Alpha
New York City, New York | Film Short
Action, Romance
A first date between two strangers takes an unexpected turn. "Alpha" is a story about consent, empowerment, and the possibilities of technology.
Alpha
New York City, New York | Film Short
Action, Romance
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $10,705 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
137 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
A first date between two strangers takes an unexpected turn. "Alpha" is a story about consent, empowerment, and the possibilities of technology.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY
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After a great first date, Sadie invites Matt up to her apartment. One thing leads to another... and they are making out and clothes are coming off.
.png)
Until Sadie suddenly decides to put on the brakes.
.png)
Alpha follows the micromoments after, in this short film where nothing should be assumed and anything is possible.
THE CAST
Julie Ann Earls as SADIE (also writer/producer of Alpha)
Sadie is smart and electric, but mature in a way that this isn't her first rodeo.
Joey Heyworth as MATT
Matt is classically handsome, quick, and charming, but in an unassuming kind of way.
Lindsay Rico as NORA
WHY?
"Anything other than yes is no, anything other than stay is go"
This project is significantly inspired by the #MeToo movement.
When #MeToo went viral in 2017, it made me reflect on my past dating experiences in ways that I had not realized before. Dates that I had just deemed "weird" or "bad" and never thought about again suddenly came back to me in a darker light. I thought about the times I did not communicate a resounding "YES" to the other person, verbally or physically, and how they, instead, responded with more persistance to 'change my mind', verbally and physically, in big and small ways. I am a BIPOC heterosexual woman so these were dates with men - seemingly 'nice guys' - who, I later realized, did not actually understand consent.
Because the number of disrespectful dates I had experienced was so disproportionate to the number of respectful dates, it made me wonder why. Why did these people think it was okay to continue to try to get me to go further? Stay longer? Though I had already expressed my decision? This was further compounded by taking in other women's stories through the #MeToo movement, many of which were even more severe experiences of sexual abuse and sexual assault.
Like the purpose of the #MeToo movement, I believe it's because we do not talk about these experiences enough nor do we show these experiences enough. This short film aims to continue the conversation. Many of Alpha's own cast and crew have had similar experiences to my script and it's the reason why they wanted to work on this.
Alpha also takes it another step further and asks "could things be different?"
We currently live in a world where, when a man goes on a date with a woman, they generally aren't expecting the possibility of danger in the same way that a woman does with a man. Is there a way to make the power dynamic more equal? What if there was a future where men will no longer assume a woman cannot fight back? And that technology could get us there?
HOW?
In terms of our $8500 goal, the majority of the budget is for paying the cast and crew for their time, skill, and energy. I purposely crafted the story of Alpha in the narrow container of a single shoot day and in one location in order to keep costs as low as possible so that I can take this leap as an artist. I will not be paying myself.
Because the short involves some stunts/fight work, our worker's comp and liability are more expensive than a film without it.
This goal is also only for production purposes AKA it doesn't cover anything after the film is shot!
Which leads me to our...
STRETCH GOAL - $10,000.
If we exceed our fundraising goal of $8500, the additional $1500 will go towards post-production and festival submissions.
Post-production includes editing, coloring, the score and sound editing. I also want to submit the piece into film festivals which often require paying a fee.
THE TIMELINE
August/September/October 2022 - Pre-production. Finalizing our budget (this is also a SAG ULB project), our cast, our crew, preparing to fundraise, location scouting, renting gear, and more.
October 12 (fight rehearsal) and October 13th (shoot) - The moment we've all been waiting for! A large portion of our budget will go compensating our cast and crew, feeding everybody on set, equipment rentals, and insurance (it gets costly once stunts are involved...)
A note about COVID-19: although the unions plan to release an amendment to the Back to Work Agreement on 9/30, we are following the agreement as it stands until then. We will be rapid-testing the start of rehearsal day 10/12 and at the top of the day 10/13.
Late fall 2022 - Post-production. Currently, our budget mainly covers production ... any additional funding will go towards editing, color, the score and sound mixing. And once the short is completed, I would like to submit it to film festivals which usually have an application fee.
**Seed & Spark requires at least 80% of the project to be funded in order to get the green light. We need to reach our goal in 30 days or we don't receive anything and all your contributions revert back to you.**
THANK YOU.
Thanks for checking out our short film and this page. Please follow us @alpha_shortfilm on Instagram and re-post to spread the word about our work.
You can also copy and paste the following:
Help actor @julieannearls by supporting her short film ALPHA. Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/alpha-shortfilm
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $800
I will be flying and housing Joey Heyworth from LA as well as paying another actor (to be revealed!)
Producer + Crew
Costs $5,000
To pay our fab director, producer, DP, sound, lighting, art, HMUA and fight team!
Insurance
Costs $1,200
There are some stunts involved in this film which needs proper insurance.
Location
Costs $200
As a small token of our appreciation for being able to borrow an apartment for 2 days.
Share this update!
About This Team
Julie Ann Earls - writer/producer/actor
Julie Ann was born and raised in New Jersey by an Irish-American father and a Filipino mother. Her upbringing felt like a cross between The Sopranos meets Crazy Rich Asians and she has been drawn to people and their stories ever since. This is her first short film as a writer and producer.
Sami Bass - producer
Sami is a multi-racial filmmaker raised in NYC. She began her career as an actor, then casting assistant at Scott Free Productions. When she felt a gap between her experience as a BIPOC woman and the roles offered on screen she decided to dive head first into activism in Hollywood, joining the team for The 51 Fund, a venture capital fund seeking to invest in womxn filmmakers, and founding MoviesByHer, a resource for underrepresented filmmakers to connect more easily with their audiences. During this time she began to also expand her storytelling into producing and writing, working on award-winning films such as Naomi McDougall-Jones’ 'Bite Me', Michelle Bossy’s 'Miracle Baby', and alongside Emmy winning producer Erin Glass on multiple projects. Her dedication to underrepresented storytelling also inspired her to launch 'Disrupting the Silence', a documentary interview series focusing on holding space for difficult conversations on race, gender and identity. This journey also led her to further question the social estrangement to her own cultural identities. In an effort to reintegrate her family’s own indigenous roots in the United States, and in Africa, she began studying with ancestral communities, finding herself and true connection to the earth along the way. What started as a reintegration of strained identity turned into a passion of studying with indigenous cultures globally, becoming an ancestral medicine practitioner (including our original ancestor, the earth), and understanding the concept of identity and storytelling from the roots, and beyond society’s constructs. Sami effortlessly weaves together highly polarized facets of life with an empathetic and compassionate approach.
Sami is also currently producing two films she wrote: the upcoming feature film The Mentor, and the short film Stag Party, along with co-producing the short film Miracle Baby by Stephen Fechter and producing the TV Pilot Stretched by Joseph Blake Menzel with Executive Producer Erin Glass.
Kristin McCarthy Parker - director
Kristin McCarthy Parker is a New York-based director of stage and film, and the co-founder of Recent Cutbacks. With RCB, Parker has directed Hold On To Your Butts, Fly You Fools, KEVIN!!!!!, Next Day Thrones, and Zoomhog Day, as well as co-writing and directing an upcoming Audible Original. Their work includes Puffs (Off-Broadway), Monsoon Season (AFO/Rattlestick), Kapow-i GoGo (The PIT), Awkwardly (web series), Darian Dauchan’s Lift Off, as well as directing and developing work at Primary Stages, Pittsburgh CLO Spark Festival, Ensemble Studio Theatre, All For One, Ma-Yi, HERE Arts, Columbia University, Rutgers University, and the University of Florida, among others. Assistantships include Ed Iskandar, Michael Greif, Wendy Goldberg, and Trip Cullman.
Eun-ah Lee - director of photography
Cinematographer Eun-ah Lee has emerged as a young talent in independent cinema, expressing the core emotion of every story through her atmospheric style and dazzling camera work.
Born and raised in Seoul, Korea, Eun-ah’s love of art developed in her youth. She landed her first commissioned painting project at age 12, and continued practicing her art after she moved to the States where she attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts in directing and cinematography. It was at this time that she began to develop her filmic style by incorporating her cultural background and artistic training into her work. To date she has shot more than 50 films.
She is known for her work on "Blackbird" starring Oscar winner Mo'Nique, released theatrically on IMAX and featured on CNN, "A Song Still Inside", winning the Best Cinematography Award at the Gene Art Film Festival in New York, Milcho Manchevski’s "Thursday", which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and "Sea Is All I Know", starring Melissa Leo, which was an Oscar semi-finalist. Her works have screened worldwide, including at the Cannes, Sundance, Venice, Pusan, Hong Kong and Los Angeles film festivals.
Eun-ah Lee’s talents are versatile and hardly limited to cinematography. As an editor, her work on the feature film "Seeds" was selected for the 2015 Independent Film Project Filmmaker Lab (IFP) which selects only 10 films from around the world. She also works as a colorist for movies and TV networks in New York City, where she is able to utilize her skills as a painter.
Lee’s work has been featured in the media and in publications such as CNN News, The View, NBC News, Deadline, The New York Times, Variety, NPR, Indiewire, Hollywood Reporters, The Village Voice, and Times of India.
Eun-ah Lee is currently developing her feature as writer and director, a semi-biographical film that follows four friends of different race growing up together in a Brooklyn ghetto in New York. The film looks at friendships that become rivalries in a world of crime, exploring themes of betrayal and loyalty.
Andrew Mayer - fight choreographer
Andrew is a bi-coastal actor, musician, and creative for stage & screen. As an actor, Andrew has performed on Broadway (The Great Comet), as well as Off-Broadway and Regionally. As a musician, he has performance experience both live and in studio. He works regularly as a lead singer in one of NYC’s premiere event bands through Hank Lane Music. As a creative, he works in stage combat as well as film direction, and scoring to picture. For more visit - www.Andrew-Mayer.com or Instagram: @TheAndrewMayer
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY
After a great first date, Sadie invites Matt up to her apartment. One thing leads to another... and they are making out and clothes are coming off.
Until Sadie suddenly decides to put on the brakes.
Alpha follows the micromoments after, in this short film where nothing should be assumed and anything is possible.
THE CAST
Julie Ann Earls as SADIE (also writer/producer of Alpha)
Sadie is smart and electric, but mature in a way that this isn't her first rodeo.
Joey Heyworth as MATT
Matt is classically handsome, quick, and charming, but in an unassuming kind of way.
Lindsay Rico as NORA
WHY?
"Anything other than yes is no, anything other than stay is go"
This project is significantly inspired by the #MeToo movement.
When #MeToo went viral in 2017, it made me reflect on my past dating experiences in ways that I had not realized before. Dates that I had just deemed "weird" or "bad" and never thought about again suddenly came back to me in a darker light. I thought about the times I did not communicate a resounding "YES" to the other person, verbally or physically, and how they, instead, responded with more persistance to 'change my mind', verbally and physically, in big and small ways. I am a BIPOC heterosexual woman so these were dates with men - seemingly 'nice guys' - who, I later realized, did not actually understand consent.
Because the number of disrespectful dates I had experienced was so disproportionate to the number of respectful dates, it made me wonder why. Why did these people think it was okay to continue to try to get me to go further? Stay longer? Though I had already expressed my decision? This was further compounded by taking in other women's stories through the #MeToo movement, many of which were even more severe experiences of sexual abuse and sexual assault.
Like the purpose of the #MeToo movement, I believe it's because we do not talk about these experiences enough nor do we show these experiences enough. This short film aims to continue the conversation. Many of Alpha's own cast and crew have had similar experiences to my script and it's the reason why they wanted to work on this.
Alpha also takes it another step further and asks "could things be different?"
We currently live in a world where, when a man goes on a date with a woman, they generally aren't expecting the possibility of danger in the same way that a woman does with a man. Is there a way to make the power dynamic more equal? What if there was a future where men will no longer assume a woman cannot fight back? And that technology could get us there?
HOW?
In terms of our $8500 goal, the majority of the budget is for paying the cast and crew for their time, skill, and energy. I purposely crafted the story of Alpha in the narrow container of a single shoot day and in one location in order to keep costs as low as possible so that I can take this leap as an artist. I will not be paying myself.
Because the short involves some stunts/fight work, our worker's comp and liability are more expensive than a film without it.
This goal is also only for production purposes AKA it doesn't cover anything after the film is shot!
Which leads me to our...
STRETCH GOAL - $10,000.
If we exceed our fundraising goal of $8500, the additional $1500 will go towards post-production and festival submissions.
Post-production includes editing, coloring, the score and sound editing. I also want to submit the piece into film festivals which often require paying a fee.
THE TIMELINE
August/September/October 2022 - Pre-production. Finalizing our budget (this is also a SAG ULB project), our cast, our crew, preparing to fundraise, location scouting, renting gear, and more.
October 12 (fight rehearsal) and October 13th (shoot) - The moment we've all been waiting for! A large portion of our budget will go compensating our cast and crew, feeding everybody on set, equipment rentals, and insurance (it gets costly once stunts are involved...)
A note about COVID-19: although the unions plan to release an amendment to the Back to Work Agreement on 9/30, we are following the agreement as it stands until then. We will be rapid-testing the start of rehearsal day 10/12 and at the top of the day 10/13.
Late fall 2022 - Post-production. Currently, our budget mainly covers production ... any additional funding will go towards editing, color, the score and sound mixing. And once the short is completed, I would like to submit it to film festivals which usually have an application fee.
**Seed & Spark requires at least 80% of the project to be funded in order to get the green light. We need to reach our goal in 30 days or we don't receive anything and all your contributions revert back to you.**
THANK YOU.
Thanks for checking out our short film and this page. Please follow us @alpha_shortfilm on Instagram and re-post to spread the word about our work.
You can also copy and paste the following:
Help actor @julieannearls by supporting her short film ALPHA. Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/alpha-shortfilm
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $800
I will be flying and housing Joey Heyworth from LA as well as paying another actor (to be revealed!)
Producer + Crew
Costs $5,000
To pay our fab director, producer, DP, sound, lighting, art, HMUA and fight team!
Insurance
Costs $1,200
There are some stunts involved in this film which needs proper insurance.
Location
Costs $200
As a small token of our appreciation for being able to borrow an apartment for 2 days.
Share this update!
About This Team
Julie Ann Earls - writer/producer/actor
Julie Ann was born and raised in New Jersey by an Irish-American father and a Filipino mother. Her upbringing felt like a cross between The Sopranos meets Crazy Rich Asians and she has been drawn to people and their stories ever since. This is her first short film as a writer and producer.
Sami Bass - producer
Sami is a multi-racial filmmaker raised in NYC. She began her career as an actor, then casting assistant at Scott Free Productions. When she felt a gap between her experience as a BIPOC woman and the roles offered on screen she decided to dive head first into activism in Hollywood, joining the team for The 51 Fund, a venture capital fund seeking to invest in womxn filmmakers, and founding MoviesByHer, a resource for underrepresented filmmakers to connect more easily with their audiences. During this time she began to also expand her storytelling into producing and writing, working on award-winning films such as Naomi McDougall-Jones’ 'Bite Me', Michelle Bossy’s 'Miracle Baby', and alongside Emmy winning producer Erin Glass on multiple projects. Her dedication to underrepresented storytelling also inspired her to launch 'Disrupting the Silence', a documentary interview series focusing on holding space for difficult conversations on race, gender and identity. This journey also led her to further question the social estrangement to her own cultural identities. In an effort to reintegrate her family’s own indigenous roots in the United States, and in Africa, she began studying with ancestral communities, finding herself and true connection to the earth along the way. What started as a reintegration of strained identity turned into a passion of studying with indigenous cultures globally, becoming an ancestral medicine practitioner (including our original ancestor, the earth), and understanding the concept of identity and storytelling from the roots, and beyond society’s constructs. Sami effortlessly weaves together highly polarized facets of life with an empathetic and compassionate approach.
Sami is also currently producing two films she wrote: the upcoming feature film The Mentor, and the short film Stag Party, along with co-producing the short film Miracle Baby by Stephen Fechter and producing the TV Pilot Stretched by Joseph Blake Menzel with Executive Producer Erin Glass.
Kristin McCarthy Parker - director
Kristin McCarthy Parker is a New York-based director of stage and film, and the co-founder of Recent Cutbacks. With RCB, Parker has directed Hold On To Your Butts, Fly You Fools, KEVIN!!!!!, Next Day Thrones, and Zoomhog Day, as well as co-writing and directing an upcoming Audible Original. Their work includes Puffs (Off-Broadway), Monsoon Season (AFO/Rattlestick), Kapow-i GoGo (The PIT), Awkwardly (web series), Darian Dauchan’s Lift Off, as well as directing and developing work at Primary Stages, Pittsburgh CLO Spark Festival, Ensemble Studio Theatre, All For One, Ma-Yi, HERE Arts, Columbia University, Rutgers University, and the University of Florida, among others. Assistantships include Ed Iskandar, Michael Greif, Wendy Goldberg, and Trip Cullman.
Eun-ah Lee - director of photography
Cinematographer Eun-ah Lee has emerged as a young talent in independent cinema, expressing the core emotion of every story through her atmospheric style and dazzling camera work.
Born and raised in Seoul, Korea, Eun-ah’s love of art developed in her youth. She landed her first commissioned painting project at age 12, and continued practicing her art after she moved to the States where she attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts in directing and cinematography. It was at this time that she began to develop her filmic style by incorporating her cultural background and artistic training into her work. To date she has shot more than 50 films.
She is known for her work on "Blackbird" starring Oscar winner Mo'Nique, released theatrically on IMAX and featured on CNN, "A Song Still Inside", winning the Best Cinematography Award at the Gene Art Film Festival in New York, Milcho Manchevski’s "Thursday", which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and "Sea Is All I Know", starring Melissa Leo, which was an Oscar semi-finalist. Her works have screened worldwide, including at the Cannes, Sundance, Venice, Pusan, Hong Kong and Los Angeles film festivals.
Eun-ah Lee’s talents are versatile and hardly limited to cinematography. As an editor, her work on the feature film "Seeds" was selected for the 2015 Independent Film Project Filmmaker Lab (IFP) which selects only 10 films from around the world. She also works as a colorist for movies and TV networks in New York City, where she is able to utilize her skills as a painter.
Lee’s work has been featured in the media and in publications such as CNN News, The View, NBC News, Deadline, The New York Times, Variety, NPR, Indiewire, Hollywood Reporters, The Village Voice, and Times of India.
Eun-ah Lee is currently developing her feature as writer and director, a semi-biographical film that follows four friends of different race growing up together in a Brooklyn ghetto in New York. The film looks at friendships that become rivalries in a world of crime, exploring themes of betrayal and loyalty.
Andrew Mayer - fight choreographer
Andrew is a bi-coastal actor, musician, and creative for stage & screen. As an actor, Andrew has performed on Broadway (The Great Comet), as well as Off-Broadway and Regionally. As a musician, he has performance experience both live and in studio. He works regularly as a lead singer in one of NYC’s premiere event bands through Hank Lane Music. As a creative, he works in stage combat as well as film direction, and scoring to picture. For more visit - www.Andrew-Mayer.com or Instagram: @TheAndrewMayer