Buffalo 10
Buffalo, New York | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
Claire, once an Ivy League-bound twink, now a glamorous woman aching for the simplicity of suburbia, returns to Buffalo after years in NYC. She stumbles into the path of Colin, local burnout. Does he find her worldliness alluring, or is he just a chaser intent on projecting a fantasy onto the doll?
Buffalo 10
Buffalo, New York | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
62 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$4,360
Goal: $10,000 for pre-production
Claire, once an Ivy League-bound twink, now a glamorous woman aching for the simplicity of suburbia, returns to Buffalo after years in NYC. She stumbles into the path of Colin, local burnout. Does he find her worldliness alluring, or is he just a chaser intent on projecting a fantasy onto the doll?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Buffalo 10 is our love letter to Buffalo and the complicated yet warm way its inhabitants receive our identities.
In this 12-minute-long dramedy short film, we follow the story of Claire (imagine that!), a 25-year-old doll who returns to her childhood home to pick up the pieces of her former life. Claire navigates the new dynamic with her high school friends, who last knew her as their gay best friend. Together, they go to the bowling alley, indulging in the nostalgia of a place time has hardly touched.
Claire stumbles upon an unlikely romance with Colin, the bowling alley manager. She must step into Colin’s world (of groundedness and local color, and Reddit), just as he tries to step into hers (of glamor and city life, privilege and trauma) for their unlikely spark to take fire. This isn’t a straightforward romance nor a biting satire of dating as a trans woman. Instead, Buffalo 10 is a realistic portrayal of both its joys and challenges.
Why Now?
How many positive portrayals of trans femininity come to mind when you picture the media landscape in 2024? I’m not just talking about fiction—consider how ostracized Trans women are on the news, on the streets, or at the bowling alley, for that matter. We feel there aren’t enough culturally salient depictions of trans femininity out there that weren’t written by men and directed by men. This isn’t a film solely about identity, per se, but rather the humor and romantic miscommunication that arises when two people from very different worlds, who nonetheless share a common background, fall for each other.
Where will your money go?
The average cost of an indie short film is around $30,000. You may ask yourself, "Why can't they just film on their iPhone with their friends?". While this approach might have worked in college, as working freelance adults, time is money and there are more things to consider beyond the medium. Even Sean Baker's notoriously #shotoniphone feature film "Tangerine" cost $100,000. That being said, we are filming in Buffalo, the city of good neighbors, and are hoping to raise $10,000 to cover the production costs. What are these costs exactly? Providing lodging for our crew, transportation to Buffalo, making sure our cast and crew are fed, and paying our cast and crew for their time and talent (on a very micro-budget!)
Inspiration
While writing “Buffalo 10” we were inspired by a veritable mood board of pop culture: the gritty aesthetics of Lana Del Rey music videos, the brash humor Buffalo 66, and the autofictional splendor of HBO’s Girls. We are introducing a new mumblecore aesthetic, our signature style that focuses on naturalistic, even improvised acting and dialogue blending tragicomedy, autofiction, and elements of indie sleaze.
Why Us?
Claire and Trisha, old childhood friends, share the journey of moving to New York City in pursuit of finding themselves outside of their hometown of Buffalo. During a trip to the bowling alley on the night of the 2024 solar eclipse, the two decided it was time to team up and create something special. Bringing together Claire's unique, and sharp writing skills with Trisha's playful eye and love for visual storytelling, the seed which became Buffalo 10 emerged.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
House our cast & crew
Costs $1,100
We're bringing a few folks from NYC to Buffalo and will need somewhere for them to stay for the duration of the shoot!
Pay our Cast
Costs $1,500
Our actors will be taking time out of their busy lives to provide their talents and we'd like them to be compensated.
Gear Rental
Costs $1,500
Renting gear costs a pretty penny but we're hoping it will make our movie pretty! Help us obtain the gear we need.
Transportation
Costs $900
Help us move our crew and gear from NYC to Buffalo, but we'll need to rent a car and pay for a few train tickets!
Pay our crew
Costs $3,500
Help us pay our largely women and non-binary crew what they deserve to dedicate time to the production!
Feed our cast & crew
Costs $1,500
A happy cast and crew is a fed cast and crew. I promise we will feed them more than chicken wings!
Share this update!
About This Team
Claire Orrange
Writer, Lead Actress
Claire Orrange is a writer and critic based in Brooklyn, NY. Her short stories have been published on paperback and online by the Muswell Press, Liminal Space Magazine, and Bloodletter Magazine, where she was recently hired as a regular contributor. While Buffalo 10 will serve as her acting debut, she has extensive experience performing stand-up comedy and MCing events, including as a host for a show at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute highlighting women in comedy. Claire holds a bachelor of arts degree in History and Literature from Harvard University and works part-time as an freelance editor for consulting companies.
Trisha Pickelhaupt
Director, Co-Writer, Actress
Trisha Pickelhaupt is a filmmaker and actor based in Brooklyn, NY. Her most recent experimental documentary “Apples To Oranges” has screened in the Buffalo International Film Festival, Richmond International Film Festitval, and Greenpoint Film Festival, where it earned an honorable mention. She has a background in non-fiction filmmaking and commercial work, at NPR and ABC, as well as comedy. Her short film “I Like Your Hair” was premiered nationally by NPR and screened at the Bronx Documentary Center. As an active member of Filmshop and Video Consortium, Trisha seeks to promote creative community-building in NYC and beyond. Buffalo 10 is her narrative directorial debut.
Sarah Allen
Assistant Director, Producer
Sarah Allen is a writer and filmmaker living in Brooklyn. She works for a commercial production company in upstate New York, and has worked on a number of films as an AD & script supervisor. Sarah has a First-Class degree from University of St Andrews, Scotland, where she received the Principal’s Medal for English Literature. While Sarah is always working on her next screenplay, she is currently in post-production for her first short film, “A Shot in the Dark”, which she wrote and directed.
Sarah Westrich
Director of Photography
Sarah Westrich is a cinematographer and editor based in New York City. Her work explores how one finds a sense of place and identity in an ever-changing world. She has worked on numerous films as a director of photography and camera assistant. When she isn’t in the camera department, Sarah is an editor for the Buffalo-based documentary filmmaker John Fiege. She will be the production manager and assistant editor on Fiege’s feature in development, which has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies from Carleton College.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Buffalo 10 is our love letter to Buffalo and the complicated yet warm way its inhabitants receive our identities.
In this 12-minute-long dramedy short film, we follow the story of Claire (imagine that!), a 25-year-old doll who returns to her childhood home to pick up the pieces of her former life. Claire navigates the new dynamic with her high school friends, who last knew her as their gay best friend. Together, they go to the bowling alley, indulging in the nostalgia of a place time has hardly touched.
Claire stumbles upon an unlikely romance with Colin, the bowling alley manager. She must step into Colin’s world (of groundedness and local color, and Reddit), just as he tries to step into hers (of glamor and city life, privilege and trauma) for their unlikely spark to take fire. This isn’t a straightforward romance nor a biting satire of dating as a trans woman. Instead, Buffalo 10 is a realistic portrayal of both its joys and challenges.
Why Now?
How many positive portrayals of trans femininity come to mind when you picture the media landscape in 2024? I’m not just talking about fiction—consider how ostracized Trans women are on the news, on the streets, or at the bowling alley, for that matter. We feel there aren’t enough culturally salient depictions of trans femininity out there that weren’t written by men and directed by men. This isn’t a film solely about identity, per se, but rather the humor and romantic miscommunication that arises when two people from very different worlds, who nonetheless share a common background, fall for each other.
Where will your money go?
The average cost of an indie short film is around $30,000. You may ask yourself, "Why can't they just film on their iPhone with their friends?". While this approach might have worked in college, as working freelance adults, time is money and there are more things to consider beyond the medium. Even Sean Baker's notoriously #shotoniphone feature film "Tangerine" cost $100,000. That being said, we are filming in Buffalo, the city of good neighbors, and are hoping to raise $10,000 to cover the production costs. What are these costs exactly? Providing lodging for our crew, transportation to Buffalo, making sure our cast and crew are fed, and paying our cast and crew for their time and talent (on a very micro-budget!)
Inspiration
While writing “Buffalo 10” we were inspired by a veritable mood board of pop culture: the gritty aesthetics of Lana Del Rey music videos, the brash humor Buffalo 66, and the autofictional splendor of HBO’s Girls. We are introducing a new mumblecore aesthetic, our signature style that focuses on naturalistic, even improvised acting and dialogue blending tragicomedy, autofiction, and elements of indie sleaze.
Why Us?
Claire and Trisha, old childhood friends, share the journey of moving to New York City in pursuit of finding themselves outside of their hometown of Buffalo. During a trip to the bowling alley on the night of the 2024 solar eclipse, the two decided it was time to team up and create something special. Bringing together Claire's unique, and sharp writing skills with Trisha's playful eye and love for visual storytelling, the seed which became Buffalo 10 emerged.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
House our cast & crew
Costs $1,100
We're bringing a few folks from NYC to Buffalo and will need somewhere for them to stay for the duration of the shoot!
Pay our Cast
Costs $1,500
Our actors will be taking time out of their busy lives to provide their talents and we'd like them to be compensated.
Gear Rental
Costs $1,500
Renting gear costs a pretty penny but we're hoping it will make our movie pretty! Help us obtain the gear we need.
Transportation
Costs $900
Help us move our crew and gear from NYC to Buffalo, but we'll need to rent a car and pay for a few train tickets!
Pay our crew
Costs $3,500
Help us pay our largely women and non-binary crew what they deserve to dedicate time to the production!
Feed our cast & crew
Costs $1,500
A happy cast and crew is a fed cast and crew. I promise we will feed them more than chicken wings!
Share this update!
About This Team
Claire Orrange
Writer, Lead Actress
Claire Orrange is a writer and critic based in Brooklyn, NY. Her short stories have been published on paperback and online by the Muswell Press, Liminal Space Magazine, and Bloodletter Magazine, where she was recently hired as a regular contributor. While Buffalo 10 will serve as her acting debut, she has extensive experience performing stand-up comedy and MCing events, including as a host for a show at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute highlighting women in comedy. Claire holds a bachelor of arts degree in History and Literature from Harvard University and works part-time as an freelance editor for consulting companies.
Trisha Pickelhaupt
Director, Co-Writer, Actress
Trisha Pickelhaupt is a filmmaker and actor based in Brooklyn, NY. Her most recent experimental documentary “Apples To Oranges” has screened in the Buffalo International Film Festival, Richmond International Film Festitval, and Greenpoint Film Festival, where it earned an honorable mention. She has a background in non-fiction filmmaking and commercial work, at NPR and ABC, as well as comedy. Her short film “I Like Your Hair” was premiered nationally by NPR and screened at the Bronx Documentary Center. As an active member of Filmshop and Video Consortium, Trisha seeks to promote creative community-building in NYC and beyond. Buffalo 10 is her narrative directorial debut.
Sarah Allen
Assistant Director, Producer
Sarah Allen is a writer and filmmaker living in Brooklyn. She works for a commercial production company in upstate New York, and has worked on a number of films as an AD & script supervisor. Sarah has a First-Class degree from University of St Andrews, Scotland, where she received the Principal’s Medal for English Literature. While Sarah is always working on her next screenplay, she is currently in post-production for her first short film, “A Shot in the Dark”, which she wrote and directed.
Sarah Westrich
Director of Photography
Sarah Westrich is a cinematographer and editor based in New York City. Her work explores how one finds a sense of place and identity in an ever-changing world. She has worked on numerous films as a director of photography and camera assistant. When she isn’t in the camera department, Sarah is an editor for the Buffalo-based documentary filmmaker John Fiege. She will be the production manager and assistant editor on Fiege’s feature in development, which has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies from Carleton College.