Flatulence: The Origin

Los Angeles, California | Film Short

Comedy, Satire

Xingyu Chen

1 Campaigns | California, United States

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This campaign raised $4,880 for production phase 2. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

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Flatulence: The Origin is a surreal dark comedy about Robert’s journey to the top of the corporate ladder in the most unexpected way: By mysteriously gaining the ability to kill people with his farts.

About The Project

  • The Story
  • Wishlist
  • Updates
  • The Team
  • Community

Mission Statement

Farting is deeply personal to me, and the surreal corporate world of Flatulence: The Origin also comes from my own fear of farting in public. As an MFA candidate at LMU, the film is also my graduate thesis film but was disrupted by an unexpected power outage. We need your help to finish the film!

The Story

Robert is a timid low-level employee at the world-class air freshener corporation Fine Breeze. Troubled by his fart problem and eager for a confidence-boosting promotion, he decides to reach out to his boss Jessica for a special manager training. He soon finds out that the training might have silent but deadly consequences on him - by killing people with his own fart, leading him to a path of no return......

Will Robert survive the journey and find his answers?

(Concept Poster)

Farting is deeply personal, at least to me for a very long time. Flatulence: The Origin was first developed from my own fear of farting in public, and how such an act differs in the two cultures I am stuck between. I just can’t seem to laugh it off like a lot of others do, and I would hold it in public as if it’s a lethal weapon. With another miserable internship experience I had where I had to work 14-17 hours a day, I eventually chose to built up the surreal Fine Breeze corporate world in my script, and extend the discussion to work-life balance, self-identity in a corporate system, and the question of “What does it take to get there?” With “The Origin” in the title, I seek to push the irony of dark comedy further by framing the story almost as an “origin of superhero” film, dissecting the increasingly popular superhero trend in recent cinema. 

As a film director, I had the privilege of being exposed to two different cultures as I grew up. I always believed the stories in films are always affected by each filmmaker’s unique background, making all films somewhat personal to the creators. Growing up in an environment where horror cinema has almost always been missing, I craved horror films. I make films that are built upon my personal life but often expanded with wild, sometimes nightmarish imaginations, with a usual emphasis on the human body under crisis. I seek to push the boundaries of horror cinema, but I never limit my films to the horror genre. With the ultimate goal of always creating thrillingly unforgettable and meaningful experiences on screen for the audience, Flatulence: The Origin became my last student film - my graduate thesis project at Loyola Marymount University as a Film Production MFA candidate, and the most ambitious one as well. 

The thin line between horror and comedy has always fascinated me, and having been able to create something horrifyingly dark yet humerous at the same time became one of my dreams as a filmmaker. The overall visual tone of Flatulence: The Origin draws inspiration from a few of my favorite filmmakers' work, ranging from films like Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster (2015) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985), Spike Jonze & Charlie Kaufman's Being John Malkovich (1999), to recent series like Rick and Morty and Severance. The inevitible "attack on body" theme however, was from my own experience of being hospitalized and underwent lung surgery twice due to pneumothorax. 

The film was set to finish principle photography in December 2022, but a regional power outage that happened on Day 2 of production (Dec. 3, 2022) disrupted the process. Eventually, we decided to cancel the day after losing the power for 2.5 hours straight, due to the fact that we had so many senior background actors and more than a full day ahead. The incident has caused a butterfly effect on the rest of the production - although we completed filming all other production days, we ended up overspending the budget. As a director who self-funded 90% of the total budget, I had to confess:I am truly broke. With the additional pick-up shoot, the coming post production and film festival plans, we need your help to finish the film! 

(BTS Photography by Po Wei Su)

We are asking for a total of $6000 budget for the pick-up shoot and post-production. Any additional amount will help me cover film festival costs! 

To begin with - I know that the past 3 years have been challenging for all of us, so please, if you are also tight on budget, take good care of yourself first! Spreading the word for us also helps.

If you can contribute financially, please check out our Incentives! Your contribution will directly help us cover the following aspects: 

  • Camera Equipment Rental 
  • Lighting Equipment Rental
  • Additional Production Design Cost
  • Prop Rental
  • Transportation
  • Crew Wages
  • Crafty Services and Meal
  • COVID Safety
  • Post-Production 
    • Music Composer Wages
    • Finishing graphics
  • Film Festival Submission Fees

Your help will mean the world to me and my team. Every contribution will earn you a gift from production! Some of the incentives include:

- Customized Fine Breeze Inc. Coffee Mug

- Customized Fine Breeze Corporate Employee Badge

- Name in End Credit and IMDb Credit

- Signed Script, Director's Shotlist

- Director's Storyboard, rendered by professional VFX Artist

- Exclusive, high resolution Behind-the-Scenes Content

- Tickets to Future Screening

...

  • Pre-Production 
    • February - May 2022  Story development, writing of screenplay, rewriting, core member crew-up.
    • July - November 2022  Casting, storyboarding, finalizing script, crew scouting & hiring, location scouting, applying for permits and insurance, art department designing and prepping, tech scouting, camera testing, equipment ordering...  
  • Production
    • December 2022  Principle Photography
      • 6 Days of on-location shoot, 2 Days of preparation. With a total of 4 different locations inside Los Angeles County, CA. 
    • January 2023  Pick-up Filming
      • 1 Day of on-location shoot, 1 Day of preparation.
  • Post-Production
    • January - April, 2023  Picture editing, visual effects, sound editing, sound designing, coloring, final sound mixing, finishing graphics.

Flatulence: The Origin will be submitted to both domestic and international film festivals, starting from May, 2023 - March, 2024

 

Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Equipment Rental

Costs $1,400

Lighting and Camera equipment rental from rental houses, and a 16-17ft truck to carry them.

Production Design

Costs $1,000

Additional Production Design costs as a result of the power outage, including prop rental.

Meal and Crafty Services + Misc On Set Operations

Costs $550

Meal and Crafty Services for cast and crew members on set. 1 Prep Day + 1 Shooting Day included.

Wages for Cast & Crew Members

Costs $900

Paying our cast & crew members and providing travel reimbursements for those who work unpaid!

Batteries for Sound Department

Costs $50

Yes, location sound recording equipment does take a lot of AAA batteries...

Post Production

Costs $1,600

Mostly for hiring a music composer, and additional finishing costs.

Film Festival Costs

Costs $500

For film festival submission fees - Harry truly is broke after overspending due to the outage...

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

About This Team

Xingyu "Harry" Chen  (DIRECTOR/WRITER)

Xingyu Chen, who goes by Harry, is an award-winning film director and photographer based out of Los Angeles. Born and raised in Beijing, China, Xingyu developed his interest in cinema on the long flights between the United States and China 9 years ago when he first came to the U.S. as an international student. He then studied at UC Santa Cruz and earned his B.A. in Film and Digital Media. With a passion for horror films, Xingyu's work seeks to explore the power of fear of the unknown, while combining elements from different kinds of genres to break the boundaries of genre. Although often detached from reality, his films are strongly affected by his personal life experiences and his bicultural background as an international student. 

Xingyu is now a graduate student at Loyola Marymount University, pursuing an MFA in Film and Television Production - Directing Fiction. His most recent horror short film ATTACHED (2022), has received accolades from dozens of film festivals, including an an official selection to screen at the Academy-Award-Qualifying Urbanworld Film Festival, a Jury Award at Hollywood New Directors, a Best Horror of Los Angeles Film Awards (LAFA), and a Platinum Award at L.A Sci-fi & Horror Film Festival. It's now released on Omeleto, a YouTube short film channel with 3.5M subscribers. 

 

Qingyue "Jessica" Luo (Producer)

Jessica Qinyue Luo is a Chinese filmmaker specializing in producing and directing. She graduated from Penn State University with an BA in Film Production and currently acquiring the MFA at Loyola Marymount University. Besides producing and directing short films, she also has a background of producing commercials. Some of her clients include vivo, Tencent, realme. Her films explore humanity, human relationships and social issues. Her strong passions in storytelling and audio-visual media drive her to pursue producing/directing as a career path.

 

Xinchen "Ella" Zhang (Producer)

Xinchen Ella is a skilled producer and filmmaker based in both LA and China. With experience working in the production departments of Wanda Film, BJIFF, and Shanghai Film Festival, Ella has developed a strong understanding of the industry and has worked with several filmmakers. Her focus on producing is a key asset to the team, as she brings a sharp eye for detail and a passion for bringing cultural stories to life on screen. Ella's work is centered around Asian stories and gender relations, and she is dedicated to using her skills to help produce high-quality short films.

 

Jiaming "Felix" Guo (Executive Producer)

Felix Guo is a highly dedicated and passionate cinephile who is pursuing his MA degree in Marketing at New York University. His deep love for cinema, combined with his extensive knowledge of films, has driven him to pursue a career in the film industry. Felix has a strong background in marketing, which has equipped him with the necessary skills to facilitate the smooth operation and successful promotion of Harry Chen's film project. He is committed to ensuring that the project reaches a wide audience and making sure that it receives the recognition it deserves. Felix's passion for film and his expertise in marketing make him an invaluable member of the team.

 

Bo-Yu Chen (Director of Photography)

Bo is a Los Angeles based cinematographer and camera operator who specializes in Steadicam and conventional operating. He is deeply passionate about visual storytelling and enjoys engaging in the tight-knit collaboration between cast and crew to move the story forward. Bo works primarily in narrative but also does commercials and music videos.

 

Zheng Wu (Production Designer)

Zheng Wu is a production designer, director and experimental filmmaker from Shenzhen, China. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a MFA in Film and Television Production. She developed her interest in production design after working in the short film “The Chef” as a set decorator that won a student academy award in 2018. After that she started her Production Design journey and have worked on multiple productions, commercials and music videos. Besides production design, Zheng is also an independent filmmaker and her directing debut has screened at film festivals internationally. Her work includes MONO, Quarantine Cleansing Project, and Swimmer. 

 

Yintao Gong (Editor/1st Assistant Director) 

Working towards an MFA in Film Production at Loyola Marymount University, Yintao tells stories through multiple media including photography, video, animation, and film. Her stop motion animation short “I am” won the young creative awards from the International Academy. The documentary “Hungry Seagull” she participated in screened at the Rome Film Festival and UN Climate Change Conference COP 25. She works actively as director and editor for diverse projects and was accepted into multiple film festivals. Each story she tells epitomizes her exploration of the boundaries between imagination and reality and mounts to a confrontation of one’s true self.

 

 

 

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