Goldie
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror, Thriller
A washed-up clown in a 1930s circus fights to reclaim her spotlight—by any means necessary. Goldie is a dark, dazzling circus thriller about female ambition, identity, and performance. This is our final USC film. It's bold, unapologetic, and I need your help making my dream come true.
Green Light
This campaign raised $11,370 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
121 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
A washed-up clown in a 1930s circus fights to reclaim her spotlight—by any means necessary. Goldie is a dark, dazzling circus thriller about female ambition, identity, and performance. This is our final USC film. It's bold, unapologetic, and I need your help making my dream come true.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
How far would you go to prove you still matter- when no one thinks you do?
Set in a crumbling 1930s traveling circus, Goldie, a once-beloved clown, spirals into delusion and violence as she battles for relevance in a world that’s left her behind. When a younger trapeze artist threatens to steal her spotlight, and her shot at a new life, Goldie takes matters into her own hands, with glitter and blood to match.
This film is my ode to to the golden age of circus spectacle, silent-era slapstick, and the women who’ve been told they’re too much and decided to-
become even more.
Think: “Pearl” meets “Black Swan,” under the big top of Dumbo.
I'm embracing:
- Technicolor dreamscapes in a dusty, faded world
- Carnival horror meets slapstick comedy
- Hyper-feminine visuals that slowly distort as Goldie unravels
- Practical FX, theatrical lighting, and a strong sense of performance within performance
How Your Support Helps
I'm raising [$11,000] to cover:
- Production Design: Period costumes, vintage props, circus banners, mirrors, and more.
- Locations: Building an authentic circus world isn’t cheap.
- Camera & Lighting: To capture our rich, stylized world.
- Post Production: Color, sound design, music—all to bring Goldie’s descent to life.
Every dollar gets us closer to putting this twisted little fairy tale on screen. This is my final film at The University of Southern California, my last chance to go big before entering the industry. If you love bold, stylized genre stories that center complex women, I need your help to bring Goldie to the center ring.
Donate. Share. And step right up. The show must go on
OUR CAMPAIGN PAGE
Seed&Spark rewards us for building our audience.
The more followers we get, the more prizes we unlock for our film - products, services, and festival fee waivers, courtesy of Seed&Spark!
Follow our instagram: @goldie.film
WITH A PLEDGE
I have to collect 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds.
You can choose an incentive, a specific wishlist item, or fit your pledge to your specific budget.
No pledge is too small. Every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible.
GEAR, PROPS, FOOD, or LOCATIONS
Want an alternative to a monetary pledge?
Check out out Wishlist! We can offer credit and/or advertising. Feel free to make a loan request in our "Wishlist" tab or email us at [email protected] with "GOLDIE WISHLIST" in the subject line.
THE WORD WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
The only way I will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks.
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! I can't do this without you!
Help filmmaker @Elise_Frances_Garner by supporting her circus horror film "GOLDIE " about a clown who just wants to be a STAR...by any means necessary! Join them on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/goldie
I'm so excited to see the MFA thesis film GOLDIE by USC students and director/writer @Elise_Frances_Garner
Support them on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/goldie
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Gear
Costs $1,000
Help us complete our camera kit! the rest is coming from the school
Food for Cast & Crew
Costs $400
We've got to keep our cast & crew energized with healthy set meals. Don't forget the coffee!
Sound Equipment
Costs $200
No movie is complete without quality production sound.
Lighting Gear
Costs $2,000
Good lighting is essential to getting that classic film look.
Hard Drive #1
Costs $150
Help us protect our time, money, and efforts by making sure our footage is safe and secure!
Hard Drive #2
Costs $150
We'll back up our footage in not one, not two, but THREE places (you can never be too careful, and it is required)
Hard Drive #3
Costs $350
We'll back up our footage in not one, not two, but THREE places (you can never be too careful)
Costumes
Costs $500
Costumes will be key to selling our 1930s Circus world
Locations
Costs $500
We found the perfect location...but it'll cost us!
Props
Costs $2,000
A strong art department is key to selling the world of any film!
Post Production
Costs $4,000
Editing, Sound Design, and an Original Score!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Elise Frances Garner | Writer & Director
Elise Frances Garner is a filmmaker from Memphis, Tennessee, with a deep love for emotionally charged stories and visually bold worlds. From a young age, she was drawn to the magic of moviemaking, writing, directing, and acting in homemade films on her iPad. In fifth grade, she put “Future Actress” for her career, but by eighth grade, she realized her passion wasn’t just in front of the camera—it was in crafting every part of a story. After a conversation with her middle school art teacher, who told her she should be a director, she never looked back.
Elise went on to earn her undergraduate degree in Film Studies from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where she honed her voice as both a storyteller and a visual artist. Determined to push her work to the highest level, she applied to just one graduate school: The University of Southern California, the number one film school in the world. With an acceptance rate under 1%, getting in felt like a dream come true and it still does.
Now in her final semester at USC’s prestigious MFA Film & Television Production program, Elise has been honored with the opportunity to direct a thesis film, a competitive, career-defining capstone project selected by faculty. For Elise, this is more than just a film. It’s the culmination of years of hard work, creative risk-taking, and relentless passion.
With your support, she’s ready to bring her most ambitious vision yet to life.
Becky Bruner | Producer
"Horror Raised Me”, a phrase that isn’t just a motto for Becky, but a truth carved deep into her creative DNA. The genre didn’t just entertain her, it grounded her. It became home.
As a producer, she has a gift for nurturing fresh voices within the horror space. Whether it’s creature features, folk horror, or slow burning dread, she’s driven to explore what scares us.
Her work is defined by a deep respect for the genre’s roots, with an unshakable belief that horror is more than entertainment, it’s a mirror. Through each film, Becky aims to honor the stories that raised her, while creating new nightmares for the next generation.
Grace Galarraga | Producer
Grace Galarraga is from Orange County, California but grew up for the first 15 years of her life in New York. She is currently a third year graduate student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, pursing an MFA in film and television production. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in film studies. Grace has always had a passion for storytelling, whether it be fiction or non-fiction. Since being at USC, she has produced several short projects. She is currently interning at Big Beach and Winterlight Pictures for the summer. Building a career in writing and producing in the film industry, Grace focuses on telling stories that will both entertain and inspire.
Tanya Agarwal | Producer
Tanya Agarwal is an Indian filmmaker and producer currently pursuing her MFA in Film and Television Production at USC, with a focus on producing. She holds a BA (Hons) in Practical Filmmaking from MetFilm School, London, and began her career directing shorts that screened in Mumbai theaters at just 15. With experience spanning development, management, and on-set production, Tanya has interned with Legacy Pictures, ACE Entertainment, and Stride Management, gaining skills in coverage, pitch materials, and creative logistics.
She’s currently producing USC thesis films and expanding her expertise in both scripted and unscripted formats. Tanya’s passion lies in stories that are emotionally precise, formally bold, and structurally tight, especially those rooted in identity, systems, or transformation.
Andrew Kovac | 1st AD
Andrew Kovac is a first-generation Slovak-American filmmaker living in Los Angeles, California, hailing from the humble city of Akron, Ohio. Filmmaking started as a hobby—writing, shooting, and editing YouTube videos with friends in middle school—but grew into a calling over time. Andrew has written, produced, and directed over 20 short films, with several of them being accepted into international film festivals and winning several awards, like Best Picture at the Highland Film Festival, for GOOD YEARS GONE.
Film is the perfect intersection of all of Andrew’s interests, ranging from character-based storytelling to visual communication. He received his BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Akron. Andrew graduated the University of Southern California with his MFA in Film Production in spring of 2025.
Sean Foster | Sound
Sean Foster is an experimental filmmaker, sound designer, and musician from Townsend, Montana. He received a B.A. in Film & Photography from Montana State University and is currently working on his Master’s in Film and Television Production at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he received the Verna Fields Golden Reel nomination for Outstanding Sound Editing. His work is influenced by American action movie the 80’s & 90’s , dreams, multi-media art, conspiracy theories, cartoons, and growing up in the Montana punk music scene.
Scott Wilson | Editor
Scott Wilson is a filmmaker from Simsbury, CT. He is in his fourth semester as a Graduate Film and Television Production Student the School of Cinematic Arts. Scott has enjoyed his time at SCA in a variety of roles, but especially looks forward to Editing “Goldie” as it is a genre he has never had the opportunity to edit in!
Elise Frances Garner | Production Designer
Shannon Morrall | Associate Producer
Whether making mischief in DnD or studying the art of the clown, Shannon has always had a penchant for play, driven by a curiosity for what sparks the human spirit and a yearning for the camaraderie that comes with it. As a filmmaker, she aims to explore human connection and joy, often through the escapism of grand adventure genres.
As such, Shannon embraces virtual production and technology to tell stories that are out-of-this-world. She has produced on the LED volumes at Sony Pictures Studios and Amazon studios, and won the Cannes Next A.I. creation challenge at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Her motto of “follow the fun” does not limit itself by genre, as seen in her documentary about two renegade retirees building a lionfish-hunting submarine. The film won accolades for its quirky characters and action-packed portrayal of an invasive fish, taking home Best Doc at the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes. Whatever the story, Shannon aims to capture those twinkle-in-the-eye moments that make life unforgettable.
Mike Werner | Associate Producer
Mike Werner is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. A current student at the University
of Southern California, he is obtaining his Masters in Cinematic Production. Originally from a
suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Mike grew up enthralled by the world of movies, using the local
library and rental stores to view everything from Disney and Star Wars to Scorsese and Spike
Lee. When he was old enough to make his own money, every free dollar went into building a
collection of DVDs that became the Blockbuster for his friends and family.
From the moment Mike arrived at USC, he began working. Since entering the program in 2022,
he has worked on 30 different short films in various capacities, including producing ten shorts.
Another short, A Thousand Years, won Best Student Dramatic Short at the Raw Science Film
Festival in New York City. Another of those, To Break Water, played at the Tallinn Black Nights
Film Festival in 2023. He has also worked on multiple films utilizing LED wall technology, and
Mike recently finished his first feature script, a high-school comedy about a jock who gets
concussed and decides to try out for the school play. His goal is to work on projects that reflect
the world, both the trials and tribulations of everyday people, while also leaving room for the
humor and moments of grace that populate our lives.
Mike received his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton in Computer Science,
and spent 10 years as a software developer for a healthcare IT company. When the COVID-19
pandemic arrived, he chose to focus on his passions, and he enrolled in USC’s school of
Cinematic Arts.
Alongside transitioning to film and attending classes, Mike simultaneously works as an IT
consultant for a number of hospitals across the globe, helping to manage their installation
projects. When he’s not working on a film, he also enjoys sports and trivia (with a goal of
eventually making it on Jeopardy!).
Jose Tenorio | Associate Producer
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USC SCA MFA '26 | Producer | Writer | Editor
Enjoys making films
He does not want to be known
Unfortunately
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
How far would you go to prove you still matter- when no one thinks you do?
Set in a crumbling 1930s traveling circus, Goldie, a once-beloved clown, spirals into delusion and violence as she battles for relevance in a world that’s left her behind. When a younger trapeze artist threatens to steal her spotlight, and her shot at a new life, Goldie takes matters into her own hands, with glitter and blood to match.
This film is my ode to to the golden age of circus spectacle, silent-era slapstick, and the women who’ve been told they’re too much and decided to-
become even more.
Think: “Pearl” meets “Black Swan,” under the big top of Dumbo.
I'm embracing:
- Technicolor dreamscapes in a dusty, faded world
- Carnival horror meets slapstick comedy
- Hyper-feminine visuals that slowly distort as Goldie unravels
- Practical FX, theatrical lighting, and a strong sense of performance within performance
How Your Support Helps
I'm raising [$11,000] to cover:
- Production Design: Period costumes, vintage props, circus banners, mirrors, and more.
- Locations: Building an authentic circus world isn’t cheap.
- Camera & Lighting: To capture our rich, stylized world.
- Post Production: Color, sound design, music—all to bring Goldie’s descent to life.
Every dollar gets us closer to putting this twisted little fairy tale on screen. This is my final film at The University of Southern California, my last chance to go big before entering the industry. If you love bold, stylized genre stories that center complex women, I need your help to bring Goldie to the center ring.
Donate. Share. And step right up. The show must go on
OUR CAMPAIGN PAGE
Seed&Spark rewards us for building our audience.
The more followers we get, the more prizes we unlock for our film - products, services, and festival fee waivers, courtesy of Seed&Spark!
Follow our instagram: @goldie.film
WITH A PLEDGE
I have to collect 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds.
You can choose an incentive, a specific wishlist item, or fit your pledge to your specific budget.
No pledge is too small. Every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible.
GEAR, PROPS, FOOD, or LOCATIONS
Want an alternative to a monetary pledge?
Check out out Wishlist! We can offer credit and/or advertising. Feel free to make a loan request in our "Wishlist" tab or email us at [email protected] with "GOLDIE WISHLIST" in the subject line.
THE WORD WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
The only way I will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks.
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! I can't do this without you!
Help filmmaker @Elise_Frances_Garner by supporting her circus horror film "GOLDIE " about a clown who just wants to be a STAR...by any means necessary! Join them on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/goldie
I'm so excited to see the MFA thesis film GOLDIE by USC students and director/writer @Elise_Frances_Garner
Support them on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/goldie
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Gear
Costs $1,000
Help us complete our camera kit! the rest is coming from the school
Food for Cast & Crew
Costs $400
We've got to keep our cast & crew energized with healthy set meals. Don't forget the coffee!
Sound Equipment
Costs $200
No movie is complete without quality production sound.
Lighting Gear
Costs $2,000
Good lighting is essential to getting that classic film look.
Hard Drive #1
Costs $150
Help us protect our time, money, and efforts by making sure our footage is safe and secure!
Hard Drive #2
Costs $150
We'll back up our footage in not one, not two, but THREE places (you can never be too careful, and it is required)
Hard Drive #3
Costs $350
We'll back up our footage in not one, not two, but THREE places (you can never be too careful)
Costumes
Costs $500
Costumes will be key to selling our 1930s Circus world
Locations
Costs $500
We found the perfect location...but it'll cost us!
Props
Costs $2,000
A strong art department is key to selling the world of any film!
Post Production
Costs $4,000
Editing, Sound Design, and an Original Score!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Elise Frances Garner | Writer & Director
Elise Frances Garner is a filmmaker from Memphis, Tennessee, with a deep love for emotionally charged stories and visually bold worlds. From a young age, she was drawn to the magic of moviemaking, writing, directing, and acting in homemade films on her iPad. In fifth grade, she put “Future Actress” for her career, but by eighth grade, she realized her passion wasn’t just in front of the camera—it was in crafting every part of a story. After a conversation with her middle school art teacher, who told her she should be a director, she never looked back.
Elise went on to earn her undergraduate degree in Film Studies from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where she honed her voice as both a storyteller and a visual artist. Determined to push her work to the highest level, she applied to just one graduate school: The University of Southern California, the number one film school in the world. With an acceptance rate under 1%, getting in felt like a dream come true and it still does.
Now in her final semester at USC’s prestigious MFA Film & Television Production program, Elise has been honored with the opportunity to direct a thesis film, a competitive, career-defining capstone project selected by faculty. For Elise, this is more than just a film. It’s the culmination of years of hard work, creative risk-taking, and relentless passion.
With your support, she’s ready to bring her most ambitious vision yet to life.
Becky Bruner | Producer
"Horror Raised Me”, a phrase that isn’t just a motto for Becky, but a truth carved deep into her creative DNA. The genre didn’t just entertain her, it grounded her. It became home.
As a producer, she has a gift for nurturing fresh voices within the horror space. Whether it’s creature features, folk horror, or slow burning dread, she’s driven to explore what scares us.
Her work is defined by a deep respect for the genre’s roots, with an unshakable belief that horror is more than entertainment, it’s a mirror. Through each film, Becky aims to honor the stories that raised her, while creating new nightmares for the next generation.
Grace Galarraga | Producer
Grace Galarraga is from Orange County, California but grew up for the first 15 years of her life in New York. She is currently a third year graduate student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, pursing an MFA in film and television production. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in film studies. Grace has always had a passion for storytelling, whether it be fiction or non-fiction. Since being at USC, she has produced several short projects. She is currently interning at Big Beach and Winterlight Pictures for the summer. Building a career in writing and producing in the film industry, Grace focuses on telling stories that will both entertain and inspire.
Tanya Agarwal | Producer
Tanya Agarwal is an Indian filmmaker and producer currently pursuing her MFA in Film and Television Production at USC, with a focus on producing. She holds a BA (Hons) in Practical Filmmaking from MetFilm School, London, and began her career directing shorts that screened in Mumbai theaters at just 15. With experience spanning development, management, and on-set production, Tanya has interned with Legacy Pictures, ACE Entertainment, and Stride Management, gaining skills in coverage, pitch materials, and creative logistics.
She’s currently producing USC thesis films and expanding her expertise in both scripted and unscripted formats. Tanya’s passion lies in stories that are emotionally precise, formally bold, and structurally tight, especially those rooted in identity, systems, or transformation.
Andrew Kovac | 1st AD
Andrew Kovac is a first-generation Slovak-American filmmaker living in Los Angeles, California, hailing from the humble city of Akron, Ohio. Filmmaking started as a hobby—writing, shooting, and editing YouTube videos with friends in middle school—but grew into a calling over time. Andrew has written, produced, and directed over 20 short films, with several of them being accepted into international film festivals and winning several awards, like Best Picture at the Highland Film Festival, for GOOD YEARS GONE.
Film is the perfect intersection of all of Andrew’s interests, ranging from character-based storytelling to visual communication. He received his BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Akron. Andrew graduated the University of Southern California with his MFA in Film Production in spring of 2025.
Sean Foster | Sound
Sean Foster is an experimental filmmaker, sound designer, and musician from Townsend, Montana. He received a B.A. in Film & Photography from Montana State University and is currently working on his Master’s in Film and Television Production at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he received the Verna Fields Golden Reel nomination for Outstanding Sound Editing. His work is influenced by American action movie the 80’s & 90’s , dreams, multi-media art, conspiracy theories, cartoons, and growing up in the Montana punk music scene.
Scott Wilson | Editor
Scott Wilson is a filmmaker from Simsbury, CT. He is in his fourth semester as a Graduate Film and Television Production Student the School of Cinematic Arts. Scott has enjoyed his time at SCA in a variety of roles, but especially looks forward to Editing “Goldie” as it is a genre he has never had the opportunity to edit in!
Elise Frances Garner | Production Designer
Shannon Morrall | Associate Producer
Whether making mischief in DnD or studying the art of the clown, Shannon has always had a penchant for play, driven by a curiosity for what sparks the human spirit and a yearning for the camaraderie that comes with it. As a filmmaker, she aims to explore human connection and joy, often through the escapism of grand adventure genres.
As such, Shannon embraces virtual production and technology to tell stories that are out-of-this-world. She has produced on the LED volumes at Sony Pictures Studios and Amazon studios, and won the Cannes Next A.I. creation challenge at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Her motto of “follow the fun” does not limit itself by genre, as seen in her documentary about two renegade retirees building a lionfish-hunting submarine. The film won accolades for its quirky characters and action-packed portrayal of an invasive fish, taking home Best Doc at the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes. Whatever the story, Shannon aims to capture those twinkle-in-the-eye moments that make life unforgettable.
Mike Werner | Associate Producer
Mike Werner is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. A current student at the University
of Southern California, he is obtaining his Masters in Cinematic Production. Originally from a
suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Mike grew up enthralled by the world of movies, using the local
library and rental stores to view everything from Disney and Star Wars to Scorsese and Spike
Lee. When he was old enough to make his own money, every free dollar went into building a
collection of DVDs that became the Blockbuster for his friends and family.
From the moment Mike arrived at USC, he began working. Since entering the program in 2022,
he has worked on 30 different short films in various capacities, including producing ten shorts.
Another short, A Thousand Years, won Best Student Dramatic Short at the Raw Science Film
Festival in New York City. Another of those, To Break Water, played at the Tallinn Black Nights
Film Festival in 2023. He has also worked on multiple films utilizing LED wall technology, and
Mike recently finished his first feature script, a high-school comedy about a jock who gets
concussed and decides to try out for the school play. His goal is to work on projects that reflect
the world, both the trials and tribulations of everyday people, while also leaving room for the
humor and moments of grace that populate our lives.
Mike received his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton in Computer Science,
and spent 10 years as a software developer for a healthcare IT company. When the COVID-19
pandemic arrived, he chose to focus on his passions, and he enrolled in USC’s school of
Cinematic Arts.
Alongside transitioning to film and attending classes, Mike simultaneously works as an IT
consultant for a number of hospitals across the globe, helping to manage their installation
projects. When he’s not working on a film, he also enjoys sports and trivia (with a goal of
eventually making it on Jeopardy!).
Jose Tenorio | Associate Producer
USC SCA MFA '26 | Producer | Writer | Editor
Enjoys making films
He does not want to be known
Unfortunately