High Stakes
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
High Stakes is a stoner comedy set in 2012. A high school outcast decides to sell weed to increase his social status, without considering the consequences of his new gig. We are setting out to make a movie for anyone who loves weed, or has ever felt out of place. This movie will be a good ass time.
High Stakes
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | Illinois, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,677 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
154 supporters | followers
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High Stakes is a stoner comedy set in 2012. A high school outcast decides to sell weed to increase his social status, without considering the consequences of his new gig. We are setting out to make a movie for anyone who loves weed, or has ever felt out of place. This movie will be a good ass time.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The year is 2012. Recreational marijuana is legal in zero states. Therefore, if you want weed, your best friend in the world is some random guy in a parking lot. In our story, Fisher, a doe-eyed high school boy with no friend group, decides to become more than that random guy in a parking lot, and starts selling weed to try and make friends.
His plan, however, struggles to pick up steam... until the night of Grace Dicello's rager*. On this night, Fisher's childhood family friend, Cage, texts him out of nowhere to grab some of that sticky icky [jazz cabbage].
"Nom nom nom," thinks Fisher. The opportunity is now. Fisher attempts to leverage his past relationship with Cage to secure his place at the party, and theoretically carve a place for himself in the social ladder. Unfortunately for Fisher, leading with dishonest recklessness and a willingness to do anything for acceptance often comes with consequences.
*small basement party
Set in 2012, a high school outcast decides to sell weed to increase his social status, without considering the consequences of his new gig.
Title: “High Stakes”
Length: 25 minutes
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Shooting Begins: Sept 27th, 2024
Shooting Location: Chicago, IL
Estimated budget: $20,000
Kids (1995) Superbad (2007) The Breakfast Club (1985) The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
Spring Breakers (2011) Skins UK (2007) Virgin Suicides (1999)
"I grew up on stoner comedies, but I never saw one that represented my true experience. So, I wanted to make one that did. My early experience with weed was extremely messy and built on nonsense: I felt like a cool adult smoking out of that apple… meanwhile I was busy lying to my parents, running from the cops, and getting so accidentally high that I threw up two plates of Benihana inside the school dance.
But weed was great for one thing: connecting with new people. So, I thought, what if someone abused weed’s tendency toward connection for personal gain, at a time when they were a complete idiot? And then maybe they ran into some trouble along the way...?
...I’d watch that movie."
-Colin
I love movies more than almost anything, with the exception of my loving partner Anna Blanchard, my wonderful family, and some of my friends sometimes.
I got into this gig as an actor, in community theater and student films, then started performing my own writing through stand-up and sketch comedy. When COVID shut everything down, I decided to start making movies with my friends. It started with one camera and one friend just messing around, and progressed to hiring crews and spending money to make more professional movies.
Now, I’m setting out to make my biggest project yet.
Sophie is a visual artist, with a background in interior design and 2-D media— anything creatively focused, she’s probably done it!
It wasn’t until she graduated from Columbia College Chicago and began working as the art director and producer for an indie film called Welcome Home in 2018 that she realized Art Direction perfectly combines her perspective as a visual artist and experience as an interior designer.
Since then, she’s carved out a niche as an Art Director in the Chicago film and gallery scene as a jack of all trades, often taking on auxiliary roles as stylist, makeup artist, and location manager as well.
Andrew is an award-winning writer, music producer, and filmmaker best known for his work on YouTube, where several of his videos have gone viral gaining millions of views. Andrew graduated from Full Sail University with a Bachelor’s degree in digital cinematography where he won their 240-hour film festival and was salutatorian. He has gone on to work on award-winning projects including His Stretch of Texas Ground, Wildlands, Punchline, Sign Here and numerous commercials where he oversaw its concept to completion.
Patrick is a seasoned Cinematographer based in Chicago, with a career spanning over two decades in Features, Television Shows, and Commercials. His passion for movies ignited at age 5 when his mother took him to see Superman: The Movie. From that moment, he knew he wanted to be part of the film industry. Patrick pursued his passion at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied Film/Video Production.
His love for Cinematography was discovered while filming a classmate's project, sparking a lifelong dedication to the craft.
$10k of Colin’s own money to cover half of the movie. This money should definitely be going to his student loans, so please help him.
$10k to cover the other half of the movie. We strive to pay our amazing cast and crew fair rates, feed everyone well over five 12-hour shoot days, and shoot the movie on the gear it deserves.
Crew: $7000
Post-Production: $3400
Equipment: $3400
Talent: $2000
Insurance/Miscellaneous: $2000
Food: $1000
Production Design: $700
Transportation: $500
You can support the movie by making a contribution and earning some pretty cool prizes in the process. But donating isn't the only way to show your support…
Follow along with our production on Instagram @highstakesmovie, and share any of our posts :) THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew Salaries
Costs $7,000
We are hiring extremely talented people, and we aim to pay them fair rates for their work.
Food for our cast and crew
Costs $1,000
Everybody's gotta eat over the five 12-hour days it will take to make this movie!
Cast Salaries
Costs $2,000
Our actors also deserve to get paid fairly for all their work! And trust us... we got some good actors. You'll see.
Share this update!
About This Team
I love movies more than almost anything, with the exception of my loving partner Anna Blanchard, my wonderful family, and some of my friends sometimes.
I got into this gig as an actor, in community theater and student films, then started performing my own writing through stand-up and sketch comedy. When COVID shut everything down, I decided to start making movies with my friends. It started with one camera and one friend just messing around, and progressed to hiring crews and spending money to make more professional movies.
Now, I’m setting out to make my biggest project yet.
Sophie is a visual artist, with a background in interior design and 2-D media— anything creatively focused, she’s probably done it!
It wasn’t until she graduated from Columbia College Chicago and began working as the art director and producer for an indie film called Welcome Home in 2018 that she realized Art Direction perfectly combines her perspective as a visual artist and experience as an interior designer.
Since then, she’s carved out a niche as an Art Director in the Chicago film and gallery scene as a jack of all trades, often taking on auxiliary roles as stylist, makeup artist, and location manager as well.
Andrew is an award-winning writer, music producer, and filmmaker best known for his work on YouTube, where several of his videos have gone viral gaining millions of views. Andrew graduated from Full Sail University with a Bachelor’s degree in digital cinematography where he won their 240-hour film festival and was salutatorian. He has gone on to work on award-winning projects including His Stretch of Texas Ground, Wildlands, Punchline, Sign Here and numerous commercials where he oversaw its concept to completion.
Patrick is a seasoned Cinematographer based in Chicago, with a career spanning over two decades in Features, Television Shows, and Commercials. His passion for movies ignited at age 5 when his mother took him to see Superman: The Movie. From that moment, he knew he wanted to be part of the film industry. Patrick pursued his passion at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied Film/Video Production.
His love for Cinematography was discovered while filming a classmate's project, sparking a lifelong dedication to the craft.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The year is 2012. Recreational marijuana is legal in zero states. Therefore, if you want weed, your best friend in the world is some random guy in a parking lot. In our story, Fisher, a doe-eyed high school boy with no friend group, decides to become more than that random guy in a parking lot, and starts selling weed to try and make friends.
His plan, however, struggles to pick up steam... until the night of Grace Dicello's rager*. On this night, Fisher's childhood family friend, Cage, texts him out of nowhere to grab some of that sticky icky [jazz cabbage].
"Nom nom nom," thinks Fisher. The opportunity is now. Fisher attempts to leverage his past relationship with Cage to secure his place at the party, and theoretically carve a place for himself in the social ladder. Unfortunately for Fisher, leading with dishonest recklessness and a willingness to do anything for acceptance often comes with consequences.
*small basement party
Set in 2012, a high school outcast decides to sell weed to increase his social status, without considering the consequences of his new gig.
Title: “High Stakes”
Length: 25 minutes
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Shooting Begins: Sept 27th, 2024
Shooting Location: Chicago, IL
Estimated budget: $20,000
Kids (1995) Superbad (2007) The Breakfast Club (1985) The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
Spring Breakers (2011) Skins UK (2007) Virgin Suicides (1999)
"I grew up on stoner comedies, but I never saw one that represented my true experience. So, I wanted to make one that did. My early experience with weed was extremely messy and built on nonsense: I felt like a cool adult smoking out of that apple… meanwhile I was busy lying to my parents, running from the cops, and getting so accidentally high that I threw up two plates of Benihana inside the school dance.
But weed was great for one thing: connecting with new people. So, I thought, what if someone abused weed’s tendency toward connection for personal gain, at a time when they were a complete idiot? And then maybe they ran into some trouble along the way...?
...I’d watch that movie."
-Colin
I love movies more than almost anything, with the exception of my loving partner Anna Blanchard, my wonderful family, and some of my friends sometimes.
I got into this gig as an actor, in community theater and student films, then started performing my own writing through stand-up and sketch comedy. When COVID shut everything down, I decided to start making movies with my friends. It started with one camera and one friend just messing around, and progressed to hiring crews and spending money to make more professional movies.
Now, I’m setting out to make my biggest project yet.
Sophie is a visual artist, with a background in interior design and 2-D media— anything creatively focused, she’s probably done it!
It wasn’t until she graduated from Columbia College Chicago and began working as the art director and producer for an indie film called Welcome Home in 2018 that she realized Art Direction perfectly combines her perspective as a visual artist and experience as an interior designer.
Since then, she’s carved out a niche as an Art Director in the Chicago film and gallery scene as a jack of all trades, often taking on auxiliary roles as stylist, makeup artist, and location manager as well.
Andrew is an award-winning writer, music producer, and filmmaker best known for his work on YouTube, where several of his videos have gone viral gaining millions of views. Andrew graduated from Full Sail University with a Bachelor’s degree in digital cinematography where he won their 240-hour film festival and was salutatorian. He has gone on to work on award-winning projects including His Stretch of Texas Ground, Wildlands, Punchline, Sign Here and numerous commercials where he oversaw its concept to completion.
Patrick is a seasoned Cinematographer based in Chicago, with a career spanning over two decades in Features, Television Shows, and Commercials. His passion for movies ignited at age 5 when his mother took him to see Superman: The Movie. From that moment, he knew he wanted to be part of the film industry. Patrick pursued his passion at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied Film/Video Production.
His love for Cinematography was discovered while filming a classmate's project, sparking a lifelong dedication to the craft.
$10k of Colin’s own money to cover half of the movie. This money should definitely be going to his student loans, so please help him.
$10k to cover the other half of the movie. We strive to pay our amazing cast and crew fair rates, feed everyone well over five 12-hour shoot days, and shoot the movie on the gear it deserves.
Crew: $7000
Post-Production: $3400
Equipment: $3400
Talent: $2000
Insurance/Miscellaneous: $2000
Food: $1000
Production Design: $700
Transportation: $500
You can support the movie by making a contribution and earning some pretty cool prizes in the process. But donating isn't the only way to show your support…
Follow along with our production on Instagram @highstakesmovie, and share any of our posts :) THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew Salaries
Costs $7,000
We are hiring extremely talented people, and we aim to pay them fair rates for their work.
Food for our cast and crew
Costs $1,000
Everybody's gotta eat over the five 12-hour days it will take to make this movie!
Cast Salaries
Costs $2,000
Our actors also deserve to get paid fairly for all their work! And trust us... we got some good actors. You'll see.
Share this update!
About This Team
I love movies more than almost anything, with the exception of my loving partner Anna Blanchard, my wonderful family, and some of my friends sometimes.
I got into this gig as an actor, in community theater and student films, then started performing my own writing through stand-up and sketch comedy. When COVID shut everything down, I decided to start making movies with my friends. It started with one camera and one friend just messing around, and progressed to hiring crews and spending money to make more professional movies.
Now, I’m setting out to make my biggest project yet.
Sophie is a visual artist, with a background in interior design and 2-D media— anything creatively focused, she’s probably done it!
It wasn’t until she graduated from Columbia College Chicago and began working as the art director and producer for an indie film called Welcome Home in 2018 that she realized Art Direction perfectly combines her perspective as a visual artist and experience as an interior designer.
Since then, she’s carved out a niche as an Art Director in the Chicago film and gallery scene as a jack of all trades, often taking on auxiliary roles as stylist, makeup artist, and location manager as well.
Andrew is an award-winning writer, music producer, and filmmaker best known for his work on YouTube, where several of his videos have gone viral gaining millions of views. Andrew graduated from Full Sail University with a Bachelor’s degree in digital cinematography where he won their 240-hour film festival and was salutatorian. He has gone on to work on award-winning projects including His Stretch of Texas Ground, Wildlands, Punchline, Sign Here and numerous commercials where he oversaw its concept to completion.
Patrick is a seasoned Cinematographer based in Chicago, with a career spanning over two decades in Features, Television Shows, and Commercials. His passion for movies ignited at age 5 when his mother took him to see Superman: The Movie. From that moment, he knew he wanted to be part of the film industry. Patrick pursued his passion at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied Film/Video Production.
His love for Cinematography was discovered while filming a classmate's project, sparking a lifelong dedication to the craft.