California Scenario Post Production
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Drama, Comedy
In this coming-of-middle-age love story, single parents Jacob Hara and Laura Acker, descendants of concentration camp survivors on different continents, face their complex family narratives and at Noguchi’s sculpture garden, find each other. An emotional immersion into history shaping the future.
California Scenario Post Production
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Drama, Comedy
2 Campaigns |
69 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$21,279
Goal: $45,000 for post-production
In this coming-of-middle-age love story, single parents Jacob Hara and Laura Acker, descendants of concentration camp survivors on different continents, face their complex family narratives and at Noguchi’s sculpture garden, find each other. An emotional immersion into history shaping the future.
Participating In
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Six days in three private homes. Four days at Isamu Noguchi’s 1.6-acre installation California Scenario. One beautiful FEATURE film. Leads Will Yun Lee and Abby Miller hit every note on their characters’ epic, symphonic journeys as descendants of camp survivors from two continents. And Brooklynn Prince and Minnie Mills as their children reminded us of the universal power of love between parents and children.
Thanks to our successful campaign in December and January, to followers and supporters like you, and to a phenomenal, familial cast and crew who showed up every day excited to bring their creative best, CALIFORNIA SCENARIO was a dream production. Donations came in the form of cash, but also as a camera package from Panavision. From Noguchi lamps you leant us that created a stunning heavenly scene in the Forest Walk, to the hot meals and catering from friends and strangers that kept us warm one very rainy day in Orange County, every person who gave of their time and resources added to a seamless production that couldn’t afford to miss a beat, and didn’t.
The post production process has been fantastic, as our producer-editors Jhenn Webberley and Jen Prince at Metamorfic have stitched the emotional fabric of those days into a stunning quilt that grows more resonant each day. The movie is about what happens when we don’t talk about the past. About how being present just isn’t enough. And about having hope for a better future.
Picture will lock in the coming weeks, and we are excited to dive into sound, color timing on an already beautiful picture, and some VFX that will immerse our audience in an experience that is simultaneously past, present, and future. A festival run is likely in 2026, and we are so excited to share this story with everyone. Of course none of these things are free and we need your help to match the quality achieved in the production phase of California Scenario. In addition to the previously mentioned post production steps, we're seeking funds to license a very special song and footage of a MLB baseball game that would add emotional and artistic depth to the film.
We chose this month to launch because we are excited to be part of Seed & Spark’s AAPI Renaissance Rally in collaboration with Gold House. If we win, we will get an another 10k in funding, a spot at the Gold Pitch Event at the Toronto Film Festival, and membership in the Gold House Futures Network. About 2/3 of Asian representation in film and TV is still “knowledge” or “martial arts” roles. The rally is looking for novel, subversive, unique AAPI characters telling inspirational stories, cautionary tales, and everything in between. Our movie is all of that and more.
Thank you for your support!
James, Dara & the California Scenario Team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Mastering and Deliverables
Costs $5,000
Closed captioning, clearance, marrying our sound and picture and getting a DCP made for delivery are necessary to launch the film!
Cash Pledge
Costs $1,000
Cash pledge in any amount is helpful for the miscellaneous delivery expenses from getting the film cleared, licensed and submitted.
Titles and Credits
Costs $1,000
Opening titles and credits as well as other graphics must be designed and delivered to properly thank everyone that contributed to the film!
Music Licensing and Composition
Costs $10,000
The film's opening and closing credits require a music license fee, and the score needs to be written and recorded.
Mix Stage
Costs $5,000
Once our sound design is complete, we need to complete the final mix on a professional sound mix stage.
Color Correction
Costs $4,000
The film will need color grading to create the final look of the film and smooth out all of the color from scene to scene.
Visual Effects
Costs $7,000
We have projections in our film that need compositing through VFX, as well as some aging and de-aging of actors playing in different eras.
Sound Design and Editing
Costs $10,000
From cleaning up the dialogue to creating sound effects, a professional sound track is a critical part of the creative process in our film.
Social Media Team
Costs $2,000
We need folks who understand the algorithms of the TikToks and Instagrams to help us engage with our audience and promote the film!
Share this update!
About This Team
JAMES TAKATA - Director/Co-Writer
James Takata is a film and television director, writer, and cinematographer. James has directed episodes of This Is Us, and The Company You Keep, as well as the feature documentary We the Parents. James is a protégé in the Directors Guild of America's selective 2024 Director Development Mentorship Program. He is a member of the DGA and International Cinematographers Guild Local 600.
DARA RESNIK - Producer/Co-Writer
Dara Resnik is a writer and showrunner whose credits include Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Pushing Daisies, Mistresses, Castle, Jane the Virgin, Joey Soloway’s I Love Dick, and Marvel’s Daredevil. Dara co-created and co-showran Home Before Dark for Apple TV+, a drama inspired by real-life 13-year-old crime reporter Hilde Lysiak, and she completed co-showrunning The Horror of Dolores Roach for Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Television last year. She is currently developing a limited series about Robert Durst for UCP/Peacock.
Jon is an actor, director, and producer, who for six seasons, starred as Miguel Rivas on NBC’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series, This Is Us. Audiences also know Jon from his role as the tough but affable, Detective Javier Esposito on the hit dramedy Castle, and as Sgt. Tony “Poke” Espera in HBO’s limited series Generation Kill. As a filmmaker, Jon’s directed episodic television, including episodes of Ballard (Amazon), Tracker(CBS), The Irrational(NBC), This Is Us(NBC), The Rookie(ABC), award winning short films and music videos. He produces narrative and documentary feature films, is a member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and most recently he produced Lena Heady’s feature directorial debut, The Trap, and is currently attached to direct two independent feature films, Rock Bottom Express and Defensas. His production shingle, WestSide Stories, formed with fellow Groundlings alum Kenny Stevenson, has several TV, Podcast and Film projects in various stages of production and development and most recently sold a series based on the novel, Fire with Fire as an EP/and the series lead with plans to film a Pilot in April 2025.
JHENNIFER WEBBERLEY - Producer
A Los Angeles native, Jhennifer Webberley is a producer/editor and founding member of Metamorfic Productions. Feature film credits include 7000 Miles, Quality Problems, And Then There Was Eve, Love Danielle, Bread and Butter, Orchard Wedding and Wait Means Never. Webberley also enjoys editing many of her independent projects including Quality Problems, Farewell My King, Only Child and Broken Wings. Recent projects also include the immersive experience for COSM’s Cirque du Soleil’s “O” and immersive short projects for the Beijing Olympics. Webberley holds a MFA (Magna Cum Laude) in Film and Television Production from the USC School of Cinema-Television and a MBA (Magna Cum Laude) from Pepperdine University in Marketing and Strategy
Jen Prince is an independent film producer and editor originally from San Antonio, Texas. Feature producing credits include 7000 Miles, Quality Problems, And Then There Was Eve, and Eve of Understanding. Her work in immersive and virtual reality earned her a Sports Emmy Nomination for Digital Innovation (XXIV OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES First 8k Immersive Livestream). She produced and edited, together with Jhennifer Webberley, an immersive feature-length shared reality experience of Cirque du Soleil’s “O” for the new COSM domes opening around the country. Jen is a graduate of the MFA Film Production Program at USC and earned her BFA in Acting and a BA in Liberal Arts in the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin (Phi Beta Kappa). Post-Production TV Credits include the Emmy Awards, The Contender, and The Amazing Race. She is a faculty member at New York Film Academy in Burbank, CA and serves as a mentor for The University of Texas at Austin.
Jennie Yamaki is a program management and business operations executive in the entertainment and technology sectors. Most recently, she spent over 6 years at Netflix, where she first served as a physical production executive for the Original Independent Film division before moving into a program management role for the Global Production Strategy & Operations team. Before Netflix, Jennie held physical production executive roles at both start-ups and established companies, managing a diverse slate of digital, film, and television content at companies such as Mattel, Lionsgate, and PopSugar. Early in her career, she was a Line Producer for independent films, most notably Napoleon Dynamite. She also spent 6 years at Mandata Pictures as a physical production executive, overseeing productions such as Harold & Kumar 3.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Six days in three private homes. Four days at Isamu Noguchi’s 1.6-acre installation California Scenario. One beautiful FEATURE film. Leads Will Yun Lee and Abby Miller hit every note on their characters’ epic, symphonic journeys as descendants of camp survivors from two continents. And Brooklynn Prince and Minnie Mills as their children reminded us of the universal power of love between parents and children.
Thanks to our successful campaign in December and January, to followers and supporters like you, and to a phenomenal, familial cast and crew who showed up every day excited to bring their creative best, CALIFORNIA SCENARIO was a dream production. Donations came in the form of cash, but also as a camera package from Panavision. From Noguchi lamps you leant us that created a stunning heavenly scene in the Forest Walk, to the hot meals and catering from friends and strangers that kept us warm one very rainy day in Orange County, every person who gave of their time and resources added to a seamless production that couldn’t afford to miss a beat, and didn’t.
The post production process has been fantastic, as our producer-editors Jhenn Webberley and Jen Prince at Metamorfic have stitched the emotional fabric of those days into a stunning quilt that grows more resonant each day. The movie is about what happens when we don’t talk about the past. About how being present just isn’t enough. And about having hope for a better future.
Picture will lock in the coming weeks, and we are excited to dive into sound, color timing on an already beautiful picture, and some VFX that will immerse our audience in an experience that is simultaneously past, present, and future. A festival run is likely in 2026, and we are so excited to share this story with everyone. Of course none of these things are free and we need your help to match the quality achieved in the production phase of California Scenario. In addition to the previously mentioned post production steps, we're seeking funds to license a very special song and footage of a MLB baseball game that would add emotional and artistic depth to the film.
We chose this month to launch because we are excited to be part of Seed & Spark’s AAPI Renaissance Rally in collaboration with Gold House. If we win, we will get an another 10k in funding, a spot at the Gold Pitch Event at the Toronto Film Festival, and membership in the Gold House Futures Network. About 2/3 of Asian representation in film and TV is still “knowledge” or “martial arts” roles. The rally is looking for novel, subversive, unique AAPI characters telling inspirational stories, cautionary tales, and everything in between. Our movie is all of that and more.
Thank you for your support!
James, Dara & the California Scenario Team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Mastering and Deliverables
Costs $5,000
Closed captioning, clearance, marrying our sound and picture and getting a DCP made for delivery are necessary to launch the film!
Cash Pledge
Costs $1,000
Cash pledge in any amount is helpful for the miscellaneous delivery expenses from getting the film cleared, licensed and submitted.
Titles and Credits
Costs $1,000
Opening titles and credits as well as other graphics must be designed and delivered to properly thank everyone that contributed to the film!
Music Licensing and Composition
Costs $10,000
The film's opening and closing credits require a music license fee, and the score needs to be written and recorded.
Mix Stage
Costs $5,000
Once our sound design is complete, we need to complete the final mix on a professional sound mix stage.
Color Correction
Costs $4,000
The film will need color grading to create the final look of the film and smooth out all of the color from scene to scene.
Visual Effects
Costs $7,000
We have projections in our film that need compositing through VFX, as well as some aging and de-aging of actors playing in different eras.
Sound Design and Editing
Costs $10,000
From cleaning up the dialogue to creating sound effects, a professional sound track is a critical part of the creative process in our film.
Social Media Team
Costs $2,000
We need folks who understand the algorithms of the TikToks and Instagrams to help us engage with our audience and promote the film!
Share this update!
About This Team
JAMES TAKATA - Director/Co-Writer
James Takata is a film and television director, writer, and cinematographer. James has directed episodes of This Is Us, and The Company You Keep, as well as the feature documentary We the Parents. James is a protégé in the Directors Guild of America's selective 2024 Director Development Mentorship Program. He is a member of the DGA and International Cinematographers Guild Local 600.
DARA RESNIK - Producer/Co-Writer
Dara Resnik is a writer and showrunner whose credits include Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Pushing Daisies, Mistresses, Castle, Jane the Virgin, Joey Soloway’s I Love Dick, and Marvel’s Daredevil. Dara co-created and co-showran Home Before Dark for Apple TV+, a drama inspired by real-life 13-year-old crime reporter Hilde Lysiak, and she completed co-showrunning The Horror of Dolores Roach for Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Television last year. She is currently developing a limited series about Robert Durst for UCP/Peacock.
Jon is an actor, director, and producer, who for six seasons, starred as Miguel Rivas on NBC’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series, This Is Us. Audiences also know Jon from his role as the tough but affable, Detective Javier Esposito on the hit dramedy Castle, and as Sgt. Tony “Poke” Espera in HBO’s limited series Generation Kill. As a filmmaker, Jon’s directed episodic television, including episodes of Ballard (Amazon), Tracker(CBS), The Irrational(NBC), This Is Us(NBC), The Rookie(ABC), award winning short films and music videos. He produces narrative and documentary feature films, is a member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and most recently he produced Lena Heady’s feature directorial debut, The Trap, and is currently attached to direct two independent feature films, Rock Bottom Express and Defensas. His production shingle, WestSide Stories, formed with fellow Groundlings alum Kenny Stevenson, has several TV, Podcast and Film projects in various stages of production and development and most recently sold a series based on the novel, Fire with Fire as an EP/and the series lead with plans to film a Pilot in April 2025.
JHENNIFER WEBBERLEY - Producer
A Los Angeles native, Jhennifer Webberley is a producer/editor and founding member of Metamorfic Productions. Feature film credits include 7000 Miles, Quality Problems, And Then There Was Eve, Love Danielle, Bread and Butter, Orchard Wedding and Wait Means Never. Webberley also enjoys editing many of her independent projects including Quality Problems, Farewell My King, Only Child and Broken Wings. Recent projects also include the immersive experience for COSM’s Cirque du Soleil’s “O” and immersive short projects for the Beijing Olympics. Webberley holds a MFA (Magna Cum Laude) in Film and Television Production from the USC School of Cinema-Television and a MBA (Magna Cum Laude) from Pepperdine University in Marketing and Strategy
Jen Prince is an independent film producer and editor originally from San Antonio, Texas. Feature producing credits include 7000 Miles, Quality Problems, And Then There Was Eve, and Eve of Understanding. Her work in immersive and virtual reality earned her a Sports Emmy Nomination for Digital Innovation (XXIV OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES First 8k Immersive Livestream). She produced and edited, together with Jhennifer Webberley, an immersive feature-length shared reality experience of Cirque du Soleil’s “O” for the new COSM domes opening around the country. Jen is a graduate of the MFA Film Production Program at USC and earned her BFA in Acting and a BA in Liberal Arts in the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin (Phi Beta Kappa). Post-Production TV Credits include the Emmy Awards, The Contender, and The Amazing Race. She is a faculty member at New York Film Academy in Burbank, CA and serves as a mentor for The University of Texas at Austin.
Jennie Yamaki is a program management and business operations executive in the entertainment and technology sectors. Most recently, she spent over 6 years at Netflix, where she first served as a physical production executive for the Original Independent Film division before moving into a program management role for the Global Production Strategy & Operations team. Before Netflix, Jennie held physical production executive roles at both start-ups and established companies, managing a diverse slate of digital, film, and television content at companies such as Mattel, Lionsgate, and PopSugar. Early in her career, she was a Line Producer for independent films, most notably Napoleon Dynamite. She also spent 6 years at Mandata Pictures as a physical production executive, overseeing productions such as Harold & Kumar 3.