Ball & Socket
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Thriller
The characters in this short all represent a person or idea that is bigger than themselves. I see parts of me in all three and believe our story will resonate with many people out there, especially artists.
Ball & Socket
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Thriller
1 Campaigns | Illinois, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $12,542 for pre-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
110 supporters | followers
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The characters in this short all represent a person or idea that is bigger than themselves. I see parts of me in all three and believe our story will resonate with many people out there, especially artists.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Guy, a once-promising dancer now entering the uncertain stretch of middle age, is thrown off course when he dislocates his shoulder in the middle of a live performance, an injury that leaves him suspended between recovery and the painful possibility that his career may never return to what it was. Unsure of his place in the world of dance and increasingly reliant on painkillers and self-doubt, he accepts a weekend teaching job upstate, hoping the small detour will provide clarity.
Instead, he enters the meticulously curated home of Melinda, an elegant yet domineering woman who radiates both charm and quiet volatility. Melinda has invited Guy to privately coach her ten-year-old son, Caleb, a talented but emotionally withdrawn child whose movements reveal more fear than passion. What begins as a simple mentorship quickly warps into something far more unsettling. Guy is pulled into Melinda’s orbit, her probing questions, her uncomfortably intimate attention to his injury, and her insistence that he “unlock” greatness in her son. Their interactions blur boundaries, echoed by the rhythmic, dreamlike clapping motif that haunts Guy like a pulse he cannot outrun.
As the weekend unfolds, Guy struggles to connect with Caleb, who oscillates between resistance, silence, and disturbing outbursts. Meanwhile, Melinda’s behavior grows increasingly coercive: controlling his teaching methods, policing his emotions, and leveraging her authority over the household to manipulate him. Guy’s own impulses complicate matters, his longing for connection, his physical vulnerability, and the strange, trance-like states that merge memory, movement, and fantasy until he cannot fully trust his own body.
Over forty-eight hours, all three are drawn into an escalating psychological and physical dance, one that exposes the abusive dynamics binding them, and ultimately pushes Guy to a violent breaking point where control, desire, and identity collide with devastating consequence.
Director's Statement
My name is Ben Cook. I am a 27-year-old dancer/actor with a passion for directing & editing. I’ve been in seven Broadway shows and have acted in film and television in New York City for 15 years now. The idea for this story came directly from my own personal and, at times, unsettling experiences.
Whenever I wasn’t working on stage, I often leaned on teaching to make money and keep myself physically active and in tune with my body. I wish I could say I felt a deeper sense of passion about sharing the craft with kids and young people around the country, but often it became an ego stroke and gave me an outlet to perform when I didn’t have one.
I was dependent on stage and film/TV work to make me feel valuable, and teaching always coincided with chapters in my life where I was less confident and more insecure. The money didn’t hurt, though. I put quite a lot of faith in strangers reaching out to me, as teaching requests often came in the form of an email.
When I was younger, I didn’t ask to follow up on the phone or for much more information apart from where, when, and how much. These transactions landed me in questionable circumstances, homes I’d never been in before, and with people I didn’t actually know but blindly trusted. In January 2020, I dislocated my shoulder on a Broadway stage in the middle of a performance, forever altering my relationship with my body and instilling a deep sense of paranoia that it would happen again. The experience left me vulnerable and desperate for reassurance and remains something I’m continuing to work through to this day.
The characters in this short all represent a person or idea that is bigger than themselves. I see parts of me in all three and believe our story will resonate with many people out there (especially artists). I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to infuse my creative ideas into a project that echoes intimate and important parts of my journey and the journey of many.
Your Director,
Ben Cook
Movement
Movement will play a very important role in our film. It will be used literally and metaphorically. Literally as we see in our opening sequence with dancers in the heat of a live performance, as well as in Guy’s lessons with Son. Metaphorically, it will act as a dreamlike tool for the viewer to understand the dynamic between Guy and Mother. In two scenes, we’ll bleed from the house back to the stage to watch these metaphorical sequences unfold. Once will be during Guy’s first night at the house with Mother.
The second is toward the end of the film with all three characters building toward Mother’s demise. Movement should feel human, subtle, intimate, not technical or performative. The movement should only exist as an extension of the circumstances or dialogue that comes before. We want to make sure the camera movements compliment and always move harmoniously with the movement. It will be choreographed meticulously, almost if the camera is another dancer.
The Look and Feel of Ball & Socket
VISCERAL
UNSETTLING
EXISTENTIAL
WARMER TONES IN THE HOUSE DURING THE FIRST
EVENING.
COOLER TONES IN THE HOUSE DURING THE DAY AND AS
THE WEEKEND PROGRESSES.
VIBRANT/OVERLY SATURATED TONES (PARTICULARLY RED)
IN THE STAGE / MOVEMENT SEQUENCES.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast!
Costs $3,550
We are grateful to have a lovely cast working with us to make this film. As we support them on-set, we are seeking your support as well!
Crew!
Costs $3,960
While all of our crew works diligently behind the scenes, we are asking for your support to fuel their endeavors!
Our Stage!
Costs $1,100
We are getting ready to set the stage for our performers, and we are asking for your support in preparation for their performance!
Fuel for the Team!
Costs $1,600
Long days of shooting a film require sustenance, and we are hoping to gain your support in keeping them energized!
A Roof for the Shoot!
Costs $2,180
Part of our shoot will take place in upstate New York; we are asking for your support for housing the cast and crew during production!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Director: Ben Cook
Executive Producers: Yesenia Ayala & Paris Remillard
Writer: Stella Ferra
Director of photography: Paris Remillard
Movement director: Ahmad Simmons
Producers: Yesenia Ayala, Ahmad Simmons, Ben Cook, Paris Remillard, Stella Ferra & Aiyannah Tasker-Lewis.
Zach McNally currently holds the role of Guy.
Kate Jennings Grant currently holds the role of Melinda.
Calvin Knegten currently holds the role of Caleb.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Guy, a once-promising dancer now entering the uncertain stretch of middle age, is thrown off course when he dislocates his shoulder in the middle of a live performance, an injury that leaves him suspended between recovery and the painful possibility that his career may never return to what it was. Unsure of his place in the world of dance and increasingly reliant on painkillers and self-doubt, he accepts a weekend teaching job upstate, hoping the small detour will provide clarity.
Instead, he enters the meticulously curated home of Melinda, an elegant yet domineering woman who radiates both charm and quiet volatility. Melinda has invited Guy to privately coach her ten-year-old son, Caleb, a talented but emotionally withdrawn child whose movements reveal more fear than passion. What begins as a simple mentorship quickly warps into something far more unsettling. Guy is pulled into Melinda’s orbit, her probing questions, her uncomfortably intimate attention to his injury, and her insistence that he “unlock” greatness in her son. Their interactions blur boundaries, echoed by the rhythmic, dreamlike clapping motif that haunts Guy like a pulse he cannot outrun.
As the weekend unfolds, Guy struggles to connect with Caleb, who oscillates between resistance, silence, and disturbing outbursts. Meanwhile, Melinda’s behavior grows increasingly coercive: controlling his teaching methods, policing his emotions, and leveraging her authority over the household to manipulate him. Guy’s own impulses complicate matters, his longing for connection, his physical vulnerability, and the strange, trance-like states that merge memory, movement, and fantasy until he cannot fully trust his own body.
Over forty-eight hours, all three are drawn into an escalating psychological and physical dance, one that exposes the abusive dynamics binding them, and ultimately pushes Guy to a violent breaking point where control, desire, and identity collide with devastating consequence.
Director's Statement
My name is Ben Cook. I am a 27-year-old dancer/actor with a passion for directing & editing. I’ve been in seven Broadway shows and have acted in film and television in New York City for 15 years now. The idea for this story came directly from my own personal and, at times, unsettling experiences.
Whenever I wasn’t working on stage, I often leaned on teaching to make money and keep myself physically active and in tune with my body. I wish I could say I felt a deeper sense of passion about sharing the craft with kids and young people around the country, but often it became an ego stroke and gave me an outlet to perform when I didn’t have one.
I was dependent on stage and film/TV work to make me feel valuable, and teaching always coincided with chapters in my life where I was less confident and more insecure. The money didn’t hurt, though. I put quite a lot of faith in strangers reaching out to me, as teaching requests often came in the form of an email.
When I was younger, I didn’t ask to follow up on the phone or for much more information apart from where, when, and how much. These transactions landed me in questionable circumstances, homes I’d never been in before, and with people I didn’t actually know but blindly trusted. In January 2020, I dislocated my shoulder on a Broadway stage in the middle of a performance, forever altering my relationship with my body and instilling a deep sense of paranoia that it would happen again. The experience left me vulnerable and desperate for reassurance and remains something I’m continuing to work through to this day.
The characters in this short all represent a person or idea that is bigger than themselves. I see parts of me in all three and believe our story will resonate with many people out there (especially artists). I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to infuse my creative ideas into a project that echoes intimate and important parts of my journey and the journey of many.
Your Director,
Ben Cook
Movement
Movement will play a very important role in our film. It will be used literally and metaphorically. Literally as we see in our opening sequence with dancers in the heat of a live performance, as well as in Guy’s lessons with Son. Metaphorically, it will act as a dreamlike tool for the viewer to understand the dynamic between Guy and Mother. In two scenes, we’ll bleed from the house back to the stage to watch these metaphorical sequences unfold. Once will be during Guy’s first night at the house with Mother.
The second is toward the end of the film with all three characters building toward Mother’s demise. Movement should feel human, subtle, intimate, not technical or performative. The movement should only exist as an extension of the circumstances or dialogue that comes before. We want to make sure the camera movements compliment and always move harmoniously with the movement. It will be choreographed meticulously, almost if the camera is another dancer.
The Look and Feel of Ball & Socket
VISCERAL
UNSETTLING
EXISTENTIAL
WARMER TONES IN THE HOUSE DURING THE FIRST
EVENING.
COOLER TONES IN THE HOUSE DURING THE DAY AND AS
THE WEEKEND PROGRESSES.
VIBRANT/OVERLY SATURATED TONES (PARTICULARLY RED)
IN THE STAGE / MOVEMENT SEQUENCES.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast!
Costs $3,550
We are grateful to have a lovely cast working with us to make this film. As we support them on-set, we are seeking your support as well!
Crew!
Costs $3,960
While all of our crew works diligently behind the scenes, we are asking for your support to fuel their endeavors!
Our Stage!
Costs $1,100
We are getting ready to set the stage for our performers, and we are asking for your support in preparation for their performance!
Fuel for the Team!
Costs $1,600
Long days of shooting a film require sustenance, and we are hoping to gain your support in keeping them energized!
A Roof for the Shoot!
Costs $2,180
Part of our shoot will take place in upstate New York; we are asking for your support for housing the cast and crew during production!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Director: Ben Cook
Executive Producers: Yesenia Ayala & Paris Remillard
Writer: Stella Ferra
Director of photography: Paris Remillard
Movement director: Ahmad Simmons
Producers: Yesenia Ayala, Ahmad Simmons, Ben Cook, Paris Remillard, Stella Ferra & Aiyannah Tasker-Lewis.
Zach McNally currently holds the role of Guy.
Kate Jennings Grant currently holds the role of Melinda.
Calvin Knegten currently holds the role of Caleb.