Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf
Baltimore, Maryland | Film Short
Experimental
We're raising finishing funds to complete the post-production phase on our short film "Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf"—an experimental narrative produced by a mostly-female crew—and we need your help to bring it to the screen!
Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf
Baltimore, Maryland | Film Short
Experimental
2 Campaigns | Maryland, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $6,305 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
80 supporters | followers
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We're raising finishing funds to complete the post-production phase on our short film "Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf"—an experimental narrative produced by a mostly-female crew—and we need your help to bring it to the screen!
In Partnership With
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Project Summary
"Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf" is a short film based on the play by Emilie Feldenzer. Marge is a bored housewife. Rex, her inattentive husband. In an attempt to spice up their relationship, Marge employs the Queen of Meatloaf, an ephemeral concoction that seduces Rex and Marge into a state of slumber, while permeating the homes of consumers with her enchanting aura and addicting gustatory appeal.
Rex returns home from work to find Marge in the kitchen, where she has been slaving all day over dinner. But this will be no ordinary dinner. Tonight, Marge is serving the Queen of Meatloaf, “a gustatory experience altogether unlike ordinary meatloaf.” The Queen of Meatloaf emerges silently from the kitchen in bedazzled, human form. Rex is taken aback. Marge regales him with the Queen’s nutritional and nuptial benefits. They are so overcome by the Queen that they fall asleep at the table. The Queen, in direct address to the camera, explains her irresistible appeal. She begins to multiply, emerging in various other human forms and wreaking havoc on consumer TV sets, before disappearing with a slow buzz and a fading dot of white light on the black screen.
Ultimately, "Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf" is about bodies getting away from each other and the minds they are attached to. In the dreamlike house it is set in, everyone’s relationships with food, desire, commodity, and each other are undermined by a fundamental inability to be present.
History
Each Spring, as part of a writing showcase, I direct a one-act play written by high school students from a local literary arts program. At the 2015 performance, I was introduced to Emilie Feldenzer's play, "Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf", and was instantly struck by its poetic dialogue, themes, subtext and visuals. I approached Emilie on the spot about adapting it into a short film, and ever since, Emilie and I have collaborated on the film version of her brilliant play as writer and director.
A Personal Note from the Director
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Audio Mix
Costs $3,000
We need this film to be an immersive experience—which can be achieved through a professional mixing session!
Color Correction & Finishing
Costs $2,000
We need this film to look as enchanting as it should—with the help of color correction!
Marketing & Distribution
Costs $500
We need this film to reach as many people as possible—and that starts with marketing and distribution!
Editing
Costs $1,000
We need to compensate our Editor for her efforts—you wouldn't be seeing this film at all if it wasn't for her!
Festival Submission & Travel
Costs $500
We need the ability to submit and travel to as many festivals as possible—help us reach our audience directly!
Visual Effects
Costs $500
We need this period film to truly look like one—with the help of a Visual Effects Artist!
Share this update!
About This Team
Leah Meyerhoff, Executive Producer
Leah Meyerhoff is a New York based filmmaker whose debut feature film I Believe In Unicorns premiered in the narrative competition of SXSW 2014. Her previous short films have screened in over 200 film festivals, won a dozen awards, and aired on several cable networks. She has been shortlisted for the Gotham Awards and received high profile grants from IFP, the Tribeca Film Institute and the Adrienne Shelly Foundation. Her short film Twitch was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award, won a Slamdance Grand Jury Prize, and was picked up by IFC, PBS, Hulu, and Skandinavia TV. She directed a commercial for Converse and music videos for Triple Creme, Joan As Police Woman And Luff, which aired on LOGO and MTV.
Leah participated in both IFP’s Emerging Narrative Labs and Narrative Finishing Labs. She was one of ten filmmakers chosen for the New York Film Festival’s Emerging Visions program, one of eight filmmakers in the 2013 Tribeca All Access Labs and was recently honored with the Adrienne Shelly Director’s Award. Leah is a Tribeca Film Institute mentor and the founder of Film Fatales, a female filmmaker collective based in New York. She holds a BA in Art-Semiotics from Brown University and is a Dean's Fellow in Graduate Film at NYU.
Melodie Sisk, Producer
After starring in Zach Clark's Modern Love is Automatic (SXSW 2009), Melodie Sisk quickly found a love for producing. Since then she has produced and appeared in Clark's Vacation! (Edinburgh 2010) and White Reindeer (SXSW 2013) and is a Story Creator and Producer on Clark’s newest feature Little Sister (SXSW 2016). Melodie also produced and can be seen in Onur Tukel's Summer of Blood (Tribeca 2014), and produced Tukel’s following film Applesauce (Tribeca 2015). Forthcoming projects include: Her directorial debut Ms. Guidance (a web series co-directed with Van Hansis), and Dusty Bias' The Great and the Small, starring Melanie Lynskey. Other credits include: The Ladies of the House (Sarasota 2014), and Drew Tobia's See You Next Tuesday.
Dina Fiasconaro, Director
Dina Fiasconaro is a Baltimore-based filmmaker. Her feature documentary, Moms and Meds, was recently picked up for distribution by Janson Media and Alexander Street Press. Her short films have screened at a variety of festivals, including Portland Underground, BlackStar, and NYC International, and she is a recipient of the ‘Generation Next’ screenwriting grant. Dina has a MFA in filmmaking from Columbia University, and a BS in TV, Radio and Film from Syracuse University. She is an Associate Professor of Film and Moving Image at Stevenson University, and recently co-founded the Baltimore Chapter of Film Fatales, a national organization working towards gender parity in the film industry.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Project Summary
"Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf" is a short film based on the play by Emilie Feldenzer. Marge is a bored housewife. Rex, her inattentive husband. In an attempt to spice up their relationship, Marge employs the Queen of Meatloaf, an ephemeral concoction that seduces Rex and Marge into a state of slumber, while permeating the homes of consumers with her enchanting aura and addicting gustatory appeal.
Rex returns home from work to find Marge in the kitchen, where she has been slaving all day over dinner. But this will be no ordinary dinner. Tonight, Marge is serving the Queen of Meatloaf, “a gustatory experience altogether unlike ordinary meatloaf.” The Queen of Meatloaf emerges silently from the kitchen in bedazzled, human form. Rex is taken aback. Marge regales him with the Queen’s nutritional and nuptial benefits. They are so overcome by the Queen that they fall asleep at the table. The Queen, in direct address to the camera, explains her irresistible appeal. She begins to multiply, emerging in various other human forms and wreaking havoc on consumer TV sets, before disappearing with a slow buzz and a fading dot of white light on the black screen.
Ultimately, "Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf" is about bodies getting away from each other and the minds they are attached to. In the dreamlike house it is set in, everyone’s relationships with food, desire, commodity, and each other are undermined by a fundamental inability to be present.
History
Each Spring, as part of a writing showcase, I direct a one-act play written by high school students from a local literary arts program. At the 2015 performance, I was introduced to Emilie Feldenzer's play, "Commercial for the Queen of Meatloaf", and was instantly struck by its poetic dialogue, themes, subtext and visuals. I approached Emilie on the spot about adapting it into a short film, and ever since, Emilie and I have collaborated on the film version of her brilliant play as writer and director.
A Personal Note from the Director
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Audio Mix
Costs $3,000
We need this film to be an immersive experience—which can be achieved through a professional mixing session!
Color Correction & Finishing
Costs $2,000
We need this film to look as enchanting as it should—with the help of color correction!
Marketing & Distribution
Costs $500
We need this film to reach as many people as possible—and that starts with marketing and distribution!
Editing
Costs $1,000
We need to compensate our Editor for her efforts—you wouldn't be seeing this film at all if it wasn't for her!
Festival Submission & Travel
Costs $500
We need the ability to submit and travel to as many festivals as possible—help us reach our audience directly!
Visual Effects
Costs $500
We need this period film to truly look like one—with the help of a Visual Effects Artist!
Share this update!
About This Team
Leah Meyerhoff, Executive Producer
Leah Meyerhoff is a New York based filmmaker whose debut feature film I Believe In Unicorns premiered in the narrative competition of SXSW 2014. Her previous short films have screened in over 200 film festivals, won a dozen awards, and aired on several cable networks. She has been shortlisted for the Gotham Awards and received high profile grants from IFP, the Tribeca Film Institute and the Adrienne Shelly Foundation. Her short film Twitch was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award, won a Slamdance Grand Jury Prize, and was picked up by IFC, PBS, Hulu, and Skandinavia TV. She directed a commercial for Converse and music videos for Triple Creme, Joan As Police Woman And Luff, which aired on LOGO and MTV.
Leah participated in both IFP’s Emerging Narrative Labs and Narrative Finishing Labs. She was one of ten filmmakers chosen for the New York Film Festival’s Emerging Visions program, one of eight filmmakers in the 2013 Tribeca All Access Labs and was recently honored with the Adrienne Shelly Director’s Award. Leah is a Tribeca Film Institute mentor and the founder of Film Fatales, a female filmmaker collective based in New York. She holds a BA in Art-Semiotics from Brown University and is a Dean's Fellow in Graduate Film at NYU.
Melodie Sisk, Producer
After starring in Zach Clark's Modern Love is Automatic (SXSW 2009), Melodie Sisk quickly found a love for producing. Since then she has produced and appeared in Clark's Vacation! (Edinburgh 2010) and White Reindeer (SXSW 2013) and is a Story Creator and Producer on Clark’s newest feature Little Sister (SXSW 2016). Melodie also produced and can be seen in Onur Tukel's Summer of Blood (Tribeca 2014), and produced Tukel’s following film Applesauce (Tribeca 2015). Forthcoming projects include: Her directorial debut Ms. Guidance (a web series co-directed with Van Hansis), and Dusty Bias' The Great and the Small, starring Melanie Lynskey. Other credits include: The Ladies of the House (Sarasota 2014), and Drew Tobia's See You Next Tuesday.
Dina Fiasconaro, Director
Dina Fiasconaro is a Baltimore-based filmmaker. Her feature documentary, Moms and Meds, was recently picked up for distribution by Janson Media and Alexander Street Press. Her short films have screened at a variety of festivals, including Portland Underground, BlackStar, and NYC International, and she is a recipient of the ‘Generation Next’ screenwriting grant. Dina has a MFA in filmmaking from Columbia University, and a BS in TV, Radio and Film from Syracuse University. She is an Associate Professor of Film and Moving Image at Stevenson University, and recently co-founded the Baltimore Chapter of Film Fatales, a national organization working towards gender parity in the film industry.