Drowned Horses
Olympia, Washington | Film Short
Film-Noir, Crime
Can we really deny our nature, or just suppress it until it bursts out? Drowned Horses explores the tension between who we are and who we choose to be. Creating this proof of concept is the first step that will give us a fighting chance to develop the larger project at hand, a feature length film.
Drowned Horses
Olympia, Washington | Film Short
Film-Noir, Crime
1 Campaigns | Washington, United States
18 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$2,425
Goal: $10,000 for production
Can we really deny our nature, or just suppress it until it bursts out? Drowned Horses explores the tension between who we are and who we choose to be. Creating this proof of concept is the first step that will give us a fighting chance to develop the larger project at hand, a feature length film.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Amid the squalor of a drug den, a young boy wakes in search of his mother, unaware that she lies dead just a room away. He is left alone to face a tragedy he cannot yet comprehend, one that will profoundly shape the course of his life.
Jack leads a life defined by violence, routinely moving from one bloody job to the next. A once reliable muscle for the criminal underworld in the forsaken town of Black Pines, his faith and commitment to the cold-blooded life has started to falter—he questions whether it is too late to right a life of wrongs. Growing weary, he drifts between his old friend Sam’s grimy auto-body shop, the familiar haze of the seedy local dive bar, and the ever-looming influence of Ray, the magnetic and dangerous kingpin who holds this backwater town in his seductive grip.
When Elliott, a curious newcomer, lands a job at Sam’s shop, his arrival disrupts the town’s stagnant rhythm. Eager and impressionable, Elliott is drawn inexplicably to the darkness of Black Pines. The same darkness that Jack has come to resent.
At Ray’s behest, Jack is forced into an unexpected mentor role, shepherding Elliott into the criminal life. As their bond deepens, Jack is faced with the task of breaking the generational curse of fear and brutality that has consumed his life.
Drowned Horses is deeply intimate and close-to-home to me. Having spent most of my life in poverty stricken environments and observing first-hand just how complex even the worst people can be, this story allows me to share a glimpse into that. Rather than dividing characters into good and evil, we explore the moral grey that lies within everyone. At times, writing it felt like leaving pieces of myself on the page. Though it comes from a very specific lens, the larger themes are universal.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with the psychology of organized crime—drawn to the humanity inside those systems. The person who wakes up and clocks into their violent nine-to-five, then sits alone afterward forced to live with what they’ve done.
Exploring these themes led me directly to Drowned Horses and its setting of Black Pines, a fictional town in the Pacific Northwest—a blue-collar community ravaged by a crime syndicate that acts with absolute impunity, where generational trauma and cycles of violence are an inescapable way of life.
While my love for the Neo-Noir/Crime genres and old Gangster films is deeply rooted in Drowned Horses’ characters and atmosphere, my goal is to set it apart by examining aspects of these violent subcultures when the ‘cool’ factor is stripped away, where the weight of each death is something more personal, rather than just a shrewd, calculated business move.
A world of black and white morality replaced with endless gray, we want to leave the audience with more questions about themselves than they entered with.
And we do so by starting with one of our own: What happens when an angry, scared kid with no real sense of self is introduced directly into a world like Black Pines?
By capturing the distinct atmosphere, performances, and visual language now, we can prove the feature’s weight and show that the larger vision is possible.
Of course, building a world like Drowned Horses, even just a few scenes, requires immense effort, resources, and a passionate team. Our cast and crew are committed to doing the story justice.
At its core, storytelling is how we process and connect. If bringing this vision to life resonates with even one person, then the work has done what it was meant to do. With your support, we can take the first real step toward making Drowned Horses a reality.
- Please pledge to our Seed & Spark campaign! Click the blue “make a pledge” button above, and select your favorite incentive (we have some great ones!) Make a safe, secure contribution--your credit card will not be charged until the campaign ends on August 15th and ONLY if we hit our goal, if we don’t hit our goal, no credit cards are charged. You can always add more to your pledge as the campaign progresses, if you’d like.
Other Ways to Help
If you can’t contribute financially, here are some free ways to help:
- Please engage with our page and share this link as often as you can with your friends, family, and on social media. Help us get access to additional services from Seed & Spark by following our page here (just click the heart button at the top right of this page).
- If you’re not already, please stay connected to us on Instagram at @DrownedHorsesFilm. Keep an eye out there for special flash incentives, team updates, and more.
- In-kind donations: Are you or someone know able to offer goods & services (e.g. lodging, catering, craft services, etc) for free or discounted pricing? We appreciate any help, please get in touch and let's discuss!
Budget Breakdown
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Actors
Costs $3,000
Help us bring our characters to life in the most authentic way, with a talented cast of actors.
Casting Director
Costs $1,000
Our amazing casting director will help us find the best actors for each of our characters.
Locations
Costs $1,500
Help us secure locations that will represent Black Pines on screen.
Production Design and Props
Costs $500
Production design will bring the world of Black Pines to life!
Catering & Crafy
Costs $1,500
Help us make sure our team is well fed to keep energy & morale up!
Travel & Lodging
Costs $750
While much of our team is local, we have a handful of talented folks coming from out-of-town.
Production Insurance
Costs $500
Help keep our cast, crew, and gear safe and protected throughout production.
Media/Storage
Costs $500
We will need hard drives in order to edit and store the footage long term.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Amid the squalor of a drug den, a young boy wakes in search of his mother, unaware that she lies dead just a room away. He is left alone to face a tragedy he cannot yet comprehend, one that will profoundly shape the course of his life.
Jack leads a life defined by violence, routinely moving from one bloody job to the next. A once reliable muscle for the criminal underworld in the forsaken town of Black Pines, his faith and commitment to the cold-blooded life has started to falter—he questions whether it is too late to right a life of wrongs. Growing weary, he drifts between his old friend Sam’s grimy auto-body shop, the familiar haze of the seedy local dive bar, and the ever-looming influence of Ray, the magnetic and dangerous kingpin who holds this backwater town in his seductive grip.
When Elliott, a curious newcomer, lands a job at Sam’s shop, his arrival disrupts the town’s stagnant rhythm. Eager and impressionable, Elliott is drawn inexplicably to the darkness of Black Pines. The same darkness that Jack has come to resent.
At Ray’s behest, Jack is forced into an unexpected mentor role, shepherding Elliott into the criminal life. As their bond deepens, Jack is faced with the task of breaking the generational curse of fear and brutality that has consumed his life.
Drowned Horses is deeply intimate and close-to-home to me. Having spent most of my life in poverty stricken environments and observing first-hand just how complex even the worst people can be, this story allows me to share a glimpse into that. Rather than dividing characters into good and evil, we explore the moral grey that lies within everyone. At times, writing it felt like leaving pieces of myself on the page. Though it comes from a very specific lens, the larger themes are universal.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with the psychology of organized crime—drawn to the humanity inside those systems. The person who wakes up and clocks into their violent nine-to-five, then sits alone afterward forced to live with what they’ve done.
Exploring these themes led me directly to Drowned Horses and its setting of Black Pines, a fictional town in the Pacific Northwest—a blue-collar community ravaged by a crime syndicate that acts with absolute impunity, where generational trauma and cycles of violence are an inescapable way of life.
While my love for the Neo-Noir/Crime genres and old Gangster films is deeply rooted in Drowned Horses’ characters and atmosphere, my goal is to set it apart by examining aspects of these violent subcultures when the ‘cool’ factor is stripped away, where the weight of each death is something more personal, rather than just a shrewd, calculated business move.
A world of black and white morality replaced with endless gray, we want to leave the audience with more questions about themselves than they entered with.
And we do so by starting with one of our own: What happens when an angry, scared kid with no real sense of self is introduced directly into a world like Black Pines?
By capturing the distinct atmosphere, performances, and visual language now, we can prove the feature’s weight and show that the larger vision is possible.
Of course, building a world like Drowned Horses, even just a few scenes, requires immense effort, resources, and a passionate team. Our cast and crew are committed to doing the story justice.
At its core, storytelling is how we process and connect. If bringing this vision to life resonates with even one person, then the work has done what it was meant to do. With your support, we can take the first real step toward making Drowned Horses a reality.
- Please pledge to our Seed & Spark campaign! Click the blue “make a pledge” button above, and select your favorite incentive (we have some great ones!) Make a safe, secure contribution--your credit card will not be charged until the campaign ends on August 15th and ONLY if we hit our goal, if we don’t hit our goal, no credit cards are charged. You can always add more to your pledge as the campaign progresses, if you’d like.
Other Ways to Help
If you can’t contribute financially, here are some free ways to help:
- Please engage with our page and share this link as often as you can with your friends, family, and on social media. Help us get access to additional services from Seed & Spark by following our page here (just click the heart button at the top right of this page).
- If you’re not already, please stay connected to us on Instagram at @DrownedHorsesFilm. Keep an eye out there for special flash incentives, team updates, and more.
- In-kind donations: Are you or someone know able to offer goods & services (e.g. lodging, catering, craft services, etc) for free or discounted pricing? We appreciate any help, please get in touch and let's discuss!
Budget Breakdown
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Actors
Costs $3,000
Help us bring our characters to life in the most authentic way, with a talented cast of actors.
Casting Director
Costs $1,000
Our amazing casting director will help us find the best actors for each of our characters.
Locations
Costs $1,500
Help us secure locations that will represent Black Pines on screen.
Production Design and Props
Costs $500
Production design will bring the world of Black Pines to life!
Catering & Crafy
Costs $1,500
Help us make sure our team is well fed to keep energy & morale up!
Travel & Lodging
Costs $750
While much of our team is local, we have a handful of talented folks coming from out-of-town.
Production Insurance
Costs $500
Help keep our cast, crew, and gear safe and protected throughout production.
Media/Storage
Costs $500
We will need hard drives in order to edit and store the footage long term.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
.