Electric Bleau
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Feature
Thriller
In 1980’s New Orleans, a biracial punk rocker must destroy a cursed family heirloom before it forces her to repeat the same deadly and heartbreaking cycle as her ancestors.
Electric Bleau
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Feature
Thriller
Green Light
This campaign raised $28,897 for development. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
198 supporters | followers
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In 1980’s New Orleans, a biracial punk rocker must destroy a cursed family heirloom before it forces her to repeat the same deadly and heartbreaking cycle as her ancestors.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
As the gift of a rare blue moon, biracial twins are bestowed upon the Benoit family every generation. Each pair of sisters also inherits an unwanted, yet irresistible, harmonica cursed with the evil spirit of Josephine who is determined to find her long-lost babies from another time past.
Bonnie and Bleau, the most recent Benoit twosome, live as struggling punk rock musicians in 1980’s New Orleans. By day they work at Maria’s House of Voodoo, belonging to their biological grandmother Maria Benoit. By night they transform into the wild duo know as Electric Bleau, performing in dirty dive bars to ecstatic punk crowds. When possession of the hypnotic harmonica falls into Bleau’s hands, she must decide what’s most important in life - her family or her aspiring career. However, Josephine’s motives are very clear... to take Bleau’s unborn twins as her own.
In a gritty family fight for the ages, will the vicious cycle be doomed to eternally repeat itself?
Electric Bleau ultimately explores something that we are all too familiar with - achieving the dreams of our future while surmounting obstacles thrown at us from the past. In the case of Bleau Benoit, this deadly challenge comes in the form of a possessed harmonica. While these unique problems present themselves in a supernatural way, all Bleau really needs to do is get her priorities straight.
As a writer and director, it’s important for me to explore the deep rooted, and sometimes dark, psychological problems through the use of magical metaphors. How do we get rid of emotional baggage that has followed us through generations? How do we break free to find our true self? Bleau’s journey will change her to the core.
I love the thriller and horror genre because it allows us to go to those scary places buried deep within. As is evident in my short films Bubble and Little Cabbage, I also appreciate fantastical elements as story vehicles. I want to bring the viewer to a world that I created all on my own, full of the human experience that I’ve come to know first-hand. That’s all film really is… an intimate peek into someone else’s universe. You’ve officially been invited to be a part of Bleau’s story and universe.
-Jen West
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Original Music
Costs $10,000
AJ Haynes is creating five original punk rock songs exclusively for Electric Bleau. Wow!
Recording and Mastering
Costs $5,000
After AJ completes writing her original music, we need to record studio-quality songs.
Entertainment Lawyer
Costs $3,000
Stacey Davis is the best entertainment lawyer around, y'all. We need her!
Branding Guide
Costs $1,200
Our branding guide defines the voice and look of Electric Bleau, thanks to the genius mind of Christine Walker at Verse Brand Strategy.
Marketing
Costs $750
It's important for us to reach folks who might love this film, but don't know about it yet. Marketing dollars help us extend our voice.
Location Scouting
Costs $1,500
This will allow us the opportunity to start preliminary location scouting with some of our key crew members.
Out of state meetings
Costs $1,000
This modest budget will allow us to take a few key meetings in cities outside of Atlanta.
Acting Coach
Costs $1,200
We want to prepare our cast in advance for their roles with time to spare.
Development Team
Costs $4,850
Our Development team is compromised of folks who will consult and advise us on next steps, visualizations and preproduction details.
Share this update!
About This Team
Jen West - Writer & Director
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Jen West is an award winning filmmaker living in Atlanta, Georgia. She is known for writing and directing Piece of Cake (2006, Audience Choice Winner at Sidewalk Film Festival), Crush (2011), Bubble (2013), Call Me (music video for St. Paul and the Broken Bones, 2014), and Little Cabbage (2015, Best Short Award Winner at Flyway Film Festival). She studied design at Jacksonville State University and film at The Art Institute of Atlanta. She was nominated along with James Martin in 2015 as “People to Watch” for the Georgia Entertainment Awards.
James Martin - Producer
James Martin is a filmmaker and designer living in Atlanta, Georgia. He loves making movies, eating burgers, sipping bourbon, branding restaurants and playing with his dog Cilantro. He produced Bubble (2013), Call Me (music video for St. Paul and the Broken Bones, 2014), and Little Cabbage (2015). He also directed The New Orleans Sazerac, a short documentary set for festival release in 2016.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
As the gift of a rare blue moon, biracial twins are bestowed upon the Benoit family every generation. Each pair of sisters also inherits an unwanted, yet irresistible, harmonica cursed with the evil spirit of Josephine who is determined to find her long-lost babies from another time past.
Bonnie and Bleau, the most recent Benoit twosome, live as struggling punk rock musicians in 1980’s New Orleans. By day they work at Maria’s House of Voodoo, belonging to their biological grandmother Maria Benoit. By night they transform into the wild duo know as Electric Bleau, performing in dirty dive bars to ecstatic punk crowds. When possession of the hypnotic harmonica falls into Bleau’s hands, she must decide what’s most important in life - her family or her aspiring career. However, Josephine’s motives are very clear... to take Bleau’s unborn twins as her own.
In a gritty family fight for the ages, will the vicious cycle be doomed to eternally repeat itself?
Electric Bleau ultimately explores something that we are all too familiar with - achieving the dreams of our future while surmounting obstacles thrown at us from the past. In the case of Bleau Benoit, this deadly challenge comes in the form of a possessed harmonica. While these unique problems present themselves in a supernatural way, all Bleau really needs to do is get her priorities straight.
As a writer and director, it’s important for me to explore the deep rooted, and sometimes dark, psychological problems through the use of magical metaphors. How do we get rid of emotional baggage that has followed us through generations? How do we break free to find our true self? Bleau’s journey will change her to the core.
I love the thriller and horror genre because it allows us to go to those scary places buried deep within. As is evident in my short films Bubble and Little Cabbage, I also appreciate fantastical elements as story vehicles. I want to bring the viewer to a world that I created all on my own, full of the human experience that I’ve come to know first-hand. That’s all film really is… an intimate peek into someone else’s universe. You’ve officially been invited to be a part of Bleau’s story and universe.
-Jen West
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Original Music
Costs $10,000
AJ Haynes is creating five original punk rock songs exclusively for Electric Bleau. Wow!
Recording and Mastering
Costs $5,000
After AJ completes writing her original music, we need to record studio-quality songs.
Entertainment Lawyer
Costs $3,000
Stacey Davis is the best entertainment lawyer around, y'all. We need her!
Branding Guide
Costs $1,200
Our branding guide defines the voice and look of Electric Bleau, thanks to the genius mind of Christine Walker at Verse Brand Strategy.
Marketing
Costs $750
It's important for us to reach folks who might love this film, but don't know about it yet. Marketing dollars help us extend our voice.
Location Scouting
Costs $1,500
This will allow us the opportunity to start preliminary location scouting with some of our key crew members.
Out of state meetings
Costs $1,000
This modest budget will allow us to take a few key meetings in cities outside of Atlanta.
Acting Coach
Costs $1,200
We want to prepare our cast in advance for their roles with time to spare.
Development Team
Costs $4,850
Our Development team is compromised of folks who will consult and advise us on next steps, visualizations and preproduction details.
Share this update!
About This Team
Jen West - Writer & Director
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Jen West is an award winning filmmaker living in Atlanta, Georgia. She is known for writing and directing Piece of Cake (2006, Audience Choice Winner at Sidewalk Film Festival), Crush (2011), Bubble (2013), Call Me (music video for St. Paul and the Broken Bones, 2014), and Little Cabbage (2015, Best Short Award Winner at Flyway Film Festival). She studied design at Jacksonville State University and film at The Art Institute of Atlanta. She was nominated along with James Martin in 2015 as “People to Watch” for the Georgia Entertainment Awards.
James Martin - Producer
James Martin is a filmmaker and designer living in Atlanta, Georgia. He loves making movies, eating burgers, sipping bourbon, branding restaurants and playing with his dog Cilantro. He produced Bubble (2013), Call Me (music video for St. Paul and the Broken Bones, 2014), and Little Cabbage (2015). He also directed The New Orleans Sazerac, a short documentary set for festival release in 2016.