Incensed
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Musical
After 20 years in prison, a Vietnamese father struggles to reconnect with his distant son whilst reliving years of generational trauma.
Incensed
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Musical
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,150 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
69 supporters | followers
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After 20 years in prison, a Vietnamese father struggles to reconnect with his distant son whilst reliving years of generational trauma.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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When you're tied up, release the rope.
About the Project
INCENSED is an exploration on the culturally specific generational trauma passed between Asian men. By tackling timely issues of the reacclimation of formerly incarcerated people into society with striking visuals and music, we believe the film brings a catharsis to many underrepresented peoples.
Comparable Titles: Blue Bayou, The Farewell
Genre: Musical, Family, Drama
Why us? Why now?
Our film centers on issues that have become increasingly prevelent in our society. In my time at NYU, I’ve been passionate about the intersection of music and film, working on small scale musicals and award winning music videos. Incensed is the culmination of those skills and experience, in tandem with months of work alongside incredibly talented choreographers and musicans… who also happen to be some of my closest friends.
Furthermore, as proponents of asian storytelling in the mainsteam media, our primarily asian cast and crew are excited to bring this story to fruition. In particular, As Vietnamese filmmakers, it is incredibly important for Chi and I to infuse the story with our cultural upbringings.
Plot
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Remorseful QUAN LE (40s) is released from prison after 20 years of incarceration. Quan is adamant to rekindle with his distant son, RICHARD (late 20s), but with his reluctant BA (70s) the sole connection to Richard, Quan must prove to Richard and himself that he is not the man who entered the cell 20 years ago, as generational trauma, cultural heritage, and two blistering musical numbers are tackled in this distinctly Asian family drama.
Locations
This sprawling, generational drama will take place in the hustling-and-bustling NEW YORK CITY. We chose The Big Apple because the city is representative of QUAN's story: behind the glamor of New York and its dreamy facade, we see a man reacclimatizing to a life that has already moved on from him. As such, we focused on finding places that connect deeply to the Asian experience in America, as well as daily-life fixtures of a working-class New Yorker.
BUDDHIST TEMPLE:
Temples are crucial in every Asian's life: it is where we offer our respects to our ancestors and elders and carry great spiritual values to our families. In one of the film's quieter moments, Quan pays tribute to his past ones, signifying a major moment of growth in his journey. The temple is also the inspiration behind the title of "INCENSED," representing both the unmistakable scent of temple settings and the rage that once consumed Quan.
SUBWAY STATION:
To best portray Quan's mental journey throughout the film, we decided that New York City's Underground Subways will be the best carrier of the film's core message regarding grief and emotional trauma, as well as the location for one of our two big musical numbers. The subway carries a two-fold meaning to every New Yorker: on one hand, it is a subconscious signal that we are going home at the end of the day; on the other, it is an unwilling necessity in our lives, commuting endlessly without a goal in mind. Quan's story, from once a young man who made a mistake that cost him dearly, to a father trying to do right by his son, will be present through this location.
QUAN AND BA'S APARTMENT:
To accurately represent the lower working-class Asian experience in our story, securing a small, busy-looking household in Queens was one of our day-one priorities. Quan and Ba's apartment is plentiful in stuff, yet cramped in space; there's a feeling of overcompensation from the two fathers, for failing to raise their sons and for the loss of their wives. Trapped in this space, Quan and Ba must confront their past demons and unspoken conflicts, most preferably through a game of chess.
BLACK-BOX STUDIO:
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The location of our second of two amazing dance numbers, a blacked-out studio, where Quan will enter a void-like space to finally resolve his inner conflict and overcome his past self, is our final destination. Not only will it be absolutely crucial to the plot, it will also be a playground for our filmmaking crew and talented choreographers and performers to unleash their creativity for our musical.
References
This film will grasp the dreamy surrealist qualities of movies such as works such as Moonlight, Waves, and Atlanta, all art that challenge social norms and the like. Blue Bayou and Minari serve as references for how to accentuate asian males. The musical dance sequences will be remeniscent of In the Heights, for its frenetic energy at times, and La La Land, for the gentle harmony of music and movement in abstract visuals.
Images from Waves (2019), Blue Bayou (2021), Moonlight (2016), Minari (2020), Atlanta: Season 1 & 3 (2016, 2022), Anima (2019), John Wick (2014), La La Land (2016), In the Heights (2021).
Funding
TOTAL: 10K
Post-Production Plans and Festival Run
We're hoping to have a rough cut of the film done by summer. Throughout the rest of the summer and into the fall of 2022, we will continue to edit, color grade, sound design, and score the film. By the end of the year, we will be submitting this film to festivals around the world!
What am I working on now?
We are planning to shoot this film in early May. Currently, we are locking down locations, finalizing crew members, and cast. The creative work is building day by day, as we have jumped into storyboards, shotlists, etc. We're growing more and more excited as music is being finalized and soon choreography!
Health and Safety
We’re fully committed to keeping our cast and crew safe and healthy while working on this production. Our team will follow all health and safety regulations according to New York City’s guidelines, and operate on a fully-vaccinated production.
Ways to help
Every donation matters, no matter how big or small! If you’re generous enough to contribute, you can check our wish list page, where you’ll see a breakdown of where all the money is going. This includes location, equipment rentals, transportation, craft services, production and costume design, props and more! We need to hit at least 80% to keep our funds.
If you’re unable to donate, you can help us by following and sharing this fundraiser! Getting the word out to your family, friends and on your social media will spread the word and help us immensely. You can literally copy and paste this text here if you would like:
Help filmmaker @justthejuiceman bring his NYU thesis film "Incensed" to life! Check out the fundraising page on: www.seedandspark.com/fund/incensed
You can also follow us on Instagram (@incensed.film) to keep up to date with the project!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Miscellaneous/Expendable Fees
Costs $500
An extra amount in case of emergency.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Locations
Costs $3,000
We'll be shooting at subway station, apartment, studio etc. in New York, which will cost a fair bit!
Equipment
Costs $2,000
We'll be using top of the line camera and lighting equipment for our production!
Food
Costs $1,500
We'll be feeding great number of our cast and crew (with Asian food!)
Production Design
Costs $1,500
Art is a significant element in a musical film!
Transportation
Costs $1,000
We'll be renting a van to efficiently move the equipment to all the locations to and from!
Festival Submissions
Costs $500
Festivals will get expensive when we apply to a lot at once, this cost should cover that!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director: Justin Nguyen holds great pride as a Vietnamese American filmmaker and is passionate about bringing Asian stories into the mainstream. In addition to being a senior studying Film at NYU, Justin is also pursuing a double major in Psychology and a minor in Business of Entertainment Media. During his time at the Tisch School of the Arts, he's had the chance to direct, write, and produce a multitude of productions including festival nominated short films. Most recently, Justin worked on "Fitting,” a web-series where he wrote an episode and directed the pilot. He currently serves as the Development & Management Intern at Cinetic Media. Outside of filmmaking, his creative work expands into several realms ranging from music video production (@orangejuuz) to Escape Rooms (@EDscapadeGames) and everything in between.
Producer: Chi Tran is a Vietnamese director, writer, and producer. Chi has made many award-winning short films, including the short film "Water Outage" and the documentary "Goodbye Mom." He has also written and developed many scripts currently in feature development and production, including the Vietnamese remake of Extreme Job and an upcoming anthology horror produced by CJ ENM. He also served as a Content Development Intern at AppleTV+ and CJ ENM, working on CODA, Pachinko, and the upcoming Monstrous. He currently double majors in Media-Communications and Law Studies and minors in Film Production and BEMT at NYU.
Producer: Raised in South Korea and Australia, Jinwoo (Alex) Kang is a Korean filmmaker currently studying at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He has worked on an array of short films mainly as a director and a producer. He has recently worked as one of the Floor Directors on a Korean TV show ‘My Roommate is a Gumiho,' created by Studio Dragon and iQIYI. As an aspiring producer, Alex is committed to the visual storytelling of film and aims to expand the cinematic representation of Asians across different genres.
Director of Photography: Pengfei Song is an aspiring cinematographer, originally from Shenzhen, China. He chooses cinematography as his way of communicating and expressing the world in his eyes. He is interested in stories that are personal and can resonate with the viewers. Aside from films, he also loves coffee tea.
If you want to learn more in-depth about our crew to come, check out our Instagram page @incensed.film, where we will be releasing photos and biographies like this every week!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
When you're tied up, release the rope.
About the Project
INCENSED is an exploration on the culturally specific generational trauma passed between Asian men. By tackling timely issues of the reacclimation of formerly incarcerated people into society with striking visuals and music, we believe the film brings a catharsis to many underrepresented peoples.
Comparable Titles: Blue Bayou, The Farewell
Genre: Musical, Family, Drama
Why us? Why now?
Our film centers on issues that have become increasingly prevelent in our society. In my time at NYU, I’ve been passionate about the intersection of music and film, working on small scale musicals and award winning music videos. Incensed is the culmination of those skills and experience, in tandem with months of work alongside incredibly talented choreographers and musicans… who also happen to be some of my closest friends.
Furthermore, as proponents of asian storytelling in the mainsteam media, our primarily asian cast and crew are excited to bring this story to fruition. In particular, As Vietnamese filmmakers, it is incredibly important for Chi and I to infuse the story with our cultural upbringings.
Plot
Remorseful QUAN LE (40s) is released from prison after 20 years of incarceration. Quan is adamant to rekindle with his distant son, RICHARD (late 20s), but with his reluctant BA (70s) the sole connection to Richard, Quan must prove to Richard and himself that he is not the man who entered the cell 20 years ago, as generational trauma, cultural heritage, and two blistering musical numbers are tackled in this distinctly Asian family drama.
Locations
This sprawling, generational drama will take place in the hustling-and-bustling NEW YORK CITY. We chose The Big Apple because the city is representative of QUAN's story: behind the glamor of New York and its dreamy facade, we see a man reacclimatizing to a life that has already moved on from him. As such, we focused on finding places that connect deeply to the Asian experience in America, as well as daily-life fixtures of a working-class New Yorker.
BUDDHIST TEMPLE:
Temples are crucial in every Asian's life: it is where we offer our respects to our ancestors and elders and carry great spiritual values to our families. In one of the film's quieter moments, Quan pays tribute to his past ones, signifying a major moment of growth in his journey. The temple is also the inspiration behind the title of "INCENSED," representing both the unmistakable scent of temple settings and the rage that once consumed Quan.
SUBWAY STATION:
To best portray Quan's mental journey throughout the film, we decided that New York City's Underground Subways will be the best carrier of the film's core message regarding grief and emotional trauma, as well as the location for one of our two big musical numbers. The subway carries a two-fold meaning to every New Yorker: on one hand, it is a subconscious signal that we are going home at the end of the day; on the other, it is an unwilling necessity in our lives, commuting endlessly without a goal in mind. Quan's story, from once a young man who made a mistake that cost him dearly, to a father trying to do right by his son, will be present through this location.
QUAN AND BA'S APARTMENT:
To accurately represent the lower working-class Asian experience in our story, securing a small, busy-looking household in Queens was one of our day-one priorities. Quan and Ba's apartment is plentiful in stuff, yet cramped in space; there's a feeling of overcompensation from the two fathers, for failing to raise their sons and for the loss of their wives. Trapped in this space, Quan and Ba must confront their past demons and unspoken conflicts, most preferably through a game of chess.
BLACK-BOX STUDIO:
The location of our second of two amazing dance numbers, a blacked-out studio, where Quan will enter a void-like space to finally resolve his inner conflict and overcome his past self, is our final destination. Not only will it be absolutely crucial to the plot, it will also be a playground for our filmmaking crew and talented choreographers and performers to unleash their creativity for our musical.
References
This film will grasp the dreamy surrealist qualities of movies such as works such as Moonlight, Waves, and Atlanta, all art that challenge social norms and the like. Blue Bayou and Minari serve as references for how to accentuate asian males. The musical dance sequences will be remeniscent of In the Heights, for its frenetic energy at times, and La La Land, for the gentle harmony of music and movement in abstract visuals.
Images from Waves (2019), Blue Bayou (2021), Moonlight (2016), Minari (2020), Atlanta: Season 1 & 3 (2016, 2022), Anima (2019), John Wick (2014), La La Land (2016), In the Heights (2021).
Funding
TOTAL: 10K
Post-Production Plans and Festival Run
We're hoping to have a rough cut of the film done by summer. Throughout the rest of the summer and into the fall of 2022, we will continue to edit, color grade, sound design, and score the film. By the end of the year, we will be submitting this film to festivals around the world!
What am I working on now?
We are planning to shoot this film in early May. Currently, we are locking down locations, finalizing crew members, and cast. The creative work is building day by day, as we have jumped into storyboards, shotlists, etc. We're growing more and more excited as music is being finalized and soon choreography!
Health and Safety
We’re fully committed to keeping our cast and crew safe and healthy while working on this production. Our team will follow all health and safety regulations according to New York City’s guidelines, and operate on a fully-vaccinated production.
Ways to help
Every donation matters, no matter how big or small! If you’re generous enough to contribute, you can check our wish list page, where you’ll see a breakdown of where all the money is going. This includes location, equipment rentals, transportation, craft services, production and costume design, props and more! We need to hit at least 80% to keep our funds.
If you’re unable to donate, you can help us by following and sharing this fundraiser! Getting the word out to your family, friends and on your social media will spread the word and help us immensely. You can literally copy and paste this text here if you would like:
Help filmmaker @justthejuiceman bring his NYU thesis film "Incensed" to life! Check out the fundraising page on: www.seedandspark.com/fund/incensed
You can also follow us on Instagram (@incensed.film) to keep up to date with the project!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Miscellaneous/Expendable Fees
Costs $500
An extra amount in case of emergency.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Locations
Costs $3,000
We'll be shooting at subway station, apartment, studio etc. in New York, which will cost a fair bit!
Equipment
Costs $2,000
We'll be using top of the line camera and lighting equipment for our production!
Food
Costs $1,500
We'll be feeding great number of our cast and crew (with Asian food!)
Production Design
Costs $1,500
Art is a significant element in a musical film!
Transportation
Costs $1,000
We'll be renting a van to efficiently move the equipment to all the locations to and from!
Festival Submissions
Costs $500
Festivals will get expensive when we apply to a lot at once, this cost should cover that!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director: Justin Nguyen holds great pride as a Vietnamese American filmmaker and is passionate about bringing Asian stories into the mainstream. In addition to being a senior studying Film at NYU, Justin is also pursuing a double major in Psychology and a minor in Business of Entertainment Media. During his time at the Tisch School of the Arts, he's had the chance to direct, write, and produce a multitude of productions including festival nominated short films. Most recently, Justin worked on "Fitting,” a web-series where he wrote an episode and directed the pilot. He currently serves as the Development & Management Intern at Cinetic Media. Outside of filmmaking, his creative work expands into several realms ranging from music video production (@orangejuuz) to Escape Rooms (@EDscapadeGames) and everything in between.
Producer: Chi Tran is a Vietnamese director, writer, and producer. Chi has made many award-winning short films, including the short film "Water Outage" and the documentary "Goodbye Mom." He has also written and developed many scripts currently in feature development and production, including the Vietnamese remake of Extreme Job and an upcoming anthology horror produced by CJ ENM. He also served as a Content Development Intern at AppleTV+ and CJ ENM, working on CODA, Pachinko, and the upcoming Monstrous. He currently double majors in Media-Communications and Law Studies and minors in Film Production and BEMT at NYU.
Producer: Raised in South Korea and Australia, Jinwoo (Alex) Kang is a Korean filmmaker currently studying at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He has worked on an array of short films mainly as a director and a producer. He has recently worked as one of the Floor Directors on a Korean TV show ‘My Roommate is a Gumiho,' created by Studio Dragon and iQIYI. As an aspiring producer, Alex is committed to the visual storytelling of film and aims to expand the cinematic representation of Asians across different genres.
Director of Photography: Pengfei Song is an aspiring cinematographer, originally from Shenzhen, China. He chooses cinematography as his way of communicating and expressing the world in his eyes. He is interested in stories that are personal and can resonate with the viewers. Aside from films, he also loves coffee tea.
If you want to learn more in-depth about our crew to come, check out our Instagram page @incensed.film, where we will be releasing photos and biographies like this every week!