Baldy The Film

New York City, New York | Film Short

Comedy, Drama

Melvin Taylor II

1 Campaigns | New York, United States

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This campaign raised $22,283 for pre-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

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Over 80 million people are affected by hair loss. This story explores the tribulations of this loss through the lens of Travis, and its harrowing effect on his life, work, and 20s dating experience in New York City.

About The Project

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

Mission Statement

Being vulnerable about one's insecurities can be difficult. Our film aims to tell a story about overcoming the pressures of conventional standards of beauty through the lens of comedy. Laughter is always a great way to heal.

The Story

In this heartfelt dramedy short film, we meet Travis, a New Yorker whose receding hairline mirrors the distant memories of his childhood. As he navigates the vibrant chaos of NYC, he's haunted by looming thoughts. He has a great network of family and friends around him, but Travis doesn’t know how to open up about the insecurities surrounding his hair loss.


In the age of social media and being more susceptible than ever to ridicule, he fears becoming the punchline of cruel jokes both online and offline. As he grapples with his self-image, Travis must decide whether to embrace this change in his life by discovering the power of a shiny bald head or continue to suppress himself by limiting his experiences to settings that will allow him to keep his hat on indoors. Join us on Travis's journey to self-acceptance in a world where vulnerability can be the bravest choice of all.


Writer’s Statement


“I know a Bald guy” - my friends.

While I embrace this identity today, it wasn't always this way. I first noticed my receding hairline in the fall of 2012 during my Junior year of college. From that moment on, I went on a journey to reclaim my hairline, trying various shampoos, and experimenting with haircuts and hair growth products - even Rogaine. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work and as time passed, my stress and ensuing depression escalated. I wore stylish hats to conceal my secret as best I could (think R&B sensation Ne-Yo) and it mostly worked but there were still countless moments on street corners, or waiting in line at bars and clubs where I simply couldn't hide.



My turning point came when I saw a video of myself constantly adjusting my hat and thought, “Is that what I really look like?!” This was where I found the courage to finally embrace the bald look. However, everyone’s journey is not going to be the same. Numerous people suffering from hair loss are also battling with anxiety-inducing insecurities. With this film, I aim to offer some solace and a bit of laughter to those who hide behind scarves or under stylish hats and fedoras. Allow us to poke fun at ourselves and find joy in embracing the shared commonality of the shiny side of life.


Why Is This Story Important? | Why Now?

The foundation for this film comes largely from my own life. We strongly believe that the elements of laughter, community, and honesty can impact other individuals who have gone through or are going through similar situations. In the United States, more than 35 million men and 21 million women are currently experiencing it. The condition can begin as early as age 15 and affects 25% of men before they turn 21 as well as nearly 5% of women by age 30. By age 30, approximately 25% of men and 12% of women have already experienced hair loss, and these numbers increase to 50% for men and 25% for women by age 50. Quite frankly, there is no better time than now to help destigmatize the shame around hair loss.


This is the first film that our team plans on creating and releasing for the world to see. We've spent a combined 50+ years on film & TV sets learning the ins and outs of filmmaking first-hand. In the midst of this recent Writer’s strike and current Actors' strike (WGA & SAG), we want to put our imprint onto the world of film by bringing together those we've grown with and worked beside in the industry. We know that we all can continue on to do more films & shows but we all have to start somewhere. Our team is made up of a very diverse, skilled, and talented crew that plans to thrive on this project and beyond when we are able to shave away our crowdfunding goal.


Is This Story Real?

In college, I played basketball, ran track, was in the Black student union as VP, and finally had grown out my hair into an afro. My entire life I had wanted to but wasn't able to (love you Mom!). but college was my time to see just how cool it would be. Unfortunately, after an injury and setbacks within the athletic department, I had to walk away from both sports which caused a deep spiral. It only furthered when I began to look in the mirror and noticed that after waiting my entire life to grow an afro as cool as those I'd seen all my life...the front of my hairline had begun to recede. It felt that as quickly as I felt on top of the world, I had fallen off of it. From college until my mid-twenties, I tried my best to hide my insecurity from the world.


Low haircuts, baseball hats, fedoras, skullies, durags, ginseng, rosemary oil, onion juice, aromatherapy, increasing protein & iron intake, massage therapy, lavender, thyme oil, castor oil, hair regrowth serum, Rogaine, and hair surgery consultations were all used at one point in time to try and salvage the situation. None of them worked and I walked around with the sense that I was flawed. I was even called out on several dates (and called a Hatfish) about not removing my hats when out with them. But how could I if nobody knew what I was truly feeling? It took me YEARS to remove myself from that depression. Once I did, I began to speak with more people who experienced hair loss and noticed that I wasn't alone. Many people have dealt with, and currently are dealing with, hair loss and depression that comes with it but haven't said anything about it. I want to make a film for them to be able to understand that if they look to their community they are not alone and that people will understand and help them.


What's Our Inspiration?

Aside from showing those who are experiencing hair loss that it's okay, our inspiration for this film are the filmmakers who came before us and told their own stories with their peers. Working in film and TV requires long demanding hours of physical, mental, and psychological labor. Your coworkers become family as you've spent so much time around one another working, sharing food, and telling them of your dreams. Creating this film with our peers will allow us all to be in the driver's seat of the kind of projects we want to see.


Our goal is to follow the likes of the creators pictured below as they all started working with their peers creating art within this industry and leaving a lasting mark. This film is not the end, but THE genesis to the careers of many who haven't given up on making their dreams come true.



Why Should You Contribute?

Filmmaking is something our team loves but in order to make this we need your contributions. As the As the recent Writer’s strike and current Actors' strike have put many of us out of work we want you to join our team and help us show the system that we don't need it to create the art that we want to see in the world. By supporting us you're supporting independent film which paves the way for the careers of those you see on TV and in the theater.


Currently, we've been in pre-production of this film since mid-June. We have covered all aspects of a full and safe production plan to ensure that we're doing this the correct way. You can help us obtain the locations we need, camera, insurance, catering, grip equipment, lights, hair and makeup expertise, wardrobe designers, prop masters, PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS, assistant directors, editors, and more that we will need to make this film a success.



What Is Our Budget?


In order to make our film we need to shave off $15,000. With this, we will be able to pay our cast and some of our crew + their equipment. We'll also be able to cover the costs for our locations, insurance, a van for our equipment, catering, post-production, festival costs, and general expenses.


In surpassing our budget, we then begin to get into our stretch goals! Stretch goals are where our ambition truly lies and what we ultimately want to accomplish. $15,000 will help us make the film. $25,000 will allow us to pay our entire crew. Additionally, we can enhance the film's production value and extend our outreach capabilities, plan targeted community events, invest in the film's marketing reach, and reach a wide audience via various distributors.


Who Is On Our Team?

Melvin Taylor II executive producer, writer, and star of Baldy. He is a film & TV production assistant (PA), actor, writer, & Chicago native living the New York City dream. He studied education & journalism at Knox College and writing at the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) New York & The Magnet Theater. His writing is grounded in the experiences of being from the south side of Chicago while juggling many careers for multiple years. In his spare time, his YouTube channel garnered over 2 million + views. His production filmography includes: Manifest, BROS The Movie, A Thousand and One, Harlem, Law & Order, City On A Hill, Search Party, Bernard and The Genie, Girls on The Bus, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, On Our Way, Let The Right One In, and more.


Eddie Griffith is the director of Baldy. He is a born and bred-Brooklynite who found a love and passion for film early in his life. It led him to come up in the film ranks and landed him on many high-profile sets as a key member of the assistant director department. As a proud DGA member, Eddie has worked on projects such as Creed III, The Bikeriders, Bros, Journal for Jordan, No Sudden Move, YOU, and more.


Erin Trout is the director of photography for Baldy. She hails from the south side of Boston and is Baldy's cinematographer. She is known for her dynamic camera movement and stylized humanism. Now based in New York, Erin has leveraged her work as a wheels operator and pioneering gimbal technician to land commercial shoots with Maybelline, Adidas, Converse, Allegra, and Nike among others. Playing to her compositional strengths, Erin has expanded her early feature work with intimate character-driven short films that allow her to keep pushing boundaries.


In total, our team comes from the film and TV world and consists of over 75+ years of experience and have worked on movies and shows such as Creed III, No Sudden Move, Bros, Journal For Jordan, Marvel’s Daredevil, And Just Like That, WestWorld, City On A Hill, YOU, MTV News, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Harlem, Run The World, Raising Kanan, Power Book 2: GHOST, Law & Order, Search Party, Billions, and many more. To meet even more members of our team check our team tab above!


Who Is In The Cast?

Our talent has not yet been cast. As we move into the casting we will update all of our contributors, followers, and supporters on whom we decide.


How Can You Contribute?

You can help us in many ways! Below is a short list of how you can impact and give life to this film:


  • Contributing, following, and pledging to our campaign! Every little bit helps with independent filmmaking.
  • Posting about our film across your social media! The more people who see this page the higher our chances of being greenlit!
  • Sharing the links to our campaign and social media pages! A quick text in the group chat, your cool cousin, or your barber/beautician would be appreciated!
  • Sending this to a bald person you know! Let's be honest for a moment...we all know at least 2 bald people. Meaning we probably know more who are balding and haven't brought it up. Sending them this link would be a great way to show them you care and are there for them when they need it.
  • Praying for us! Nothing wrong with putting some good intentions out into the universe for us so that we get this project greenlit!


Wishlist

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

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

Catering

Costs $1,500

This will help to feed and fuel our crew throughout the entirety of the shoot.

Locations

Costs $1,500

This will help us secure our locations for the film.

Insurance

Costs $2,500

This will allow us to obtain insurance to cover our equipment.

Casting & Equipment

Costs $4,000

This will allow us to secure our cast + the equipment (camera, grip, and electric) that we need for the film.

Editing

Costs $2,000

This will allow us to pay for an editor and mixer during post-production.

Festivals

Costs $1,200

This will allow us to submit our completed film to festivals.

Equipment Van

Costs $1,500

This will allow us to rent a van for all of our equipment for the shoot.

General Expense

Costs $800

This will cover any unexpected expenses that arise during filming.

About This Team

Melvin Taylor II executive producer, writer, and star of Baldy. He is a film & TV PA, actor writer, and Chicago native living the New York City dream. He studied education & journalism at Knox College and writing at the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) New York & The Magnet Theater. His writing is grounded in the experiences of being from the south side of Chicago while juggling many careers for multiple years. In his spare time, his YouTube channel garnered over 2 million + views. His production filmography includes: Manifest, BROS The Movie, A Thousand and One, Harlem, Law & Order, City On A Hill, Search Party, Bernard and The Genie, Girls on The Bus, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, On Our Way, Let The Right One In, and more.


Eddie Griffith is the director of Baldy. He is a born and bred Brooklynite who found a love and passion for film early in his life. It led him to come up in the film ranks and landed him on many high-profile sets as a key member of the assistant director department. As a proud DGA member, Eddie has worked on projects such as Creed III, The Bikeriders, Bros, Journal for Jordan, No Sudden Move, YOU, and more.


Erin Trout is the director of photography for Baldy. She hails from the south side of Boston and is Baldy's cinematographer. She is known for her dynamic camera movement and stylized humanism. Now based in New York, Erin has leveraged her work as a wheels operator and pioneering gimbal technician to land commercial shoots with Maybelline, Adidas, Converse, Allegra, and Nike among others. Playing to her compositional strengths, Erin has expanded her early feature work with intimate character-driven short films that allow her to keep pushing boundaries.


Sarah-Michelle Léger is a producer on Baldy. She is a Caribbean-Canadian producer, writer, and proud 2nd AD who has years within the film & television industry. During that time she has worked on Let The Right One In, Harlem, Bluebloods, The Watcher, Godfather of Harlem, Dr. Death, A Thousand and One, and more.


Sunni Valentine is a producer on Baldy.



Maxime Hague is a producer on Baldy. He is a Franco-American writer and producer with vast experience in the film and TV industry. He's worked on productions such as Westworld, Succession, New Amsterdam, The Gilded Age, Harlem, Law & Order, and more.


The team comes from the film and TV world and consists of over 75+ years of experience and have worked on movies and shows such as Creed III, No Sudden Move, Bros, Journal For Jordan, Marvel’s Daredevil, And Just Like That, WestWorld, City On A Hill, YOU, MTV News, WuTang: An American Saga, Harlem, Run The World, Raising Kanan, Power Book 2: GHOST, Law & Order, Search Party, Billions, and more.

Current Team

Supporters

Followers

Incentives