Ice Cream (Short Film)
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Comedy
In this whimsical slapstick comedy, a self-absorbed businessman goes toe-to-toe with a statue street-performer, convinced he’s been robbed. It brings fun out of frustration and humor out of heartbreak to emphasize the absurdity of human emotions and the consequences of choices we make every day.
Ice Cream (Short Film)
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Comedy
1 Campaigns | Georgia, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $5,550 for festivals. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
38 supporters | followers
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In this whimsical slapstick comedy, a self-absorbed businessman goes toe-to-toe with a statue street-performer, convinced he’s been robbed. It brings fun out of frustration and humor out of heartbreak to emphasize the absurdity of human emotions and the consequences of choices we make every day.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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When a self-absorbed businessman comes into conflict with a whimsical statue street performer, it’s a man of many words up against an artist of many poses. What follows is the crash out of the century.
Businessman Joe stomps down the street, occupied in a heated conversation and oblivious to a lingering foot in his walking path. Joe faceplants into the concrete, scattering his documents around the sidewalk—most importantly,
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misplacing his phone. Eager to return to his conversation, he searches around for the phone and can’t find it. The only suspect in sight—Ben, a living statue street performer. A one-sided and aggressive argument unfolds between a man of many words and an artist of many poses. As tensions rise, Joe struggles to find a common ground of communication and must turn to other increasingly aggressive strategies to get his way—forgetting that he’s being watched all the while.
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Ice Cream" is the product of something truly special, as it’s the result of Assembly Atlanta’s internship program. Spearheaded by eight graduating students/recent college graduates, the 2-month program centers around the production of a short film supported by the film studio. In a program meant to challenge us to grow and learn, we went from a pitched and green-lit idea to a production with a cast and crew of over 50 people in just three weeks.
Not only is the film an illustration of the hard work accomplished in this program, but it also represents the connection and bond we eight interns made throughout this experience. Having come from many different backgrounds and paths, this opportunity brought us together and allowed us not only to make something special in the form of “Ice Cream”, but has also inspired us to continue working together on films for years to come.
"Ice Cream" is a fun dive into the whimsical and wonderful world of young Rosie, but more importantly, it captures human emotions like anger, aggression, hate, and regret. As a director, I find it is important to highlight the positive and joyful experiences of life, while also giving space to recognize our flaws, our mistakes, and our cognitively dissonant behavior that reveals true humanity in its imperfect form.
The goal of "Ice Cream" was to create a visual homage to the likes of Mr. Bean, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton by maintaining a light-hearted and goofy tone with the classical tools of slapstick. Ben, our living statue, embodies everything that a slapstick represents—fun, laughter, silliness, and magical simplicity. On the other hand, Joe, our businessman, embodies the juxtaposition—reality, deadlines, aggression, and a short temper. Our characters are polar opposites and serve as a lesson to both sides of the absurdity spectrum, where one is too stern and the other is too frivolous.
Ice Cream" is a metaphor for the aggressive and irrational behaviors we experience in life—from our leaders, our workplaces, our families, and ourselves. It encourages us to question what it is in our own lives that makes us crack, and what the consequences of those actions are.
If Ben represents our values and Joe represents our flaws, the impact of that meltdown can be destructive in the eyes of those who watch.
You might be wondering: “if the film is done, why do you need more funds?”
While production of the film was completed during our time interning at Assembly Atlanta, we are thrilled to have an opportunity/chance to take a film we’re proud of to film festivals around the country! Ultimately, our goal with “Ice Cream” is not commercial or to profit, but rather to gain valuable industry experience and connect/meet other filmmakers along the way. Film Festivals are the perfect place for this, as these events are some of the most incredible showcases and celebrations of films/filmmakers. To take a film to a film festival wouldn’t just be an accomplishment for our film, but would be equally a milestone to connect with other voices and artists pursuing this same cinematic passion.
That being said, film festival submission fees add up, alongside travel costs! "Ice Cream" has the potential to reach beyond its origin of Atlanta, GA, and to spread smiles all across the United States :)
As a result, we’re launching this “Be Kind to Strangers” fundraising campaign for “Ice Cream” the short film. When presented with the choice of being angry, selfish, or violent, choosing instead to be kind to strangers is not just the right thing to do, but serves as a contagious act—one that can change attitudes, hearts, and even the surrounding perspectives of those looking.
“Ice Cream” offers a look into what happens when we aren’t kind as a way to suggest what could have happened if we had been.
And thus, being kind to strangers goes hand and hand with the message of our film AND our fundraiser.
We’re campaigning to raise $6000 to accomplish this goal! A breakdown of that looks like this:
33% - Film Festival Submission Fees
50% - Travel Costs
12% - Music/Additional Post-Production
5% - Contingency/Team Festival Badges
On top of that, we’re equally excited to run this campaign as this gives us an opportunity to bring YOU on this journey with us! This campaign allows us to create even more of a community around this film and us as filmmakers, one that we hope will continue far beyond this film.
And as mentioned in our campaign video, we feel so lucky to have come together through this internship/film, and are committed to continue working together and creating films. This won’t be our last time working together, and thus any additional funds/donations beyond our goals will be 100% funneled back into future film productions! As a result, your donations aren’t just helping us take “Ice Cream” on the journey we dream of, but they’ll continue to support us as we pursue those dreams in making movie magic for a living.
If you’ve made it this far, we’re so grateful to have your interest in our story and our film :) We know that not everyone may be able to donate, so consider supporting us in other ways:
- Share this campaign with anyone you know who may be interested in supporting our film!
- Follow our Instagram to stay up to date with our progress and our journey: @ice.cream.film
- Go see an independent movie in theaters. It may seem small, but that kind of support makes waves in the industry at large, showing that people want to support and see all kinds of films, not just the big ones.
Thank you so much, and we can’t wait for what’s in store with “Ice Cream” :)
Assembly Atlanta, LLC d/b/a Assembly Studios (including its parent company and affiliates) has no affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement, or association with this fundraiser. Any references to Assembly Atlanta and/or Assembly Studios are made solely for identification purposes and shall not be construed as indicating any partnership, approval, or support of the event.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Film Festival Submission Fees
Costs $2,000
Help us send "Ice Cream" to film festivals!
Travel Costs
Costs $3,000
Help us travel to accompany "Ice Cream" at festivals all across the country!
Music/Additional Post-Production
Costs $300
Help us obtain our music's commercial licenses for film festival screenings!
Contingency/Additional Team Festival Badges
Costs $700
Help us bring the whole team to the screenings and events at film festivals!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The Assembly Interns/Core "Ice Cream" Team:
Director - Diane "DD" Dohler
Producer - Max Meyers
Production Coordinator/Locations Manager - Tris Cochran
Screenwriters - Jessi Rich and Holdan Ezelle
Creative Director - Bradford Fleming II
Director of Photography - Aaliyah Manns
Editor - Tris Thompson
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
When a self-absorbed businessman comes into conflict with a whimsical statue street performer, it’s a man of many words up against an artist of many poses. What follows is the crash out of the century.
Businessman Joe stomps down the street, occupied in a heated conversation and oblivious to a lingering foot in his walking path. Joe faceplants into the concrete, scattering his documents around the sidewalk—most importantly,
misplacing his phone. Eager to return to his conversation, he searches around for the phone and can’t find it. The only suspect in sight—Ben, a living statue street performer. A one-sided and aggressive argument unfolds between a man of many words and an artist of many poses. As tensions rise, Joe struggles to find a common ground of communication and must turn to other increasingly aggressive strategies to get his way—forgetting that he’s being watched all the while.
Ice Cream" is the product of something truly special, as it’s the result of Assembly Atlanta’s internship program. Spearheaded by eight graduating students/recent college graduates, the 2-month program centers around the production of a short film supported by the film studio. In a program meant to challenge us to grow and learn, we went from a pitched and green-lit idea to a production with a cast and crew of over 50 people in just three weeks.
Not only is the film an illustration of the hard work accomplished in this program, but it also represents the connection and bond we eight interns made throughout this experience. Having come from many different backgrounds and paths, this opportunity brought us together and allowed us not only to make something special in the form of “Ice Cream”, but has also inspired us to continue working together on films for years to come.
"Ice Cream" is a fun dive into the whimsical and wonderful world of young Rosie, but more importantly, it captures human emotions like anger, aggression, hate, and regret. As a director, I find it is important to highlight the positive and joyful experiences of life, while also giving space to recognize our flaws, our mistakes, and our cognitively dissonant behavior that reveals true humanity in its imperfect form.
The goal of "Ice Cream" was to create a visual homage to the likes of Mr. Bean, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton by maintaining a light-hearted and goofy tone with the classical tools of slapstick. Ben, our living statue, embodies everything that a slapstick represents—fun, laughter, silliness, and magical simplicity. On the other hand, Joe, our businessman, embodies the juxtaposition—reality, deadlines, aggression, and a short temper. Our characters are polar opposites and serve as a lesson to both sides of the absurdity spectrum, where one is too stern and the other is too frivolous.
Ice Cream" is a metaphor for the aggressive and irrational behaviors we experience in life—from our leaders, our workplaces, our families, and ourselves. It encourages us to question what it is in our own lives that makes us crack, and what the consequences of those actions are.
If Ben represents our values and Joe represents our flaws, the impact of that meltdown can be destructive in the eyes of those who watch.
You might be wondering: “if the film is done, why do you need more funds?”
While production of the film was completed during our time interning at Assembly Atlanta, we are thrilled to have an opportunity/chance to take a film we’re proud of to film festivals around the country! Ultimately, our goal with “Ice Cream” is not commercial or to profit, but rather to gain valuable industry experience and connect/meet other filmmakers along the way. Film Festivals are the perfect place for this, as these events are some of the most incredible showcases and celebrations of films/filmmakers. To take a film to a film festival wouldn’t just be an accomplishment for our film, but would be equally a milestone to connect with other voices and artists pursuing this same cinematic passion.
That being said, film festival submission fees add up, alongside travel costs! "Ice Cream" has the potential to reach beyond its origin of Atlanta, GA, and to spread smiles all across the United States :)
As a result, we’re launching this “Be Kind to Strangers” fundraising campaign for “Ice Cream” the short film. When presented with the choice of being angry, selfish, or violent, choosing instead to be kind to strangers is not just the right thing to do, but serves as a contagious act—one that can change attitudes, hearts, and even the surrounding perspectives of those looking.
“Ice Cream” offers a look into what happens when we aren’t kind as a way to suggest what could have happened if we had been.
And thus, being kind to strangers goes hand and hand with the message of our film AND our fundraiser.
We’re campaigning to raise $6000 to accomplish this goal! A breakdown of that looks like this:
33% - Film Festival Submission Fees
50% - Travel Costs
12% - Music/Additional Post-Production
5% - Contingency/Team Festival Badges
On top of that, we’re equally excited to run this campaign as this gives us an opportunity to bring YOU on this journey with us! This campaign allows us to create even more of a community around this film and us as filmmakers, one that we hope will continue far beyond this film.
And as mentioned in our campaign video, we feel so lucky to have come together through this internship/film, and are committed to continue working together and creating films. This won’t be our last time working together, and thus any additional funds/donations beyond our goals will be 100% funneled back into future film productions! As a result, your donations aren’t just helping us take “Ice Cream” on the journey we dream of, but they’ll continue to support us as we pursue those dreams in making movie magic for a living.
If you’ve made it this far, we’re so grateful to have your interest in our story and our film :) We know that not everyone may be able to donate, so consider supporting us in other ways:
- Share this campaign with anyone you know who may be interested in supporting our film!
- Follow our Instagram to stay up to date with our progress and our journey: @ice.cream.film
- Go see an independent movie in theaters. It may seem small, but that kind of support makes waves in the industry at large, showing that people want to support and see all kinds of films, not just the big ones.
Thank you so much, and we can’t wait for what’s in store with “Ice Cream” :)
Assembly Atlanta, LLC d/b/a Assembly Studios (including its parent company and affiliates) has no affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement, or association with this fundraiser. Any references to Assembly Atlanta and/or Assembly Studios are made solely for identification purposes and shall not be construed as indicating any partnership, approval, or support of the event.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Film Festival Submission Fees
Costs $2,000
Help us send "Ice Cream" to film festivals!
Travel Costs
Costs $3,000
Help us travel to accompany "Ice Cream" at festivals all across the country!
Music/Additional Post-Production
Costs $300
Help us obtain our music's commercial licenses for film festival screenings!
Contingency/Additional Team Festival Badges
Costs $700
Help us bring the whole team to the screenings and events at film festivals!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The Assembly Interns/Core "Ice Cream" Team:
Director - Diane "DD" Dohler
Producer - Max Meyers
Production Coordinator/Locations Manager - Tris Cochran
Screenwriters - Jessi Rich and Holdan Ezelle
Creative Director - Bradford Fleming II
Director of Photography - Aaliyah Manns
Editor - Tris Thompson