After a year of quietly making music with her father and half-brother under the band name Cocaine to London, bassist and songwriter Viv can finally see what looks like success along the horizon. The band is nearing the completion of their first album. gearing up for their first show in Los Angeles and filming a documentary of the whole process, all with the goals of getting their name on the map. While all seems to be looking up for Viv, in reality, she is miserable. Whether it be her father and the drummer of the band, Junket Marx, barely paying attention to her, or her half-brother and lead singer, The Strange, disrespecting and verbally abusing her, Cocaine to London is less of a band and more of a powder keg, waiting for a flame. On the day the band finishes their debut record, this flame sparks, and Viv has to decide whether she will stay and reassemble the incinerated pieces or listen to her mother and leave the explosion in the distance, walking away from what could be her best chance at a successful musical career.

COCAINE TO LONDON incorporates both comedy and tense drama, blending a mockumentary style with intense screaming matches, scattered (and often crass) jokes with fits of tears. This resulting tone is a more modern take on struggle, the typical melodramatic or hyper-serious top coat being replaced with one that is goofier and more comedic -- the idea of laughing alongside the pain.

The primary theme of COCAINE TO LONDON is the idea of perseverance: to do what one loves no matter the obstacles. The piece introduces a world full of stress, anger, and hate. Through it all, Viv must find a way to continue music and not get lost in the negativity that surrounds her. Layered within, are themes of toxic masculinity, divorce, and the ugly dynamics of the music industry, all of which work as obstacles in Viv’s quest for success and personal satisfaction.

In order to answer this incredibly vague question I bestowed upon myself, I believe it is important to know how much I care about music. Music kept me going through the universal sadness that was 2020 COVID, so in the midst of a half year or so of severe writer’s block, I decided to try my hand at writing something music-related. This idea started as a light-hearted satirical comedy on fake punk rockers, but as it developed, I began incorporating more of myself and my situation at that time into it. My parents are divorced, and in the year I wrote this, there was another pretty bad divorce going on in my family. At the same time, the writer’s block I had been experiencing made me begin to question what I really love and want as an artist; I questioned if the decisions I was making were the right ones and if I was on the right path. I then began to use this project as a form of personal therapy to deal with all of the emotions that came from this tough time. This connection made me even more passionate about the project as I now feel like the piece is an amalgamation of many important aspects of my own character and career path. It really feels like the most ‘me’ script I have written. And now, with the chance to share my story with other artists, I believe my audience can find a part of themselves within it, too.

VIV (19) is the bassist for Cocaine to London. She is part of the band, not because she wants to work with her half-brother and dad, but because music is her one true passion. She knows that with their help, she can get her name out there, the first step in becoming a respected songwriter. However, the band does not respect her, and her mother does not fully support her. These negative emotions culminate into anger issues, topped with an easily flared temper and a smoking addiction.

THE STRANGE (18) is the lead singer and guitarist of Cocaine to London. He is the one everyone listens to, not because he is good at speaking, but because he is just so damn loud. He was born and raised with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never learned discipline or respect, a fact that makes him quick to blame and start jealous tantrums whenever something doesn’t go his way. 

JUNKET MARX (45) is the drummer of Cocaine to London. He is only here to hold on to his punk rock youth and spend time with his children, both of which he fails at miserably. He had Viv first, then divorced Viv's mama and a year later had The Strange with another, much richer woman. He is care-free and childish and is fathered more by The Strange rather than the other way around.

VIV’S MAMA (40s) does not support Cocaine to London. It is not because she does not support Viv and her dreams, but because she knows how her ex-husband Junket and his brat of a son are. While she wants Viv to do what she loves, she cares about her mental health first. She wants her to be successful, but she knows it will not come by wasting time on people like The Strange and Junket, like she did 19 years ago.

The film will have two very distinct visual languages characterized by camera choice, movement, and aspect ratio.

• Subjective View: Canon C300 Mark II (handheld, shaky -- mockumentary style)
• 4:3 aspect ratio (à la old camcorder) to hammer in the handheld vibe
• "The Office"-style pans between characters and on-the-fly rack focuses to really emphasize an in-the-moment, documentary feel
• Objective View: ARRI AMIRA (stable, framed -- from the audience's perspective)
• 16:9 aspect ratio
• Entirely done from a tripod to strike a contrast between the two visual languages

I plan on intercutting these non-diegetic moments into the mockumentary parts to make them stand out more and make the film and its storytelling more dynamic.

No matter the visual aesthetic though, there will always be a certain amount of chaos in the production design of every shot. I love the art of clutter and imagine every frame as being densely packed to emphasize the messiness of the characters and their situation and to further develop the chaotic and grimy setting and theme.

COCAINE TO LONDON is currently in pre-production with plans to shoot in January 2024 for a premiere in May 2024! Studio North production company, in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, has kindly supported us through the development phase, but we will need your help in order to truly create the story we want to tell,

As our team works on creating shot lists, obtaining props, and finalizing the script, We are looking for contributions to help fulfill our creative goals and create a safe, fun, and welcoming environment for our cast and crew.

This campaign will run for a total of 30 days, in which we hope to raise a total of $4,000 to perfect our visual goals and create the best film possible.

We must make a total of $3,200 to receive any of the funds raised, so any sized contribution would be incredibly generous and incredibly appreciated.

If you are unable to contribute, do not worry at all! There are many other ways to support our project, such as following our campaign on Seed&Spark and Instagram (@cocainetolondon) and sharing this page with any family or friends!

Below are a few sample text ideas you can use to spread the word!

• Check out this new student-led film about a young artist working to get her voice heard in the industry. Watch the promo video and consider contributing to their campaign here!
• Interested in supporting a new student film about the artistic struggle? Sounds relatable, huh? Check out our Seed&Spark to learn more and contribute.
• Wow! Look at this new mockumentary about a dysfunctional punk band I found! I heard it has original music too! seedandspark.com/fund/cocaine-to-london

We appreciate you taking the time to visit and look through our page. If you are interested in our project, we hope you support it in whatever way you can! Any form of help means a lot to us and brings us even closer to making our vision a reality.