Echoes of the Goose Club
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
Echoes of the Goose Club is a coming of age heist comedy that examines friendship, guilt and growing up in a small town... while remaining wildly entertaining. It's about three childhood friends trying to find connection while battling local bike cops, angry dads, drunk townies... and each other.
Echoes of the Goose Club
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
148 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$26,375
Goal: $30,000 for production
Echoes of the Goose Club is a coming of age heist comedy that examines friendship, guilt and growing up in a small town... while remaining wildly entertaining. It's about three childhood friends trying to find connection while battling local bike cops, angry dads, drunk townies... and each other.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Ben Holloway is a thoughtful, anxious college kid who returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his friend Sean, along with his high school friends Wyatt Woodcock, a sweet but reckless kid from a rich family, and Taylor Berry, former football star and current stoner electrician- a gang self named as the Goose Club.
After the funeral, they learn that Sean's divorced parents are fighting over custody of his ashes and that Sean's scumbag father is hiding his remains in a vent in his house. So, the three boys hatch a plan to steal his ashes so they can make their own memorial to their dead friend. Thus launches our heist, and our boys have to navigate Sean's maniacal father, a power hungry bike cop, and their own strained friendship as they set off to steal back their friend.
BACKGROUND
This story is very much inspired by my hometown of Montpelier, Vermont - a quaint idyllic little town with a population of 8,000 nestled on the banks of the Winooski River - a place I couldn't wait to leave. It's a wonderful place, but full of nosy neighbors and eccentric local characters - it's a place where everybody knows everybody and can feel suffocating where you're a teenager desperate for the "real world." It's a place where you do most of your growing up in the woods, where my high school physics teacher was the Mayor, and where most calls to the police involve lost cows and milkshakes getting stuck on skunk's heads.
I lost one of my high school friends right after I left for college and in those few weeks after his death, I felt like I learned more about myself, my friends and the world than any other time in my life. So I've always wanted to tell a story about this time in my life, set in this town, the only way I know how...
TONE
...by making a comedy! This story is FUN. Yes it deals with themes of loss and grief, but this is still a movie about a heist. Sort of. It's like how a heist would actually go if you and your idiot friends were doing it. It's funny, it's tense, and yes, it pulls at the heartstrings. Somebody much wiser than me said something along the lines of "When they expect to laugh make them cry, when they expect to cry make them laugh," and that's the tonal philosophy of this film.
WHERE DO YOU COME IN?
We're raising 30 thousand dollars to cover all pre production, production, and post production costs- from locations and permits to cop outfits, food and transportation to a awesome musical score. We're already well underway in pre production and we will be shooting in Los Angeles in early July. We will be editing throughout the summer, and continuing post production work in time for a screening at USC in December, hopefully followed by a kickass festival run!
We're relying on your generosity to bring this story to life!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Crew Meals
Costs $5,000
You can't make a good movie on an empty stomach... Help our cast and crew stay nourished!
Locations
Costs $10,000
Can't make a movie with nowhere to shoot... Help us secure authentic small town locations!
Lighting and Sound Gear
Costs $5,000
Let us see and hear this movie by helping us out with our gear!
Transportation
Costs $2,000
We're making this movie all over Los Angeles - and with all this gear comes the need to move it around. Help us rent trucks!
Production Design
Costs $5,000
Props, wardrobe and set dressing will bring this movie to life!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/ Director:
Nathaniel Swyer is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles entering his last semester in the USC graduate film program. He grew up in Vermont and attended Johns Hopkins University before moving to New York City to work at a sketch comedy production company, where he honed his comedic voice and this eventually led him to become a writer on a Upright Citizen's Brigade in-house sketch team.
Before USC, he worked as a PA, a freelancer, a ski instructor, a bike delivery guy, and a bartender, which influenced his love of dark comedies, and fish out of water stories and a good culture clash. He brought those tastes to USC, where he directed the advanced capstone project "The Monks Who Know Ball," and wrote/produced a number of other capstone and thesis projects. When he's not working on movies you can find him obsessing over crossword puzzles, playing the guitar and yelling at pedestrians to stay off the bike path.
Producers:
Charles Gunn is a filmmaker from Calgary. After studying Kinesiology at UBC, where he led a student-run nonprofit that raised over $100,000 through live music events, he moved to Copenhagen to pursue his passion for storytelling. There, he worked as an editor and motion designer at Implement Consulting Group, eventually becoming Creative Lead and collaborating on brand and documentary content for clients including Bang & Olufsen, Novo Nordisk, and Phlake. He also contributed to Danish narrative work, including Vågn Op Med Danmark, which won the Audience Award at the Ekko Shortlist Awards.
Natalie Jenq is a Los Angeles–based filmmaker currently pursuing her MFA at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She began her career in front of the camera, appearing in a range of short films and commercials, and has since expanded into directing and producing, developing a multidisciplinary approach to storytelling.
Her filmography spans independent shorts across genres, including work as a producer on the USC 546 capstone How I Died (And Lived to Tell the Tale) and the USC MFA thesis film Lí, as well as serving as production designer on a 1930s Old Hollywood–inspired Stark Special short film, Lavender. Her work often reflects a strong visual sensibility shaped by her background in photography and art.
She has also gained industry experience with NBCUniversal and Universal Pictures, and is currently developing her debut EP as a singer-songwriter, extending her storytelling into music. She is also an avid gamer in her free time with no intention of going pro.
Director of Photography:
Andrew Bansal is an LA-based cinematographer. Originally from Colorado, Andrew earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado in 2021 before enrolling at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, where he currently pursues an MFA in Film & Television Production. In addition to his studies, Andrew also serves as the president of the Trojan Society of Cinematographers, a student organization focused on fostering a community of cinematographers and facilitating relationships with outside vendors, schools and
working professionals.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Ben Holloway is a thoughtful, anxious college kid who returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his friend Sean, along with his high school friends Wyatt Woodcock, a sweet but reckless kid from a rich family, and Taylor Berry, former football star and current stoner electrician- a gang self named as the Goose Club.
After the funeral, they learn that Sean's divorced parents are fighting over custody of his ashes and that Sean's scumbag father is hiding his remains in a vent in his house. So, the three boys hatch a plan to steal his ashes so they can make their own memorial to their dead friend. Thus launches our heist, and our boys have to navigate Sean's maniacal father, a power hungry bike cop, and their own strained friendship as they set off to steal back their friend.
BACKGROUND
This story is very much inspired by my hometown of Montpelier, Vermont - a quaint idyllic little town with a population of 8,000 nestled on the banks of the Winooski River - a place I couldn't wait to leave. It's a wonderful place, but full of nosy neighbors and eccentric local characters - it's a place where everybody knows everybody and can feel suffocating where you're a teenager desperate for the "real world." It's a place where you do most of your growing up in the woods, where my high school physics teacher was the Mayor, and where most calls to the police involve lost cows and milkshakes getting stuck on skunk's heads.
I lost one of my high school friends right after I left for college and in those few weeks after his death, I felt like I learned more about myself, my friends and the world than any other time in my life. So I've always wanted to tell a story about this time in my life, set in this town, the only way I know how...
TONE
...by making a comedy! This story is FUN. Yes it deals with themes of loss and grief, but this is still a movie about a heist. Sort of. It's like how a heist would actually go if you and your idiot friends were doing it. It's funny, it's tense, and yes, it pulls at the heartstrings. Somebody much wiser than me said something along the lines of "When they expect to laugh make them cry, when they expect to cry make them laugh," and that's the tonal philosophy of this film.
WHERE DO YOU COME IN?
We're raising 30 thousand dollars to cover all pre production, production, and post production costs- from locations and permits to cop outfits, food and transportation to a awesome musical score. We're already well underway in pre production and we will be shooting in Los Angeles in early July. We will be editing throughout the summer, and continuing post production work in time for a screening at USC in December, hopefully followed by a kickass festival run!
We're relying on your generosity to bring this story to life!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Crew Meals
Costs $5,000
You can't make a good movie on an empty stomach... Help our cast and crew stay nourished!
Locations
Costs $10,000
Can't make a movie with nowhere to shoot... Help us secure authentic small town locations!
Lighting and Sound Gear
Costs $5,000
Let us see and hear this movie by helping us out with our gear!
Transportation
Costs $2,000
We're making this movie all over Los Angeles - and with all this gear comes the need to move it around. Help us rent trucks!
Production Design
Costs $5,000
Props, wardrobe and set dressing will bring this movie to life!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/ Director:
Nathaniel Swyer is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles entering his last semester in the USC graduate film program. He grew up in Vermont and attended Johns Hopkins University before moving to New York City to work at a sketch comedy production company, where he honed his comedic voice and this eventually led him to become a writer on a Upright Citizen's Brigade in-house sketch team.
Before USC, he worked as a PA, a freelancer, a ski instructor, a bike delivery guy, and a bartender, which influenced his love of dark comedies, and fish out of water stories and a good culture clash. He brought those tastes to USC, where he directed the advanced capstone project "The Monks Who Know Ball," and wrote/produced a number of other capstone and thesis projects. When he's not working on movies you can find him obsessing over crossword puzzles, playing the guitar and yelling at pedestrians to stay off the bike path.
Producers:
Charles Gunn is a filmmaker from Calgary. After studying Kinesiology at UBC, where he led a student-run nonprofit that raised over $100,000 through live music events, he moved to Copenhagen to pursue his passion for storytelling. There, he worked as an editor and motion designer at Implement Consulting Group, eventually becoming Creative Lead and collaborating on brand and documentary content for clients including Bang & Olufsen, Novo Nordisk, and Phlake. He also contributed to Danish narrative work, including Vågn Op Med Danmark, which won the Audience Award at the Ekko Shortlist Awards.
Natalie Jenq is a Los Angeles–based filmmaker currently pursuing her MFA at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She began her career in front of the camera, appearing in a range of short films and commercials, and has since expanded into directing and producing, developing a multidisciplinary approach to storytelling.
Her filmography spans independent shorts across genres, including work as a producer on the USC 546 capstone How I Died (And Lived to Tell the Tale) and the USC MFA thesis film Lí, as well as serving as production designer on a 1930s Old Hollywood–inspired Stark Special short film, Lavender. Her work often reflects a strong visual sensibility shaped by her background in photography and art.
She has also gained industry experience with NBCUniversal and Universal Pictures, and is currently developing her debut EP as a singer-songwriter, extending her storytelling into music. She is also an avid gamer in her free time with no intention of going pro.
Director of Photography:
Andrew Bansal is an LA-based cinematographer. Originally from Colorado, Andrew earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado in 2021 before enrolling at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, where he currently pursues an MFA in Film & Television Production. In addition to his studies, Andrew also serves as the president of the Trojan Society of Cinematographers, a student organization focused on fostering a community of cinematographers and facilitating relationships with outside vendors, schools and
working professionals.