Have Wine, Will Travel
Nashville, Tennessee | Film Short
Comedy, Sci-Fi
After a night of too much drinking – or two nights – or three? Betty wakes up, hungover, to find three strangers from another time waiting on her help. Can they trust the hungover woman offering a sip of wine? Would you?
Have Wine, Will Travel
Nashville, Tennessee | Film Short
Comedy, Sci-Fi
1 Campaigns | Minnesota, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,770 for festivals. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
57 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
After a night of too much drinking – or two nights – or three? Betty wakes up, hungover, to find three strangers from another time waiting on her help. Can they trust the hungover woman offering a sip of wine? Would you?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"Have Wine, Will Travel" applies a comedic lens to a woman's sudden confrontation with the past. We all make mistakes, we all realize, from time to time, the imperfections and challenges that we live through can shape who we choose to be, how we address our problems. And no matter how prepared we think we are, there's also a factor that makes living unpredictable, and a helluva lot of fun.
Add in a flicker of science fiction ingredients, and your eyeballs' taste buds will be fulfilled by this film. Promise.
And us? We are Joe Pezzula and Alisha Seaton. Friends for over 12 years and sometime collaborators. It's been a joy to work together not only as writer alongside producer, but also as actress with her director.
You can read a lot more about us in the TEAM section, but for now we can tell you that while we had great fun creating this film, it has also left a hole in the wallet when it comes to finishing all of the elements the way they're meant to be finished.
"Have Wine, Will Travel" is a sci-fi comedy inspired by numerous friends' recollections of their college days, or, sadly, adulthood days, or weekends, in which too much drinking occurred – out of joy, out of escapism, or just because there was a whole lot of wine in the house – and not enough memories were able to be recalled later on. When a character who is a mess of emotions and trying to avoid painful memories suddenly comes to a realization, that's a good moment to want to tell a story about. But to do so, we wanted to view this experience, this moment, through the eye of genre storytelling.
Joe tends towards science fiction, so we took the concept of time travel, something we can all relate to if we've ever blacked out, overslept, or taken a nap on a Saturday and dreamed it was Wednesday. A hungover person trying to make sense of how they got to the current moment and also struggling to comprehend strange visitors sure seemed like the kind of story worthy of cinematic experience.
After convincing Producer Alisha Seaton to nurture and bring this project to the screen, we finally decided the best place to film the project was in the sunny hillsides of Yucaipa. And we were lucky enough to be blessed by the gifted talents in front of and behind the camera (more about these folks in the "Team" section). The bottom line is that we filmed the bulk of the film over three days in late 2017. Thought we had it all. Then had to blow the budget for another day of filming in 2018. The location was key, and the missing shots were essential to the tale. After that, we dipped our feet in the VFX waters and realized the details were going to stretch the wallet even thinner, and unexpected needs (ahem, pesky reflections and such) sipped our wells even more dry.
...we're still putting the finishing touches on the post-production elements in the film, and then comes the next costly step of submitting to film festivals. We haven't yet got the outreach to find waivers and favors to submit at discounted rates, and, well, we really want people to see the film – after we've had a chance to show it in film festivals and markets across the country.
That's where you come in. This is a lot to ask, but I'm hoping you've seen enough in the pitch video, photos available, and any answers we can / have given to questions, that you'll join and follow us on this journey.
DO WE HAVE ANY BURRITOS? BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS?
No, we do not have burritos. But our incentives are all great, some small and some big. Your contribution, your support, your following of our journey, are all important and generous, and we love every single one of you.
AND WHEN WE HAVE YOUR MONEY...
Every contribution and cent is essential, but if you're looking for the breakdown of where it's all going to go, here's a quick summation:
GOAL: $3,000
$1,300 - to cover extra, unexpected VFX and SFX costs
$1,200 - Festival submissions
$500 - Assets / Deliverables / Marketing
$ - ? Anything more, we'll pop the dollars into the above categories, or even into a mystery reveal to come later... yeah, that sounds more fun.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Have Festivals, Will Travel
Costs $1,200
Festival submissions, and travel to said festivals, can be pricey. Help bring us to YOUR town!
Assets and Marketing
Costs $500
We're hoping to get the word out in a graphically enticing way, and that takes $ to do it right.
Share this update!
About This Team
Joe Pezzula - Writer / Director
I've had the fortune to direct two short films prior to this: Making Friends, based on a tale my father wrote in the vein of The Twilight Zone, and Tarantula, which was my entry into the ABC's of Death many years ago. Since those experiences, I've published a few comic books, a book of short stories ("Two Hundreds") and worked with Paul Osborne on his indie darling Favor, a feature about the dark side of friendship. Most recently, I was a producer on Paul's thriller Cruel Hearts, which won Best Feature at the Pasadena Film Festival and the South Georgia Film Festival. These experiences helped guide me to the confidence to take on my next directorial endeavor, Have Wine, Will Travel.
To bring together the best team for this film, it all started with the producer:
Alisha Seaton - Producer / Actress ("Paula") 
Acting since she was seven years old, Alisha received a BA in Theatre from the University of Southern California. She has been working steadily in the indie film world with over 100 credits to her resume and many going on to distribution and the film festival circuit. Some feature films include The Fourth Kind (Universal Studios) starring Milla Jovovich, Evidence starring Stephen Moyer and Radha Mitchell, and Tierra de Sangre which was shot on location in Chile. TV credits include Criminal Minds, Legends and Teen Wolf.
This is Alisha's first time producing as she moves into the world of content creation. Ever since she got to play with a real tarantula on one of Joe's films she has been sold on teaming up with him.
Next in the process, I (Joe) wanted to bring back some folks I've known since my days at Chapman University, and creative minds I've worked with before on Making Friends. This includes:
David Gibb - Director of Photography
David Gibb re-teamed with Joe Pezzula after collaborating on the short film "Making Friends" together. His passion about the look and feel of the film was evident from the start. David's credits include The Nevermore Chronicles and Puppet Master.
Drew Kilcoin - Editor
Drew Kilcoin was the editor on Joe Pezzula's short film "Making Friends." He brough a wealth of experience to Have Wine, Will Travel. His editor credits include features Kansas City and Highway to Havasu. His assistant editor credits include Monster Trucks, (which delighted the producer's sons) and Sing.
Ben Russell - Sound Editor
Ben Russell the Sound Designer on the film. "I went to Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Digital Arts with the Director Joseph Pezzula. Studied Film at UC Santa Cruz before that. I have worked on over 30 Films and TV Shows to date as Sound Designer and Editor. I currently reside in Los Angeles."
Next, because I knew there would be a strong visual FX component, I met and hired the VFX Producer who could advise from the get-go.
Visual FX - Nicholas Daniels
Nicholas Daniels is a seasoned VFX Supervisor and Flame Artist for some of Hollywood's top tier studios for Visual Effects. His work has been featured in Episodic, Film, and Commercial work alike - most notably in Once Upon a Time, Daredevil, MadMen, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Commercial clients like IBM, Tom Clancy, Jaguar, BMW, and Lexus.
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/endyarts/
Zerply - https://zerply.com/endyarts/ public
IMdB - https://imdb.com/name/ nm3474025/
Official Website - http://endyarts.com/
Visual FX - Paul DeNigris, Foxtrot X-Ray
Paul an award-winning filmmaker and visual effects artist with over two decades of experience. Paul's body of work combines a passion for storytelling with a mastery of digital filmmaking technologies, and ranges from epic computer-generated adventures to intimate character portraits, from short comedies to feature-length film noir, and from commissioned video art installations to surreal rock and roll fantasies. During a brief stint at Encore Hollywood, Paul worked as a compositor in a high-pressure network television environment. Projects included: Revenge, Castle, Wicked City (ABC), Hawaii Five-O, Veep (HBO), and more. For 15 years Paul was Professor of Digital Video at Tempe’s University of Advancing Technology, where he developed the digital video curriculum from the ground up.
Then, it came time to cast this story. Our goal was to cast the best person for each role. As a director I also wanted to make sure the set would be filled with performers willing to contribute quite a lot to characters and the flow of production in general. There's a specific, in the moment tone we were aiming for, so we had to be confident the actors could run with it when needed. - Joe
Dawn Brodey - Actress ("Betty")
Dawn Brodey is a classically trained stage actress from the Midwest who fell in love with comedy and sunshine and moved to LA. Since then she started a comedy show (Trailer Trash Talent Revue), performs comedy regularly at Flappers, and has acted in numerous films (including Cruel Hearts). A stand up comedian, and recent mom - when she’s not telling jokes, she’s breastfeeding... occasionally simultaneously.
Mike Bash - Actor ("Kevin")
Mike Bash grew up in NY and loves to eat. He has a recurring role on the new BET show "Games People Play" and "The Deuce" on HBO this fall. He has also been on "Black-ish" (ABC), "Stand up and Away" (Netflix) and "Westworld "(HBO). He will be on tour this year with a brand new Apollo 11 show. B.A. Emerson College.
Mike would regret not adding in a few "thank yous", so: Thanks to my big NJ/NY/LA family, Alisha, Joe and the great cast and crew! Also shoutout to Lebron just for being Lebron. Representation: LoveStone Agency
Patrick Day - Actor ("Steven")
Patrick Day has been called ‘a really swell guy’ by more than three people. He is a Director, Actor, Educator, and Father.
More info at www.patrickdayfilms.com and www.youngactorsspace.com.
To complete our crew, we turned to some familiar faces who are so good at what they do – and we are so lucky they were available to help us out.
Alina Ivette - Costume Designer
Alina Ivette is from Dallas, Texas. She moved to Los Angeles, California and received her bachelors in Fashion Design. While attending college, Alina also took acting classes at a theatre company where she was given the opportunity to be the costume designer for a production of The Heiress. Since then she has worked on various short and feature length films.
https://www.imdb.com/name/ nm4646740/
Diahann McCrary - Hair/Makeup 
Diahann McCrary is a Makeup Artist in Hollywood, California, who has worked on hundreds of amazing film, TV, streaming content, music videos, commercials, and print in Los Angeles and globally in Canada, South Korea, and Africa.
Originally from San Diego California, she studied theatrical makeup at San Diego State University under the talented Peter Herman, the Resident Makeup Artist of the San Diego Opera. She moved to Los Angeles in September 2012 and has been happy artist there ever since. Past Clients include: HBO, Netflix, L'Oréal Paris Hair, NBC/Universal, Hulu, Pepsi, Pharell Williams for Adidas, Kawasaki, Ralphs Grocery, SONY Music, Warner Brothers, MTV, Youtube RED, GLADD, and Amazon Prime.
On a more personal note, Diahann currently lives in Los Feliz and loves making movies in addition to musical theatre, improv comedy at UCB, iced coffee with friends, movie premieres, gardening succulents, and daily yoga! @diahannelise
Chris Manigault - Production Manager
Chris was born and raised in Hollywood, CA. After graduating from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Film and Television and then a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Film and Television Producing from Chapman University, Chris began working in the film and television industry in the area of production.
Chris is always seeking new and creative ways to gain new experiences and make a difference in the entertainment industry. Chris has worked with renowned production companies including ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Dick Clark Production's and many more. Chris continues to serve as a production manager on various projects in the industry.
When Chris is not working in the film and television business, he is spending time with his his family and serving the community.
Ryland Cronk - Production Manager
Ryland Cronk has worked in television since 2010, but it feels a lot longer.
And in the end, while we are tying the film together in post, we discovered these artists to contribute more than they realize to what we hope is an entertaining story. The music, the FX that turn out to be a bigger mountain than once thought... it's all essential.
Phil Popham - Music Composer
Award-winning composer, conductor, and oboist Phil Popham has served numerous roles on over 50 film & TV productions, 20 symphony orchestras, 14 albums, and numerous live concerts and festivals. Phil has also produced countless live shows and recording sessions, and produced/recorded/mixed 7 albums. In addition, He is the co-founder and Music Director of Helix Collective, PapaPhats Music Society, and Phat Yak Records, the only “Club Classical” record label.
www.philpopham.com
www.helixcollective.net
www.phatyakrecords.com
HellDonkey - Moral Support
A donkey who lives on the property on which we filmed. Watched all, interrupted takes, and happily posed for photos on a moment's notice.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"Have Wine, Will Travel" applies a comedic lens to a woman's sudden confrontation with the past. We all make mistakes, we all realize, from time to time, the imperfections and challenges that we live through can shape who we choose to be, how we address our problems. And no matter how prepared we think we are, there's also a factor that makes living unpredictable, and a helluva lot of fun.
Add in a flicker of science fiction ingredients, and your eyeballs' taste buds will be fulfilled by this film. Promise.
And us? We are Joe Pezzula and Alisha Seaton. Friends for over 12 years and sometime collaborators. It's been a joy to work together not only as writer alongside producer, but also as actress with her director.
You can read a lot more about us in the TEAM section, but for now we can tell you that while we had great fun creating this film, it has also left a hole in the wallet when it comes to finishing all of the elements the way they're meant to be finished.
"Have Wine, Will Travel" is a sci-fi comedy inspired by numerous friends' recollections of their college days, or, sadly, adulthood days, or weekends, in which too much drinking occurred – out of joy, out of escapism, or just because there was a whole lot of wine in the house – and not enough memories were able to be recalled later on. When a character who is a mess of emotions and trying to avoid painful memories suddenly comes to a realization, that's a good moment to want to tell a story about. But to do so, we wanted to view this experience, this moment, through the eye of genre storytelling.
Joe tends towards science fiction, so we took the concept of time travel, something we can all relate to if we've ever blacked out, overslept, or taken a nap on a Saturday and dreamed it was Wednesday. A hungover person trying to make sense of how they got to the current moment and also struggling to comprehend strange visitors sure seemed like the kind of story worthy of cinematic experience.
After convincing Producer Alisha Seaton to nurture and bring this project to the screen, we finally decided the best place to film the project was in the sunny hillsides of Yucaipa. And we were lucky enough to be blessed by the gifted talents in front of and behind the camera (more about these folks in the "Team" section). The bottom line is that we filmed the bulk of the film over three days in late 2017. Thought we had it all. Then had to blow the budget for another day of filming in 2018. The location was key, and the missing shots were essential to the tale. After that, we dipped our feet in the VFX waters and realized the details were going to stretch the wallet even thinner, and unexpected needs (ahem, pesky reflections and such) sipped our wells even more dry.
...we're still putting the finishing touches on the post-production elements in the film, and then comes the next costly step of submitting to film festivals. We haven't yet got the outreach to find waivers and favors to submit at discounted rates, and, well, we really want people to see the film – after we've had a chance to show it in film festivals and markets across the country.
That's where you come in. This is a lot to ask, but I'm hoping you've seen enough in the pitch video, photos available, and any answers we can / have given to questions, that you'll join and follow us on this journey.
DO WE HAVE ANY BURRITOS? BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS?
No, we do not have burritos. But our incentives are all great, some small and some big. Your contribution, your support, your following of our journey, are all important and generous, and we love every single one of you.
AND WHEN WE HAVE YOUR MONEY...
Every contribution and cent is essential, but if you're looking for the breakdown of where it's all going to go, here's a quick summation:
GOAL: $3,000
$1,300 - to cover extra, unexpected VFX and SFX costs
$1,200 - Festival submissions
$500 - Assets / Deliverables / Marketing
$ - ? Anything more, we'll pop the dollars into the above categories, or even into a mystery reveal to come later... yeah, that sounds more fun.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Have Festivals, Will Travel
Costs $1,200
Festival submissions, and travel to said festivals, can be pricey. Help bring us to YOUR town!
Assets and Marketing
Costs $500
We're hoping to get the word out in a graphically enticing way, and that takes $ to do it right.
Share this update!
About This Team
Joe Pezzula - Writer / Director
I've had the fortune to direct two short films prior to this: Making Friends, based on a tale my father wrote in the vein of The Twilight Zone, and Tarantula, which was my entry into the ABC's of Death many years ago. Since those experiences, I've published a few comic books, a book of short stories ("Two Hundreds") and worked with Paul Osborne on his indie darling Favor, a feature about the dark side of friendship. Most recently, I was a producer on Paul's thriller Cruel Hearts, which won Best Feature at the Pasadena Film Festival and the South Georgia Film Festival. These experiences helped guide me to the confidence to take on my next directorial endeavor, Have Wine, Will Travel.
To bring together the best team for this film, it all started with the producer:
Alisha Seaton - Producer / Actress ("Paula")
Acting since she was seven years old, Alisha received a BA in Theatre from the University of Southern California. She has been working steadily in the indie film world with over 100 credits to her resume and many going on to distribution and the film festival circuit. Some feature films include The Fourth Kind (Universal Studios) starring Milla Jovovich, Evidence starring Stephen Moyer and Radha Mitchell, and Tierra de Sangre which was shot on location in Chile. TV credits include Criminal Minds, Legends and Teen Wolf.
This is Alisha's first time producing as she moves into the world of content creation. Ever since she got to play with a real tarantula on one of Joe's films she has been sold on teaming up with him.
Next in the process, I (Joe) wanted to bring back some folks I've known since my days at Chapman University, and creative minds I've worked with before on Making Friends. This includes:
David Gibb - Director of Photography
David Gibb re-teamed with Joe Pezzula after collaborating on the short film "Making Friends" together. His passion about the look and feel of the film was evident from the start. David's credits include The Nevermore Chronicles and Puppet Master.
Drew Kilcoin - Editor
Drew Kilcoin was the editor on Joe Pezzula's short film "Making Friends." He brough a wealth of experience to Have Wine, Will Travel. His editor credits include features Kansas City and Highway to Havasu. His assistant editor credits include Monster Trucks, (which delighted the producer's sons) and Sing.
Ben Russell - Sound Editor
Ben Russell the Sound Designer on the film. "I went to Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Digital Arts with the Director Joseph Pezzula. Studied Film at UC Santa Cruz before that. I have worked on over 30 Films and TV Shows to date as Sound Designer and Editor. I currently reside in Los Angeles."
Next, because I knew there would be a strong visual FX component, I met and hired the VFX Producer who could advise from the get-go.
Visual FX - Nicholas Daniels
Nicholas Daniels is a seasoned VFX Supervisor and Flame Artist for some of Hollywood's top tier studios for Visual Effects. His work has been featured in Episodic, Film, and Commercial work alike - most notably in Once Upon a Time, Daredevil, MadMen, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Commercial clients like IBM, Tom Clancy, Jaguar, BMW, and Lexus.
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/endyarts/
Zerply - https://zerply.com/endyarts/ public
IMdB - https://imdb.com/name/ nm3474025/
Official Website - http://endyarts.com/
Visual FX - Paul DeNigris, Foxtrot X-Ray
Paul an award-winning filmmaker and visual effects artist with over two decades of experience. Paul's body of work combines a passion for storytelling with a mastery of digital filmmaking technologies, and ranges from epic computer-generated adventures to intimate character portraits, from short comedies to feature-length film noir, and from commissioned video art installations to surreal rock and roll fantasies. During a brief stint at Encore Hollywood, Paul worked as a compositor in a high-pressure network television environment. Projects included: Revenge, Castle, Wicked City (ABC), Hawaii Five-O, Veep (HBO), and more. For 15 years Paul was Professor of Digital Video at Tempe’s University of Advancing Technology, where he developed the digital video curriculum from the ground up.
Then, it came time to cast this story. Our goal was to cast the best person for each role. As a director I also wanted to make sure the set would be filled with performers willing to contribute quite a lot to characters and the flow of production in general. There's a specific, in the moment tone we were aiming for, so we had to be confident the actors could run with it when needed. - Joe
Dawn Brodey - Actress ("Betty")
Dawn Brodey is a classically trained stage actress from the Midwest who fell in love with comedy and sunshine and moved to LA. Since then she started a comedy show (Trailer Trash Talent Revue), performs comedy regularly at Flappers, and has acted in numerous films (including Cruel Hearts). A stand up comedian, and recent mom - when she’s not telling jokes, she’s breastfeeding... occasionally simultaneously.
Mike Bash - Actor ("Kevin")
Mike Bash grew up in NY and loves to eat. He has a recurring role on the new BET show "Games People Play" and "The Deuce" on HBO this fall. He has also been on "Black-ish" (ABC), "Stand up and Away" (Netflix) and "Westworld "(HBO). He will be on tour this year with a brand new Apollo 11 show. B.A. Emerson College.
Mike would regret not adding in a few "thank yous", so: Thanks to my big NJ/NY/LA family, Alisha, Joe and the great cast and crew! Also shoutout to Lebron just for being Lebron. Representation: LoveStone Agency
Patrick Day - Actor ("Steven")
Patrick Day has been called ‘a really swell guy’ by more than three people. He is a Director, Actor, Educator, and Father.
More info at www.patrickdayfilms.com and www.youngactorsspace.com.
To complete our crew, we turned to some familiar faces who are so good at what they do – and we are so lucky they were available to help us out.
Alina Ivette - Costume Designer
Alina Ivette is from Dallas, Texas. She moved to Los Angeles, California and received her bachelors in Fashion Design. While attending college, Alina also took acting classes at a theatre company where she was given the opportunity to be the costume designer for a production of The Heiress. Since then she has worked on various short and feature length films.
https://www.imdb.com/name/ nm4646740/
Diahann McCrary - Hair/Makeup
Diahann McCrary is a Makeup Artist in Hollywood, California, who has worked on hundreds of amazing film, TV, streaming content, music videos, commercials, and print in Los Angeles and globally in Canada, South Korea, and Africa.
Originally from San Diego California, she studied theatrical makeup at San Diego State University under the talented Peter Herman, the Resident Makeup Artist of the San Diego Opera. She moved to Los Angeles in September 2012 and has been happy artist there ever since. Past Clients include: HBO, Netflix, L'Oréal Paris Hair, NBC/Universal, Hulu, Pepsi, Pharell Williams for Adidas, Kawasaki, Ralphs Grocery, SONY Music, Warner Brothers, MTV, Youtube RED, GLADD, and Amazon Prime.
On a more personal note, Diahann currently lives in Los Feliz and loves making movies in addition to musical theatre, improv comedy at UCB, iced coffee with friends, movie premieres, gardening succulents, and daily yoga! @diahannelise
Chris Manigault - Production Manager
Chris was born and raised in Hollywood, CA. After graduating from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Film and Television and then a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Film and Television Producing from Chapman University, Chris began working in the film and television industry in the area of production.
Chris is always seeking new and creative ways to gain new experiences and make a difference in the entertainment industry. Chris has worked with renowned production companies including ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Dick Clark Production's and many more. Chris continues to serve as a production manager on various projects in the industry.
When Chris is not working in the film and television business, he is spending time with his his family and serving the community.
Ryland Cronk - Production Manager
Ryland Cronk has worked in television since 2010, but it feels a lot longer.
And in the end, while we are tying the film together in post, we discovered these artists to contribute more than they realize to what we hope is an entertaining story. The music, the FX that turn out to be a bigger mountain than once thought... it's all essential.
Phil Popham - Music Composer
Award-winning composer, conductor, and oboist Phil Popham has served numerous roles on over 50 film & TV productions, 20 symphony orchestras, 14 albums, and numerous live concerts and festivals. Phil has also produced countless live shows and recording sessions, and produced/recorded/mixed 7 albums. In addition, He is the co-founder and Music Director of Helix Collective, PapaPhats Music Society, and Phat Yak Records, the only “Club Classical” record label.
www.philpopham.com
www.helixcollective.net
www.phatyakrecords.com
HellDonkey - Moral Support
A donkey who lives on the property on which we filmed. Watched all, interrupted takes, and happily posed for photos on a moment's notice.