Fire Tower
Portland, Oregon | Film Short
Thriller, Horror
I grew up in rural Oregon surrounded by forests, and this film is my love letter to where I grew up. Fire Tower showcases not only raw emotions that everyone has felt before, but it also brings up real issues about National Forest Funding and a dying profession.
65 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$6,475
Goal: $10,250 for production
I grew up in rural Oregon surrounded by forests, and this film is my love letter to where I grew up. Fire Tower showcases not only raw emotions that everyone has felt before, but it also brings up real issues about National Forest Funding and a dying profession.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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"We do not hire young adults; they can't handle the isolation."
Aiden slowly loses his sense of reality as the stress of working in a fire tower for the first time during the height of fire season becomes too much. His only lifeline to the outside world is his radio, which connects him to Millie, a seasoned fire tower operator in the area. Things take a turn for the worse when something happens to Millie, and Aiden can do nothing but listen over the radio as his world crumbles around him.
The audience should feel stuck, stressed, isolated, and unable to move forward in life.
People should feel the contrast between how Millie sees the world and how Aiden sees it. Millie’s composure feels warm and grounding, bringing a sense of comfort that leads to more distress when it's suddenly taken away.
Fire Tower showcases that you can’t run from your past or your future; it will always catch up to you, whether you’re ready to face it or not.
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The film will have daytime and nighttime looks that will utilize the natural light from the surrounding environment and highlight the stark contrast between the location and Aiden's internal struggles.
Aiden, Played By Akitora Ishii: A city boy who thinks solitude will fix all his problems, even though he has never experienced it. Typical young guy who believes they have all the answers, and his charming smile will get them through life. Tries his best to stand tall and prove that he can make it in the world without anyone’s help, even though he has no idea what he is doing.
Millie, Voiced By Michelle Damis: Millie is only ever heard over the radio. Her voice is stern from years of living comfortably in her skin, but she has a soft spot for those on her team. She is a seasoned fire tower operator who enjoys solitude and spending her days focusing on her art. Millie takes her job seriously, but her love for being creative gives her a sense of whimsy.
Fire Tower is trying to raise about $10,000 from this Seed & Spark. Covering the majority of the film's cost and getting the project well into production.
Exceeding $10,000 would mean having money for post-production, distribution, and taking the production up a level with more equipment and overall higher quality.
.png)
Fire Tower illustrates real-life feelings and situations with an artistic twist to help elevate the story. It showcases emotions that many, like myself, have dealt with before. Stress, anxiety, loneliness, and not being strong enough to face life's challenges head-on. These negative emotions can plague a person into a state of fear that inhibits them from seeing the bigger picture or feeling comfortable taking the next step in solving the issue. Fire Tower is exploring this complex feeling in an extreme environment and situation to help illustrate just how some people can't overcome their own emotions.
This film is also my love letter to not only Oregon and my wish to keep our national forests funded, but also showcases a real profession that is slowly dying out. I grew up in rural Oregon and lived surrounded by forests and trees.
My family has also been evacuated twice from our home due to enroaching wild fires. I’m hyper aware of the amazing work those in fire safety do to make sure we have a home to go back to, and this is my way to hopefully remind people that our national forests are important.
(Picture of my family's property with smoke from a nearby forest fire changing the color of the sky.)
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew
Costs $5,250
I want to be able to pay my cast and crew a fair wage for the days they are on set.
Ligthing / Grip Gear
Costs $1,500
Can't make a film without lighting or other essential rigging gear. This will ensure we can get what we need.
Camera Gear
Costs $1,500
So we can pay for the kit fees and the rental of all the camera gear needed.
Location
Costs $1,000
A lot of firetower locations require a permit or a rental fee. This will help make sure we can pay it!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The Team
It is important to me that Fire Tower's team reflects what this film is about. Unlikely friendships and the ability to rely on each other to help get you through the tough times. To make this film the best possible version it could be. I am working with a cast and crew based in Oregon who understand not only the story but also the landscape in which the film takes place.
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Haley McCoy: I got my start in film in 2021 in the grip and electric department and haven’t looked back. I still work as a gaffer in Portland and enjoy the art of shaping light, using the skills I learned on set to sharpen my writing and directing. I write stories based on the real world. Our reality can be scary enough, in the right context and under the right disturbances, to make the unremarkable stand out. I pride myself on creating full, fleshed-out worlds and characters, and then compressing them into short moments in time so that the audience can explore.
My films aren’t just about telling stories, but also about pushing the boundaries of what I can accomplish and seeing how far my skills have improved over the course of my career.
Trysta Kelley: Trysta "TK" Kelley is a Portland-based SFX, hair, and makeup artist who specializes in gore, blood effects, and all things ooey-gooey. After graduating from a Makeup Program in 2021, she launched a successful freelance career, bringing page to life for feature films such as BAMPIRE, EAT YOUR HEART OUT, and COTTONTAIL. Her work explores the human body's limits and breaking points, with an aim to create a level of realism that will leave you squirming. Trysta is proud to have her producing journey begin with Haley's 2nd film, FIRE TOWER.
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Jason Lee: I have been working in the industry since 2020, and my roots in political organizing, social work, and live theatre give me a unique lens through which I both create beautiful images and foster strong and cohesive collaborative environments. I am drawn to working on projects I find fascinating, to take motifs and themes from our own psychology and bring them to life through metaphor on the screen. Using lighting and Camera movement to further sell the feelings. Haley has a penchant for telling these terrifying stories against the backdrop of broad daylight, a juxtaposition that I almost always find compelling. On a sentimental level, this project also means the world to me because it is the spiritual sequel to Echo, Haley’s debut short, and the first narrative set I worked on after moving to Oregon. It would mean the world to both Haley and me for this project to become a reality, and any amount of help goes a long way!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"We do not hire young adults; they can't handle the isolation."
Aiden slowly loses his sense of reality as the stress of working in a fire tower for the first time during the height of fire season becomes too much. His only lifeline to the outside world is his radio, which connects him to Millie, a seasoned fire tower operator in the area. Things take a turn for the worse when something happens to Millie, and Aiden can do nothing but listen over the radio as his world crumbles around him.
The audience should feel stuck, stressed, isolated, and unable to move forward in life.
People should feel the contrast between how Millie sees the world and how Aiden sees it. Millie’s composure feels warm and grounding, bringing a sense of comfort that leads to more distress when it's suddenly taken away.
Fire Tower showcases that you can’t run from your past or your future; it will always catch up to you, whether you’re ready to face it or not.
The film will have daytime and nighttime looks that will utilize the natural light from the surrounding environment and highlight the stark contrast between the location and Aiden's internal struggles.
Aiden, Played By Akitora Ishii: A city boy who thinks solitude will fix all his problems, even though he has never experienced it. Typical young guy who believes they have all the answers, and his charming smile will get them through life. Tries his best to stand tall and prove that he can make it in the world without anyone’s help, even though he has no idea what he is doing.
Millie, Voiced By Michelle Damis: Millie is only ever heard over the radio. Her voice is stern from years of living comfortably in her skin, but she has a soft spot for those on her team. She is a seasoned fire tower operator who enjoys solitude and spending her days focusing on her art. Millie takes her job seriously, but her love for being creative gives her a sense of whimsy.
Fire Tower is trying to raise about $10,000 from this Seed & Spark. Covering the majority of the film's cost and getting the project well into production.
Exceeding $10,000 would mean having money for post-production, distribution, and taking the production up a level with more equipment and overall higher quality.
Fire Tower illustrates real-life feelings and situations with an artistic twist to help elevate the story. It showcases emotions that many, like myself, have dealt with before. Stress, anxiety, loneliness, and not being strong enough to face life's challenges head-on. These negative emotions can plague a person into a state of fear that inhibits them from seeing the bigger picture or feeling comfortable taking the next step in solving the issue. Fire Tower is exploring this complex feeling in an extreme environment and situation to help illustrate just how some people can't overcome their own emotions.
This film is also my love letter to not only Oregon and my wish to keep our national forests funded, but also showcases a real profession that is slowly dying out. I grew up in rural Oregon and lived surrounded by forests and trees.
My family has also been evacuated twice from our home due to enroaching wild fires. I’m hyper aware of the amazing work those in fire safety do to make sure we have a home to go back to, and this is my way to hopefully remind people that our national forests are important.
(Picture of my family's property with smoke from a nearby forest fire changing the color of the sky.)
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew
Costs $5,250
I want to be able to pay my cast and crew a fair wage for the days they are on set.
Ligthing / Grip Gear
Costs $1,500
Can't make a film without lighting or other essential rigging gear. This will ensure we can get what we need.
Camera Gear
Costs $1,500
So we can pay for the kit fees and the rental of all the camera gear needed.
Location
Costs $1,000
A lot of firetower locations require a permit or a rental fee. This will help make sure we can pay it!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The Team
It is important to me that Fire Tower's team reflects what this film is about. Unlikely friendships and the ability to rely on each other to help get you through the tough times. To make this film the best possible version it could be. I am working with a cast and crew based in Oregon who understand not only the story but also the landscape in which the film takes place.
Haley McCoy: I got my start in film in 2021 in the grip and electric department and haven’t looked back. I still work as a gaffer in Portland and enjoy the art of shaping light, using the skills I learned on set to sharpen my writing and directing. I write stories based on the real world. Our reality can be scary enough, in the right context and under the right disturbances, to make the unremarkable stand out. I pride myself on creating full, fleshed-out worlds and characters, and then compressing them into short moments in time so that the audience can explore.
My films aren’t just about telling stories, but also about pushing the boundaries of what I can accomplish and seeing how far my skills have improved over the course of my career.
Trysta Kelley: Trysta "TK" Kelley is a Portland-based SFX, hair, and makeup artist who specializes in gore, blood effects, and all things ooey-gooey. After graduating from a Makeup Program in 2021, she launched a successful freelance career, bringing page to life for feature films such as BAMPIRE, EAT YOUR HEART OUT, and COTTONTAIL. Her work explores the human body's limits and breaking points, with an aim to create a level of realism that will leave you squirming. Trysta is proud to have her producing journey begin with Haley's 2nd film, FIRE TOWER.
Jason Lee: I have been working in the industry since 2020, and my roots in political organizing, social work, and live theatre give me a unique lens through which I both create beautiful images and foster strong and cohesive collaborative environments. I am drawn to working on projects I find fascinating, to take motifs and themes from our own psychology and bring them to life through metaphor on the screen. Using lighting and Camera movement to further sell the feelings. Haley has a penchant for telling these terrifying stories against the backdrop of broad daylight, a juxtaposition that I almost always find compelling. On a sentimental level, this project also means the world to me because it is the spiritual sequel to Echo, Haley’s debut short, and the first narrative set I worked on after moving to Oregon. It would mean the world to both Haley and me for this project to become a reality, and any amount of help goes a long way!