Canary Trap

New York City, New York | Film Short

Thriller, Drama

Shana Darabie

1 Campaigns | New York, United States

Green Light

This campaign raised $16,380 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

130 supporters | followers

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Canary delivers packages for secret organization HQ. After accepting her new mission, Canary is connected with a dispatcher who pushes her boundaries. Forced to go against HQ's directives, Canary finds herself questioning everything and everyone around her.

About The Project

  • The Story
  • Wishlist
  • Updates
  • The Team
  • Community

Mission Statement

Our team is mostly female and people of color both in front of and behind the camera. We're looking to advance diverse voices and stories in addition to tackling issues such as mental health and loneliness.

The Story


This is a story of intrigue and paranoia, but also of loneliness and trying to connect. Much like Russel Crowe’s Lowell Bergman in The Insider and Blake Lively’s Stephanie Patrick in The Rhythm Section, Canary is on a mission to right wrongs and fix the world. But her quarrelsome relationship with the unseen Dispatcher makes her question how to make the right choices to complete her mission and keep those she comes in contact with safe.

This film tackles not just the isolation so many of us contend with, but also how we as viewers normally view those suffering from mental illness. The goal of this film is to put the viewer in the head of Canary and genuinely see her POV of the world around her.

We have a truly diverse team of filmmakers heading up this project.



Canary is played by Mieko Gavia. Mieko Gavia is a writer, actress, narrator, producer, and all-around oddball from Indianapolis, Indiana. After graduating from Oberlin College with an honors degree in Theater, Mieko followed the classic scenario of a small-town girl with big-city dreams and hightailed it to NYC. When she's not acting, writing, or chilling in her VO booth, Mieko can be spotted foraging in used bookstores or wherever cheap food abounds. You can also catch her work with Black Revolutionary Theater Workshop, a Brooklyn based, social-justice focused theater company.



The Scientist is played by William Phelps. William is a multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY. He trained at Bill Esper's Studio under his tutelage and Deb Jackel. He is a proud resident artist with New Light Theater Project, and a member of the punk-Americana band Mac McCarty & Kidd Twist. Recent acting credits include: The L Word: Generation Q (SHOWTIME), FBI (CBS), Kold x WIndy (AMC), Glitch (Netflix), and The Usual. He is repped by Premiere Talent Management, Emagine Content, and A3 Artists Agency.



The Boss is played by producer and voiceover actress Traci Law. She has a rather eclectic background. As a SAG member, she has worked in TV and Film in NY and Philadelphia for many years both in front of and behind the camera. She was host of the webseries, Morbid Curiosity, which she also created, produced and edited as well as Compelling Women. Currently she works in equity theatre in the Philly area and does voice-over work. She is also an award-winning photographer with an archaeology and museum background. 



Writer and director Shana Darabie is based in Brooklyn. Her short films What Happened to Candice and The Trail premiered in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In 2020, she won the Devery Freeman Memorial Award in Screenwriting for sci-fi horror feature script Facsimile. In addition, she was an Almanack Screenwriters 2020 Finalist for horror-fantasy pilot Wolf & Root and 2022 Semifinalist for her sci-fi script Clones. Recently, her short Trouble Connecting, directed by Lee Milby and co-written with Kim Marcelino, premiered in 2022 as part of the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge. Currently, she's a finalist for both Circle of Confusion Writer Discovery Fellowship and WGAE x FilmNation NY Fellowship Programs.



Director of Photography Frankie Turiano is a NYC native with over ten years of experience. He’s worked for brands like Nike, Facebook and Complex and specializes in 16mm. His credits include Beyond the Last Horizon, Blame (dir. Derek Brown) and I Don’t Live Today (dir. Mtume Gant).



GET THE WORD OUT!


Reaching the green light level will cover the costs for production. Getting us to 100% will allow us to pay our entire cast and crew. The only way for us to reach our funding goal is to reach well beyond our network, so please join us on this journey as a member of the Canary Trap team and help us get the word out!


For example, you can say (feel free to copy and paste):


Help support independent female and BIPOC filmmakers and support CANARY TRAP. Join them on @seedandspark: https://shorturl.at/fklRY


CANARY TRAP is an exciting new project led by BIPOC and female filmmakers. Join them on @seedandspark: https://shorturl.at/fklRY


Make sure to head over to Seed&Spark to support an amazing team of filmmakers tackling issues of loneliness and isolation in the forthcoming thriller CANARY TRAP. Join them on @seedandspark: https://shorturl.at/fklRY


Seek out the truth and support CANARY TRAP on @seedandspark: https://shorturl.at/fklRY


Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

Data Management

Costs $290

We'll need the right gear to get the pictures and audio to our editor to bring it all together

Travel

Costs $980

For our crew to move gear and equipment in an effort to find the truth

Crafty and Catering

Costs $2,580

It's important we keep our cast and crew fed to uncover what is really happening

Makeup and Wardrobe

Costs $1,180

For thorough infiltration, we'll need the best digs to ensure prevention of capture.

Production Design

Costs $700

Our production design team will gather materials with the greatest detail to allow full immersion

Insurance

Costs $900

It's always important to be prepared for the worst case scenario

Production Sound

Costs $900

With sound mixing, sound editing and talented voiceover actors, the truth will be revealed

Cast

Costs $875

Our cast is full of mysteries to uncover.

Camera Department & Equipment

Costs $7,595

Observation & assessment shall be achieved without our amazing camera crew and equipment

Production

Costs $4,000

Our production staff keeps us organized, ensuring our way to the truth.

About This Team

Our diverse and talented team of filmmakers have experience in many areas of production and development from commercial to TV to features. 




Current Team

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