whether through a single image, a moving sequence, or a fully built world. He's worked on popular film franchises like THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER and HELLBOY and he's worked on popular television shows like GAME OF THRONES, which he won two Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. He was also nominated for an Emmy for his work on LOST IN SPACE and THE WALKING DEAD.
His skills in compositing, VFX Lighting, and more are essential to pulling off the entire short. It's a dream to have him a part of this team.