Grandpa
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Drama, Horror
Starring an actress with cerebral palsy, GRANDPA is based on a true historic ghost story from the creator's family, and heavily inspired by her little sister (who also has CP). This coming-of-age horror story is about all the struggles you cannot see, and how every life is worth fighting for.
Grandpa
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Drama, Horror
2 Campaigns | Georgia, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $6,230 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
78 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Starring an actress with cerebral palsy, GRANDPA is based on a true historic ghost story from the creator's family, and heavily inspired by her little sister (who also has CP). This coming-of-age horror story is about all the struggles you cannot see, and how every life is worth fighting for.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What happens when you combine a true (and horrifying) family legend and a little sister with cerebral palsy who sees a ghost above her bed?
You get GRANDPA.
I'm Jennifer Dunn, the writer of GRANDPA. Along with Production Coordinator Kiara Williams (Filmmaker's Diary), Director of Photography Craig Garmany, and Lead Editor Mike Davis, I'm asking you for funds to help to bring this story to life.
GRANDPA is very important to me because it's centered on a type of person who doesn't get to be a protagonist in many movies. Rhiannon is 13-year-old, non-verbal and quadriplegic. She uses a speech therapy board to speak and a wheelchair to move around.
And she's in very, very grave danger.
The part of Rhiannon is based on my little sister Amy who, like Rhiannon, has cerebral palsy. And, like Rhiannon, she swears up and down that she once saw the ghost of our ancestor in her bedroom. (However, as far as we know, he wasn't trying to kill her.)
Jennifer & Amy
We need your help making Rhiannon's story a fully-formed short film!
Casting a Lead Actress with a Disability
We were told many times that casting an actress with a disability would be too difficult for us. We're an independent student film, with only a few productions under our belts, and we have to crowdfund to get this film made. (Which is why you're reading this. Hi!) Anything that adds to our budget, like a nationwide casting call for the right actress who has both a disability and the chops to play our main character, makes our film harder to produce.
But to us, there was no question of giving this leading role to an abled actress. After all, Hollywood has a history of offering parts for characters with disabilities to abled actors, and the only way to do better is to be better. Even if that starts at the indy film level.
Then a funny thing happened when we began asking for help. People told us publicly (and privately) how much our committment to casting a disabled actress meant to them. When I put feelers out, kind industry insiders in Hollywood and New York helped put me in touch with the right people, including a wonderful talent agency who specializes in repping actors with disabilities. From there we were able to vet several actresses from all around the country, and we are happy to annouce that we found our Rhiannon!
But the fact that we are flying our actress in for the shoot, and putting her up in a hotel, has significantly added to our budget.
What's next? The Big Screen!
GRANDPA is a proof of concept for a feature film. There's a lot more to Rhiannon's story than her battle with her murderous ancestor, and our goal is to turn this film into a feature length project that you can see in movie theaters and stream online. But we can't get there without making an awesome short film.
To make this film right, and do Rhiannon's story justice, we need your donations, your social shares, and your moral support. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Jennifer, Kiara, Craig and Mike
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Travel/Lodging for Actress with Disability
Costs $2,000
It's vital to us to cast an actress with a disability. This will pay for her transport/lodging.
Insurance
Costs $800
Insurance for our production and one historic location
Music
Costs $200
A spooky music needs spooky strings and other sounds.
Props
Costs $500
We need funds to rent a wheelchair and speech therapy board.
Catering
Costs $1,500
Meals and snacks for 20 people over a 5 day shoot
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our Team
Jennifer Dunn (Writer/Director) - Jennifer grew up in rural North Georgia on her family's Christmas tree farm and wore a homemade dress to prom, twice. She’s now a recovering tech entrepreneur pursuing a career in TV writing and filmmaking. Her first 1-hour drama television pilot, BIRDSONG, placed in multiple competitions, including finalist in WeScreenplay Diverse Voices and Screencraft Pilot Launch. She also wrote and produced the short film WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE? and is currently directing the short film GRANDPA.
Kiara T. Williams (Production Coordinator) - Kiara is a New Orleans native and a known bibliophile who spends more of her time reading than eating. Her love of stories in any and all formats consumed her until she realized that she was destined to create them as a film director. She has experience as 1st Assistant Director on WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE?, and 2nd Camera Assistant on PLAN B. She is currently the Production Coordinator for GRANDPA. Her long term goal is to create an entertainment platform that supports other independent film makers.
Michael Davis (Lead Editor) - Michael Davis took a walk from Georgia to Maine and it changed his life. After that long walk, and an even longer career in software development, he decided to follow a more artistic path with film editing. With a few projects under his belt (music videos, trailers, and podcasts), he was credited with his first film title as Lead Editor with the short film PLAN B. It will premiere soon in various festivals across the South. GRANDPA, his second short film as Lead Editor, will push his adventure farther. His focus on VFX, sound design, and coloring will establish the horror/coming-of-age tale as a unique, based-on-true-events story.
Craig Garmany (Director of Photography) - Craig is a native of Newnan, Georgia who grew up watching his hometown become a hotbed of film activity. A welder by trade, but a filmmaker at heart, Craig is no stranger to hard work. He has applied a hands-on approach, as well as his creative intuition, while assisting with the production of two recent films WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE? (a film about spousal abuse) and PLAN B (a crime thriller.)
Actors Love Working with Us
Our team previously worked together on the production of the short film WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE?. For many of us, this was our first short film production. We loved it, and soon found out that actors loved working with us, too!
Here's what one actor had to say:
"The amount of consent and safety that was prioritized in the entirety of the shoot was astounding. At first, I thought it was kind but unnecessary. However, I very quickly realized I was very glad those precautions had been thought of for me. Whether it was a see-through skirt or needing to adjust a microphone, I began to see how easy it would be for an actor or model to feel like nothing more than an object or doll. It takes so much strain off of an actor (especially as a woman) when she feels like other people are looking out for her best interest as well. If you all are the future of film production, I certainly have nothing to worry about. I want to thank your teachers for taking the time clearly lay out boundaries and expectations of appropriate behavior on set. Your all's program is doing some great stuff and I hope to be a part of more projects in the future!"
- Emily K. Redden, Honey in WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE?
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What happens when you combine a true (and horrifying) family legend and a little sister with cerebral palsy who sees a ghost above her bed?
You get GRANDPA.
I'm Jennifer Dunn, the writer of GRANDPA. Along with Production Coordinator Kiara Williams (Filmmaker's Diary), Director of Photography Craig Garmany, and Lead Editor Mike Davis, I'm asking you for funds to help to bring this story to life.
GRANDPA is very important to me because it's centered on a type of person who doesn't get to be a protagonist in many movies. Rhiannon is 13-year-old, non-verbal and quadriplegic. She uses a speech therapy board to speak and a wheelchair to move around.
And she's in very, very grave danger.
The part of Rhiannon is based on my little sister Amy who, like Rhiannon, has cerebral palsy. And, like Rhiannon, she swears up and down that she once saw the ghost of our ancestor in her bedroom. (However, as far as we know, he wasn't trying to kill her.)
Jennifer & Amy
We need your help making Rhiannon's story a fully-formed short film!
Casting a Lead Actress with a Disability
We were told many times that casting an actress with a disability would be too difficult for us. We're an independent student film, with only a few productions under our belts, and we have to crowdfund to get this film made. (Which is why you're reading this. Hi!) Anything that adds to our budget, like a nationwide casting call for the right actress who has both a disability and the chops to play our main character, makes our film harder to produce.
But to us, there was no question of giving this leading role to an abled actress. After all, Hollywood has a history of offering parts for characters with disabilities to abled actors, and the only way to do better is to be better. Even if that starts at the indy film level.
Then a funny thing happened when we began asking for help. People told us publicly (and privately) how much our committment to casting a disabled actress meant to them. When I put feelers out, kind industry insiders in Hollywood and New York helped put me in touch with the right people, including a wonderful talent agency who specializes in repping actors with disabilities. From there we were able to vet several actresses from all around the country, and we are happy to annouce that we found our Rhiannon!
But the fact that we are flying our actress in for the shoot, and putting her up in a hotel, has significantly added to our budget.
What's next? The Big Screen!
GRANDPA is a proof of concept for a feature film. There's a lot more to Rhiannon's story than her battle with her murderous ancestor, and our goal is to turn this film into a feature length project that you can see in movie theaters and stream online. But we can't get there without making an awesome short film.
To make this film right, and do Rhiannon's story justice, we need your donations, your social shares, and your moral support. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Jennifer, Kiara, Craig and Mike
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Travel/Lodging for Actress with Disability
Costs $2,000
It's vital to us to cast an actress with a disability. This will pay for her transport/lodging.
Insurance
Costs $800
Insurance for our production and one historic location
Music
Costs $200
A spooky music needs spooky strings and other sounds.
Props
Costs $500
We need funds to rent a wheelchair and speech therapy board.
Catering
Costs $1,500
Meals and snacks for 20 people over a 5 day shoot
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our Team
Jennifer Dunn (Writer/Director) - Jennifer grew up in rural North Georgia on her family's Christmas tree farm and wore a homemade dress to prom, twice. She’s now a recovering tech entrepreneur pursuing a career in TV writing and filmmaking. Her first 1-hour drama television pilot, BIRDSONG, placed in multiple competitions, including finalist in WeScreenplay Diverse Voices and Screencraft Pilot Launch. She also wrote and produced the short film WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE? and is currently directing the short film GRANDPA.
Kiara T. Williams (Production Coordinator) - Kiara is a New Orleans native and a known bibliophile who spends more of her time reading than eating. Her love of stories in any and all formats consumed her until she realized that she was destined to create them as a film director. She has experience as 1st Assistant Director on WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE?, and 2nd Camera Assistant on PLAN B. She is currently the Production Coordinator for GRANDPA. Her long term goal is to create an entertainment platform that supports other independent film makers.
Michael Davis (Lead Editor) - Michael Davis took a walk from Georgia to Maine and it changed his life. After that long walk, and an even longer career in software development, he decided to follow a more artistic path with film editing. With a few projects under his belt (music videos, trailers, and podcasts), he was credited with his first film title as Lead Editor with the short film PLAN B. It will premiere soon in various festivals across the South. GRANDPA, his second short film as Lead Editor, will push his adventure farther. His focus on VFX, sound design, and coloring will establish the horror/coming-of-age tale as a unique, based-on-true-events story.
Craig Garmany (Director of Photography) - Craig is a native of Newnan, Georgia who grew up watching his hometown become a hotbed of film activity. A welder by trade, but a filmmaker at heart, Craig is no stranger to hard work. He has applied a hands-on approach, as well as his creative intuition, while assisting with the production of two recent films WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE? (a film about spousal abuse) and PLAN B (a crime thriller.)
Actors Love Working with Us
Our team previously worked together on the production of the short film WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE?. For many of us, this was our first short film production. We loved it, and soon found out that actors loved working with us, too!
Here's what one actor had to say:
"The amount of consent and safety that was prioritized in the entirety of the shoot was astounding. At first, I thought it was kind but unnecessary. However, I very quickly realized I was very glad those precautions had been thought of for me. Whether it was a see-through skirt or needing to adjust a microphone, I began to see how easy it would be for an actor or model to feel like nothing more than an object or doll. It takes so much strain off of an actor (especially as a woman) when she feels like other people are looking out for her best interest as well. If you all are the future of film production, I certainly have nothing to worry about. I want to thank your teachers for taking the time clearly lay out boundaries and expectations of appropriate behavior on set. Your all's program is doing some great stuff and I hope to be a part of more projects in the future!"
- Emily K. Redden, Honey in WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE?