BABYDOLL
Austin, Texas | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
After his prized guitar is stolen, a down-and-out musician makes a deal with a headstrong teenager – if she drives him across Texas to get the guitar, he’ll introduce her to the man she believes is her father – his famous former music partner he hasn't seen in 16 years.
Green Light
This campaign raised $7,830 for pre-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
64 supporters | followers
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After his prized guitar is stolen, a down-and-out musician makes a deal with a headstrong teenager – if she drives him across Texas to get the guitar, he’ll introduce her to the man she believes is her father – his famous former music partner he hasn't seen in 16 years.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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Please follow our campaign by clicking the FOLLOW button! Thanks to Seed & Spark and Duplass Brothers Productions, we have a special opportunity to have Duplass Brothers Productions sign on as an Executive Producer of our project. This will allow us to benefit from their extensive knowledge of independent film production and their connections when we are seeking distribution and film festival showings. But we can't get there without great followers and supporters like you so please, FOLLOW our page and DONATE if you can.
And now, a little bit about our movie's story and this campaign...
The story of BABYDOLL revolves around Robby Hayes. Robby was once part of a wildly successful country music duo.
At the height of their success, he left to focus on writing songs that were more than empty country pop. But sixteen years later, he’s washing dishes, living alone in the storage room of a small town diner, and struggling to write those songs.
The only thing he still owns - the only thing he still cares about - is his prized guitar, Babydoll.
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But when Babydoll is stolen, Robby is forced to re-engage with the world in order to find her. That’s when he runs into 15-year-old Kemah, the daughter of a former band groupie. Actually, she's run away from summer camp to track Robby down.
She's looking for a way to connect to a father she's never met and she's sure Robby can help her. Robby isn't interested but Kemah has just inherited the one thing he needs to get Babydoll back - a car.
They make a deal: Kemah will drive him across Texas to find Babyoll, then Robby will introduce her to the man she believes is her father - the famous former music partner Robby hasn't seen in 16 years.
BABYDOLL is about reconciliation and self-forgiveness, the importance of a positive father-daughter relationship, and how the collaborative experience of making music can create family.
Much of the story comes from my personal experience. My father left our family when I was 14 and while I did see him occasionally, we never developed a father-daughter bond. Much has been said about the importance of the mother-daughter relationship and I’m lucky to have been raised by a strong and encouraging mother. But as I’ve gotten older, it’s clear to me that a strong father-daughter relationship is an important, but all too often missing, key in empowering young women and their future success. This experience helped me in creating the character of 15-year-old Kemah and understanding her desire to know her father.
But if family bonds aren’t born, they can be created. Working musicians are members of my family and extended family. They get along and they squabble with members of their bands but the act of collaborating to make music binds them together. In addition, key members of our production team and I are life-long residents of Texas. We grew up in the small towns around Austin, listening to Texas music and dancing in its historic rural dance halls.
Texas has a vibrant music culture and a respect for songwriters who can craft a good tune and tell a great story. Songwriting is unique in the arts in that the words may tell the story, but the music evokes the emotion that tells us how to feel about it. However, in the long run, songwriting isn’t really a solo venture...other musicians help carry the story and an audience shares it.
In this screenplay, I paint a vivid picture of a musician’s life in Texas – the songwriters who labor to craft a good tune and tell a great story, the $50-a-night gigs, the late nights, hoping for success and living with regret. Robby may have left his famous music partner but they are still bound together by their music. When Robby finally addresses the mistakes of his past and makes the decision to include Kemah and her mother in his future, he’s able to reconnect to his music.
If you're wondering if $7500 is enough to make a feature film, the answer is NO! The money we raise here on Seed & Spark will allow us to hire a local Casting Director to help us find the best actors possible for this project, acquire the film rights for the music of a Texas songwriter, and to lock down the right filming locations. Any money we're able to raise over and above the $7500 will be used directly for production and will help us get one step closer to the big screen. Raising funds through crowdfunding also helps us show investors that there is already an audience for our project.
But it isn't just money. Every supporter and follower gets us closer to winning the grand prize, AND there are great prizes for every benchmark we hit along the way. This is not a journey we can take alone - we NEED you along with us!
And we want you to have some goodies too. We've got some great and fun rewards for every level of donation! Check them out under the INCENTIVES banner, and come be a part of our film and music making family.
Here are some easy ways that you can join us on this adventure:
- Click the FOLLOW button on our page. In order to be considered for the Hometown Heroes finals, we need at least 1000 followers! We need you! So go ahead, CLICK THE BUTTON!
- SHARE, SHARE, SHARE! Please share our page to your social media platforms. Tell your best friend, your mom, that neighbor who plays guitar, your co-workers, your dad, your ex from high school, or anyone who is interested in film, songwriting, Texas or looking to do a good deed for the day!
- Contribute financially to the campaign (any amount is AMAZING!) and be a part of helping us WIN the rally and bring this story to life!
The reality is that we won't get there without you, so please FOLLOW our page and DONATE if you can.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
What the Heck is a Line Producer?!?
Costs $500
The person who makes the budget! So we know exactly how much is needed to make something AMAZING!
1 Month Rental of THE RIGHT CAR!
Costs $1,000
Road trip movies need cars! We need a car FULL of personality! Small, old, beatup and charming!
Guitar and other Props
Costs $1,000
Screenplay requires a super special ELECTRIC GUITAR and case.
Talent is Everything!
Costs $1,000
To begin our search for the perfect talent to play the characters in Babydoll.
Amazing Music
Costs $3,000
Music rights acquisition. Local Austin-based songwriter.
Location, Location, Location
Costs $1,000
We want to film in Texas' historic DANCE HALLS. We also need a diner and a hotel room.
Share this update!
About This Team
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Susan's writing career started in the childhood garage when she convinced all of her neighbors to perform in her updated version of CINDERELLA using a picnic bench for the Prince's horse.
Since then, she has written for and optioned screenplays to NBC, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Cosgrove-Meurer Productions, Highway 101, and Go Dog! Creative and has directed several short films, including HARMONY IN THE HILLS and DAN’S THE MAN. Her most recent comedy short, SLEEPOVER, was a festival selection at the Women Texas Film Festival and Austin Comedy Short Film Festival. In addition to her film work, she co-founded UpStage Theater Company where she wrote and directed nine youth musicals , including WELCOME TO CAMP KATCHIKOOTEE, A SCHOOL FOR SUPERHEROES and THE WICKER STREET WAR. A former James A. Michener Fellow in Screenwriting, Susan is a co-founder of Twenty-two Twenty-two Media with Leslie and serves as the head of undergraduate dramatic writing in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas State University.
A former high school cheerleader from Bryan, Texas (Go Tigers!), and a former child actress with Jimmy Lloyd Productions in LA, Leslie graduated with a degree in political science from Texas A&M and immediately moved to Sao Paolo, Brazil. There, she learned Portuguese and opened a high-end interior design showroom. After her first child was born, Leslie and her family moved back to Texas where Leslie began a successful real estate career. But both of Leslie's children had the show business bug and it wasn't long before Leslie caught it again too.
Leslie and Susan's partnership began eight years ago when Susan cast her as a pregnant mom in her musical ALL THE CHILDREN SING. The experience of wearing a belly-pillow around convinced Leslie that she wanted to return to show business. Leslie has been an active supporter of indendepent film and theater makers before co-founding Twenty-Two Twenty-Two Media with Susan Busa and Stuart Hargrove.
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Brian was born in San Francisco, California and raised in the East Bay. Active as a youth in sports Brian participated in football and ran track in college. He majored in English and Psychology while attending California State University at Chico, he also earned a AA degree in Film at San Francisco City College. After moving to San Francisco in the early 1990s he participated in a number of theatrical productions. Brian is producer of independent film, including the award-winning feature BELLFLOWER, as well as the short MUTED and SALVATORE.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Please follow our campaign by clicking the FOLLOW button! Thanks to Seed & Spark and Duplass Brothers Productions, we have a special opportunity to have Duplass Brothers Productions sign on as an Executive Producer of our project. This will allow us to benefit from their extensive knowledge of independent film production and their connections when we are seeking distribution and film festival showings. But we can't get there without great followers and supporters like you so please, FOLLOW our page and DONATE if you can.
And now, a little bit about our movie's story and this campaign...
The story of BABYDOLL revolves around Robby Hayes. Robby was once part of a wildly successful country music duo.
At the height of their success, he left to focus on writing songs that were more than empty country pop. But sixteen years later, he’s washing dishes, living alone in the storage room of a small town diner, and struggling to write those songs.
The only thing he still owns - the only thing he still cares about - is his prized guitar, Babydoll.
But when Babydoll is stolen, Robby is forced to re-engage with the world in order to find her. That’s when he runs into 15-year-old Kemah, the daughter of a former band groupie. Actually, she's run away from summer camp to track Robby down.
She's looking for a way to connect to a father she's never met and she's sure Robby can help her. Robby isn't interested but Kemah has just inherited the one thing he needs to get Babydoll back - a car.
They make a deal: Kemah will drive him across Texas to find Babyoll, then Robby will introduce her to the man she believes is her father - the famous former music partner Robby hasn't seen in 16 years.
BABYDOLL is about reconciliation and self-forgiveness, the importance of a positive father-daughter relationship, and how the collaborative experience of making music can create family.
Much of the story comes from my personal experience. My father left our family when I was 14 and while I did see him occasionally, we never developed a father-daughter bond. Much has been said about the importance of the mother-daughter relationship and I’m lucky to have been raised by a strong and encouraging mother. But as I’ve gotten older, it’s clear to me that a strong father-daughter relationship is an important, but all too often missing, key in empowering young women and their future success. This experience helped me in creating the character of 15-year-old Kemah and understanding her desire to know her father.
But if family bonds aren’t born, they can be created. Working musicians are members of my family and extended family. They get along and they squabble with members of their bands but the act of collaborating to make music binds them together. In addition, key members of our production team and I are life-long residents of Texas. We grew up in the small towns around Austin, listening to Texas music and dancing in its historic rural dance halls.
Texas has a vibrant music culture and a respect for songwriters who can craft a good tune and tell a great story. Songwriting is unique in the arts in that the words may tell the story, but the music evokes the emotion that tells us how to feel about it. However, in the long run, songwriting isn’t really a solo venture...other musicians help carry the story and an audience shares it.
In this screenplay, I paint a vivid picture of a musician’s life in Texas – the songwriters who labor to craft a good tune and tell a great story, the $50-a-night gigs, the late nights, hoping for success and living with regret. Robby may have left his famous music partner but they are still bound together by their music. When Robby finally addresses the mistakes of his past and makes the decision to include Kemah and her mother in his future, he’s able to reconnect to his music.
If you're wondering if $7500 is enough to make a feature film, the answer is NO! The money we raise here on Seed & Spark will allow us to hire a local Casting Director to help us find the best actors possible for this project, acquire the film rights for the music of a Texas songwriter, and to lock down the right filming locations. Any money we're able to raise over and above the $7500 will be used directly for production and will help us get one step closer to the big screen. Raising funds through crowdfunding also helps us show investors that there is already an audience for our project.
But it isn't just money. Every supporter and follower gets us closer to winning the grand prize, AND there are great prizes for every benchmark we hit along the way. This is not a journey we can take alone - we NEED you along with us!
And we want you to have some goodies too. We've got some great and fun rewards for every level of donation! Check them out under the INCENTIVES banner, and come be a part of our film and music making family.
Here are some easy ways that you can join us on this adventure:
- Click the FOLLOW button on our page. In order to be considered for the Hometown Heroes finals, we need at least 1000 followers! We need you! So go ahead, CLICK THE BUTTON!
- SHARE, SHARE, SHARE! Please share our page to your social media platforms. Tell your best friend, your mom, that neighbor who plays guitar, your co-workers, your dad, your ex from high school, or anyone who is interested in film, songwriting, Texas or looking to do a good deed for the day!
- Contribute financially to the campaign (any amount is AMAZING!) and be a part of helping us WIN the rally and bring this story to life!
The reality is that we won't get there without you, so please FOLLOW our page and DONATE if you can.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
What the Heck is a Line Producer?!?
Costs $500
The person who makes the budget! So we know exactly how much is needed to make something AMAZING!
1 Month Rental of THE RIGHT CAR!
Costs $1,000
Road trip movies need cars! We need a car FULL of personality! Small, old, beatup and charming!
Guitar and other Props
Costs $1,000
Screenplay requires a super special ELECTRIC GUITAR and case.
Talent is Everything!
Costs $1,000
To begin our search for the perfect talent to play the characters in Babydoll.
Amazing Music
Costs $3,000
Music rights acquisition. Local Austin-based songwriter.
Location, Location, Location
Costs $1,000
We want to film in Texas' historic DANCE HALLS. We also need a diner and a hotel room.
Share this update!
About This Team
Susan's writing career started in the childhood garage when she convinced all of her neighbors to perform in her updated version of CINDERELLA using a picnic bench for the Prince's horse.
Since then, she has written for and optioned screenplays to NBC, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Cosgrove-Meurer Productions, Highway 101, and Go Dog! Creative and has directed several short films, including HARMONY IN THE HILLS and DAN’S THE MAN. Her most recent comedy short, SLEEPOVER, was a festival selection at the Women Texas Film Festival and Austin Comedy Short Film Festival. In addition to her film work, she co-founded UpStage Theater Company where she wrote and directed nine youth musicals , including WELCOME TO CAMP KATCHIKOOTEE, A SCHOOL FOR SUPERHEROES and THE WICKER STREET WAR. A former James A. Michener Fellow in Screenwriting, Susan is a co-founder of Twenty-two Twenty-two Media with Leslie and serves as the head of undergraduate dramatic writing in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas State University.
A former high school cheerleader from Bryan, Texas (Go Tigers!), and a former child actress with Jimmy Lloyd Productions in LA, Leslie graduated with a degree in political science from Texas A&M and immediately moved to Sao Paolo, Brazil. There, she learned Portuguese and opened a high-end interior design showroom. After her first child was born, Leslie and her family moved back to Texas where Leslie began a successful real estate career. But both of Leslie's children had the show business bug and it wasn't long before Leslie caught it again too.
Leslie and Susan's partnership began eight years ago when Susan cast her as a pregnant mom in her musical ALL THE CHILDREN SING. The experience of wearing a belly-pillow around convinced Leslie that she wanted to return to show business. Leslie has been an active supporter of indendepent film and theater makers before co-founding Twenty-Two Twenty-Two Media with Susan Busa and Stuart Hargrove.
Brian was born in San Francisco, California and raised in the East Bay. Active as a youth in sports Brian participated in football and ran track in college. He majored in English and Psychology while attending California State University at Chico, he also earned a AA degree in Film at San Francisco City College. After moving to San Francisco in the early 1990s he participated in a number of theatrical productions. Brian is producer of independent film, including the award-winning feature BELLFLOWER, as well as the short MUTED and SALVATORE.