At his “early retirement” party, Felix Greystone is given a pre-release version of an Auggie, a pair of augmented reality smart glasses that project a perfectly human companion onto his world. When Felix's wife Anne gets a promotion and his daughter Grace gets serious with her boyfriend, Felix suddenly feels very alone.

He opens up to his new companion, Auggie, and is recognized and appreciated by her. He feels the ache of loneliness dissipate. Auggie reawakens a passion in Felix, and to his own surprise, he begins to fall for her. In a world that feels too good to be true, it’s difficult for Felix to recognize his increasing addiction to the technology, losing sight of what truly matters. Eventually, reality catches up with his augmented experience and his two worlds collide, forcing him to make a choice.

“Technology is meant to enhance the human experience, not replace it.” ― Anonymous

Our approach is led with a strong visual concept involving jumping in and out of POV to create intimacy (and then distance) between Felix and Auggie. This colors how the viewer feels about the tryst. Inviting shots of Auggie looking straight into camera will entice the audience to develop a connection with her, much like Felix does, only to be reminded of how Felix is actually alone when we jump out of POV.

Felix's marriage with Anne has fallen into a holding pattern, which we intend to show through the repetition in their interactions. Routine can be comforting, but also monotonous. Auggie, as a projection of Felix's subconscious experience, changes how he sees his time with Anne.

Our intention with this project is to tell a contained, relatable, and topical story that explores infidelity in a time when technology outpaces our ability to fully understand it.

The film will tonally shift based on whom Felix is interacting with. In Felix's POV with Auggie, we will mostly feel warmth, safety, sometimes excitement. It’s when we see Felix's world outside of his interactions with Auggie that color is drained. We want the audience to experience a dimmer, more grey, more dusty world that justifies the frustration Felix feels and reflects the way he feels he is perceived by others. The cyclical state of Felix and Anne's marriage has created a staleness that’s reflected in the atmosphere of their home. The resentment Felix feels from his crumbling career and half-hearted support from Anne translates into a feeling of suffocation. Auggie provides a chance for escaping into something brighter. Something fresh.

Throughout Felix's journey, we worry, cringe, laugh and sometimes cry along with him as his actions affect his life and those around him.

Is there really anything more fascinating and important to us than our fellow human beings? For me, I've always liked getting beyond the surface level. We are complex, and I hope I never lose my curiosity about us.

It's rare for me not to find myself analyzing situations and interactions, trying to get to the bottom of an experience to establish how I feel about it. What I feel we have created in Felix is a character who frequently thinks about the way he is perceived, the amount he is appreciated and respected, and the amount he is disliked. Our story presents us with the opportunity to witness the silent conversations we have within our own minds, out loud.

The Auggie glasses project a personification of Felix's subconscious - essentially an imaginary friend. They give him an opportunity to act out his feelings and solve his problems with the apparent help of someone else. The problem is, Felix begins relying on Auggie instead of his wife - preferring the instant gratification this technology provides over the complexity of his marriage. The question we’re asking is: when does technology cross the line in fulfilling our desires?

It's almost as if Auggie, as well as being the object of Felix's desire, is also his conscience. She can be as complex and unpredictable as we are. I am beyond excited to work with our actors to explore the depth of their interactions and their relationship to technology, each other and themselves.

 -Matt Kane, Director/Co-Writer

Felix is a creative introvert. He has invested years of dutiful commitment not only to his work as an architect, but to his marriage and fatherhood. He gets to a point where the time he has spent excelling in his obligations is thrown back in his face, losing his job and struggling to connect with his own sense of self. He begins to realize how important recognition, admiration, and respect are, particularly in his new routine.

Anne is driven, patient and social. She has a big heart, but doesn’t always know how to show her love in a way that Felix can interpret. She feels comfortable in the patterns established in their marriage, and her comfort sometimes comes off as lazy or neglectful. She grows suspicious of Felix’s change, but is distracted by the excitement from her new professional obligations, and the presence of a colleague who shows interest in her.

Auggie is a personification of Felix's subconscious. She listens. She provides insight and clarity for Felix. She knows him better than he knows himself. She is him in his purest form, a streamlined, concise companion. Her physical presence provides Felix a great deal of comfort - she knows exactly how to satisfy him, with words and actions.

Grace is an independent, strong-minded young woman. She has wisdom beyond her years, providing her the freedom to make decisions and live her life on her own terms. She is close with her parents, and never shies away from voicing her opinion. Grace’s vulnerability is exposed when she’s confronted with the depth of her parent’s issues. Despite that, she does her best to speak frankly about the negative impact this technology is having on Felix, ultimately desperate for her parents' relationship not to crumble.

We hope to raise our goal of $40,000 through a dedicated audience on Seed & Spark to cover the bare minimum costs of shooting the film. We're taking the experience we've gained from no-budget shorts and assembling a team of passionate, talented collaborators to bring this project to life. 

Principal photography for Auggie will take place in Fairfield, CT (Marc's Hometown!) and is scheduled for January, 2018.

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Our campaign is also participating in the Hometown Heroes Crowdfunding Rally, in partnership with Seed & Spark and Duplass Brothers Productions.

If by October 13th we are one of the top 10 campaigns with the most Seed & Spark Followers, we get to pitch to Mark and Jay - two members of the independent film community who inspired us to start creating our own content. 

Sharing our campaign on your social media is as helpful as a donation. And doing BOTH goes a long way to helping bring 'AUGGIE' to life! 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONSIDERING OUR PROJECT :)

-Matt and Marc