Janice has just moved into the neighborhood, and thinks of her discomfort as simply a benign fear of the new and unknown; but on her first night there, she witnesses something terrifying in her home. The next morning, she experiences another unfathomable event that forces a strange, physical reaction within her. She attends a community meeting, GOOD NEIGHBORS, to meet her neighbors and ask them for help. What she unearths about these new neighbors springs her into a living nightmare. 

CHARACTERS

JANICE, our protagonist, is the new neighbor in town. Anxious but level-headed, she never intends to trouble anyone but will always stand for her beliefs.

MARGE is the matriarchal figure and leader of GOOD NEIGHBORS. She finds her purpose in moderating these meetings, and no one is going to take that spotlight from her.

GEORGE, the police chief of the community, is concerned with enforcing the status quo.

CLYDE, the de-facto community leader, is aggressive and protective of his neighborhood and its traditions.

DIRECTOR CLAIRE POON

Claire Poon is a director from Hong Kong, currently based in Los Angeles. She holds a BA in Film and Television Production from USC School of Cinematic Arts, and has directed multiple short films and stage plays that play with ideas of reality, time, and dreams. She embraces the spirit of experimentation of cinema's past, and with a considered and stylized use of image and sound, she hopes to bring you new experiences, and make films that stick with you for a long time to come.

PRODUCER ETERNIA LOVE LEE

Japan and LA-based artist Eternia Love Lee currently attends the USC School of Cinematic Arts for B.A.s in both Film & Television Production and Narrative Studies. Though still an undergraduate student, she has found success in freelancing as a jack-of-all-trades filmmaker; most frequently collaborating as a Producer, Writer, and Production Designer. With her multicultural and multidisciplinary background, she hopes to create stories that “comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” 

WRITER NOLAN LAMPSON

Nolan Lampson is pursuing a BFA in screenwriting from USC School of Cinematic Arts. His writing interests are rooted in the fusion of ensemble dramas and the horror/thriller genres. Alongside school, Nolan has interned for film companies such as Blumhouse and NEON. Following graduation, he will pursue writing for the theatrical film space. He hopes to both unsettle and compel the audience drawn to this short film.

CO-PRODUCER STEVIE GRAY

Stevie Gray was born and raised in Los Angeles and is passionate about producing films that bring new perspectives to their audiences. With a BA in Film and TV Production from USC, Stevie is committed to combining his experiences in documentary film, environmental education, and social entrepreneurship into a line of work that allows him to create intersectional social impact in LA. Outside of his professional work in film production sustainability, he’s an avid traveler, spending as much of his free time as possible exploring new places.

Art has a unique ability to tap into our psyche; not only can it bring you different perspectives, it can also put you in them. The core of GOOD NEIGHBORS is about a woman whose cries for help ultimately get distorted and ignored by the people around her. As a foreigner, I lived in a situation eerily similar to Janice’s, and have constantly felt like an outsider. This is a truly strange and isolating experience that’s almost impossible to accurately describe. The best way I could express that is through film. 

With GOOD NEIGHBORS, we really want to create a condensed yet potent experience that places you in Janice’s unique perspective — to feel her horror. Some of our biggest influences are Persona, Safe, and The Lighthouse. 

We want this film to be in black and white, with a 4:3 aspect ratio. While GOOD NEIGHBORS has a pretty straightforward narrative, there are underlying themes that we’d like to highlight through stylized filmmaking. We feel that the gap between the literal story and filmmaking techniques would heighten the unreality of the film, and in turn, focus on the overarching ideas. 

Our team is made up of individuals who relate and believe deeply in what our story evokes. Coming from multiple backgrounds and nations, our principal crew all have a personal element that ties us together in wanting to tell this universal story. Our director and producer strongly resonated with the script and saw potential in making this film together. With over a year’s time spent discussing and planning, our team feels confident that we are the group that can bring this story to life through heartfelt care and high-quality filmmaking. 

Current Budget: $10,000 

Every contribution to our project is greatly appreciated and will be distributed thoughtfully to allocate the necessary resources to each department. From insurance to contingency, we've taken all the factors of our production into account in order to execute our vision.

Any additional fundraising will go directly to paying our crew and giving additional resources to the departments that need them most!

As young filmmakers who met during pandemic-era virtual production, we’re an adaptable, pragmatic team that places safety as our top priority. We’re no stranger to contingency plans, shifting schedules, and the unpredictability of film production. We’ve scheduled our production in a way that allows us to work with the best locations, cast, and crew so we can safely create a project we’re all proud of. 

On top of our production plans, we’re prepping for what happens after we’ve wrapped! Post-production and distribution can often be overlooked and undervalued, and we’re happy to say that we’ve been considering them from the very beginning. We’re excited to work with talented composers and sound designers to craft the perfect soundscape for this project. 

Our current timeline has production scheduled for July 2023, with a final release in October, just in time for the spookiest season of the year. We’ll be continuously releasing updates on the progress of this project. Stay tuned!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who has shown us any support, big or small. We’ve been developing this project since we first met one another at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2021. With your help, we hope to finally make GOOD NEIGHBORS a reality. 

As a fiscally sponsored production, we operate as a project under a non-profit organization and all of your donations are fully tax deductible. Thank you so much for supporting student filmmaking and the Arts! 

Please help us spread Good Neighbors to the world!

Talk about our film on social media: 

• Website: GoodNeighborsFilm.com 

• Instagram: @GoodNeighborsFilm

• Facebook: Facebook.com/GoodNeighborsFilm 

Tell your friends & family something like:

• Support student filmmaking and check out the upcoming allegorical horror short “Good Neighbors”! Find them @GoodNeighborsFilm, drop a few dimes and share their fundraiser link if you can! Support the Arts! Support young filmmakers! 

Or even something like: 

• Do you feel isolated and disconnected from your community? The Good Neighbors @GoodNeighborsFilm helped me understand I am not alone. Be a Good Neighbor, and support student filmmaking. Welcome to the neighborhood, we’re here to listen.