Fly By Night
Nashville, Tennessee | Film Feature
Comedy, Documentary
Making it as a comic is like running up a down escalator. You might make it, but every step up wants to send you back down. We focus on just two of the thousands of comedians working from the bottom to make it on their own terms. With only post to finish, you can help us tell this hilarious story.
Fly By Night
Nashville, Tennessee | Film Feature
Comedy, Documentary
1 Campaigns | Tennessee, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,025 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
40 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Making it as a comic is like running up a down escalator. You might make it, but every step up wants to send you back down. We focus on just two of the thousands of comedians working from the bottom to make it on their own terms. With only post to finish, you can help us tell this hilarious story.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
WHY SUPPORT US?
Let's get the ask out of the way first. We need your help! Please support our film!
- Fly By Night is 90% finished. You aren't backing a project that is hoping to make something out of whatever money we can scrape together through crowdfunding. We have a shot and edited movie and need your help to get us the final 10% of the way to a theatre-worthy film. We're raising funds to cover final color and sound. Any overfunding will go towards festival fees, packaging, marketing, and to pay our talent and crew the difference between the wages we could afford to pay them and the wages they deserved.
- You like what we're about, which is explained below in more detail.
- (Okay, there's three reasons) You like our super awesome incentives like a custom puppet, handmade by Nathan Edwards, or a personalized song written by Alex Dolezal himself, or maybe you want the Fly By Night Show album with all their hilarious best songs from past shows.
WHO ARE YOU?
- A fan of the types of comedy that include: Flight of the Conchords, Christopher Guest films, and Nathan Fielder.
- Someone who goes to / has been to / generally supports local comedy clubs and the comedians who play them. The kind of comedians whose names you don't remember but have punchlines you do.
- You love parody, satire, and rollicking farces that skewer institutions that profit from artistic talent without fair compensation.
- You just love a good comedy.
- You're a relative or close friend of a member of our team who was pressured into giving us money, or, you know, other reasons maybe we didn't list.
ABOUT FLY BY NIGHT
Our film focuses on the little known comedians behind the Fly By Night Show and their attempt to independently mount a national tour. Inspired by binges of the Larry Sanders Show during Covid lockdown, the Fly By Night Show is the brainchild of Aidan Fealy and Alex Dolezal. The show is, at least in theory, a parody of a late-night talk show. However, its signature style is improvised chaos that leads the audience on a wild ride of musical numbers, sketches, and improv that is anything but the buttoned up format of Fallon, Kimmel, or Colbert.
The show has build a small cult following in their home-base of Nashville, Tennessee. Enough to earn a handful of local sponsors and be booked into weekday slots at Nashville's biggest comedy club. But even in Nashville, Aidan, Alex, and the Fly By Night Show are largely unknown. Which is the point of the film.
Fly By Night offers an intimate, unfiltered, and hilarious window into the attempt of two semi-professional comedians to plot their path to success through a tour literally no one was asking for, to places they are completely unknown. Or, at least, it will be, if they can manage to make it out of the starting gate. Fly By Night is a comical look into the unglamorous underbelly of the comedy industry. There are no Prevost tour buses or sold out theatres. No upfront pay or even provided accommodation. It's just two men, one 1970s camper, and a comedy tour, flying by night.
THE GOALS OF FLY BY NIGHT AND OUR S&S CAMPAIGN
We want people to see this movie! That why we're offering the $25 exclusive screening incentive! We take your support seriously! We're only asking for what we need to finish the film, with the ultimate goal of having our film land on a variety of streaming platforms. No matter what happens with distribution and festivals, we want to make sure YOU get to see this film (if you supported us at $25 or more).
GOAL OF THE CAMPAIGN
As we've said already, we're 90% finished. This campaign is a way for us to raise our final funds to finish post production. Specifically, paying our Post Sound Editor and Colorist to make the movie's look and sound meet a professional standard so it doesn't get in the way of our wacky adventure in comedy.
GOAL OF FLY BY NIGHT
We have high ambitions for this film and are pursuing our goals of distribution on multiple fronts, with the ultimate goal of using this stand alone feature to pitch a Fly By Night Show series.
1: FOCUS ON DISTRIBUTION - Festivals are great, but our focus is distribution. While most indie filmmakers dream of a Sundance debut and the glitz and glamour of the red carpet, we're taking a more pragmatic approach. We're dreaming of taking this to the American Film Market in Las Vegas in November and doing a water bottle tour around the business suites of our targeted list of distribution companies.
2: LAURELS NEVER HURT (BUT WORTHLESS ONES DO) - We will be submitting Fly By Night to a targeted list of film festivals. Our main festival targets are Slamdance and the Austin Film Festival. We will also be submitting to the four hometown festivals for core team: MSP International Film Festival (Minneapolis), Cinedependent (Cincinnati), Omaha Film Festival, and the Nashville Film Festival. We aren't going to waste money on laurel factories, festivals that are out of reach (Sundance, TIFF, etc.), or festivals we can fill seats at a screening.
3: FLY BY NIGHT AS A SPRINGBOARD TO EPISODIC - This project was originally conceived as a formatted pitch pilot for an episodic series following Aidan and Alex across America on their barebones, truly fly-by-night tour. It became a feature film because we wanted to make something that can stand on its own and serve as an introduction to two unknown, unique, comedians ready(ish) for bigger things.
We plan to use this introduction to the Fly By Night Show and it's, unique, creators to build a following through distribution and festival success (which aren't mutually exclusive in our minds) with the ultimate goal of selling our eventual tour-based show.
WHAT IF WE OVERFUND THIS CAMPAIGN?
Wouldn't that be nice?!? We have a number of targets if we raise more than our goal.
$1,000 - $2,500 Over Goal: We'll spend that additional funding on festival entry fees, providing a nice little bonus to the small, underpaid crew, we hired to help make the film, and banking some marketing funds to promote the film once we've secured distribution.
$3,500 and More Over Goal: Vegas Baby!!! But not like that. This year's American Film Market is being held in Las Vegas. If we raise more that $3,500 we'll use that money to subsidize our trip to pitch the film for to distributors as well as produce a live Fly By Nigh Show, in Vegas, during the conference, to help provide a proof of concept for our episodic pitch.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Post Sound
Costs $1,500
This is our final sound mix so when you watch in theatres or at home the volume is properly balanced, and everything sounds crisp and clean!
Color Grading
Costs $1,500
Color grading will make our film look beautiful and cinematic, but we need to hire a pro to really make it pop!
Share this update!
About This Team
Nathan Edwards
Director, Producer, Writer
In his day job, Nathan works in production either as a production manager/line producer or a production coordinator. He's plied his trade for the likes of Paramount, Hallmark, Sony, and NBCUniversal as well as numerous creative agencies and record labels.
Fly By Night marks Nathan's debut in the feature-length documentary space
Alex Dolezal
Executive Producer, Writer
A Cincinnati, Ohio native, Alex Dolezal is the musical tour-de-force behind the Fly By Night Show. When he isn't co-writing and co-producing the Fly By Night Show you can find him working as the Music Director for Nashville's premiere improv comedy theatre, Third Coast Comedy. If you're a Cincinnati football fan, you may also recognize him as one of the key creative minds behind the Bengal Boys - the Cincinnati Bengals official unofficial comedy hype band.
Aidan Fealy
Executive Producer, Writer
Minnesota-born Aidan is a student of comedy with a passion for improv. It's his quick wit as the host of the Fly By Night Show that keeps the delicate precipice between comedy and pure chaos. A veteran improviser, Aidan honed his improv chops with the Upright Citizens Brigade, and elsewhere, before teaming up with Alex Dolezal to create the Fly By Night Show.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
WHY SUPPORT US?
Let's get the ask out of the way first. We need your help! Please support our film!
- Fly By Night is 90% finished. You aren't backing a project that is hoping to make something out of whatever money we can scrape together through crowdfunding. We have a shot and edited movie and need your help to get us the final 10% of the way to a theatre-worthy film. We're raising funds to cover final color and sound. Any overfunding will go towards festival fees, packaging, marketing, and to pay our talent and crew the difference between the wages we could afford to pay them and the wages they deserved.
- You like what we're about, which is explained below in more detail.
- (Okay, there's three reasons) You like our super awesome incentives like a custom puppet, handmade by Nathan Edwards, or a personalized song written by Alex Dolezal himself, or maybe you want the Fly By Night Show album with all their hilarious best songs from past shows.
WHO ARE YOU?
- A fan of the types of comedy that include: Flight of the Conchords, Christopher Guest films, and Nathan Fielder.
- Someone who goes to / has been to / generally supports local comedy clubs and the comedians who play them. The kind of comedians whose names you don't remember but have punchlines you do.
- You love parody, satire, and rollicking farces that skewer institutions that profit from artistic talent without fair compensation.
- You just love a good comedy.
- You're a relative or close friend of a member of our team who was pressured into giving us money, or, you know, other reasons maybe we didn't list.
ABOUT FLY BY NIGHT
Our film focuses on the little known comedians behind the Fly By Night Show and their attempt to independently mount a national tour. Inspired by binges of the Larry Sanders Show during Covid lockdown, the Fly By Night Show is the brainchild of Aidan Fealy and Alex Dolezal. The show is, at least in theory, a parody of a late-night talk show. However, its signature style is improvised chaos that leads the audience on a wild ride of musical numbers, sketches, and improv that is anything but the buttoned up format of Fallon, Kimmel, or Colbert.
The show has build a small cult following in their home-base of Nashville, Tennessee. Enough to earn a handful of local sponsors and be booked into weekday slots at Nashville's biggest comedy club. But even in Nashville, Aidan, Alex, and the Fly By Night Show are largely unknown. Which is the point of the film.
Fly By Night offers an intimate, unfiltered, and hilarious window into the attempt of two semi-professional comedians to plot their path to success through a tour literally no one was asking for, to places they are completely unknown. Or, at least, it will be, if they can manage to make it out of the starting gate. Fly By Night is a comical look into the unglamorous underbelly of the comedy industry. There are no Prevost tour buses or sold out theatres. No upfront pay or even provided accommodation. It's just two men, one 1970s camper, and a comedy tour, flying by night.
THE GOALS OF FLY BY NIGHT AND OUR S&S CAMPAIGN
We want people to see this movie! That why we're offering the $25 exclusive screening incentive! We take your support seriously! We're only asking for what we need to finish the film, with the ultimate goal of having our film land on a variety of streaming platforms. No matter what happens with distribution and festivals, we want to make sure YOU get to see this film (if you supported us at $25 or more).
GOAL OF THE CAMPAIGN
As we've said already, we're 90% finished. This campaign is a way for us to raise our final funds to finish post production. Specifically, paying our Post Sound Editor and Colorist to make the movie's look and sound meet a professional standard so it doesn't get in the way of our wacky adventure in comedy.
GOAL OF FLY BY NIGHT
We have high ambitions for this film and are pursuing our goals of distribution on multiple fronts, with the ultimate goal of using this stand alone feature to pitch a Fly By Night Show series.
1: FOCUS ON DISTRIBUTION - Festivals are great, but our focus is distribution. While most indie filmmakers dream of a Sundance debut and the glitz and glamour of the red carpet, we're taking a more pragmatic approach. We're dreaming of taking this to the American Film Market in Las Vegas in November and doing a water bottle tour around the business suites of our targeted list of distribution companies.
2: LAURELS NEVER HURT (BUT WORTHLESS ONES DO) - We will be submitting Fly By Night to a targeted list of film festivals. Our main festival targets are Slamdance and the Austin Film Festival. We will also be submitting to the four hometown festivals for core team: MSP International Film Festival (Minneapolis), Cinedependent (Cincinnati), Omaha Film Festival, and the Nashville Film Festival. We aren't going to waste money on laurel factories, festivals that are out of reach (Sundance, TIFF, etc.), or festivals we can fill seats at a screening.
3: FLY BY NIGHT AS A SPRINGBOARD TO EPISODIC - This project was originally conceived as a formatted pitch pilot for an episodic series following Aidan and Alex across America on their barebones, truly fly-by-night tour. It became a feature film because we wanted to make something that can stand on its own and serve as an introduction to two unknown, unique, comedians ready(ish) for bigger things.
We plan to use this introduction to the Fly By Night Show and it's, unique, creators to build a following through distribution and festival success (which aren't mutually exclusive in our minds) with the ultimate goal of selling our eventual tour-based show.
WHAT IF WE OVERFUND THIS CAMPAIGN?
Wouldn't that be nice?!? We have a number of targets if we raise more than our goal.
$1,000 - $2,500 Over Goal: We'll spend that additional funding on festival entry fees, providing a nice little bonus to the small, underpaid crew, we hired to help make the film, and banking some marketing funds to promote the film once we've secured distribution.
$3,500 and More Over Goal: Vegas Baby!!! But not like that. This year's American Film Market is being held in Las Vegas. If we raise more that $3,500 we'll use that money to subsidize our trip to pitch the film for to distributors as well as produce a live Fly By Nigh Show, in Vegas, during the conference, to help provide a proof of concept for our episodic pitch.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Post Sound
Costs $1,500
This is our final sound mix so when you watch in theatres or at home the volume is properly balanced, and everything sounds crisp and clean!
Color Grading
Costs $1,500
Color grading will make our film look beautiful and cinematic, but we need to hire a pro to really make it pop!
Share this update!
About This Team
Nathan Edwards
Director, Producer, Writer
In his day job, Nathan works in production either as a production manager/line producer or a production coordinator. He's plied his trade for the likes of Paramount, Hallmark, Sony, and NBCUniversal as well as numerous creative agencies and record labels.
Fly By Night marks Nathan's debut in the feature-length documentary space
Alex Dolezal
Executive Producer, Writer
A Cincinnati, Ohio native, Alex Dolezal is the musical tour-de-force behind the Fly By Night Show. When he isn't co-writing and co-producing the Fly By Night Show you can find him working as the Music Director for Nashville's premiere improv comedy theatre, Third Coast Comedy. If you're a Cincinnati football fan, you may also recognize him as one of the key creative minds behind the Bengal Boys - the Cincinnati Bengals official unofficial comedy hype band.
Aidan Fealy
Executive Producer, Writer
Minnesota-born Aidan is a student of comedy with a passion for improv. It's his quick wit as the host of the Fly By Night Show that keeps the delicate precipice between comedy and pure chaos. A veteran improviser, Aidan honed his improv chops with the Upright Citizens Brigade, and elsewhere, before teaming up with Alex Dolezal to create the Fly By Night Show.