Chip Marlow was never the best ventriloquist. His lips move. His material is hack. And tonight, in a seedy motel room on the edge of town, he's decided it's his last show. The love of his life is gone, his act is dead, and the only thing he brought with him besides a suitcase and a razor is Buster, the little wooden partner who's been on his knee through every bomb, every dive bar, every empty room. Then Buster starts talking on his own. What follows is the funniest, saddest, strangest conversation of Chip's life, a two-hander between a broken man and the dummy who knows exactly which strings to pull.

Brand New Lover is a dark comedy short about heartbreak, hack material, and the voices we use to say the things we can't. It ends with a twist we're keeping in the box until you see it. Brand New Lover is a dark comedy short about heartbreak, hack material, and the voices we use to say the things we can't. It ends with a twist we're keeping in the box until you see it. Inspired by giallo and surrealist cinema with just a taste of the dark, twisted word of comedy.

(Magic, 1978)

(Deep Red, 1975)

(The Twilight Zone, 1962)

I've been carrying this script around for a long time, and this past year life kinda handed me my own version of Chip's motel room. Inspired by a dumb bit on one of the podcasts I help produce and the urging of a longtime collaborator, this project is as close to being done as it's ever been. Comedy is how guys like Chip say the things we can't say straight: the dummy exists so the man doesn't have to mean it. That's what this film is about, and it's why it has to be funny AND dark. Studios don't make eleven-page dark comedies about sad ventriloquists. Independent film does. That's why we're here, and why it's now.

I've been in the comedy world for a few years now, but I've been working on films/television for a very long time. It's been years since I've directed anything and I sincerely believe that this script and this project is a comeback of sorts for that long dormant passion for writing/directing.

This is not a someday project. As of today:

• The script is locked and proofed.
• Buster exists — designed, 3D-printed, and assembled, with a working jaw.
• The full shot list (~60 setups), scene-by-scene breakdown, and lookbook are done.
• We have an estimated budget
• Your pledge takes us from prepped to shot. We shoot September, deliver a festival-ready cut within 8 months, and every backer sees the film before the public — plus BTS of Buster's build along the way. If we pass 100%, stretch goals go straight to what shows up on screen: festival submissions / an extra shoot day / original score / any post production stuff.
• Pledge, follow, share — every one of the three genuinely moves this.