I Love You More Than Dinosaurs
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Satire, Romantic Comedy
With characters written as adults, but cast as 10 year old children, ILYMTD is a simple story about the ugliness of love, told with a cute facade! Jackson and Georgina will learn that, with each other by their side, they can handle whatever life throws at them, no matter how childish they feel.
I Love You More Than Dinosaurs
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Satire, Romantic Comedy
2 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $6,377 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
34 supporters | followers
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With characters written as adults, but cast as 10 year old children, ILYMTD is a simple story about the ugliness of love, told with a cute facade! Jackson and Georgina will learn that, with each other by their side, they can handle whatever life throws at them, no matter how childish they feel.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
This is a concept that I've been toying around with for a few years now. The idea is fun! Children playing adults.
But when I started writing this script, I realized that it's a lot more than just fun. It's also a potent metaphor for immaturity and commitment issues in a relationship. By happy accident I stumbled upon a concept for a film that, I truly believe, is absolute gold.
What I also discovered is that it's a story that's relatable for a lot of people. As the crew has been assembled, nearly everyone seems to have had that moment in, or out of, a relationship where they've looked into the mirror and seen a scared little child looking back at them. And that's the reality for Jackson and Georgina in this story.
This film confronts those feelings head on, ultimately resulting in what I hope you'll consider a beautiful and uplifting ending. After all, it's about love.
Tone is a tricky balance that nearly every member of the crew will have to carefully consider in their work. It's cute and silly, but it's also an intense, melodrama. It's campy and it's soapy. It's fantastical and gritty. It's... A lot of things. Hence the need for some explanation--
It's like Marriage Story... But with kids. That's the line we've been going with so far because it really paints the contrast-filled image pretty well.
Our world has very few rules, but here are the most important ones to understand:
- Jackson and Georgina appear as 10 year olds but, in reality, are 30 years old.
- Every character in the film sees Jackson and Georgina as their adult versions.
- Key props and set dressings also get the "fantastical treatment" and appear as child-versions of themselves (IE, Paintings, food, clothing, etc.)
In this film, that emotional jumps between funny beats and serious beats may sometimes feel quite jarring. You know what else is jarring? Growing up. This is a film that, if executed properly, will mix laughter, gasps, oohs, aahs, and tears.
art of the reason that pin-pointing the tone of this project is such a difficult task is because of it's uniqueness. From our research, a film like this has never really been done before. There are a few instances of children playing adults, but it's a relatively untapped genre. Until now.
CHEESE.
We will unapologetically be bringing some cheesiness with this one as well. From concept to completion, we're hoping to make something over-the-top to say something really, really simple.
For Georgina and Jackson there are only two things that matter-- cute and emotional. We're going to search far and wide across the entire globe, turning over every last rock until we find the absolute best child actors that there have ever been.
The side characters in this story are meant to personify the real and sometimes ugly sides of adulthood. Jackson and Georgina's are cynics-- people who have fully lost their childlike wonder and have long since been paying the price for it.
JACKSON - (10) Jackson is sweet and sympathetic. He might not remember to make a to-do list, but he wants so badly to make Georgina happy the way he did when they were kids. Inside, he doesn't feel like he's cut out for that, however.
GEORGINA - (10) Full of joy and cute as a button, she is wise beyond her years. Georgina loves Jackson from the moment she sees him and she desperately wants to feel as happy and at home in her relationship decades into it as she did when they first met. Outwardly, she's ready for something more-- but inside, she's just as scared as Jackson is.
It's disgusting how expensive making a short film is, but, *shrug*.
Please trust me when I tell you that we are cutting as many corners as we possibly can! But we do want this film to ultimately be able to compete on the festival circuit with all the other student films that cost just as much, if not more. It's the unfortunate reality of making a student film.
See above for a breakdown of what exactly that money is going to be going towards. I promise you, it adds up quick.
I moved to Los Angeles and came to USC with the sole focus of making movies… But I ended up finding something that I wanted so much more: love.
yes, it sounds like the most cheesy thing in the world, I know... But it’s something that has been a universal human struggle for thousands of years. Many are terrified by the idea of commitment— increasingly so in our modern world.
This is a feeling that is so ubiquitous, yet so under-explored in media. Life comes at you fast and it’s hard to not feel like we’re all just children sometimes… Especially when it comes to relationships. That is the very topic this film seeks to explore in a beautiful, hilariously on-the-nose type of way.
This film is a love letter to love...
A declaration to the world that having that special someone is the single most valuable thing you can possess in this life...
A guarantee that true love is worth everything...
And a promise that it’s more important than all the dinosaurs in the world...
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Studio Teacher
Costs $750
A required hire to oversee and assist in the use of minors on set.
Locations
Costs $1,750
These will serve as our world. A necessary expense that will be well worth it!
Festival Fees
Costs $500
To cover the cost of the most important thing of all: getting people to watch this film!
Share this update!
About This Team
TYLER COON, Director/Writer
Tyler comes from the great state of Massachusetts where he studied at the University of Massachusetts before spending 3 years working in freelance video editing and production. He came to USC in 2022 with the hopes of meeting wonderful collaborators and making cool stuff. Which he's now doing :)
INEZ FRANCO, Producer
Nez is a Webby-nominated filmmaker from East LA, who loves cheese despite her lactose intolerance. She's worked on everything from short films, to music videos, to unscripted TV shows in the role of producer. She came to USC to develop her writing and directing skills, culminating in her own thesis film "Last Words" that is currently in post.
SYDNEY SHEREN, Producer
Sydney Sheren is a third year MFA candidate in the Film & TV Production Program at SCA. Sheren is from Long Island, New York and went to Barnard College of Columbia University where she graduated with a BA in Political Science and Film Studies. While at SCA, she has written and directed Dinner with the Devil which was part of the Hollywood Comedy Shorts official selection. She also co-produced the short film Scratch + Sniff which won Best Student Film at the Hollywood Discovery Awards.
QUINNOLYN BENSON-YATES, Cinematographer
Quinnolyn Benson-Yates is a Director of Photography from Berkeley, California. She has filmed in negative fifty degree temperatures and hiked up sixteen thousand feet on Mt. Aconcagua on a PBS-released feature documentary film. While not on film sets, Quinn loves to play solitaire, suffer on hikes, and take photos of her four year old brother's amazing outfits.
TIGER GEORGE, Production Designer
Tiger George is a filmmaker originally from London and now based in Los Angeles. After earning a BA in Education and the Arts from the University of Cambridge, she gained diverse experience in the film industry, working across art and camera departments, as well as in short film post-production and distribution. Tiger is currently pursuing an MFA in Film and Television Production at the University of Southern California.
KEVIN MCAULIFFE, Sound
Kevin has been handling microphones since the age of 14. He has lived many lives, including being an actor, an improvisor, a jazz bass player, a bartender and water slide operator, before embracing sound after arriving at USC Cinema. At USC, he is a student mixer and was currently one of the sound people for the 546 production of ‘Deadly Duels XII’. He is the former reigning champion of movie trivia at The Music Box Theater in Chicago, IL and is a proud member of The Osage Nation.
BRANDON WALSH, 1st AD & Editor
Brandon Walsh is a regional Emmy and Telly winning writer/director from Indianapolis, Indiana. His work has been seen on national television, to millions online, and outdoors at Times Square NYC. His commercial work has confronted issues of substance use, food insecurity, equity and inclusion, among others. His documentary footage has been seen in national television broadcasts such as "The Today Show" and "PBS NewsHour," and online for Architectural Digest, Art Miami, among others. Brandon received his bachelor of arts from Indiana University. He is currently a graduate candidate in the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and lives with his three cats who are all very good kitties.
CHRISTY CHEN, Editor
Christy was born and raised in China before she came to the US for undergrad. She studied cinema studies at Oberlin college where she also found that her ultimate passion is in cinematography and editing. Now she is pursuing a production MFA at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, steadily paving her path in the professional world.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
This is a concept that I've been toying around with for a few years now. The idea is fun! Children playing adults.
But when I started writing this script, I realized that it's a lot more than just fun. It's also a potent metaphor for immaturity and commitment issues in a relationship. By happy accident I stumbled upon a concept for a film that, I truly believe, is absolute gold.
What I also discovered is that it's a story that's relatable for a lot of people. As the crew has been assembled, nearly everyone seems to have had that moment in, or out of, a relationship where they've looked into the mirror and seen a scared little child looking back at them. And that's the reality for Jackson and Georgina in this story.
This film confronts those feelings head on, ultimately resulting in what I hope you'll consider a beautiful and uplifting ending. After all, it's about love.
Tone is a tricky balance that nearly every member of the crew will have to carefully consider in their work. It's cute and silly, but it's also an intense, melodrama. It's campy and it's soapy. It's fantastical and gritty. It's... A lot of things. Hence the need for some explanation--
It's like Marriage Story... But with kids. That's the line we've been going with so far because it really paints the contrast-filled image pretty well.
Our world has very few rules, but here are the most important ones to understand:
- Jackson and Georgina appear as 10 year olds but, in reality, are 30 years old.
- Every character in the film sees Jackson and Georgina as their adult versions.
- Key props and set dressings also get the "fantastical treatment" and appear as child-versions of themselves (IE, Paintings, food, clothing, etc.)
In this film, that emotional jumps between funny beats and serious beats may sometimes feel quite jarring. You know what else is jarring? Growing up. This is a film that, if executed properly, will mix laughter, gasps, oohs, aahs, and tears.
art of the reason that pin-pointing the tone of this project is such a difficult task is because of it's uniqueness. From our research, a film like this has never really been done before. There are a few instances of children playing adults, but it's a relatively untapped genre. Until now.
CHEESE.
We will unapologetically be bringing some cheesiness with this one as well. From concept to completion, we're hoping to make something over-the-top to say something really, really simple.
For Georgina and Jackson there are only two things that matter-- cute and emotional. We're going to search far and wide across the entire globe, turning over every last rock until we find the absolute best child actors that there have ever been.
The side characters in this story are meant to personify the real and sometimes ugly sides of adulthood. Jackson and Georgina's are cynics-- people who have fully lost their childlike wonder and have long since been paying the price for it.
JACKSON - (10) Jackson is sweet and sympathetic. He might not remember to make a to-do list, but he wants so badly to make Georgina happy the way he did when they were kids. Inside, he doesn't feel like he's cut out for that, however.
GEORGINA - (10) Full of joy and cute as a button, she is wise beyond her years. Georgina loves Jackson from the moment she sees him and she desperately wants to feel as happy and at home in her relationship decades into it as she did when they first met. Outwardly, she's ready for something more-- but inside, she's just as scared as Jackson is.
It's disgusting how expensive making a short film is, but, *shrug*.
Please trust me when I tell you that we are cutting as many corners as we possibly can! But we do want this film to ultimately be able to compete on the festival circuit with all the other student films that cost just as much, if not more. It's the unfortunate reality of making a student film.
See above for a breakdown of what exactly that money is going to be going towards. I promise you, it adds up quick.
I moved to Los Angeles and came to USC with the sole focus of making movies… But I ended up finding something that I wanted so much more: love.
yes, it sounds like the most cheesy thing in the world, I know... But it’s something that has been a universal human struggle for thousands of years. Many are terrified by the idea of commitment— increasingly so in our modern world.
This is a feeling that is so ubiquitous, yet so under-explored in media. Life comes at you fast and it’s hard to not feel like we’re all just children sometimes… Especially when it comes to relationships. That is the very topic this film seeks to explore in a beautiful, hilariously on-the-nose type of way.
This film is a love letter to love...
A declaration to the world that having that special someone is the single most valuable thing you can possess in this life...
A guarantee that true love is worth everything...
And a promise that it’s more important than all the dinosaurs in the world...
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Studio Teacher
Costs $750
A required hire to oversee and assist in the use of minors on set.
Locations
Costs $1,750
These will serve as our world. A necessary expense that will be well worth it!
Festival Fees
Costs $500
To cover the cost of the most important thing of all: getting people to watch this film!
Share this update!
About This Team
TYLER COON, Director/Writer
Tyler comes from the great state of Massachusetts where he studied at the University of Massachusetts before spending 3 years working in freelance video editing and production. He came to USC in 2022 with the hopes of meeting wonderful collaborators and making cool stuff. Which he's now doing :)
INEZ FRANCO, Producer
Nez is a Webby-nominated filmmaker from East LA, who loves cheese despite her lactose intolerance. She's worked on everything from short films, to music videos, to unscripted TV shows in the role of producer. She came to USC to develop her writing and directing skills, culminating in her own thesis film "Last Words" that is currently in post.
SYDNEY SHEREN, Producer
Sydney Sheren is a third year MFA candidate in the Film & TV Production Program at SCA. Sheren is from Long Island, New York and went to Barnard College of Columbia University where she graduated with a BA in Political Science and Film Studies. While at SCA, she has written and directed Dinner with the Devil which was part of the Hollywood Comedy Shorts official selection. She also co-produced the short film Scratch + Sniff which won Best Student Film at the Hollywood Discovery Awards.
QUINNOLYN BENSON-YATES, Cinematographer
Quinnolyn Benson-Yates is a Director of Photography from Berkeley, California. She has filmed in negative fifty degree temperatures and hiked up sixteen thousand feet on Mt. Aconcagua on a PBS-released feature documentary film. While not on film sets, Quinn loves to play solitaire, suffer on hikes, and take photos of her four year old brother's amazing outfits.
TIGER GEORGE, Production Designer
Tiger George is a filmmaker originally from London and now based in Los Angeles. After earning a BA in Education and the Arts from the University of Cambridge, she gained diverse experience in the film industry, working across art and camera departments, as well as in short film post-production and distribution. Tiger is currently pursuing an MFA in Film and Television Production at the University of Southern California.
KEVIN MCAULIFFE, Sound
Kevin has been handling microphones since the age of 14. He has lived many lives, including being an actor, an improvisor, a jazz bass player, a bartender and water slide operator, before embracing sound after arriving at USC Cinema. At USC, he is a student mixer and was currently one of the sound people for the 546 production of ‘Deadly Duels XII’. He is the former reigning champion of movie trivia at The Music Box Theater in Chicago, IL and is a proud member of The Osage Nation.
BRANDON WALSH, 1st AD & Editor
Brandon Walsh is a regional Emmy and Telly winning writer/director from Indianapolis, Indiana. His work has been seen on national television, to millions online, and outdoors at Times Square NYC. His commercial work has confronted issues of substance use, food insecurity, equity and inclusion, among others. His documentary footage has been seen in national television broadcasts such as "The Today Show" and "PBS NewsHour," and online for Architectural Digest, Art Miami, among others. Brandon received his bachelor of arts from Indiana University. He is currently a graduate candidate in the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and lives with his three cats who are all very good kitties.
CHRISTY CHEN, Editor
Christy was born and raised in China before she came to the US for undergrad. She studied cinema studies at Oberlin college where she also found that her ultimate passion is in cinematography and editing. Now she is pursuing a production MFA at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, steadily paving her path in the professional world.