D.N.A.
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama
After suffering a career-ending injury, Michael, a martial arts fighter, must adjust to life by letting go of what he truly loves and finding other means of success. While struggling to cope with the process, his depression and anxiety manifest into a nagging couple that judges his every move.
D.N.A.
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama
1 Campaigns | New Jersey, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $2,060 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
24 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
After suffering a career-ending injury, Michael, a martial arts fighter, must adjust to life by letting go of what he truly loves and finding other means of success. While struggling to cope with the process, his depression and anxiety manifest into a nagging couple that judges his every move.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
 (Blog Banner) (Livestream Twitch Banner) (Beauty YouTube Channel Art) (Banner (Landscape)) (LinkedIn Banner).jpg)
The Story
Michael was a great fighter in life and in the ring. A martial artist with a strong right hook, an analytical mind and the skills for success. He was destined for a long and rich career filled with championships and glory. Until a devastating injury that ended his career and started his spiral into depression.
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Depression & Anxiety
Unfortunately for Michael, his Depression and Anxiety manifest in real life as a persistently nagging and tormenting couple that are always on the run to ruin his day.
Why This Film?
Mental health, especially for minority men, is often overlooked and unspoken of in society. There are many stories of young Hispanic and African American young men that struggle with mental health in their day-to-day lives. D.N.A seeks to show these struggles through the lens of toxic masculinity and cultural expectations while shedding light on the need for awareness and assistance.
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Who Is making this film?
"D.N.A" is a film production created by a group of friends who met and quickly bonded at the Digital Film Academy in NY. The film is written and directed by Quay Jones, produced by Andres Garcia, and shot by cinematographer Leonardo Frias.
Together, we've created our own group, D20 Pictures, where we want to show everyone our skills in design, character development, and captivating storytelling.
Until this point, we've completely funded the film ourselves, but now we need your help!
Our latest film, "The Wanderer's Game" was nominated for best drama at the 2020 ICP Entertainment Film Festival. With this momentum, we seek to make "D.N.A" a psychological Drama that many can relate to.
How can you help
Pledging/Contributing
The best way to help us achieve our goals is by pledging or contributing to our wish list. Whether big or small, anything helps! Any amount of contribution will go directly to the essence of our production and will help propel us further into the next steps we need to take in order to finish this film. Plus—we’re offering cool incentives! At certain pledge levels, you could receive a pre-released digital copy of the film, behind-the-scenes footage, thank you messages from our director and producer, and even producing credits!
Ultimately, we appreciate all levels of pledges and contributions and we hope to repay you with an amazing film.
Sharing!
Have Instagram? Facebook? Tiktok? An email account? If you can't contribute or pledge, the best way you can help us is by spreading the word about our campaign through social media or emails. Sharing is free and isn't time costly, and you can help us reach our goal by helping us reach out to more people :)
So tell your grandma. Tell your cousins. Maybe don’t tell your exes (might be a can of worms) but tell your friends.
Once we reach our goal, the person with the highest social media shares will win a prize!
Copy and paste
As you're sharing the link to our campaign, copy and paste this caption below or add anything that compels you about this story!
"D.N.A—a visual expression of depression and anxiety through the lens of a broken Hispanic fighter. The film D.N.A explores the issues of mental health and we need your help to make the film come true." Visit: https://seedandspark.com/fund/dna-1#story
Save image and share
 (1).jpg)
 (Blog Banner) (Livestream Twitch Banner) (Beauty YouTube Channel Art) (Banner (Landscape)) (LinkedIn Banner) (2).jpg)
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Share this update!
About This Team
 (1).jpg)
Quay Jones, Writer/Director/Producer: Quay Jones is a life-long New Yorker and former mixed martial artist. At the age of 29, he decided to pursue his lifelong desire of making movies and enrolled in Digital Film Academy in NYC. He graduated in 2019, and frequently collaborates with the team that he formed there. He has produced, written, and directed many short films and music videos, most famously, radio show host's Keri D. Singleton's Wanderer's Game, a short film that derived from Singleton's award-winning book of the same title. He is also a big advocate of mental health and social justice.
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Andres Garcia, Producer: Andres Garcia is a New Jersey native who graduated from Montclair State University with a degree in English, minoring and concentrating in film. He is also a 2019 Digital Film Academy graduate and has produced various small projects. His interests include cultural and psychological depictions within film.
Leonardo Frias, Director of Photography: Originally from the Dominican Republic, Leo is a DFA alumni and self-taught cinematographer. He has been the cinematographer of many of Quay Jones's films and is always looking for new ways to make the audience engage with a film emotionally through stunning visuals and camera movements. 
Valentina Nezaj, Assistant Director: Valentina is a Brooklyn native who joined the team this year as an assistant director. She is a CUNY John Jay graduate with a degree in psychology and a minor in English. She has a passion for mental health advocacy that she often experiences through her creative writing. Her love for filmography grows every day and she hopes to show that love to the world.
Marquis Gregory: Born and raised in The Bronx, Marquis has made it a personal goal to challenge himself to tackle as many roles in the film industry possible. He's a jack of all trades and continues to showcase his love for his craft through his work.
Richard Diaz: A Brooklyn native Rich is a multi-talented filmmaker, he is making his acting debut in "D.N.A", where he plays the main character's best friend as well as a Grip & Gaffer on set. He is also a recording artist who goes under the name "Rich Banx".
Kogan Li: Kogan is one of the most talented assets of the crew! He is an experienced sound engineer, having done a lot of post-production sound mixing for reality TV and film. Originally from China, he migrated to the U.S in search of new beginnings and has made a name for himself within the sound department of the film industry.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Story
Michael was a great fighter in life and in the ring. A martial artist with a strong right hook, an analytical mind and the skills for success. He was destined for a long and rich career filled with championships and glory. Until a devastating injury that ended his career and started his spiral into depression.
Depression & Anxiety
Unfortunately for Michael, his Depression and Anxiety manifest in real life as a persistently nagging and tormenting couple that are always on the run to ruin his day.
Why This Film?
Mental health, especially for minority men, is often overlooked and unspoken of in society. There are many stories of young Hispanic and African American young men that struggle with mental health in their day-to-day lives. D.N.A seeks to show these struggles through the lens of toxic masculinity and cultural expectations while shedding light on the need for awareness and assistance.
Who Is making this film?
"D.N.A" is a film production created by a group of friends who met and quickly bonded at the Digital Film Academy in NY. The film is written and directed by Quay Jones, produced by Andres Garcia, and shot by cinematographer Leonardo Frias.
Together, we've created our own group, D20 Pictures, where we want to show everyone our skills in design, character development, and captivating storytelling.
Until this point, we've completely funded the film ourselves, but now we need your help!
Our latest film, "The Wanderer's Game" was nominated for best drama at the 2020 ICP Entertainment Film Festival. With this momentum, we seek to make "D.N.A" a psychological Drama that many can relate to.
How can you help
Pledging/Contributing
The best way to help us achieve our goals is by pledging or contributing to our wish list. Whether big or small, anything helps! Any amount of contribution will go directly to the essence of our production and will help propel us further into the next steps we need to take in order to finish this film. Plus—we’re offering cool incentives! At certain pledge levels, you could receive a pre-released digital copy of the film, behind-the-scenes footage, thank you messages from our director and producer, and even producing credits!
Ultimately, we appreciate all levels of pledges and contributions and we hope to repay you with an amazing film.
Sharing!
Have Instagram? Facebook? Tiktok? An email account? If you can't contribute or pledge, the best way you can help us is by spreading the word about our campaign through social media or emails. Sharing is free and isn't time costly, and you can help us reach our goal by helping us reach out to more people :)
So tell your grandma. Tell your cousins. Maybe don’t tell your exes (might be a can of worms) but tell your friends.
Once we reach our goal, the person with the highest social media shares will win a prize!
Copy and paste
As you're sharing the link to our campaign, copy and paste this caption below or add anything that compels you about this story!
"D.N.A—a visual expression of depression and anxiety through the lens of a broken Hispanic fighter. The film D.N.A explores the issues of mental health and we need your help to make the film come true." Visit: https://seedandspark.com/fund/dna-1#story
Save image and share
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Share this update!
About This Team
Quay Jones, Writer/Director/Producer: Quay Jones is a life-long New Yorker and former mixed martial artist. At the age of 29, he decided to pursue his lifelong desire of making movies and enrolled in Digital Film Academy in NYC. He graduated in 2019, and frequently collaborates with the team that he formed there. He has produced, written, and directed many short films and music videos, most famously, radio show host's Keri D. Singleton's Wanderer's Game, a short film that derived from Singleton's award-winning book of the same title. He is also a big advocate of mental health and social justice.
Andres Garcia, Producer: Andres Garcia is a New Jersey native who graduated from Montclair State University with a degree in English, minoring and concentrating in film. He is also a 2019 Digital Film Academy graduate and has produced various small projects. His interests include cultural and psychological depictions within film.
Leonardo Frias, Director of Photography: Originally from the Dominican Republic, Leo is a DFA alumni and self-taught cinematographer. He has been the cinematographer of many of Quay Jones's films and is always looking for new ways to make the audience engage with a film emotionally through stunning visuals and camera movements.
Valentina Nezaj, Assistant Director: Valentina is a Brooklyn native who joined the team this year as an assistant director. She is a CUNY John Jay graduate with a degree in psychology and a minor in English. She has a passion for mental health advocacy that she often experiences through her creative writing. Her love for filmography grows every day and she hopes to show that love to the world.
Marquis Gregory: Born and raised in The Bronx, Marquis has made it a personal goal to challenge himself to tackle as many roles in the film industry possible. He's a jack of all trades and continues to showcase his love for his craft through his work.
Richard Diaz: A Brooklyn native Rich is a multi-talented filmmaker, he is making his acting debut in "D.N.A", where he plays the main character's best friend as well as a Grip & Gaffer on set. He is also a recording artist who goes under the name "Rich Banx".
Kogan Li: Kogan is one of the most talented assets of the crew! He is an experienced sound engineer, having done a lot of post-production sound mixing for reality TV and film. Originally from China, he migrated to the U.S in search of new beginnings and has made a name for himself within the sound department of the film industry.