Want to support a female filmmaker while she makes her debut indie short? Well, you've come to the right place! Mental health awareness is top of mind for most folks these days. (Does the world feel like a giant dumpster fire to anyone else, or is that just me?) With Cheddar, I wanted to tackle an emotion that literally every single person on the planet has experienced in some form: grief.

You can help make this film possible by becoming a donor. At least 80 percent (80%) of our goal must be reached to keep the funds that are raised. Every single penny will go towards the needs of the short film, which are broken down for you in the Wishlist tab. Want to learn more? Keep scrolling!

Cheddar follows Shelley, a thirtysomething gal stuck in a dead-end retail job whose best friend happens to be her adorable pet goldfish (aptly named Cheddar). In a chaotic world filled with too much noise and not enough time to rest, Shelley finds peace and comfort in the calming sounds of Cheddar’s bubbling fish tank—and in the one-sided “conversations” she has with Cheddar that allow her to process her feelings, hopes and dreams.

Shelley’s world comes crashing down one evening after a particularly rough shift when she comes home to find Cheddar floating upside-down in his aquarium. The silence in Shelley’s apartment—usually filled with so much laughter and soothing aquatic sound mirrors the shocking silence in Shelley’s head as is forced to grapple with the sudden trauma of losing a cherished pet, a confidante, a best friend. As the film progresses, the audience watches as Shelley slowly—and with a particular melodramatic flair—works her way through the stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and, finally, Acceptance. 

The idea of Cheddar was born one day on the set of a commercial when a director looked at me and said, “We need you to feel sad about something.” Over the course of the next six months, the one-minute bit I came up with on the spot turned into a fully-realized script for a laugh-out loud, heartfelt comedic short that looks at grief—and what we do to move through it. 

I’ve always coped with trauma, grief and sadness through comedy. I crack jokes to keep myself from breaking completely in two. I wrote Cheddar while dealing with the effects of an eating disorder relapse that threatened to upend my life—or end it completely. I worked through the stages of grief along with Shelley, although not necessarily in the same order. Through Shelley, I found a way to explore my own feelings of grief, depression, love and loss in a way that felt safe. At the end of the day, I’ve always believed that I have a choice to either laugh or cry in response to tragedy and heartbreak, and laughter felt like the most productive of the two reactions for me at that time. So, I decided to take my broken but healing heart and make art.

Sketch comedy has been around since the days of vaudeville, when comedic performers like the Marx Brothers reigned supreme. Taking inspiration from the greats—both old and new—Cheddar features a tight Three Act structure centered around a single premise. True to form, Cheddar packs a lot of laughs into its short 10-page script.

Inspired by my favorite SNL sketches and shows like Fleabag and I Think You Should Leave, I set out to write a script that would combine my love of making people laugh with my need to explore and understand my own experiences of love and loss. Although Cheddar's storyline is simple, the overwhelming number of emotions Shelley must work her way through over the course of the film grounds the project in a reality that is both vulnerable and relatable.

Departing slightly from the studio lighting set-up typical of shows like SNL or classic sitcoms like Frasier and Modern Family, Cheddar will be taking a more cinematic approach to lighting and color. Throughout the film, Shelley undergoes an internal journey that feels more like an unhinged rollercoaster ride than a breezy stroll in the neighborhood park. In order to illustrate this inner turmoil, we'll be utilizing specific lighting techniques that mirror the emotional state of our protagonist as she works her way through the loss of her beloved pet.

Drawing visual inspiration from everything from Swedish rock music videos to the bold colors of Pedro Almodóvar's work in the early '90s, Cheddar's style will differ drastically from the typical formula of a classic sketch comedy bit. Instead of bright, even commercial lighting, we'll be utilizing a mixture of practical and natural lighting to emphasize the absurdity and gravity of Shelley's battle against grief throughout the course of the short film.

We'll be taking advantage of the brightness of our main set, combining practical lighting (e.g. kitchen lights and table lamps) with RGB lighting for added dramatic effect. (We're also planning some fun, experimental shots using Cheddar's aquarium!) For our pet store scene, we'll be emulating a warm day tone to combat the overhead fluorescent lighting of the space.

So, who's gonna be behind the camera making Cheddar happen? As everyone knows, it takes a village to make a short film—heck, any kind of film!—happen, and we've gathered together an incredible group of folks based in the Southeast who are ready to make some waves. This film is directed and written by moi, Caroline Lawless (Mother, Couch!, Swine, Tangent), and is produced by K.J. Roberts (Amazon, HGTV, Netflix). We'll be utilizing the incredible talents of Richard Ngo as our Director of Photography, with additional help thanks to our incredible Wilmington-based crew. This is a truly grassroots production that has the possibility to grow into a larger series that will inspire and touch audiences across the United States. (Who knows? With your help, we could go worldwide!) You can see more detailed biographies of our core team under the Team tab.

M'kay, so now you're asking yourself, "Why should I help make this film happen?" Well, the first answer is simple: because you're awesome. The second answer is equally as simple: independent film is the beating heart of the entertainment industry! If you're interested in making a pledge, there's a lot more information under the Incentives tab. We have a ton of goodies picked out for y'all—everything from social media shout-outs and copies of Shelley's scrapbook pages to a limited-edition coffee table retrospective book. (It's giving Sofia Coppola, right? Right.) There are so many options to choose from that match every budget. If you can't donate, sharing a link with your friends, family and social media followers will go a long way to making this production happen!

At the end of the day, in order to make Cheddar come to life, we need to pay the talented folks working tirelessly behind the scenes—and in front of the camera. In an industry that often pushes the "love of art" or "exposure" as forms of payment, I'm determined to provide the cast and crew of Cheddar an experience that centers health, wellness and inclusivity.

Our overall goal is to raise $8,000 to make this short film. Every single penny—literally, every single one!—raised through our campaign will fund our short film by paying artists for their time, dedication and talent. We'll also be actively supporting local businesses in Wilmington with every part of our production process, from wardrobe to craft services. If you want an in-depth overview of how your pledge funds will be dispersed, check out the Wishlist tab!

If you've read this far, you're my personal hero. You're also probably a person who is just as passionate about independent filmmaking and screenwriting as I am. Let's be friends online, okay? Follow my journey to bring Cheddar from the page to the big screen by visiting the official Cheddar Instagram account. Want to know what I'm up to when I'm not thinking about goldfish or Oxford commas or the punchline to my next big joke? Follow me on Instagram and X, or just check out my website.

Share this fundraising page with your friends—and even your frenemies!—so that we can reach our goal together. Don't forget to follow Cheddar so you can stay up-to-date on the status of the campaign. After that, spread the word far and wide on the social media platform(s) of your choice! Don't know what to say?

I've made it easy by creating a simple example post that you can copy and paste!

Love to laugh and cry at the same time? Love supporting indie film? Make a whole bunch of dreams come true by following and supporting @carolawless and @thatcheddarfilm on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/cheddar.

P.S.—No fish will be harmed in the making of this film.

XOXO,

Caroline