Girl Code
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama
We're a team of lady creators, movers, and shakers. Our film aims to provide an intimate and unique perspective on female friendships and the way in which women communicate. Told through a dramatic narrative and by a diverse crew of badass artists.
Girl Code
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $5,580 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
58 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
We're a team of lady creators, movers, and shakers. Our film aims to provide an intimate and unique perspective on female friendships and the way in which women communicate. Told through a dramatic narrative and by a diverse crew of badass artists.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
What makes a story "feminist"? Does it have to be about strong, empowered women? Does it have to tackle sexism head-on?
I was wrestling with these questions last year as I read through dozens of short festival plays for two women. I was hoping to find something to get produced, mostly as an excuse to work with my ultra-talented actress friend, Kate. The more "plays for two women" I read, the less I felt inspired. Nothing out there was saying to me: I need you to tell this story. So I said, "fuck it. I'm going to write something for us."
From a seed of an idea about the buzz of a significant other's cell phone and the fine line between jealous paranoia and being walked all over, I wrote a play called Girl Code. With my friend Kate on board to play Anna (the part I wrote with her in mind) and Casey Gates coming on as Director, and our show getting produced by Stuart Rogers' Studios, I was incredibly excited to see what would happen when we got to work.
Working with Casey and Kate was a dream. I was proud to have pulled together a team of strong women who wanted to make art together. And we were all really invested in the story. My only trepidation was that I had sort of set out to write something feminist, and the story that came out was about two women treating each other horribly. I was afraid I was doing us a disservice.
But when I voiced this concern to my team, they had a different perspective. They said, "this piece is feminist because there are two strong, nuanced, relatable, deeply flawed women up there. That is what we want to see more of. We want roles we can sink our teeth into. Believable, multi-faceted leading roles for women. PLUS we're shining a light on this insidious kind of communication that is so commonplace between women."
That made me feel really, really good. We kept working, tweaking the script, exploring the paradigm of these two characters. Our play ran for three weekends to completely sold-out audiences. After each show, so many women came up to me and said things like:
"That exact thing happened to me."
"I could completely see my girlfriends up there."
"I love how it doesn't pass the Bechdel test, but in an intentional, pointed way."
And that felt amazing, too. But after the show closed, we still wanted to do two things. One: get this story out in front of more people. Two: rework the story so that the characters were even more nuanced, and to bring out the cost of the falseness in this relationship on both women, especially at the end.
We knew that short film was the medium to tell this story right. And we want to keep working in a way that creates opportunities for women in the arts--in front of and behind the camera--by making a project that employs several women in the service of storytelling.
We hope that you'll come on board, too, and help us continue to share this story.
~ Jessica Jacobs
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location - Private Gym w/ Parking Lot
Costs $700
We also need a quick gym interior, and an outdoor parking lot/street location.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Crew
Costs $1,800
We're ready to hire a badass crew to help make our film great!
Location - Locker Room
Costs $700
We're working to rent out a mid to upscale locker room location. Think spin studio look, but independent.
Post Production
Costs $800
Editing, sound-mixing, and all that other fancy stuff to make the film come together!
Catering
Costs $800
Feeding our cast and crew!
Festival Fees
Costs $700
We'd love to see our film in festivals!
Share this update!
About This Team
Jessica, Kate, and Casey met while studying at Stuart Rogers Studios. They have been workshopping GIRL CODE for nearly a year, beginning as an original stage play and now a short film! The team is also so excited to have actor Danielle Woodson added to the team.
Casey Gates - Director, Co-Writer, Producer
Casey is an emerging filmmaker writing and directing her own work through a film initiative titled Lady Brain – her own personal mission statement as well as a collection of stand-alone short films and the six-part digital series Judy The Clown. Her title film What is #LadyBrain? was recently awarded as a "Voice of the Year" Honoree at the BlogHer16 Awards. During the day Casey hustles in the social media world, managing and consulting for entertainment clients, and is excited to continue combining her expertise with digital marketing and her passion for storytelling and filmmaking.
Jessica Jacobs (Anna) and Co-Writer
Jessica is an actress/writer/improviser/food blogger/super-Jew. An alumna of the UCB improv school, she performs with her indie group, Frenemies, whose sketches have been featured on Funny or Die and College Humor. She played with the Stanford Improvisers in college and has also trained at the Groundlings in LA and Bay Area Theater Sports in San Francisco. She is awesome at parallel parking, and does a killer Shakira impression.
Kate Spare (Nikki)
Kate began acting through comedy classes in high school and went on to receive an BA in Drama from UC Irvine. She moved to Los Angeles and began taking classes at Stuart Rogers Studios. Kate landed her first feature film The Cool Kids just six months after her move to LA and later booked roles in the films And Punching the Clown, and Writer’s Block. You can also see her in the coming web series Work Bitchez, next year and she just performed in the world premier production of The Portman Delusions, written by Adam Mervis. On her journey, Kate falls more and more in love with the art of story-telling, while reaching out to wide variety of audiences. From the beginning, Girl Code has been a very important story to her, as it takes a deeper look into the communication between females in this day and age. Most importantly, working with both Casey Gates and Jessica Jacobs continues to be an adventure filled with female empowerment, collaboration and dedication - Kate could not ask for a better dream team.
To stay up to date with career moves and fun, you can follow Kate on Instagram and Twitter! @katespare
Danielle Woodson (Polly)
Dani has filmed several independent movies, web-series, and has even landed a few television spots (including a co-star on Key & Peele). She also continues to produce and star in her own projects with her sketch group the Sissy Space Cats. Hailing from the city of Brotherly Love, Dani has been involved with the arts her entire life. She started training as a child at Philadelphia’s renowned Freedom Theater. She majored in drama at Philadelphia’s High School for Creative and Performing Arts then continued her training in New York City and now Los Angeles.
When not in front of a camera Dani stays inspired by overusing her Netflix subscription and movie discounts. With the help of the public library, she has also started to teach herself Spanish. She is still a novice so don’t expect more than Hola or Adios. Dani is very excited to participate in "Girl Code" and hopes you will join her in making it a reality.
Angela Rozanek - Makeup
Angela Panouka Rozanek was born and raised in Orange County, CA.
A little background on me is that my passion for both makeup and art was apparent at a very young age, whether it was “borrowing” my mother’s lipsticks, eyeliners, etc. to draw on furniture or putting it on myself as a toddler. In my teenage years, I would put make-up on my three older sisters and friends before a night on the town or various high school dances. Creatively self-taught, as an adult I began my career as a professional makeup artist and created my “MACme by Ang” freelance makeup business. I take great pride my tips, techniques, and products with other make-up artists, as well as my expertise with clients. Passing on and sharing knowledge with others is one of my favorite aspects of being a make-up artist. I continuously educate myself with new techniques to stay current in my makeup knowledge.
It is very rewarding to me to make my clients feel special and look great. Not only for that moment, but for their everlasting photographs. I pride myself in being an artist that listens to what my clients want and enhancing their faces using my most loved makeup products such as MAC, Nars, Anastasia, Makeup Forever, etc. My style is partly influenced by my Hmong heritage but overall, if I were to define my style, I would say I am definitely eclectic. I have an eye for art and beauty.
Frankie Maria Corzo - Producer's Assistant
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
What makes a story "feminist"? Does it have to be about strong, empowered women? Does it have to tackle sexism head-on?
I was wrestling with these questions last year as I read through dozens of short festival plays for two women. I was hoping to find something to get produced, mostly as an excuse to work with my ultra-talented actress friend, Kate. The more "plays for two women" I read, the less I felt inspired. Nothing out there was saying to me: I need you to tell this story. So I said, "fuck it. I'm going to write something for us."
From a seed of an idea about the buzz of a significant other's cell phone and the fine line between jealous paranoia and being walked all over, I wrote a play called Girl Code. With my friend Kate on board to play Anna (the part I wrote with her in mind) and Casey Gates coming on as Director, and our show getting produced by Stuart Rogers' Studios, I was incredibly excited to see what would happen when we got to work.
Working with Casey and Kate was a dream. I was proud to have pulled together a team of strong women who wanted to make art together. And we were all really invested in the story. My only trepidation was that I had sort of set out to write something feminist, and the story that came out was about two women treating each other horribly. I was afraid I was doing us a disservice.
But when I voiced this concern to my team, they had a different perspective. They said, "this piece is feminist because there are two strong, nuanced, relatable, deeply flawed women up there. That is what we want to see more of. We want roles we can sink our teeth into. Believable, multi-faceted leading roles for women. PLUS we're shining a light on this insidious kind of communication that is so commonplace between women."
That made me feel really, really good. We kept working, tweaking the script, exploring the paradigm of these two characters. Our play ran for three weekends to completely sold-out audiences. After each show, so many women came up to me and said things like:
"That exact thing happened to me."
"I could completely see my girlfriends up there."
"I love how it doesn't pass the Bechdel test, but in an intentional, pointed way."
And that felt amazing, too. But after the show closed, we still wanted to do two things. One: get this story out in front of more people. Two: rework the story so that the characters were even more nuanced, and to bring out the cost of the falseness in this relationship on both women, especially at the end.
We knew that short film was the medium to tell this story right. And we want to keep working in a way that creates opportunities for women in the arts--in front of and behind the camera--by making a project that employs several women in the service of storytelling.
We hope that you'll come on board, too, and help us continue to share this story.
~ Jessica Jacobs
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location - Private Gym w/ Parking Lot
Costs $700
We also need a quick gym interior, and an outdoor parking lot/street location.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Crew
Costs $1,800
We're ready to hire a badass crew to help make our film great!
Location - Locker Room
Costs $700
We're working to rent out a mid to upscale locker room location. Think spin studio look, but independent.
Post Production
Costs $800
Editing, sound-mixing, and all that other fancy stuff to make the film come together!
Catering
Costs $800
Feeding our cast and crew!
Festival Fees
Costs $700
We'd love to see our film in festivals!
Share this update!
About This Team
Jessica, Kate, and Casey met while studying at Stuart Rogers Studios. They have been workshopping GIRL CODE for nearly a year, beginning as an original stage play and now a short film! The team is also so excited to have actor Danielle Woodson added to the team.
Casey Gates - Director, Co-Writer, Producer
Casey is an emerging filmmaker writing and directing her own work through a film initiative titled Lady Brain – her own personal mission statement as well as a collection of stand-alone short films and the six-part digital series Judy The Clown. Her title film What is #LadyBrain? was recently awarded as a "Voice of the Year" Honoree at the BlogHer16 Awards. During the day Casey hustles in the social media world, managing and consulting for entertainment clients, and is excited to continue combining her expertise with digital marketing and her passion for storytelling and filmmaking.
Jessica Jacobs (Anna) and Co-Writer
Jessica is an actress/writer/improviser/food blogger/super-Jew. An alumna of the UCB improv school, she performs with her indie group, Frenemies, whose sketches have been featured on Funny or Die and College Humor. She played with the Stanford Improvisers in college and has also trained at the Groundlings in LA and Bay Area Theater Sports in San Francisco. She is awesome at parallel parking, and does a killer Shakira impression.
Kate Spare (Nikki)
Kate began acting through comedy classes in high school and went on to receive an BA in Drama from UC Irvine. She moved to Los Angeles and began taking classes at Stuart Rogers Studios. Kate landed her first feature film The Cool Kids just six months after her move to LA and later booked roles in the films And Punching the Clown, and Writer’s Block. You can also see her in the coming web series Work Bitchez, next year and she just performed in the world premier production of The Portman Delusions, written by Adam Mervis. On her journey, Kate falls more and more in love with the art of story-telling, while reaching out to wide variety of audiences. From the beginning, Girl Code has been a very important story to her, as it takes a deeper look into the communication between females in this day and age. Most importantly, working with both Casey Gates and Jessica Jacobs continues to be an adventure filled with female empowerment, collaboration and dedication - Kate could not ask for a better dream team.
To stay up to date with career moves and fun, you can follow Kate on Instagram and Twitter! @katespare
Danielle Woodson (Polly)
Dani has filmed several independent movies, web-series, and has even landed a few television spots (including a co-star on Key & Peele). She also continues to produce and star in her own projects with her sketch group the Sissy Space Cats. Hailing from the city of Brotherly Love, Dani has been involved with the arts her entire life. She started training as a child at Philadelphia’s renowned Freedom Theater. She majored in drama at Philadelphia’s High School for Creative and Performing Arts then continued her training in New York City and now Los Angeles.
When not in front of a camera Dani stays inspired by overusing her Netflix subscription and movie discounts. With the help of the public library, she has also started to teach herself Spanish. She is still a novice so don’t expect more than Hola or Adios. Dani is very excited to participate in "Girl Code" and hopes you will join her in making it a reality.
Angela Rozanek - Makeup
Angela Panouka Rozanek was born and raised in Orange County, CA.
A little background on me is that my passion for both makeup and art was apparent at a very young age, whether it was “borrowing” my mother’s lipsticks, eyeliners, etc. to draw on furniture or putting it on myself as a toddler. In my teenage years, I would put make-up on my three older sisters and friends before a night on the town or various high school dances. Creatively self-taught, as an adult I began my career as a professional makeup artist and created my “MACme by Ang” freelance makeup business. I take great pride my tips, techniques, and products with other make-up artists, as well as my expertise with clients. Passing on and sharing knowledge with others is one of my favorite aspects of being a make-up artist. I continuously educate myself with new techniques to stay current in my makeup knowledge.
It is very rewarding to me to make my clients feel special and look great. Not only for that moment, but for their everlasting photographs. I pride myself in being an artist that listens to what my clients want and enhancing their faces using my most loved makeup products such as MAC, Nars, Anastasia, Makeup Forever, etc. My style is partly influenced by my Hmong heritage but overall, if I were to define my style, I would say I am definitely eclectic. I have an eye for art and beauty.
Frankie Maria Corzo - Producer's Assistant