The After Party

Los Angeles, California | Film Short

Mystery, Thriller

Colin Costello

2 Campaigns | California, United States

Green Light

This campaign raised $17,730 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

196 supporters | followers

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Have a drink with five strong diverse women in this short mystery/thriller in the vein of The Twilight Zone. Exploring substance abuse and addiction, The After Party's creators made sure to hire a diverse and capital-t Talented team in front of and behind the camera.

About The Project

  • The Story
  • Wishlist
  • Updates
  • The Team
  • Community

Mission Statement

The executive producers consist of a young woman, and a biracial man, and the cast itself is filled with empowered and diverse women. Even behind the camera, we have an amazing production team that represents various ages and many ethnicities, including Black, Latino and Asian.

The Story

 
Director's Intro:
The After Party is a Twilight Zone-inspired  project that is very near and dear to me.  I am not just a writer/director, but I am a dad of two teen daughters. And I am gravely concerned about the world of addiction they are growing up in. I am watching their friends casually take everything from Adderall to Heroin. I just read in my daughter's social media post that one of her friends died from a drug overdose. It terrifies me. And now I want to scare them. But not in a preachy way. In the way that only I know how - create a compelling story. I want them to see that this world of addiction that we live in is not only hurting them but they are putting others around them at risk. So this project is very personal to me. It's my intervention.
I have decided to use five very strong and diverse female characters to explore different aspects of substance and alcohol abuse.  Why just females? To me, females are the strength of our society. They are now also the most vulnerable group when it comes to alcohol abuse and alcohol-related deaths. See Washington Post article. Their rampant social media use combined with rising alcohol and drug abuse are hindering them from reaching their full potential.  I want to see my girls not only reach for the stars but make it.
By working with the talented actresses we have cast, I have been able to develop the  honest characters who believe they are invincible, but soon discover how wrong they are.  As a generation who was taught everything is possible, it's very disconcerting to find out that there are things stopping it.
Synopsis:

 

Meet Skye Monroe. Reality Show Star. Social Media Queen. And blissfully unaware of how self-centered she is. The red carpets Skye casually steps on with her Jimmy Choo's, could be said to represent the spilled blood of those she walked on to get where she is today. In Skye's mind a party just is not a party without the Monroe touch. And as long as she is game, the party never ends.

 

Skye drinks what she wants. Snorts what she wants and takes who she wants.  With every deplorable act Skye does, she believes it makes her more powerful. Someone like Skye doesn't really have friends, but followers - tagging along for every moment of her life thanks to her endless streams of posts covering everything from her morning workout  to her exciting night on the town. 

 

But for women like Skye, who ultimately are addicted to themselves, there does come a judgement day. And we're not talking the amount of likes on her latest Instagram post. Tonight, Skye will be put on trial for her deeds. Her courtroom is a little dive bar tucked away in the corner of any urban decay, appropriately called, "The After Party." Her jury will be four sophisticated women shooting a game of billiards.              

 

Style:

 

Since we are filming a mystery/thriller in the vein of The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror and Tales From the Crypt, stylistically we want to film something contemporary but still pays homage to the series. We feel that lighting played as much of character in each story as did the actors. So we will be shooting in Black and White, which means we will be lighting and costuming the actors for B&W. We also feel lighting will help bring attention to each of the actors as they describe their stories to main character, Skye. We believe this, combined with contemporary camera angles as well as the dialogue will make for a powerful piece. 

 

    

 
The Production:
The After Party has an estimated three-night shooting schedule and is seeking to raise  $16,000 for production, but with Seed&Spark we are greenlit when we reach 80%! 
Although the script is 15 pages, we plan to bring high production value to the project. In order to accomplish this, there will have to be intense pre-production as well as post-production.
Along with a notable cast, we have assembled an experienced crew that is diverse, with women and people of color in most key positions.  Funds that we raise will support all of our departments, from casting, to catering, to camera package rental.  We are shooting on a stage with some green screen which will be a significant portion of our budget.  
Most of our crew and cast are willing to work for lower rates, necessary due to our independent budget. Many of our crew members will be wearing a number different hats..  In short, we have assembled an incredible, passionate crew that will work hard to create a thrillr with a message.
This is also a message we plan to take to more than film festivals. We believe our message is strong enough to bring to MADD as well as other places of intervention. 
We invite to you join us at this party we are about to throw. It's sure to be scary good!

 

 

 

Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Actors and Actresses

Costs $2,250

We have cast a top-notch and very diverse group of actors and we will be paying them SAG minimum. This also includes our casting director.

Stage Rental

Costs $2,250

We will be shooting for 3 nights at Nvisionate Studios in Burbank. They are giving us a very good deal which includes other perks & savings.

Camera Crew

Costs $4,000

This amount pays for two Red Camera packages, lenses, lighting and payment to the cinematographer and his team.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

Hair & Makeup

Costs $750

With 5 actresses and 2 actors, we will require a Dept. Head plus two assistants, along with their kits.

SFX Makeup

Costs $150

Part of our story involves some detailed SFX to make our story and the events that happen as real as possible.

Wardrobe

Costs $1,000

A character's wardrobe says much about their personality and also tells part of their story. We have 5 very distinct stories to tell.

Production Design

Costs $1,250

Although we have the location, we still require a production designer to dress it accordingly. This means buying or renting a pool table.

Graphic Designer

Costs $1,000

We cannot launch a crowdfunding campaign without design. We have a wonderful designer on board, whom we would very much like to pay.

Sound

Costs $600

What sets short films apart from one another comes down to the sound. And we have a great Sound Guy! We may require extra lavs and a boom.

Other Crew

Costs $1,750

Includes payment to Line Producer, UPM, 1st AD and Script Supervisor.

Catering & Craft Services

Costs $1,000

We will be working 3 12-hour days. It's so important for morale and energy to keep the hard-working crew fed.

About This Team

This is not so much a team, but a family who has bonded over a mission to bring a powerful message to the screen. Meet some of the incredible people in front and behind the camera who have chosen to embark on this journey.

The Cast

RACHEL BRYANT - "SKYE"

Coming off of her recent "Indie Spirit Award" and "IIFC Filmmaking Award" from the Idyllwild Film Festival, Rachel has now set her sights on The After Party.  Rachel produced and starred in the horror thriller Jet Set LA, which gave her a Best Actress Nomination (Idyllwild) and had its world premiere and was nominated for Best Horror Short at the Burbank International Film Festival. 

 

HILARY BARRAFORD - "LIZZY"

 

Hilary has appeared on TV as well as in feature films, short films and commercials A renaissance woman, she moonlights as writer, editor and producer – and has worked as much behind, as in front of, the camera.

 

DENISE MILFORT - "MADISON"

 

Denise has appeared in several films, commercials, and print ads as she supported herself as a model,  more notably alongside academy award winner Forest Whitaker in Repentance and the highly acclaimed tv miniseries Roots in 2016.  

 

VERONICA SIXTOS - "CHLOE"

 

Singer and songwriter, Veronica has been seen in hit TV series and the popular Nickelodeon sitcoms Zoey 101 and Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. She continued her career landing recurring roles on Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place and Tyler Perry's House of Payne.

 

ASHLEY PLATZ - "RAVEN"

 

Ashley is a talented actress and producer known for Testing (2015), Blue Ivy Carter at 21 (2013),  and The Widow's Mark (2014).

 

AARON GAFFEY - "BARTENDER"

 

Actor and producer, Aaron, has appeared on hit TV series Agents of ShieldCriminal Minds and can currently be seen laughing it up as the Joker in the award-winning DC Comics fan film, Committed.

 

TARNUE MASSAQUOI - "BOUNCER"

 

 

Tarnue is blessed to have worked with great teachers and innovators such as Ellen Geer, Heidi Davis, Denise Woods, Ben Guillory, Harry Lennix, Elaine Williams, James Avery and many more. He is graduate student from the Joanne Baron/D.W Brown Studio.

 

THE CREW

 

COLIN COSTELLO, WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER

 

 

 

Colin is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter whose credits include the 2013 family film, The Stream, starring Rainn Wilson and Kelly Rutherford. Other credits include the Emmy-nominated PBSKids series, Moochie Kalala Detectives Club. Colin has an upcoming feature as well, starring Steve Guttenberg, called Traveling Without Moving and has been spending time on the festival circuit with his award-winning fan film, Committed.

 

 

BLAKE VAZ, FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

 

Blake is a singer, writer, musician, director, and Emmy® Award Winning producer who is constantly expanding his involvement in different areas of entertainment, arts and sport. 

 

ELAINE NUNEZ, CASTING DIRECTOR

 

Elaine cut her casting teeth working as a casting associate for hit reality shows, Hell's Kitchen and The Bachelor. Now the owner of PICK A LANE ENTERTAINMENT, Elaine focuses on casting for scripted TV, Film and commercials. 

 

BROOK WILLARD, CINEMATOGRAPHER

 

Brook is known for his work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Jurassic World.

 

And these are just a few of the key players already on board. More will be joining as well!

 

 

 

 

Current Team

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