Good Behavior

Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Film Short

Crime, Drama

Caleb Dillon

2 Campaigns | North Carolina, United States

Green Light

This campaign raised $12,570 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

26 supporters | followers

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Wrong place, wrong time; that's the driving idea behind Good Behavior, a redemptionist tale told through the lens of a woman trying to do right by her son. Our film is a twenty-minute Neo-Noir, rarely seen in the world of shorts, with a female-led dynamic cast and crew of NC filmmakers.

About The Project

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

Mission Statement

Imagine your life for a moment: your friends, your family, your job... now imagine all that being taken away simply because of an arbitrary choice, a left turn when you should have veered right. If your future was based on some textbook definition of morality, would you give it all up?

The Story

If you accidentally killed someone, would you cover up the crime?

What if the victim wasn't as innocent as you first believed? What if YOU were a single mother?


These are the questions that drive our twenty-minute thrill ride GOOD BEHAVIOR.



The most important aspect of getting this film right was FINDING AN ACTRESS who was passionate, driven, enthusiastic, and encapsulated the NEVER-BACK DOWN spirit of our protagonist. And while we met with many amazing actors for the lead role, it was crystal clear one stood out amongst her peers. VALERIA TANNUZZI brought everything to her audition, completely disappearing into her character. We are so excited to work with her in this role.


Valeria is an industry veteran and comfortable both in front of and behind the camera. We have no doubt her performance will leave you speechless.




WHAT AT FIRST APPEARS TO BE A RIGHT VS WRONG MORALITY TALE...

...becomes anything but as the characters' lives are explored in greater detail.



Ada is trying to get her life back on track; she has steady work and provides for her son. One fateful night a cyclist comes out of nowhere and she collides with him. After a moment of hesitation, she tries to save his life, but he expires on the scene. WITH POLICE CLOSING IN and Ada out on parole, she flees. She covers up any sign of the crime but can’t hide from her guilty conscience. Through a series of flashbacks, we get to know the man she hit and discover that his hands weren't so clean- the film asks you to weigh both lives in balance.



This script has already WON NUMEROUS AWARDS on the screenwriting contest circuit, is currently on the COVERFLY RED LIST, and is ranked in the top 4% of projects on Coverfly (out of over 120,000!). The script culminates everything Caleb learned over twenty years of writing in twenty short pages. Morality plays aren't often presented in short films, making this film stand out from the crowd, especially during STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS season.

Hey, if you dream.. DREAM BIG!



Our short is a DARK SLICE OF AMERICANA. From the moment the story opens in the aftermath of the accident to the twisted reveal in the final frames, this short asks two questions, both of which keep the reader on the edge of their seat:


1) Will Ada get caught, and


2) What would you have done if you were Ada?  




By pledging support to this project, you are FUNDING THE WORK OF ACTORS AND FILMMAKERS from all walks of life. Proceeds go directly towards the production, ensuring cast and crew are compensated for their hard work. Money not allocated to people goes towards equipment, operations, and location expenses.then post-production, editing, music, effects, and some leftovers for reshoots, pick-ups, ADR, and other expenses as needed.



If you are an INDIE FILM LOVER, if you want to see more films like this, the time to SUPPORT THIS VISION is right now.




Glad you asked... and the answer is all sorts of places. It mostly goes to paying the crew, cast, and renting equipment, but that's just the start.


Here's the thing: filmmaking isn't cheap...




Wait, hold on, do you need $10K or $50K? And the answer is always YES.


Stretch Goals are a way to measure funding beyond the initial ask.


Think of it like raising money for a good cause; more is always better. So while $10,000 would be a great start, to cover every aspect of production, we need every dollar we can get, up to $50K. The more we raise, the better the film we can make. And Caleb's life savings can only stretch so far....


So once we hit $10K, KEEP GOING!






Stylistically, our characters haunt the urban sprawl of a rural city - streets are wide and empty, poorly lit, bars are dark and dingy, and characters are often isolated in the frame. Lighting is low-key, high contrast, and consistent with Ada’s temperament.




Caleb conceived Good Behavior as an indie- thriller with a small cast and a guerilla crew, haunting the quiet streets of North Carolina towns. . Both a tone poem and a commentary on morality, this story is a snapshot of our time.


This short could function as a Proof of Concept for a longer feature entry, but it was devised as a stand-alone narrative.



The writer/director, Caleb Dillon, has been an independent filmmaker for over twenty years, completing his debut feature in 2014. During the pandemic, he studied at UCLA and is currently pursuing his MFA at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.


CALEB: "My need to tell stories has been the defining impetus of my life, and there is no better way to support me and my goals than helping to fund this project. With the culmination of my master's program less than a year away, I am shifting gears from ...


STUDENT TO PROFESSIONAL, from DREAMER TO DIRECTOR


And having just crested the hill of middle life, I realize how precious time is and how little of it we get. My first two decades as a filmmaker have built towards this project, from the shorts in my 20s to the feature in my 30s, and now, to a film that will allow me to showcase all I have learned."


Wishlist

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

Casting

Costs $2,500

All those amazing actors you see need support, too. They are compensated for their time on the project and housed for the shoot.

Lights, Camera...

Costs $3,000

They aren't cheap... this will go toward our Camera and Lighting team, as well as their gear packages.

Sound Team

Costs $1,500

Professional sound mixers and boom operators mean we capture top-notch audio without needing to replace the dialogue in post, saving money.

Meals and Lodging

Costs $2,500

The crew and cast will be housed locally and inexpensively, but housing a dozens persons for a week, plus travel and feeding them adds up.

Post Production & Score

Costs $2,500

After principal photography completes, the film is edited, and the audio levels are mixed. An original score is the finishing touch.

Festival Run

Costs $500

Each film festival we enter another chance to quality as an Oscar-nominated short. Film festivals aren't cheap and this will get us started.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

About This Team



GREAT FILMS START WITH PASSIONATE PEOPLE...

Who TAKE THEIR CAREERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS, originating projects here in NC.



After looking through hundreds of auditions from MANY TALENTED PERFORMERS, Caleb arrived at a dream cast for the production and we are so happy to be collaborating with THESE FINE ACTORS. If you don't know their names or faces yet, YOU SOON WILL.




No film would be complete without an AMAZING CREW to back up the CREATORS VISION. Every single person here is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to the success of OUR PRODUCTION.



Current Team

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