About the Filmmaker

My name is Anna and I'm a 1st generation latinx comedian, artist, and filmmaker here in LA. Back in 2013, I started drawing a little doodle that would eventually become Bad Comix by Anna -- my Instagram webcomic that now has nearly 50k followers. Through my comic, I was able to process my depression and anxiety, and also my troubled relationship to cheese. Badcomix was the first thing I ever made that truly felt 100% me.

<---me in badcomix form

Since then, I've gone on to make a lot more projects. I co-wrote and starred in a surreal film called Gulp. The next year I wrote and directed 2 more films, Insomniac and Half Waltz, the first of which was an official selection in the NewFilmmakers Latinx Showcase at the Academy of Motion Pictures, and is currently streaming on NoBudge.com. I became a Sundance Lab fellow, and more recently, a Women in Film/Blacklist Episodic Lab fellow. 

For the last 6 years, I've also been writing and performing comedy with my partner and fellow latina (& Floridian), Heather Alarcón Higginbotham. Together as "John Baxter Comedy," we've made dozens of comedy videos, including one that went viral -- A Star is Korn (..get it?). We've learned filmmaking through doing, pulling together cast and crew by way of favors and very little money. Through it all, we formed our own DIY production company, Pickle Films. We were tired of seeing the lack of POC and female representation in film after film, series after series. Pickle Films is our attempt to transform the industry for the better.

About the Film

Foghorn is a short film about a girl whose vagina suddenly starts emitting a loud foghorn, leading her down a surreal rabbit hole through LA. Ultimately, this is a film about women's bodies and who owns them. I've struggled with my own reproductive health (through overactive hormones and difficulties with birth control and the healthcare system) and I wanted to express that struggle in way that felt as complicated and darkly funny as the experience itself. 

I've always loved surreal filmmakers like Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, and shows like Maniac, Russian Doll, and Atlanta that push the boundaries between drama and comedy, reality and dreams. Foghorn exists in a similar world. It's my contribution to a genre that is -- at least in film -- heavily male dominated, particularly behind the camera.

Your contributions will cover the following parts of the budget:

• Gear Rental: We're borrowing a camera and our talented cinematographer is donating his time, but we still need funds for camera and lighting gear, and insurance.
• Art Department: Due to the surreal components of this film, we need funds for props, set decoration, and location rental.
• Key Crew: While much of our cast/crew is volunteering their time, some key crew positions will be paid at a low budget rate given the technical difficulty and demands of their roles. These include makeup, sound, AC, gaffer, AD, and a set PA. 
• Craft Services: The most important part of a keeping a low budget film running smoothly is food! In order to accommodate people working at reduced rates and for free, we need to feed them. 

Any extra funds we raise will go to:

• Post-production (color correction, composer, etc) 
• Festival submission fees (at $40-100 a pop, these stack up!)
• Expansion of art department & locations (we're 'borrowing' several locations and doing our best with DIY prop construction, but extra funds will help uplift the quality of production design, and provide more reliable locations)

Perks & Rewards

This wouldn't be an Anna Salinas project without Badcomix. 

I've created prints, mini-comics, T shirts, and more to show my gratitude for your generosity in helping me with this film. These rewards include custom pieces -- which means you get to choose what you'd like included in the comic, and I'll make it special for you. That's a lot of comix! 

Your Impact

Without your contributions, Foghorn would simply not be possible. This is my most ambitious film and to do it right, I need the resources that come with a slightly larger budget.

I've made dozens of videos over the last few years, and called in dozens more favors. I've produced 2 full webseries (Beautiful Fools from 2014 & the forthcoming "John Baxter" micro-series I Hate You) that required management of a full crew and budget. I've produced 3 short films on ultra low budgets, and I'm made a lot of comedy videos for nearly nothing. I know what it takes to bring a concept to life on screen, and how to keep costs low without sacrificing quality. 

Challenges

Our biggest challenge is that even with your help, we're still operating on a reduced short film budget. This means we'll be borrowing as much of the gear as possible, relying on some free labor, and "guerrilla" shooting where we can. Sometimes people get "big-time Hollywood" paid work that conflicts with our indie shoot, which can result in losing resources or members of our team. That can make scheduling tricky. Fortunately, we're keeping the cast and crew as paired down as possible, and planning well in advance, to keep things simple. Plus, me and my producing partner Heather have been producing low budget video content for the last 7 years, and we're used to working on a shoe-string budget!

Other Ways You Can Help

Even if you can't contribute financially, your help can still go a long way. Here are some things you can do that don't require $$$$:

• Tell your friends about the campaign!
  Share the project on social media!