A Sock and a Hard Place
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
A film made by and for creatives, A Sock and a Hard Place explores the vulnerable, often demoralizing experience of advocating for your own creative expression in a world and an industry that refuses to take you seriously—told through the eyes of a sentient sock puppet.
A Sock and a Hard Place
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | New Jersey, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,300 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
45 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
A film made by and for creatives, A Sock and a Hard Place explores the vulnerable, often demoralizing experience of advocating for your own creative expression in a world and an industry that refuses to take you seriously—told through the eyes of a sentient sock puppet.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A Sock and a Hard Place follows Walter, a sentient sock puppet in a human world, with dreams of becoming a serious actor. Born into a family of puppet performers entrenched in the world of children’s entertainment, he is expected to follow their path, but Walter believes he can achieve much more.
Now setting his sights on performing Shakespeare on the big stage, Walter must confront how his industry and the world view him. Will he discover his true calling, whether that means pursuing his dreams, giving up, or finding something in between?
Why the Sock?
Sock puppets are funny. That’s a fact. It’s hard to take them seriously. So when we set out to depict the experience of being dismissed and reduced to external traits—your appearance, where you’re from, or who you’re related to—making the protagonist a sock puppet became a natural, catch-all progression of the story that speaks to anyone who’s felt overlooked or underestimated before being given a fair chance. As film students nearing the end of our undergraduate careers, we wanted to create a story that would resonate with our audience and peers who might face similar judgments in their fields. While our character is a sock puppet, our story is grounded in reality. We hope viewers walk away feeling heard and seen, reminded that they’re not alone in their experiences, no matter how challenging and brutal they may be.
Our team aims to capture the raw, gritty feel of early-2000s film culture through our color palette, production design, and lighting, keeping the film naturalistic despite its preternatural protagonist. To balance this contrast, we’ve drawn inspiration from puppet pioneers like The Muppets and Greg the Bunny, while embracing the comedy and creative absurdity of formative early-2000s media like Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared
The Inspiration
Hi, my name is Maysa Johnson, the writer and director of A Sock and a Hard Place. From a very young age, I was fortunate to grow up immersed in the artistry and careers of my parents and peers working in the entertainment industry. While I haven’t developed the same proclivity for instrumentation as my mother, I did witness and learn about the compromises and sacrifices required to support your own artistry in a world that doesn’t always recognize or reward your own creative ambition. These experiences shaped my perspective as a Black filmmaker, particularly around the representation of Black and Brown people in film. We haven't always had control over how we looked or how we were portrayed in stories that were meant to represent us, yet we still carved out spaces for ourselves in the narrative. I have a lot of respect for the sacrifices of those early artists who often had to compromise their own voice and vision to be seen—sacrifices that make it possible for me to create freely today. I hope this film speaks to that sacrifice and perseverance while showcasing the experience of artists still fighting to have a voice in their own narrative. But we need your help!
This is where you can help turn our sock dreams into reality. To make A Sock and a Hard Place possible, we’re aiming to raise at least $10,000. Your support will go toward key areas of production, such as:
- Professional actors and puppeteers who can breathe life into a world where puppets and humans can coexist.
- Locations that match our vision and have enough space for our puppeteers to do what they do best.
- Production Design for the puppets and their world. What's the point of locations if we can't make the space and the puppets look great?
- Taking care of our cast & crew because we can't do it alone! So we want to make sure that our set is happy and provided with snacks and lunch that will last them through our shoot days.
- And much, much, more. Every cent counts!
We understand it's a lot to ask, but we can't do this without you! If you can't contribute financially, there are still plenty of ways to support us. You can follow us and share our page (@asock_anda_hardplace) on Instagram—we’d love to have you join us on our journey! And definitely check out our wish list. You never know, you might find another way you can contribute. If you made it this far, thank you for engaging with us! We hope you stick around to see us bring this sad sock's story to life!
See you soon!
Don't forget to follow us @asock_anda_hardplace on Instagram!
If you have any additional questions on how you can further
support us, please feel free to email us at
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $1,850
Help us get the best out of our cast by compensating them fairly for their time on set and during rehearsals. We can't do it without them!
Location Scouting & Rentals
Costs $3,000
Our film takes place across many different locations, from a talent agent's office to a children's show set.
Production Design
Costs $1,750
If we can't find it, we need to build it! To bring this world to life, we need great production design to capture the vision of our team.
Craft Services & Catering
Costs $1,500
Nothing's worse than a hungry cast and crew. Help us make sure everyone is happy and fed so they can do their best work on a full stomach.
Crew Fee's & Equipment
Costs $1,500
We value our crew’s time and want them equipped with everything they need—especially batteries. You can never have too many batteries.
Transportation
Costs $400
We need help getting our crew and gear to set! This covers gas and rentals, so nothing—and no one—gets left behind.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Want to see more of us?
Don't forget to follow us @asock_anda_hardplace on Instagram!
See you soon!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A Sock and a Hard Place follows Walter, a sentient sock puppet in a human world, with dreams of becoming a serious actor. Born into a family of puppet performers entrenched in the world of children’s entertainment, he is expected to follow their path, but Walter believes he can achieve much more.
Now setting his sights on performing Shakespeare on the big stage, Walter must confront how his industry and the world view him. Will he discover his true calling, whether that means pursuing his dreams, giving up, or finding something in between?
Why the Sock?
Sock puppets are funny. That’s a fact. It’s hard to take them seriously. So when we set out to depict the experience of being dismissed and reduced to external traits—your appearance, where you’re from, or who you’re related to—making the protagonist a sock puppet became a natural, catch-all progression of the story that speaks to anyone who’s felt overlooked or underestimated before being given a fair chance. As film students nearing the end of our undergraduate careers, we wanted to create a story that would resonate with our audience and peers who might face similar judgments in their fields. While our character is a sock puppet, our story is grounded in reality. We hope viewers walk away feeling heard and seen, reminded that they’re not alone in their experiences, no matter how challenging and brutal they may be.
Our team aims to capture the raw, gritty feel of early-2000s film culture through our color palette, production design, and lighting, keeping the film naturalistic despite its preternatural protagonist. To balance this contrast, we’ve drawn inspiration from puppet pioneers like The Muppets and Greg the Bunny, while embracing the comedy and creative absurdity of formative early-2000s media like Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared
The Inspiration
Hi, my name is Maysa Johnson, the writer and director of A Sock and a Hard Place. From a very young age, I was fortunate to grow up immersed in the artistry and careers of my parents and peers working in the entertainment industry. While I haven’t developed the same proclivity for instrumentation as my mother, I did witness and learn about the compromises and sacrifices required to support your own artistry in a world that doesn’t always recognize or reward your own creative ambition. These experiences shaped my perspective as a Black filmmaker, particularly around the representation of Black and Brown people in film. We haven't always had control over how we looked or how we were portrayed in stories that were meant to represent us, yet we still carved out spaces for ourselves in the narrative. I have a lot of respect for the sacrifices of those early artists who often had to compromise their own voice and vision to be seen—sacrifices that make it possible for me to create freely today. I hope this film speaks to that sacrifice and perseverance while showcasing the experience of artists still fighting to have a voice in their own narrative. But we need your help!
This is where you can help turn our sock dreams into reality. To make A Sock and a Hard Place possible, we’re aiming to raise at least $10,000. Your support will go toward key areas of production, such as:
- Professional actors and puppeteers who can breathe life into a world where puppets and humans can coexist.
- Locations that match our vision and have enough space for our puppeteers to do what they do best.
- Production Design for the puppets and their world. What's the point of locations if we can't make the space and the puppets look great?
- Taking care of our cast & crew because we can't do it alone! So we want to make sure that our set is happy and provided with snacks and lunch that will last them through our shoot days.
- And much, much, more. Every cent counts!
We understand it's a lot to ask, but we can't do this without you! If you can't contribute financially, there are still plenty of ways to support us. You can follow us and share our page (@asock_anda_hardplace) on Instagram—we’d love to have you join us on our journey! And definitely check out our wish list. You never know, you might find another way you can contribute. If you made it this far, thank you for engaging with us! We hope you stick around to see us bring this sad sock's story to life!
See you soon!
Don't forget to follow us @asock_anda_hardplace on Instagram!
If you have any additional questions on how you can further
support us, please feel free to email us at
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $1,850
Help us get the best out of our cast by compensating them fairly for their time on set and during rehearsals. We can't do it without them!
Location Scouting & Rentals
Costs $3,000
Our film takes place across many different locations, from a talent agent's office to a children's show set.
Production Design
Costs $1,750
If we can't find it, we need to build it! To bring this world to life, we need great production design to capture the vision of our team.
Craft Services & Catering
Costs $1,500
Nothing's worse than a hungry cast and crew. Help us make sure everyone is happy and fed so they can do their best work on a full stomach.
Crew Fee's & Equipment
Costs $1,500
We value our crew’s time and want them equipped with everything they need—especially batteries. You can never have too many batteries.
Transportation
Costs $400
We need help getting our crew and gear to set! This covers gas and rentals, so nothing—and no one—gets left behind.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Want to see more of us?
Don't forget to follow us @asock_anda_hardplace on Instagram!