Catching Smoke was created by the strange thought of,

"What if, when getting high, you saw loved ones return from the grave?"

It was such an intriguing concept to me, mainly from the perspective of how I could use such a premise to help tell a story about grief and healing, especially as written from the point of view of someone who is young and inexperienced with such heavy burdens. Thus, Atlas, our main character, was created to help that story come to life.

I won’t lie and say that I was destined to make this film, as I don’t particularly believe in fate, but I will say that since having this idea, I have noticed that there wasn’t a film quite like the one I thought up in my head. The same stories have been told a million times over a million different ways, but there has yet to be the story that I wrote with a guy named Atlas. Loss has been included in so many films and I think it’s amazing how people can talk about the same thing from different perspectives, so I thought why not write about something that is a universal experience with the perspective that only I can create.

But why now? Well, I really started thinking about loss and grief when my Godfather died while I was in high school. After that, COVID hit and I started hearing about people who went to highschool with me that didn’t get to turn 21. It was a jarring experience that I know others my age have had to process and I hope that by telling this story, it can provide a sort of closure for things that are beyond their control.

Our project is still in the pre-production stage as we are currently casting and acquiring crew. Having this campaign will be the next step in making movie magic. After the film is completed, I'd like to take the next big step and submit the project to film festivals to give audiences a chance to see it on a much larger scale than we could accomplish by ourselves. Any funds that exceed our goal will go towards enhancing our film with post production, like VFX work, the soundtrack and marketing.

When I was a freshman in college, I heard a song called "If I Get High". Ever since watching the music video, it was my mission to answer its question of, "If I get high now, will I see you again?"

The past few years have been such a roller coaster for not just me, but everyone around me. If I can provide even a little bit of comfort and reasurrance with my film, then I am determined to do it, just like the song and video did for me.

Link to the official music video: Nothing But Theives- If I Get High
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWpEZguQE8E  

The 90s were always a cool era for me. While I was born in 2000, my older siblings had things that were from the 90's and I was often exposed to the aethetics of that time. I remember watching VHS tapes and listening to CD's and tapes, although it might have been considered outdated in this new age. Even the TV I used to watch at night was from the late 90s, so I grew up craving those 2 a.m. re-runs. This nostalgia carries such a strong influence in the way I create, so it felt effortless to set my film in such a time period.

Catching Smoke is a testament to the youth of today having to deal with the certainty of death. As a young person who has seen loss in many forms, I can attest to how difficult it can be to deal with. With this film, I hope that people will resonate with Atlas and come to better understand their feelings of grief.

I hope to include other filmmakers of different ethnicities as well as the LGBT community because it is my firm belief that representation matters. It is up to us as the new generation of filmmakers to make the stories that matter, not just to a certain group, but to everyone. The roles that have LGBT characters will be played by actual LGBT actors and the casting will be open to all actors regardless of ethnicity or gender. The crew has already been filled with people from all backgrounds to help me make this dream come true. This team is always open to diversity and all that comes with it.

The funds we raise will go towards:

• Feeding and transporting our cast and crew
• Renting equipment
• Arranging our production design
• Securing a filming location. 
  
  

As students of the #1 school in Innovation in the U.S., our goal is to strive for a modernized production experience which includes–and not excludes–and speaks to the uniqueness of our creative team and beloved audiences.

Our production dates will occur in Fall of 2022, and post-production will complete the project in Spring of 2023. 

We also will take COVID-19 safety seriously. We have a COVID Safety Plan in place, with assistance from the Sidney Poitier New American Film School (SPNAFS). This plan involves such measures as having a COVID safety person on set who monitors all of the known symptoms and signs of COVID-19 through various methods among the cast & crew, and enforces known protocol to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. If you would like to know more about our COVID-19 safety plan, please email our Producer at [email protected] or contact the SPNAFS.

We hope our story resonates with you, and we appreciate any contribution that we receive.

Please take a look at our incentives to learn more about what we can offer beyond our cinematic experience.

Finally, please share our pages with whomever you can! We need your help to get the word out and raise enough funds for our production. Feel free to share our info below:

Instagram: @CatchingSmoke2023
Website: https://melineguerrero.wixsite.com/catching-smoke

Catching Smoke

Written & Directed by Me-Line
Produced by Stella Grace
Cinematography by Brandon Roman
Production Design by Maya Lebron
Edited by Damien Madrid

Learn more about our crew on our Team page or on our website!