Exciting News!

Matching Grant from Funnelbox via Couch Film Collective

Funnelbox is teaming up with Couch Film Collective to offer up to $2,000 in matching funds for the "Buried Pilot"! Beginning 11/29/21, all contributions to the "Buried Pilot" on Seed&Spark will be effectively doubled for a limited time. With your help, we can reach our funding goal and receive the official greenlight from Seed&Spark.

We are thrilled to launch this incredible matching opportunity and we hope you will support us. We are beyond grateful to Funnelbox, Portland’s independent video and animation production studio and marketing specialists, for being an amazing B-Corp partner for the creative community for over 20 years. Giant thanks to Couch Film Collective for serving as fiscal sponsor. Based in Portland, Couch Film Collective elevates new and underrepresented voices in film by supporting equitable and inclusive projects.

We are proud to showcase diverse talent because we can accomplish anything when we work together. With LGBTQ+ and BIPOC professionals in front of the camera and behind the scenes, we are making something really special here. Please share the news widely and follow "Buried Pilot" here on Seed&Spark so that we can maximize the full $4,000 through the matching grant. We know "Buried" will become the hottest new series filming in the Pacific Northwest!

Seek Truth. Fight Back.

In our own real-life universe, tech entrepreneurs are soaring into outer space while millions of children lack basic food and health care. "Buried" imagines new, emerging technologies that grant god-like powers and possess the ability to disrupt the current social order. The protagonists of the series, Kane (she/her) & Manson (they/them), become inextricably entangled in a dangerous game of deceit when they decide to tap into the technology they were hired to return. Kane & Manson are not only partners in crime, they are also a couple. While they fight external forces, they must also grapple with their own inner demons and tensions in their relationship. Power is seductive, and the boundaries between right and wrong are not always clear.

"Buried" Pilot

Creating a new universe is no easy feat! We need your support to galvanize ground-breaking media that challenges power structures across the multiverse. Our lived experiences matter in this world and beyond, and it's time to tell our stories our way.

In "Buried", con artists Kane & Manson become embroiled in an elaborate scheme to return stolen technology. For those who can afford it, the technology gives humans an almost superhuman capacity to learn. Seduced by power, all of the players are drawn into the intrigue to see who will win, and who will descend into quicksand. 

This project seeks to build upon the initial "Buried" proof-of-concept to complete the first full episode of an 8-episode series. The proof-of-concept for "Buried" was shot in late 2020, and the short is an official 2021 selection of the Portland Short Festival, a finalist at the Niagara Falls International Shorts Fest, and a semi-finalist at the London Indie Short Festival. The team is ready to shoot new footage to expand upon the proof-of-concept. Once the entire first episode of the "Buried Pilot" has been shot, all footage will go into post-production.

Unearthing "Buried"

The filmmaking team behind "Buried" seeks to confront dominant notions of identity and power, and who can be a "hero". Storylines explore the themes of visibility and invisibility, agency and oppression, reality and fiction, love and addiction. When people who have been historically marginalized begin to find their own voice, the ability to feel even more powerful can be irresistible.

When we set out to create this series, we wanted to see LGBTQ+ and BIPOC characters in central roles in which the characters' personal identities matter and are relevant to the story as it unfolds. Just like many of us, the characters have all survived trauma and felt powerless. Instead of giving up, they channel their complicated feelings and use their experiences as a motivating force to keep fighting for what's right.

The lead actors playing Kane & Manson said that while growing up, they never thought they would see people who looked like them on the silver screen, let alone play those characters themselves. Our cinematic heroes were always white, cis-gendered, and heterosexual. These harmful norms affect the industry and our society, and we need to write new scripts for the world to see.

"Buried", on the other hand, has a gifted cast & crew. Everyone behind the scenes filming "Buried" is equally diverse, with a great mix of established professionals and up-and-coming new talent. Everyone deserves to have the opportunity to work in TV & film, to see themselves reflected on screen, to be treated with respect, and to be valued for their contributions. 

"Buried" and the creative team behind it demand that we challenge our assumptions, seek truth, and fight back. 

Filmmaking in the COVID Era

We are all about safe sets! It's not always easy, yet our team of professionals has been working throughout COVID-19 and has adapted to every twist and turn along the way. That said, COVID has made it clear that we should not and must not wait on passion projects -- there is no time like the present to dive in and make our dreams a reality.

Practically speaking, every member of the cast & crew is fully vaccinated. Everyone is also getting tested within 48 hours of the shoot date. We do our best to follow DGA and SAG protocols, even though this indie shoot is not a union production.

Simply put, we don't mess around when it comes to safety on set. Filmmaker Extraordinaire, Nik, is bringing on their international Ebola-fighting partner, Lori, as our very own COVID Compliance Officer. We will have plenty of PPE available on set, and a dedicated Production Assistant to help with sanitation. If a mission-critical cast or crew member falls ill, we will have to make sure that appropriate quarantine periods are in place, and then reschedule our planned shooting days. 

Coming Soon! More "Buried" & "Quicksand"

After our team completes the first full episode of "Buried", we will prepare for upcoming episodes of both intertwined series. If we reach our stretch goal, we can start pre-production on the second episode of "Buried".

In the companion series "Quicksand", set in the same cinematic universe as "Buried", undercover agents take desperate measures to infiltrate dark networks that traffick in weapons, drugs, and human lives. A high-octane spy thriller, "Quicksand" features dynamic fight sequences and characters faced with painful choices. "Quicksand" is also envisioned as an 8-episode series. The two series are set in the same universe with interwoven storylines, characters, and themes. 

We invite everyone to share this project so that we can create a series that is both fun and filled with action, while it simultaneously tackles important social justice issues. If you're in the Portland, Oregon area and would like to volunteer to help with "Buried" & "Quicksand", we are always looking for new LGBTQ+ and BIPOC film friends to expand our community. We believe that when we work together, anything is possible.

$ Follow the Money $

First and foremost, our cast & crew are the most valuable part of the project and we need to cover their basic expenses. Too often in TV & film, talented professionals are expected to work for free, particularly people who are LGBTQ+ and BIPOC. Making visual art is hard work, and we prioritize fairness and we demand safe sets. To ensure that our stellar team is able to hold the dates and firmly commit to this project and future episodes, we need to continue to cultivate a sustainable approach to filmmaking.

In addition to taking care of our phenomenal cast & crew, we need to rent equipment for our Camera and G&E Departments to further develop the look and feel of the world of "Buried" and "Quicksand". Our Art Department and Special FX Team also need a budget to realize our production design goals. Among many upcoming innovations from the brilliant minds of our creative team, we are excited to be diving into the world of prosthetics as we construct (and deconstruct) many layers of justice-driven subterfuge.

Once we finish shooting the first episode of "Buried", we will head into post-production where we will need a budget for Visual FX. Then it's time for festival submissions!

We look forward to launching the two interconnected "Buried" and "Quicksand" series and we are grateful to everyone who is making this fever dream a reality.