Dried Flowers
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Other
A young woman struggles with her best friend's suicide and the role she may have played in it. This project stems from my experience of losing a roommate and aims to foster conversation about mental health.
Dried Flowers
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Other
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $19,498 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
171 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
A young woman struggles with her best friend's suicide and the role she may have played in it. This project stems from my experience of losing a roommate and aims to foster conversation about mental health.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
For a long time, I was angry with myself. After my college roommate had taken her own life, I couldn't help but feel responsible for it. I was angry that I was oblivious to her signs. Angry that I was so self-focused when I got to college. Angry that I didn't get to have the final conversation I wish I could have had with her had I known it would be our last. It's been 8 years since I lost her but, in a way, this project is acting as that final conversation for me.
Have you ever felt like you are stuck in a loop, unable to escape the tunnel vision you find yourself in? I found myself struggling with that in both the good and the bad. I would soak up all the good memories we had together and hyper analyze the days I wish I could have changed. I was unable to stop myself from picturing all the life memories she would be missing out on and all that I wanted for her. While it has been hard to break down my thoughts and lived experience, this film has oddly has given me some distance and a new perspective on my healing process. I'm aiming to help others grow from my experience through this story.
Do you know that one cooky friend you have who tends to communicate more so through sounds and body gestures instead of words? Well, that's "Laney", our lead.
Before 24-year-old Laney starts the next chapter of her life in a new city, she has to address her biggest fear that has obstructed her for the last two years: the fact that she may be personally responsible for the passing of her college roommate, Kat. While it has taken her time to realize this, she feels the only person who can help her determine her verdict is Kat's mother, Meredith.
Finally traveling to Kat's childhood home in order to collect a letter that Kat had left behind for Laney, we realize how Laney's life perspective has drastically changed since the incident. She's exhausted, isolated, and has even become a little judgemental. She's hurting. It's clear that as difficult as it is going to be, Laney needs to have this open conversation with Kat's mother so that she can finally glue the broken pieces of herself back together again.
Two years into my grad program at USC, I edited a short documentary called At What Cost? (2020) which tackled the suicide epidemic at USC and addressed the stigma of speaking about mental health on college campuses. That project pushed me to reflect on my experience of losing a roommate and my years as a residential assistant when I served as the first point of contact for a lot of students seeking help in regards to their mental health. Ultimately, it gave me the courage to realize this concept that I had sitting on a shelf for a few years now.
What I learned most from these experiences is that there is a lot of confusion when it comes to mental health. Some of the most common questions I came across were:
1. What should I look out for?
2. How should I ask someone I'm concerned about if they are experiencing bad thoughts/suicidal ideation?
3. What is suicidal ideation?
4. Am I going to make someone suicidal if I bring it up to them?
For years, I was terrified that I may miss the signs or lose someone else. This project was born out of that fear. While it's helping me gain closure and peace of mind, I'm making this film to boost the conversation of how mental health works on a spectrum and emphasize how the subject matter should be spoken aloud.
I love social commentary films and what I find most interesting about them is that they often find fun, creative, and/or comedic ways to make difficult subject matter easier to approach. This Way Up or The Last Black Man of San Francisco do a fantastic job at balancing their hard-to-swallow truths with humor and absurdity and are the types of stories I strive to make... Stories that advocate for social change. We plan to accomplish this with our film by delicately bringing some absurdity and notes of humor to get people to feel more comfortable talking about suicide and ideation.
Our confidence to take on this sensitive and need-to-be-told project comes from the mélange of this approach and coming-of-age films. While Laney isn't a high schooler, she's found herself locked in time since the passing of her roommate and so, in a way, this film is acting as a coming-of-age film where Laney goes through a lot of emotional growth. Inspired by films like Driveways and Ladybird, we plan to make the most of this film and also explore the quiet/simple moments which we often overlook.
Social Commentary: This Way Up (Upper Left) and The Last Black Man of San Francisco (Upper Right)
Coming-of-Age: Driveways (Lower Left) and Ladybird (Lower Right)
My team and I have put our souls into this project over the past year and a half. We've started filming but we need your help to finish it! After months of prep work and overcoming both greenlight and COVID hurdles, here is a cost breakdown we have carefully curated for this production. It's taken us longer than expected to get where we are but we are now confident where we stand!
With my time in higher education reaching its end, this is my last chance to make this project and make an impact in this community while I am still part of it. College is exciting but it's also incredibly stressful and quick-changing. It's easy to forget this once you're out in the "real world". I need to make this now to ensure that I'm being as honest and self-reflective as possible of my experience while I'm still in this setting.
We need your help to reach our goal of $19,378. We've worked hard to maximize our resources to make this film as cost-effective as possible while also keeping our goals in mind (thank you to all family and friends who are helping us along the way!), but now it's time for me to pay them back before we move forward.
By contributing to this project, you are supporting our team's cause to destigmatize talking about mental health and the grieving process.
If you'd like to support this project but can't do so financially, that's okay!
Here's how you can help us instead:
1) "Follow" and "Share" our campaign!
We would love to keep you in the loop. We'll give you updates on our campaign, the project and the people who are helping us make this film a reality.
2) Spread the word! Follow our Instagram and TikTok! @driedflowersfilm
The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our network. Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you'd like!
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Help filmmaker @foustene by supporting her heartfelt female-driven story, DRIED FLOWERS, about a young woman struggling with her best friend's passing and the fact that she may have her own mental health issues she needs to address. Join them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/dried-flowers
I just watched the DRIED FLOWERS Seed and Spark campaign video and WOW. This project provides a healthy and open environment through we which we can discuss mental health! A lot of us don't feel as though our symptoms are "bad enough" to merit the depression label. So where does the line start? Join them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/dried-flowers
I'm so excited to see this touching film, DRIED FLOWERS, by Emerson College and USC alum @foustene. Support them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/dried-flowers
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Insurance
Costs $1,605
Help us ensure that we are protecting the gear we are responsible for! Having insurance is key!
Hard Drives
Costs $480
We need a place to store the footage we are capturing on set! Help us pick a reliable option.
STORY AND RIGHTS
Costs $30
We want to secure our script with the WGA!
PRODUCTION STAFF
Costs $300
We have a studio teach on set for one day to support our child actor!
ART DEPARTMENT
Costs $950
We need supplies to build our set!
SET OPERATIONS
Costs $854
We want to make this film safely. Please help execute this goal!
WARDROBE
Costs $250
We have a specific color palette we're working with to separate Laney's world from the rest!
MAKE UP AND HAIRDRESSING
Costs $500
Laney's going through a hard time. Makeup will help highlight her emotional state!
SET CONSTRUCTION
Costs $750
There are some stunts in this film! We need to build a set for safety reasons.
SET LIGHTING
Costs $2,864
While school provides a good amount of lighting, we still need more to achieve our aesthetic goal!
CAMERA
Costs $3,125
We are getting our camera body from school but need to rent out additional glass and supplies!
PRODUCTION SOUND
Costs $380
We need funds to check out sound equipment!
LOCATIONS
Costs $5,130
We've locked quite a few locations for free but some we need to pay for! Help us find our home.
PRODUCTION FILM AND LAB
Costs $480
We have a few complicated VFX shots we need to purchase which will save us more money in the end!
TRANSPORTATION
Costs $1,680
With all of our equipment, we need a transportation vehicle to make this film possible!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
FOUSTENE FORTENBACH
Director/Writer
Foustene Fortenbach ("FAW-stene") is a Spring '22 MFA USC grad who is originally from the SF/Bay Area. After working in commercials, she went back to school to finesse her directing and editing skills. Foustene loves to collaborate and work on projects that advocate for social change. In 2019, Foustene won festival awards for her short film, Cajas, the goal of which was to get people who question the trans community to take a closer step towards acceptance. The project screened throughout the U.S., as well as in Canada and Mexico. In 2020, Foustene edited At What Cost?, a short documentary that spotlights the suicide epidemic on USC's campus. Some of the festivals where it screened include LA Shorts International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Documentary film festival.
CALEB SMITH
Producer
Caleb Smith recently graduated from USC in pursuit of a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production. As a producer he has worked on a range of projects, including USC thesis films Dried Flowers and Iris. He is proud to have featured his dog, Levi, in several of the short films he has produced and directed, most notably Levi’s groundbreaking and emotional performance in the comedic short Pizza Battle.
Caleb was born and raised in Austin, Texas. He studied English and played baseball at Rice University in Houston. Caleb retired from his first career as a professional baseball player in 2016 after playing two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. He continues to enjoy athletics and an outdoor lifestyle. On weekends you can find him at the beach or at his local basketball court.
CARLY ROGERS
Producer
Carly Rogers is a producer and director from Portland, Maine, a recent graduate with her MFA in Film and Television Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
A natural storyteller, she relocated to Los Angeles to pursue her career in filmmaking. Since being at USC she has produced several short films, including the short documentary project Immigrant at Home which showed in film festivals Doc LA, St. Louis International Film Festival, Mizna’s Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, and the Impact Doc Awards where it won the Award of Merit for documentary short. Her directorial debut short Missing premiered at the Roxbury International Film Festival in 2020.
JOHN B. HANLE
Director of Photography
John Hanle is a Los Angeles based cinematographer and graduate of the M.F.A program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He cut his teeth in New York City, working in the camera department on critically-acclaimed independent features like Crown Heights (Starring LaKeith Stanfield), and editing work for clients like PepsiCo, Billboard, Maybelline, and the Emmy-nominated live music program Live from the Artists Den.
He believes passionately in stories that awaken our hearts and minds and is looking forward to watching this one unfold.
BLAINE MORRIS
Editor
Blaine Morris is a Puerto Rican actress and filmmaker. Before graduating from Columbia University BA '19 Media and Film Studies, she was an actress on MTV Skins, Master of None, and more. She is in post-production for a feature film “Anne, With Love” which she wrote, produced and starred in. Currently, Blaine attends USC's School of Cinematic Arts for a MFA in TV & Film Production as a George Lucas Scholar with a focus on editing/directing and is a Women in Film actor/content creator mentee with “Good Trouble” showrunner Joanna Johnson as her mentor, which she will director shadow co-creator Peter Paige on an episode later this year. Her last project she edited, Bad Hombrewood, in in the festival circuit and premiered at SBIFF.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
For a long time, I was angry with myself. After my college roommate had taken her own life, I couldn't help but feel responsible for it. I was angry that I was oblivious to her signs. Angry that I was so self-focused when I got to college. Angry that I didn't get to have the final conversation I wish I could have had with her had I known it would be our last. It's been 8 years since I lost her but, in a way, this project is acting as that final conversation for me.
Have you ever felt like you are stuck in a loop, unable to escape the tunnel vision you find yourself in? I found myself struggling with that in both the good and the bad. I would soak up all the good memories we had together and hyper analyze the days I wish I could have changed. I was unable to stop myself from picturing all the life memories she would be missing out on and all that I wanted for her. While it has been hard to break down my thoughts and lived experience, this film has oddly has given me some distance and a new perspective on my healing process. I'm aiming to help others grow from my experience through this story.
Do you know that one cooky friend you have who tends to communicate more so through sounds and body gestures instead of words? Well, that's "Laney", our lead.
Before 24-year-old Laney starts the next chapter of her life in a new city, she has to address her biggest fear that has obstructed her for the last two years: the fact that she may be personally responsible for the passing of her college roommate, Kat. While it has taken her time to realize this, she feels the only person who can help her determine her verdict is Kat's mother, Meredith.
Finally traveling to Kat's childhood home in order to collect a letter that Kat had left behind for Laney, we realize how Laney's life perspective has drastically changed since the incident. She's exhausted, isolated, and has even become a little judgemental. She's hurting. It's clear that as difficult as it is going to be, Laney needs to have this open conversation with Kat's mother so that she can finally glue the broken pieces of herself back together again.
Two years into my grad program at USC, I edited a short documentary called At What Cost? (2020) which tackled the suicide epidemic at USC and addressed the stigma of speaking about mental health on college campuses. That project pushed me to reflect on my experience of losing a roommate and my years as a residential assistant when I served as the first point of contact for a lot of students seeking help in regards to their mental health. Ultimately, it gave me the courage to realize this concept that I had sitting on a shelf for a few years now.
What I learned most from these experiences is that there is a lot of confusion when it comes to mental health. Some of the most common questions I came across were:
1. What should I look out for?
2. How should I ask someone I'm concerned about if they are experiencing bad thoughts/suicidal ideation?
3. What is suicidal ideation?
4. Am I going to make someone suicidal if I bring it up to them?
For years, I was terrified that I may miss the signs or lose someone else. This project was born out of that fear. While it's helping me gain closure and peace of mind, I'm making this film to boost the conversation of how mental health works on a spectrum and emphasize how the subject matter should be spoken aloud.
I love social commentary films and what I find most interesting about them is that they often find fun, creative, and/or comedic ways to make difficult subject matter easier to approach. This Way Up or The Last Black Man of San Francisco do a fantastic job at balancing their hard-to-swallow truths with humor and absurdity and are the types of stories I strive to make... Stories that advocate for social change. We plan to accomplish this with our film by delicately bringing some absurdity and notes of humor to get people to feel more comfortable talking about suicide and ideation.
Our confidence to take on this sensitive and need-to-be-told project comes from the mélange of this approach and coming-of-age films. While Laney isn't a high schooler, she's found herself locked in time since the passing of her roommate and so, in a way, this film is acting as a coming-of-age film where Laney goes through a lot of emotional growth. Inspired by films like Driveways and Ladybird, we plan to make the most of this film and also explore the quiet/simple moments which we often overlook.
Social Commentary: This Way Up (Upper Left) and The Last Black Man of San Francisco (Upper Right)
Coming-of-Age: Driveways (Lower Left) and Ladybird (Lower Right)
My team and I have put our souls into this project over the past year and a half. We've started filming but we need your help to finish it! After months of prep work and overcoming both greenlight and COVID hurdles, here is a cost breakdown we have carefully curated for this production. It's taken us longer than expected to get where we are but we are now confident where we stand!
With my time in higher education reaching its end, this is my last chance to make this project and make an impact in this community while I am still part of it. College is exciting but it's also incredibly stressful and quick-changing. It's easy to forget this once you're out in the "real world". I need to make this now to ensure that I'm being as honest and self-reflective as possible of my experience while I'm still in this setting.
We need your help to reach our goal of $19,378. We've worked hard to maximize our resources to make this film as cost-effective as possible while also keeping our goals in mind (thank you to all family and friends who are helping us along the way!), but now it's time for me to pay them back before we move forward.
By contributing to this project, you are supporting our team's cause to destigmatize talking about mental health and the grieving process.
If you'd like to support this project but can't do so financially, that's okay!
Here's how you can help us instead:
1) "Follow" and "Share" our campaign!
We would love to keep you in the loop. We'll give you updates on our campaign, the project and the people who are helping us make this film a reality.
2) Spread the word! Follow our Instagram and TikTok! @driedflowersfilm
The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our network. Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you'd like!
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Help filmmaker @foustene by supporting her heartfelt female-driven story, DRIED FLOWERS, about a young woman struggling with her best friend's passing and the fact that she may have her own mental health issues she needs to address. Join them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/dried-flowers
I just watched the DRIED FLOWERS Seed and Spark campaign video and WOW. This project provides a healthy and open environment through we which we can discuss mental health! A lot of us don't feel as though our symptoms are "bad enough" to merit the depression label. So where does the line start? Join them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/dried-flowers
I'm so excited to see this touching film, DRIED FLOWERS, by Emerson College and USC alum @foustene. Support them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/dried-flowers
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Insurance
Costs $1,605
Help us ensure that we are protecting the gear we are responsible for! Having insurance is key!
Hard Drives
Costs $480
We need a place to store the footage we are capturing on set! Help us pick a reliable option.
STORY AND RIGHTS
Costs $30
We want to secure our script with the WGA!
PRODUCTION STAFF
Costs $300
We have a studio teach on set for one day to support our child actor!
ART DEPARTMENT
Costs $950
We need supplies to build our set!
SET OPERATIONS
Costs $854
We want to make this film safely. Please help execute this goal!
WARDROBE
Costs $250
We have a specific color palette we're working with to separate Laney's world from the rest!
MAKE UP AND HAIRDRESSING
Costs $500
Laney's going through a hard time. Makeup will help highlight her emotional state!
SET CONSTRUCTION
Costs $750
There are some stunts in this film! We need to build a set for safety reasons.
SET LIGHTING
Costs $2,864
While school provides a good amount of lighting, we still need more to achieve our aesthetic goal!
CAMERA
Costs $3,125
We are getting our camera body from school but need to rent out additional glass and supplies!
PRODUCTION SOUND
Costs $380
We need funds to check out sound equipment!
LOCATIONS
Costs $5,130
We've locked quite a few locations for free but some we need to pay for! Help us find our home.
PRODUCTION FILM AND LAB
Costs $480
We have a few complicated VFX shots we need to purchase which will save us more money in the end!
TRANSPORTATION
Costs $1,680
With all of our equipment, we need a transportation vehicle to make this film possible!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
FOUSTENE FORTENBACH
Director/Writer
Foustene Fortenbach ("FAW-stene") is a Spring '22 MFA USC grad who is originally from the SF/Bay Area. After working in commercials, she went back to school to finesse her directing and editing skills. Foustene loves to collaborate and work on projects that advocate for social change. In 2019, Foustene won festival awards for her short film, Cajas, the goal of which was to get people who question the trans community to take a closer step towards acceptance. The project screened throughout the U.S., as well as in Canada and Mexico. In 2020, Foustene edited At What Cost?, a short documentary that spotlights the suicide epidemic on USC's campus. Some of the festivals where it screened include LA Shorts International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Documentary film festival.
CALEB SMITH
Producer
Caleb Smith recently graduated from USC in pursuit of a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production. As a producer he has worked on a range of projects, including USC thesis films Dried Flowers and Iris. He is proud to have featured his dog, Levi, in several of the short films he has produced and directed, most notably Levi’s groundbreaking and emotional performance in the comedic short Pizza Battle.
Caleb was born and raised in Austin, Texas. He studied English and played baseball at Rice University in Houston. Caleb retired from his first career as a professional baseball player in 2016 after playing two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. He continues to enjoy athletics and an outdoor lifestyle. On weekends you can find him at the beach or at his local basketball court.
CARLY ROGERS
Producer
Carly Rogers is a producer and director from Portland, Maine, a recent graduate with her MFA in Film and Television Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
A natural storyteller, she relocated to Los Angeles to pursue her career in filmmaking. Since being at USC she has produced several short films, including the short documentary project Immigrant at Home which showed in film festivals Doc LA, St. Louis International Film Festival, Mizna’s Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, and the Impact Doc Awards where it won the Award of Merit for documentary short. Her directorial debut short Missing premiered at the Roxbury International Film Festival in 2020.
JOHN B. HANLE
Director of Photography
John Hanle is a Los Angeles based cinematographer and graduate of the M.F.A program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He cut his teeth in New York City, working in the camera department on critically-acclaimed independent features like Crown Heights (Starring LaKeith Stanfield), and editing work for clients like PepsiCo, Billboard, Maybelline, and the Emmy-nominated live music program Live from the Artists Den.
He believes passionately in stories that awaken our hearts and minds and is looking forward to watching this one unfold.
BLAINE MORRIS
Editor
Blaine Morris is a Puerto Rican actress and filmmaker. Before graduating from Columbia University BA '19 Media and Film Studies, she was an actress on MTV Skins, Master of None, and more. She is in post-production for a feature film “Anne, With Love” which she wrote, produced and starred in. Currently, Blaine attends USC's School of Cinematic Arts for a MFA in TV & Film Production as a George Lucas Scholar with a focus on editing/directing and is a Women in Film actor/content creator mentee with “Good Trouble” showrunner Joanna Johnson as her mentor, which she will director shadow co-creator Peter Paige on an episode later this year. Her last project she edited, Bad Hombrewood, in in the festival circuit and premiered at SBIFF.