Donovan & Drakesmasher: Attorneys at Magical Law
Athens, Georgia | Film Short
Fantasy, Comedy
In a world where magic is a normality and whimsey runs unchecked, Donovan & Drakesmasher: Attorneys at Magical Law aims to highlight the abuse of power that often finds its way into the courtroom. Your support will help bring this wacky legal system of a magical realm to life!
Donovan & Drakesmasher: Attorneys at Magical Law
Athens, Georgia | Film Short
Fantasy, Comedy
1 Campaigns | Georgia, United States
28 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$6,451
Goal: $10,000 for production
In a world where magic is a normality and whimsey runs unchecked, Donovan & Drakesmasher: Attorneys at Magical Law aims to highlight the abuse of power that often finds its way into the courtroom. Your support will help bring this wacky legal system of a magical realm to life!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Welcome to the Realm of Maroonia: a world where the magical meets the mundane. Druids clock into office jobs. Kings install 5G in their castles. And adventuring is a perfectly viable career path. It's tucked away in this whimsical world we find Lawrence Donovan and Thazzoroth Drakesmasher, two Magical Injury Lawyers down on their luck.
Business at their struggling law firm is slow, until one day when an unusual client walks into their office. Trudy Hayfever, a once-humble tavernkeeper, has had her head unlawfully transmogrified into that of a deer. Worse still, she insists the curse was cast by none other than the world-renowned wizard Grandor the Groundbreaking.
With renewed purpose and a thirst for justice, Lawrence and Thazzoroth set out to challenge one of the most powerful figures in Maroonia, navigating a legal system where spells, corruption, and loopholes are just as perilous as dragons. But in a world this fantastical, the real question is: who’s actually playing by the rules?
Hail and well met, friend! My name is Greyson Brooks, and I am the writer and director for Donovan & Drakesmasher: Attorneys at Magical Law. I have been a sucker for worldbuilding and fantasy all my life, and this film proves just that. I'm also a big comedy fan, and have written more comedies than any other genre in my years of filmmaking. It's no coincidence then that this film embraces the wonderfully weird intersection of high fantasy and everyday bureaucracy. In this world, magic is less a grand cosmic force and more an inconvenient hazard you might file a claim over. The comedy in the story comes from playing the fantastical completely straight: letting a mild-mannered lawyer, an overly heroic barbarian, and a deer-headed tavern owner navigate a system that’s just as chaotic and unpredictable as the magic causing their problems. Their dynamic grounds the story and gives the humor real emotional stakes.
The film may take place in a fantastical world, but it is grounded in all-too-familiar human behavior. While I want audiences to laugh, that is not my only purpose as the director of this project. I also want viewers to reexamine how they respond to spectacle, and how quickly they may jump to biased conclusions. Why are we so fascinated by high-profile court cases? Why do we immediately decide our own verdicts before the jury's even summoned? By dressing these ideas in comedy and fantasy, Donovan & Drakesmasher ultimately asks whether justice is shaped by truth, or by whoever puts on the best show.
Visually and tonally, the film blends the epic with the mundane: colorful, unhinged spellcasting set against cramped offices, cluttered desks, and courtrooms filled with eleves. But still, beneath the silliness is a story about justice and standing up against the odds to power and those who deem themselves above judgement. My goal as director is to make a film that is emotionally compelling and sincerely ridiculous, and so I’m excited to get started!
Donovan & Drakesmasher is a fantasy film at heart, but will be taking comedic que's from some of our favorite works, such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Alongside these two absurd comedies, we also take inspiration from the 2015 legal satire dramedy series Better Call Saul, specifically how this series frames the plights of struggling lawyers and the things they would do to succeed in a world against them. While Donovan & Drakesmasher will be a little more lighthearted than that, the show itself is still a huge inspiration alongside the other two. All blended together in one bubbling cauldron, you get a fantasy/legal comedy legally guaranteed (non-binding) to knock your socks off!
Lawrence Donovan would be an average, everyday lawyer, save for the fact that he resides in such a fantastical world. He's the level-headed one of the team, and usually finds himself needing to take logical approaches to illogical scenarios. Oftentimes overwhelmed by a world that appears to be much more important than he is, Lawrence tries his best to hold together the struggling firm. All he needs is one big break.
Thazzoroth Drakesmasher is the other half of the firm. The yin to Lawrences yang, Thazzoroth is brash, short-tempered, and prone to throw around a desk or two. And while his way of life typically leads to more problems for Lawrence, he wouldn't have it any other way. Is he actually a lawyer? Presumably, though we're too afraid to ask him. He's pretty good at getting information out of people, though!
Grandor the Groundbreaking is the king's head wizard and Mr. Whimsical himself. He's everything a wizard should be: extravagant, robed, and extremely patronizing to others. Grandor believes himself not only above others, but above the law itself. And while he acts zany and fantastical at first, challenging his way of thinking tends to bring out a much colder character.
Trudy Hayfever WAS a normal person, a well-doing tavern keep just minding her own business, when one day she was cursed with the head of a deer by Grandor the Groundbreaking for refusing to sell him an ale past regular business hours. Now shunted from her normal life, Trudy has come to the law offices of Donovan & Drakesmasher to make things right and help bring Grandor to justice.
We need at least 80% of our goal to receive funds through Seed&Spark. We won't receive any funds if we don’t hit this! This project is significant to us, and to do it justice, we need to meet our $10,000 budget.
Let's be honest. A film like this isn't cheap, so your financial contribution will help us cover production expenses to bring this film to life. Any contribution you can make will go to help support:
- Cast: We want to get the best people possible to play the principal cast for our 5-day shoot.
- Catering: In order to make a film we need a village of people, and people need to be fed.
- Art: Costumes, props, and sets will all play a role in helping us to create a convincing magical world.
- Equipment: We want to give our crew the best equipment we'll be able to afford!
- Publicity: Festival submissions aren't cheap, and we want to share this film to the widest audience possible. So every extra little dollar will help us to submit to as many film festivals as possible.
We appreciate you reviewing our campaign page and your continued support in reaching our fundraising goals through Seed&Spark. You can help us spread the word by sharing our campaign page on social media, and while you're there, visit our Instagram page and follow us there, too! Tell all your friends and family! Who knows? They may just be in need of a magical injury lawyer.
We can't wait to show you Donovan & Drakesmasher: Attorneys at Magical Law in the upcoming months. Thank you all!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Wardrobe
Costs $1,000
With these funds we'll be able to give our costume designer, Jordyn Seever, everything she'll need to make our actors stand out on screen!
Equipment
Costs $1,500
With these funds we can acquire all the equipment we'll need for the film.
Set Operations
Costs $1,875
With these funds we'll be able to provide catering for all 5 shooting days.
Publicity
Costs $250
With these funds we'll be able to submit the finished film to film festivals.
Props
Costs $750
With these funds we'll be able to create/buy the props needed for the film.
Set Decoration
Costs $750
With these funds we'll be able to decorate the sets to help sell the illusion of a magical world.
10% Contingency
Costs $1,000
With these funds we'll be able to prepare for any unforeseen overtures that may happen. Leftover funds will be allocated into publicity.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Greyson Brooks
Writer / Director
Greyson Brooks is a Georgia-native filmmaker and University of Georgia alum. He likes creating stories that are far from reality, whether it be sci-fi, fantasy or comedy. With a great passion for world building, Greyson works in art direction and prop building . He has made multiple genre-mashed short films in the past, from dramatic cooking shows to slapstick sci-fi's. He is a current MFA candidate at the University of Georgia MFA Film Program, and he is excited to work with his amazing team to make his most ambitious film yet!
Eric Walters
Producer
Eric Walters, a filmmaker based in Atlanta, is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Film, Television & Digital Media at the University of Georgia. His concentration encompasses writing, directing, and producing, with a particular emphasis on crafting narratives that deviate from conventional storytelling techniques. Prior to his MFA studies, Walters earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Film & Video Production from the University of West Georgia. He further enhanced his expertise by obtaining the Film & Television Production Certification from the Georgia Film Academy. Notably, Walters has garnered multiple awards for his short films, and currently an award finalist at the Atlanta After Dark Film Festival for his most recent work, Portrait of a Man in a Box.
Delaire Gackle
Director of Photography
Delaire Gackle is a writer, director, and cinematographer based out of the Atlanta area. She has served as Director of Photography on a number of unique projects and most recently was selected for her work in "Portrait of a Man in a Box", an award finalist at the Atlanta After Dark Film Festival. She has also worked as a cinematographer in a documentary with the Luminous Group.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Welcome to the Realm of Maroonia: a world where the magical meets the mundane. Druids clock into office jobs. Kings install 5G in their castles. And adventuring is a perfectly viable career path. It's tucked away in this whimsical world we find Lawrence Donovan and Thazzoroth Drakesmasher, two Magical Injury Lawyers down on their luck.
Business at their struggling law firm is slow, until one day when an unusual client walks into their office. Trudy Hayfever, a once-humble tavernkeeper, has had her head unlawfully transmogrified into that of a deer. Worse still, she insists the curse was cast by none other than the world-renowned wizard Grandor the Groundbreaking.
With renewed purpose and a thirst for justice, Lawrence and Thazzoroth set out to challenge one of the most powerful figures in Maroonia, navigating a legal system where spells, corruption, and loopholes are just as perilous as dragons. But in a world this fantastical, the real question is: who’s actually playing by the rules?
Hail and well met, friend! My name is Greyson Brooks, and I am the writer and director for Donovan & Drakesmasher: Attorneys at Magical Law. I have been a sucker for worldbuilding and fantasy all my life, and this film proves just that. I'm also a big comedy fan, and have written more comedies than any other genre in my years of filmmaking. It's no coincidence then that this film embraces the wonderfully weird intersection of high fantasy and everyday bureaucracy. In this world, magic is less a grand cosmic force and more an inconvenient hazard you might file a claim over. The comedy in the story comes from playing the fantastical completely straight: letting a mild-mannered lawyer, an overly heroic barbarian, and a deer-headed tavern owner navigate a system that’s just as chaotic and unpredictable as the magic causing their problems. Their dynamic grounds the story and gives the humor real emotional stakes.
The film may take place in a fantastical world, but it is grounded in all-too-familiar human behavior. While I want audiences to laugh, that is not my only purpose as the director of this project. I also want viewers to reexamine how they respond to spectacle, and how quickly they may jump to biased conclusions. Why are we so fascinated by high-profile court cases? Why do we immediately decide our own verdicts before the jury's even summoned? By dressing these ideas in comedy and fantasy, Donovan & Drakesmasher ultimately asks whether justice is shaped by truth, or by whoever puts on the best show.
Visually and tonally, the film blends the epic with the mundane: colorful, unhinged spellcasting set against cramped offices, cluttered desks, and courtrooms filled with eleves. But still, beneath the silliness is a story about justice and standing up against the odds to power and those who deem themselves above judgement. My goal as director is to make a film that is emotionally compelling and sincerely ridiculous, and so I’m excited to get started!
Donovan & Drakesmasher is a fantasy film at heart, but will be taking comedic que's from some of our favorite works, such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Alongside these two absurd comedies, we also take inspiration from the 2015 legal satire dramedy series Better Call Saul, specifically how this series frames the plights of struggling lawyers and the things they would do to succeed in a world against them. While Donovan & Drakesmasher will be a little more lighthearted than that, the show itself is still a huge inspiration alongside the other two. All blended together in one bubbling cauldron, you get a fantasy/legal comedy legally guaranteed (non-binding) to knock your socks off!
Lawrence Donovan would be an average, everyday lawyer, save for the fact that he resides in such a fantastical world. He's the level-headed one of the team, and usually finds himself needing to take logical approaches to illogical scenarios. Oftentimes overwhelmed by a world that appears to be much more important than he is, Lawrence tries his best to hold together the struggling firm. All he needs is one big break.
Thazzoroth Drakesmasher is the other half of the firm. The yin to Lawrences yang, Thazzoroth is brash, short-tempered, and prone to throw around a desk or two. And while his way of life typically leads to more problems for Lawrence, he wouldn't have it any other way. Is he actually a lawyer? Presumably, though we're too afraid to ask him. He's pretty good at getting information out of people, though!
Grandor the Groundbreaking is the king's head wizard and Mr. Whimsical himself. He's everything a wizard should be: extravagant, robed, and extremely patronizing to others. Grandor believes himself not only above others, but above the law itself. And while he acts zany and fantastical at first, challenging his way of thinking tends to bring out a much colder character.
Trudy Hayfever WAS a normal person, a well-doing tavern keep just minding her own business, when one day she was cursed with the head of a deer by Grandor the Groundbreaking for refusing to sell him an ale past regular business hours. Now shunted from her normal life, Trudy has come to the law offices of Donovan & Drakesmasher to make things right and help bring Grandor to justice.
We need at least 80% of our goal to receive funds through Seed&Spark. We won't receive any funds if we don’t hit this! This project is significant to us, and to do it justice, we need to meet our $10,000 budget.
Let's be honest. A film like this isn't cheap, so your financial contribution will help us cover production expenses to bring this film to life. Any contribution you can make will go to help support:
- Cast: We want to get the best people possible to play the principal cast for our 5-day shoot.
- Catering: In order to make a film we need a village of people, and people need to be fed.
- Art: Costumes, props, and sets will all play a role in helping us to create a convincing magical world.
- Equipment: We want to give our crew the best equipment we'll be able to afford!
- Publicity: Festival submissions aren't cheap, and we want to share this film to the widest audience possible. So every extra little dollar will help us to submit to as many film festivals as possible.
We appreciate you reviewing our campaign page and your continued support in reaching our fundraising goals through Seed&Spark. You can help us spread the word by sharing our campaign page on social media, and while you're there, visit our Instagram page and follow us there, too! Tell all your friends and family! Who knows? They may just be in need of a magical injury lawyer.
We can't wait to show you Donovan & Drakesmasher: Attorneys at Magical Law in the upcoming months. Thank you all!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Wardrobe
Costs $1,000
With these funds we'll be able to give our costume designer, Jordyn Seever, everything she'll need to make our actors stand out on screen!
Equipment
Costs $1,500
With these funds we can acquire all the equipment we'll need for the film.
Set Operations
Costs $1,875
With these funds we'll be able to provide catering for all 5 shooting days.
Publicity
Costs $250
With these funds we'll be able to submit the finished film to film festivals.
Props
Costs $750
With these funds we'll be able to create/buy the props needed for the film.
Set Decoration
Costs $750
With these funds we'll be able to decorate the sets to help sell the illusion of a magical world.
10% Contingency
Costs $1,000
With these funds we'll be able to prepare for any unforeseen overtures that may happen. Leftover funds will be allocated into publicity.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Greyson Brooks
Writer / Director
Greyson Brooks is a Georgia-native filmmaker and University of Georgia alum. He likes creating stories that are far from reality, whether it be sci-fi, fantasy or comedy. With a great passion for world building, Greyson works in art direction and prop building . He has made multiple genre-mashed short films in the past, from dramatic cooking shows to slapstick sci-fi's. He is a current MFA candidate at the University of Georgia MFA Film Program, and he is excited to work with his amazing team to make his most ambitious film yet!
Eric Walters
Producer
Eric Walters, a filmmaker based in Atlanta, is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Film, Television & Digital Media at the University of Georgia. His concentration encompasses writing, directing, and producing, with a particular emphasis on crafting narratives that deviate from conventional storytelling techniques. Prior to his MFA studies, Walters earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Film & Video Production from the University of West Georgia. He further enhanced his expertise by obtaining the Film & Television Production Certification from the Georgia Film Academy. Notably, Walters has garnered multiple awards for his short films, and currently an award finalist at the Atlanta After Dark Film Festival for his most recent work, Portrait of a Man in a Box.
Delaire Gackle
Director of Photography
Delaire Gackle is a writer, director, and cinematographer based out of the Atlanta area. She has served as Director of Photography on a number of unique projects and most recently was selected for her work in "Portrait of a Man in a Box", an award finalist at the Atlanta After Dark Film Festival. She has also worked as a cinematographer in a documentary with the Luminous Group.