Indulge Me
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
Our team is composed of students who aim to tell stories that inject love into our communities. Supporting our film means supporting our education and providing us with an important opportunity to make a professional film. And I mean… who doesn’t wanna watch a movie about a priest who smokes weed?
Indulge Me
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $10,770 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
68 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Our team is composed of students who aim to tell stories that inject love into our communities. Supporting our film means supporting our education and providing us with an important opportunity to make a professional film. And I mean… who doesn’t wanna watch a movie about a priest who smokes weed?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We meet Father Otto inside his makeshift confessional—a converted food truck—where he absolves his patrons of their sins for the low price of $0.25 a minute.
Upon a trip into town for some scratch-offs and a blunt, he bumps into his former colleagues who belong to the parish he was kicked out of. These priests, feeling sorry for the unseemly Father Otto, offer him an indulgence (a pardon) were he to recant his accusations against their bishop. Father Otto knew this bishop to be abusing children and he therefore (not so) politely declines.
When he returns to his confessional, he's surprised to be greeted by Rabbi Mendel, desperate to come in for confession. The conversation they go on to have about religion, the fragility of institutions, and the mistakes they’ve made, force Father Otto to reckon with his faith in God and in other people.
We live in a world where it’s easy to assume harm and neglect good. After all, the institutions we’d like to have faith in seem to let us down more often than they lift us up. So, where do we put our hope?
I think we can put it in other people. Indulge Me communicates this via a curious character in an unlikely world. For, this time when the priest and the rabbi sit down to chat, they do more than crack jokes. They confide in one another, confess to one another, and ultimately put their faith in one another. Doing this enables them each to see beyond their bleakness and take one more small step forward.
The world our film takes place in should feel real to life—like present day Los Angeles. The comedy is born in the juxtaposition between the naturalism of the world and the absurdity of our protagonist Father Otto's character and circumstances.
Tonally, think a Martin McDonagh film like Banshees of Inisherin. Thematically, think The Two Popes, directed by Fernando Meirelles.
In order to capture present day Los Angeles, we'd like to use warm, highly saturated reds, yellows, greens, and blues—like the colors of a stained glass window. Clarinda and Ahmed's visual comps for Indulge Me include The Last Black Man in San Francisco, shot by Adam Newport-Berra.
We're currently in pre-production! This means we need a budget for our shoot in September and the following post-production process before our December release date. Here's a rough breakdown of our budget:
Your money will contribute to practical set builds, authentic costumes, paying makeup artists, securing locations, hiring a casting director, and renting equipment. A film crew needs fuel to run, so a large portion of our budget will go to ensuring our team is appropriately fed and hydrated.
Every cent we make beyond our goal will help us pay for post-production resources or festival fees so that we can share Indulge Me with a larger audience!
Please follow our Instagram pages to keep up with everything Indulge Me!
https://www.instagram.com/IndulgeMeFilm/
We know not everyone can contribute financially, but YOUR support can still make a world of difference! Please consider sharing our page with your close friends and family.
But more than that, we hope that you’ll take with you the central message of Indulge Me. When your hope is a little hazy, and you're not sure who or what to trust, remember there’s good in all of us—and that putting faith in each other helps us take even just one step forward.
We can’t do this without you, so on behalf of team Indulge Me, thank you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Meals & Craft Service
Costs $2,500
We need to feed our full crew during our 10 days of production!
Set Design
Costs $2,700
Help us build the interior of Father Otto's mobile confessional, where the film's most important dialogue scenes play out.
Locations
Costs $2,000
Secure access to locations such as the Hollywood RV Park and a local bodega.
Camera equipment
Costs $2,000
Renting fees for camera gear to give Indulge Me the necessary look.
Transportation
Costs $800
Pay for gas or ride-sharing costs of transporting crew, cast, and gear.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CLARINDA BLAIS - DIRECTOR
She is primarily drawn to stories about forgiveness and putting faith in other people, particularly when it’s hard. It is for these reasons, and for the little Catholic girl inside her, that she is so grateful (and really friggin’ excited) to be directing Martin’s script, Indulge Me.
MARTIN MOLPECERES - SCREENWRITER
SHANDAEYA CALDWELL - PRODUCER
Shandaeya Caldwell is going into her 3rd semester at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. She did her undergrad in the Bay Area and fell in love with the film community there. She’s made multiple short films that have run festival circuits and is really excited to dive into producing while here at USC! She loves filmmaking and film because stories fulfill her and teach her about the human experience. Indulge Me drew Shandaeya in because of her childhood growing up non-denominational Christian. She found the story to resonate with many people’s questions about the institutions of religion. She has loved getting a lot of pre-production work done over the summer as well as getting to know her fellow class and crew mates. She’s so excited to share Indulge Me with the world!
NEIL ZAFAR HAEEMS - PRODUCER
TYLER COON - 1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Tyler is from Massachusetts, and he’ll be the 1st AD on Indulge Me! He was first drawn to the project by the core team behind it, and things have only gotten more and more exciting as additional crew comes aboard. Telling a moving, heartfelt story is great. So is telling a tonally fun, visually engaging one. With Indulge Me he’s eager to get to do both of these things at once!
AHMED UTHMAN - CINEMATOGRAPHER
PAYTON MACK - 1st ASSISTANT CAMERA OPERATOR
MONICA WU - PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Yishan Wu was born on June 8th, 1998 in Beijing, China. She was born as the only child of a traditional Chinese family. She got her English name “Monica” in a raffle when her kindergarten teacher drew it on a piece of paper from a tissue box. She has been using this name ever since. Monica didn’t realize her passion for storytelling until later. But when she did it all made sense. She remembers her mom telling her that she would “read” at the age of one, that she would stare at the pages in books as if she understood. To pursue this passion she majored in film studies and media studies at UC Berkeley, and then came to SCA as she found her interests in production.
She is really excited to work on Indulge Me as a production designer because this is a story about people coming together, people with almost irreconcilable differences. She is also excited to explore Father Otto’s world and to tell his story with production design.
SHIRLEY YOU - PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Shirley You is a filmmaker from Guangzhou, China. She obtained her Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she majored in Film & Digital Media. During her year at Guangdong Television Station, Shirley played a pivotal role in the production of various documentary shows and commercials. Her recent film credits include Night Crawler, Tea and Gossip, and Haunted. Inspired by the power of storytelling and the ability of visual media to create meaningful connections, Shirley decided to further her education and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at the renowned USC School of Cinematic Arts.
KEVIN REMY - SOUND
MAYA KLEMENS - SOUND
Maya has tried out several ideas of what she might become one day in her life—physicist, rock star, bookworm in a university library—until she realized what she was doing all along was collecting great stories. Having arrived at USC, she is now focusing on writing, directing and sound design to be able to share them with the world! Maya loves using her ears, whether she’s hunting for records or playing music with her friends and is more than excited to bring them onto Indulge Me’s crew to explore sounds both spiritual and secular. She was drawn in by the script and talented group of people bringing it to life—and because even while she is out exploring the world, whenever she comes back to her hometown of Cologne, Germany, she insists on lighting a candle in the beautiful twin-spired Kölner Dom.
ANLAN TAO - EDITOR
Ann Anlan Tao, originally from Hangzhou, China, graduated from The Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, China, with a major in theater directing. Currently, she is a graduate student at the USC, pursuing a major in film production. Throughout her career, she has completed several short films and theater plays, both within and outside of USC, including Steel Forest, She & He, and Kingdom of Songs. As a storyteller, she is passionate about directing, writing, and editing, with a particular focus on narratives involving children, animals, and women. Her aim is to convey universal emotions and conflicts through visual and auditory elements in order to resonate with audiences.
PETER LA FATA - EDITOR
Peter is about to start his second year at USC and is supremely excited for the opportunity to work on Indulge Me. Priests, nuns, failed religious institutions, and the questioning of faith are kind of his jam, so he felt an immediate connection to the story and knew he wanted to help bring Clarinda’s vision to life from the very first moment he read the script. Peter’s looking forward to working alongside and learning from all the talented filmmakers who form the Indulge Me team and cannot wait until the first set of dailies come in so he and Anlan can get to cutting the movie!
ASHLEY SNYDER - COSTUME DESIGNER
KATIE LANTZ - CASTING DIRECTOR
Katie Lantz is an Artios award-nominated casting associate and director working primarily in TV and Film. She is based in (and originally from) Los Angeles, and a proud graduate of the University of Michigan. Some credits include "A League of Their Own" (Amazon, Felicia Fasano Casting), "Better Things" (FX, Felicia Fasano Casting), "Kevin Can F**k Himself" (AMC, Felicia Fasano Casting), "Splitting Up Together" (ABC, Tim Payne Casting) and many wonderful pilots and fantastic feature films including "The Lovebirds" (McCarthy Abellera Casting) and "Downhill" (McCarthy Abellera Casting).
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We meet Father Otto inside his makeshift confessional—a converted food truck—where he absolves his patrons of their sins for the low price of $0.25 a minute.
Upon a trip into town for some scratch-offs and a blunt, he bumps into his former colleagues who belong to the parish he was kicked out of. These priests, feeling sorry for the unseemly Father Otto, offer him an indulgence (a pardon) were he to recant his accusations against their bishop. Father Otto knew this bishop to be abusing children and he therefore (not so) politely declines.
When he returns to his confessional, he's surprised to be greeted by Rabbi Mendel, desperate to come in for confession. The conversation they go on to have about religion, the fragility of institutions, and the mistakes they’ve made, force Father Otto to reckon with his faith in God and in other people.
We live in a world where it’s easy to assume harm and neglect good. After all, the institutions we’d like to have faith in seem to let us down more often than they lift us up. So, where do we put our hope?
I think we can put it in other people. Indulge Me communicates this via a curious character in an unlikely world. For, this time when the priest and the rabbi sit down to chat, they do more than crack jokes. They confide in one another, confess to one another, and ultimately put their faith in one another. Doing this enables them each to see beyond their bleakness and take one more small step forward.
The world our film takes place in should feel real to life—like present day Los Angeles. The comedy is born in the juxtaposition between the naturalism of the world and the absurdity of our protagonist Father Otto's character and circumstances.
Tonally, think a Martin McDonagh film like Banshees of Inisherin. Thematically, think The Two Popes, directed by Fernando Meirelles.
In order to capture present day Los Angeles, we'd like to use warm, highly saturated reds, yellows, greens, and blues—like the colors of a stained glass window. Clarinda and Ahmed's visual comps for Indulge Me include The Last Black Man in San Francisco, shot by Adam Newport-Berra.
We're currently in pre-production! This means we need a budget for our shoot in September and the following post-production process before our December release date. Here's a rough breakdown of our budget:
Your money will contribute to practical set builds, authentic costumes, paying makeup artists, securing locations, hiring a casting director, and renting equipment. A film crew needs fuel to run, so a large portion of our budget will go to ensuring our team is appropriately fed and hydrated.
Every cent we make beyond our goal will help us pay for post-production resources or festival fees so that we can share Indulge Me with a larger audience!
Please follow our Instagram pages to keep up with everything Indulge Me!
https://www.instagram.com/IndulgeMeFilm/
We know not everyone can contribute financially, but YOUR support can still make a world of difference! Please consider sharing our page with your close friends and family.
But more than that, we hope that you’ll take with you the central message of Indulge Me. When your hope is a little hazy, and you're not sure who or what to trust, remember there’s good in all of us—and that putting faith in each other helps us take even just one step forward.
We can’t do this without you, so on behalf of team Indulge Me, thank you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Meals & Craft Service
Costs $2,500
We need to feed our full crew during our 10 days of production!
Set Design
Costs $2,700
Help us build the interior of Father Otto's mobile confessional, where the film's most important dialogue scenes play out.
Locations
Costs $2,000
Secure access to locations such as the Hollywood RV Park and a local bodega.
Camera equipment
Costs $2,000
Renting fees for camera gear to give Indulge Me the necessary look.
Transportation
Costs $800
Pay for gas or ride-sharing costs of transporting crew, cast, and gear.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CLARINDA BLAIS - DIRECTOR
She is primarily drawn to stories about forgiveness and putting faith in other people, particularly when it’s hard. It is for these reasons, and for the little Catholic girl inside her, that she is so grateful (and really friggin’ excited) to be directing Martin’s script, Indulge Me.
MARTIN MOLPECERES - SCREENWRITER
SHANDAEYA CALDWELL - PRODUCER
Shandaeya Caldwell is going into her 3rd semester at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. She did her undergrad in the Bay Area and fell in love with the film community there. She’s made multiple short films that have run festival circuits and is really excited to dive into producing while here at USC! She loves filmmaking and film because stories fulfill her and teach her about the human experience. Indulge Me drew Shandaeya in because of her childhood growing up non-denominational Christian. She found the story to resonate with many people’s questions about the institutions of religion. She has loved getting a lot of pre-production work done over the summer as well as getting to know her fellow class and crew mates. She’s so excited to share Indulge Me with the world!
NEIL ZAFAR HAEEMS - PRODUCER
TYLER COON - 1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Tyler is from Massachusetts, and he’ll be the 1st AD on Indulge Me! He was first drawn to the project by the core team behind it, and things have only gotten more and more exciting as additional crew comes aboard. Telling a moving, heartfelt story is great. So is telling a tonally fun, visually engaging one. With Indulge Me he’s eager to get to do both of these things at once!
AHMED UTHMAN - CINEMATOGRAPHER
PAYTON MACK - 1st ASSISTANT CAMERA OPERATOR
MONICA WU - PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Yishan Wu was born on June 8th, 1998 in Beijing, China. She was born as the only child of a traditional Chinese family. She got her English name “Monica” in a raffle when her kindergarten teacher drew it on a piece of paper from a tissue box. She has been using this name ever since. Monica didn’t realize her passion for storytelling until later. But when she did it all made sense. She remembers her mom telling her that she would “read” at the age of one, that she would stare at the pages in books as if she understood. To pursue this passion she majored in film studies and media studies at UC Berkeley, and then came to SCA as she found her interests in production.
She is really excited to work on Indulge Me as a production designer because this is a story about people coming together, people with almost irreconcilable differences. She is also excited to explore Father Otto’s world and to tell his story with production design.
SHIRLEY YOU - PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Shirley You is a filmmaker from Guangzhou, China. She obtained her Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she majored in Film & Digital Media. During her year at Guangdong Television Station, Shirley played a pivotal role in the production of various documentary shows and commercials. Her recent film credits include Night Crawler, Tea and Gossip, and Haunted. Inspired by the power of storytelling and the ability of visual media to create meaningful connections, Shirley decided to further her education and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at the renowned USC School of Cinematic Arts.
KEVIN REMY - SOUND
MAYA KLEMENS - SOUND
Maya has tried out several ideas of what she might become one day in her life—physicist, rock star, bookworm in a university library—until she realized what she was doing all along was collecting great stories. Having arrived at USC, she is now focusing on writing, directing and sound design to be able to share them with the world! Maya loves using her ears, whether she’s hunting for records or playing music with her friends and is more than excited to bring them onto Indulge Me’s crew to explore sounds both spiritual and secular. She was drawn in by the script and talented group of people bringing it to life—and because even while she is out exploring the world, whenever she comes back to her hometown of Cologne, Germany, she insists on lighting a candle in the beautiful twin-spired Kölner Dom.
ANLAN TAO - EDITOR
Ann Anlan Tao, originally from Hangzhou, China, graduated from The Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, China, with a major in theater directing. Currently, she is a graduate student at the USC, pursuing a major in film production. Throughout her career, she has completed several short films and theater plays, both within and outside of USC, including Steel Forest, She & He, and Kingdom of Songs. As a storyteller, she is passionate about directing, writing, and editing, with a particular focus on narratives involving children, animals, and women. Her aim is to convey universal emotions and conflicts through visual and auditory elements in order to resonate with audiences.
PETER LA FATA - EDITOR
Peter is about to start his second year at USC and is supremely excited for the opportunity to work on Indulge Me. Priests, nuns, failed religious institutions, and the questioning of faith are kind of his jam, so he felt an immediate connection to the story and knew he wanted to help bring Clarinda’s vision to life from the very first moment he read the script. Peter’s looking forward to working alongside and learning from all the talented filmmakers who form the Indulge Me team and cannot wait until the first set of dailies come in so he and Anlan can get to cutting the movie!
ASHLEY SNYDER - COSTUME DESIGNER
KATIE LANTZ - CASTING DIRECTOR
Katie Lantz is an Artios award-nominated casting associate and director working primarily in TV and Film. She is based in (and originally from) Los Angeles, and a proud graduate of the University of Michigan. Some credits include "A League of Their Own" (Amazon, Felicia Fasano Casting), "Better Things" (FX, Felicia Fasano Casting), "Kevin Can F**k Himself" (AMC, Felicia Fasano Casting), "Splitting Up Together" (ABC, Tim Payne Casting) and many wonderful pilots and fantastic feature films including "The Lovebirds" (McCarthy Abellera Casting) and "Downhill" (McCarthy Abellera Casting).