Control
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Thriller
Unpacking the anxieties of a first time father as he reflect about his educational experiences. Examining the relationships between education, loss, and the disenfranchised. Control is a thriller set in the subconscious of a father preparing for his son’s first day in school while coping with loss.
Control
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Thriller
1 Campaigns | New Jersey, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $11,700 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
116 supporters | followers
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Unpacking the anxieties of a first time father as he reflect about his educational experiences. Examining the relationships between education, loss, and the disenfranchised. Control is a thriller set in the subconscious of a father preparing for his son’s first day in school while coping with loss.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A young father, Byron, sitting in a therapy session opens up about his son starting kindergarten. As Byron projects his feelings to Dr. Givens about his son’s first day, he’s reminded of his own battles with the educational system. However, there’s something deeper lurking within him. As Dr. Givens tries to bring that out, Byron sinks deeper into his darkness and is forced to look beneath his troubles with education to find out why he’s out of control.
THE FEEL
THE LOOK
As someone who struggled with education, the theme of this project hits deep. During my youth, I never felt comfortable with school because I learn differently than others and it made my experience discouraging. Adding on the fact that I’m hearing impaired, also effected my learning ability, although I wasn’t diagnosed with hearing loss until my adult age. However, my experience with education, along with many others who are disenfranchised and/or living in poverty, has left many of us with the same feeling of not being prepared for life after our schooling years.
This production is the definition of what Alpha Stella Productions stands for, we have a very small but inclusive and diverse team.
A female of color as our director, a female producer, actors of color, and a writer of color living with a disability. We all came together to make art that has a message on loss, anxiety, and education that represents the underprivileged.
People of color, women, and people with disabilities are perpetually underrepresented and routinely discriminated against. This kind of treatment is a huge contributor to self-loathing and high levels of anxiety, amongst large groups of people.
Those who are deprived of therapy often underestimate the positive effects it can have on their life. We want to communicate to these groups that learning how to break down their barriers, while letting go of the past is a vital road to recovery.
Education is crucial in the development of our youth. We must continually reevaluate the current educational systems in place and make sure they are effective to all children, regardless of their location, background or color. It’s unmistakable that the history currently being taught is biased and undercuts the disenfranchised to keep them at the mercy of an entitled, high-society.
Control poses the question, how do you help your children and loved ones from falling into the same pattern and give them the tools to a well-rounded education?
By touching on different aspects of fatherhood, our main character journeys through the struggles of putting his young son through school. He questions whether or not he is capable enough to guide him, when he feels ill-equipped from his own educational experiences.
Within this project we are touching on subjects that may seem taboo but undeniably relevant. We focus on the vulnerable side of a man in a way that centers around his worst enemy… himself.
Control is currently in the pre-production stages of its creation. We’re building our shot list, setting up shoot dates, locking down locations, and finalizing script changes.
Once we raise the money for our production budget, our next steps after production and post production, will be to submit this project to film festivals around the world.
Alpha Stella Productions had a lot of success with it's latest project “And Then There Was Damien.” A short film that explored mental illness, race, and social injustice. It was accepted into over 10 festivals and won three awards including The International Independent Film award, Award of Recognition from indieFest, and an audience choice award at the Festival on a Hill film festival.
We're also in the pre-production phase of our full feature film, that we plan to shoot within the next year titled "Between the Lines". A love story that takes a deeper look at friendship, interracial relationships, and racial stereotypes.
Covid has made me reassess, not only the way I live my life but how I tell my stories. The filmmaking process has often been a close and intimate one. This past year has created new obstacles that has changed the filmmaking experience in every aspect. What was once a very collaborative and open environment is now closed and sterile, forcing us to change how we shoot and film projects.
With that said we are hiring a Covid Compliance Officer to help assure we follow all the SAG/AFTRA protocols as well as the CDC recommendations. We will have a closed set with limited capacity, require a negative covid test done 48 hours before filming, provide a stipend for cast and crew to get individual meals, section off areas to insure safe social distancing, provide PPE for all cast and crew, require temp checks, and keep our set clean by sanitizing the area before, during, and after we shoot.
However, it also got us back to the true essence of filmmaking, being creative in an ever changing industry.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Gear and Equipment Rental
Costs $2,200
To make sure this project looks good we need to rent camera, sound, and light gear.
Cast & Crew
Costs $2,000
Making a good story means hiring a great cast and crew.
Covid-19 Safety, insurance, location
Costs $2,100
Having a great location means being protected financially and health wise.
Post Production
Costs $3,000
Film editing, Post Sound Production, Colorist, and music.
General Expense
Costs $1,350
This will help pay for Transportation, props, marketing, festivals, and food.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CAST AND CREW BIOS
Chauncey Johnson Writer/Actor/Producer
Chauncey Johnson is an award-winning producer, actor, writer, and director. His most recent project a short film And Then There Was Damien, which he wrote and directed, has won a few awards and screened at numerous festivals globally. Johnson can also be seen on the NBC series Shades of Blue, Hulu original series Wu Tang: An American Saga, and the upcoming film Soul Santa.
Johnson is the founder of Alpha Stella Productions along with partner Katherine Marie. As a member of the hearing impaired community, he felt it was important to tell more inclusive stories of people of color, women, and people living with disabilities.
As a native of Detroit, Michigan, Johnson can fully understand what it means to be the underdog and to be resilient in pursuing his goal of working in the entertainment industry.
Katherine Marie Director/Producer
Katherine Marie is a director, producer, writer, SAG-AFTRA actor, stunt performer, and commercial print model who is all about living life to her fullest potential. In the past year, she has been fortunate to produce as well as act in the award winning short film, "And Then There Was Damien". She has written and directed short films such as "Ambitious Desires", "A Growing Boy", and "Purrdicament" as well as produced a number of projects from the music video “You Lied” to the award winning short film, “The Talk”.
This foodie and real estate enthusiast has also co-starred in the Emmy award winning tv show "Blue Bloods" and is a national commercial, print, and hand model. Her greatest achievement to date has been raising her amazingly talented children. A graduate of William Esper Studios, she has learned to live life in the moment and feels grateful doing so while pursuing her dreams.
Elizabeth McBryde/Producer
Elizabeth McBryde has a mind that veers toward an avant-garde way of viewing the world, whether it’s focused on styling, content or perspective. She is an original Michigander and is now an NYC based actor, singer, producer and model. McBryde started as a musical theatre/opera major and toured with the Young Americans. She has since started an alternative/folk band as a singer/songwriter called Human + Human.
As an actor, she works as a collaborative artist and found a love for film acting and producing, during the creation of an experimental guerrilla style film, “The Season.” McBryde finds joy in the art of telling a story and strives for quality over quantity. She believes that meaningful artistic expression is a way of life and continuing to grow as an artist is her life-long goal. McBryde is excited to work with a team that shows tremendous passion and skill in their work, while telling captivating tales of those who are otherwise overlooked.
Teresa Reese/Actor
Teresa Reese was most recently seen in Event Horizon at the 2019 Italian Playwrights Project. Reese is featured in a recurring role on the web series Brooklyn Baby, Jersey Maybe? She can also be seen in the short film Apple Pie of My Eye.
Bayou born and Brooklyn raised, Teresa has a lot of heart and a bold soul. She loves to work on projects and tell stories that shift the narrative of people of color. Art is her activism. Not only is she an actor, Teresa is an educator, teaching the truth to youth in Brooklyn.
Sakar Alvarez Brown/Music Composer
Sakar Brown is a multi-genre music producer, songwriter, composer, mixing and mastering engineer. He has collaborated with independent music artists as well as independent film directors. He has also released his debut song in the genre of EDM entitled: Believe in Yourself. This song can be found on all major streaming platforms.
To date, Sakar has done scoring and soundtracks for independent films such as: A Growing Boy, Hope Is Not A Dream, Ambitious Desires, And Then There Was Damien and She Game.
Sakar enjoys the art of music. To audibly engage all who are listening with the art of sound is gratifying. Coupled with the art of film, helps to create an emotional package that becomes intertwined with the audience.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A young father, Byron, sitting in a therapy session opens up about his son starting kindergarten. As Byron projects his feelings to Dr. Givens about his son’s first day, he’s reminded of his own battles with the educational system. However, there’s something deeper lurking within him. As Dr. Givens tries to bring that out, Byron sinks deeper into his darkness and is forced to look beneath his troubles with education to find out why he’s out of control.
THE FEEL
THE LOOK
As someone who struggled with education, the theme of this project hits deep. During my youth, I never felt comfortable with school because I learn differently than others and it made my experience discouraging. Adding on the fact that I’m hearing impaired, also effected my learning ability, although I wasn’t diagnosed with hearing loss until my adult age. However, my experience with education, along with many others who are disenfranchised and/or living in poverty, has left many of us with the same feeling of not being prepared for life after our schooling years.
This production is the definition of what Alpha Stella Productions stands for, we have a very small but inclusive and diverse team.
A female of color as our director, a female producer, actors of color, and a writer of color living with a disability. We all came together to make art that has a message on loss, anxiety, and education that represents the underprivileged.
People of color, women, and people with disabilities are perpetually underrepresented and routinely discriminated against. This kind of treatment is a huge contributor to self-loathing and high levels of anxiety, amongst large groups of people.
Those who are deprived of therapy often underestimate the positive effects it can have on their life. We want to communicate to these groups that learning how to break down their barriers, while letting go of the past is a vital road to recovery.
Education is crucial in the development of our youth. We must continually reevaluate the current educational systems in place and make sure they are effective to all children, regardless of their location, background or color. It’s unmistakable that the history currently being taught is biased and undercuts the disenfranchised to keep them at the mercy of an entitled, high-society.
Control poses the question, how do you help your children and loved ones from falling into the same pattern and give them the tools to a well-rounded education?
By touching on different aspects of fatherhood, our main character journeys through the struggles of putting his young son through school. He questions whether or not he is capable enough to guide him, when he feels ill-equipped from his own educational experiences.
Within this project we are touching on subjects that may seem taboo but undeniably relevant. We focus on the vulnerable side of a man in a way that centers around his worst enemy… himself.
Control is currently in the pre-production stages of its creation. We’re building our shot list, setting up shoot dates, locking down locations, and finalizing script changes.
Once we raise the money for our production budget, our next steps after production and post production, will be to submit this project to film festivals around the world.
Alpha Stella Productions had a lot of success with it's latest project “And Then There Was Damien.” A short film that explored mental illness, race, and social injustice. It was accepted into over 10 festivals and won three awards including The International Independent Film award, Award of Recognition from indieFest, and an audience choice award at the Festival on a Hill film festival.
We're also in the pre-production phase of our full feature film, that we plan to shoot within the next year titled "Between the Lines". A love story that takes a deeper look at friendship, interracial relationships, and racial stereotypes.
Covid has made me reassess, not only the way I live my life but how I tell my stories. The filmmaking process has often been a close and intimate one. This past year has created new obstacles that has changed the filmmaking experience in every aspect. What was once a very collaborative and open environment is now closed and sterile, forcing us to change how we shoot and film projects.
With that said we are hiring a Covid Compliance Officer to help assure we follow all the SAG/AFTRA protocols as well as the CDC recommendations. We will have a closed set with limited capacity, require a negative covid test done 48 hours before filming, provide a stipend for cast and crew to get individual meals, section off areas to insure safe social distancing, provide PPE for all cast and crew, require temp checks, and keep our set clean by sanitizing the area before, during, and after we shoot.
However, it also got us back to the true essence of filmmaking, being creative in an ever changing industry.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Gear and Equipment Rental
Costs $2,200
To make sure this project looks good we need to rent camera, sound, and light gear.
Cast & Crew
Costs $2,000
Making a good story means hiring a great cast and crew.
Covid-19 Safety, insurance, location
Costs $2,100
Having a great location means being protected financially and health wise.
Post Production
Costs $3,000
Film editing, Post Sound Production, Colorist, and music.
General Expense
Costs $1,350
This will help pay for Transportation, props, marketing, festivals, and food.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CAST AND CREW BIOS
Chauncey Johnson Writer/Actor/Producer
Chauncey Johnson is an award-winning producer, actor, writer, and director. His most recent project a short film And Then There Was Damien, which he wrote and directed, has won a few awards and screened at numerous festivals globally. Johnson can also be seen on the NBC series Shades of Blue, Hulu original series Wu Tang: An American Saga, and the upcoming film Soul Santa.
Johnson is the founder of Alpha Stella Productions along with partner Katherine Marie. As a member of the hearing impaired community, he felt it was important to tell more inclusive stories of people of color, women, and people living with disabilities.
As a native of Detroit, Michigan, Johnson can fully understand what it means to be the underdog and to be resilient in pursuing his goal of working in the entertainment industry.
Katherine Marie Director/Producer
Katherine Marie is a director, producer, writer, SAG-AFTRA actor, stunt performer, and commercial print model who is all about living life to her fullest potential. In the past year, she has been fortunate to produce as well as act in the award winning short film, "And Then There Was Damien". She has written and directed short films such as "Ambitious Desires", "A Growing Boy", and "Purrdicament" as well as produced a number of projects from the music video “You Lied” to the award winning short film, “The Talk”.
This foodie and real estate enthusiast has also co-starred in the Emmy award winning tv show "Blue Bloods" and is a national commercial, print, and hand model. Her greatest achievement to date has been raising her amazingly talented children. A graduate of William Esper Studios, she has learned to live life in the moment and feels grateful doing so while pursuing her dreams.
Elizabeth McBryde/Producer
Elizabeth McBryde has a mind that veers toward an avant-garde way of viewing the world, whether it’s focused on styling, content or perspective. She is an original Michigander and is now an NYC based actor, singer, producer and model. McBryde started as a musical theatre/opera major and toured with the Young Americans. She has since started an alternative/folk band as a singer/songwriter called Human + Human.
As an actor, she works as a collaborative artist and found a love for film acting and producing, during the creation of an experimental guerrilla style film, “The Season.” McBryde finds joy in the art of telling a story and strives for quality over quantity. She believes that meaningful artistic expression is a way of life and continuing to grow as an artist is her life-long goal. McBryde is excited to work with a team that shows tremendous passion and skill in their work, while telling captivating tales of those who are otherwise overlooked.
Teresa Reese/Actor
Teresa Reese was most recently seen in Event Horizon at the 2019 Italian Playwrights Project. Reese is featured in a recurring role on the web series Brooklyn Baby, Jersey Maybe? She can also be seen in the short film Apple Pie of My Eye.
Bayou born and Brooklyn raised, Teresa has a lot of heart and a bold soul. She loves to work on projects and tell stories that shift the narrative of people of color. Art is her activism. Not only is she an actor, Teresa is an educator, teaching the truth to youth in Brooklyn.
Sakar Alvarez Brown/Music Composer
Sakar Brown is a multi-genre music producer, songwriter, composer, mixing and mastering engineer. He has collaborated with independent music artists as well as independent film directors. He has also released his debut song in the genre of EDM entitled: Believe in Yourself. This song can be found on all major streaming platforms.
To date, Sakar has done scoring and soundtracks for independent films such as: A Growing Boy, Hope Is Not A Dream, Ambitious Desires, And Then There Was Damien and She Game.
Sakar enjoys the art of music. To audibly engage all who are listening with the art of sound is gratifying. Coupled with the art of film, helps to create an emotional package that becomes intertwined with the audience.