KILTER
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Thriller, LGBTQ
A 1990s-set coming-of-age thriller about the physical monster created from the silence around mental health.
KILTER
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Thriller, LGBTQ
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $44,455 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
102 supporters | followers
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A 1990s-set coming-of-age thriller about the physical monster created from the silence around mental health.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mental health is an evergreen topic that continues to need a light shined upon it and film is often a great conversation starter. It’s how we feel seen, connect with others, and can even be its own language. Beyond that, the thriller/horror genre is an incredible playground for exciting and original stories - especially when coupled with a topic that’s touched nearly everyone’s life in one way or another.
KILTER is led by two college-age boys, Marshall and James, who are navigating their way through their sexual identity during a time where alternate lifestyles were not as accepted as they are today. Shortly after meeting at a party, they stumble upon their classmate Holly, just after she's been killed and is in the process of being consumed by a dark creature. Having only known one another for a couple hours, Marshall and James' future is painfully intertwined as they try to figure out what’s preying on the town all while trying to navigate new feelings towards one another.
This film is extremely personal in several ways and I’ve reached the point where I have no choice left but to try and find a way to bring it to life. We are deep in the development process of this film, having worked on the script in some form for over two years. It started as a short, then expanded into a feature film. Through that exploration, we found a deeper understanding of the characters and themes and put those learnings into the short. This campaign will allow us to bring the short film to life and serve as a proof of concept for the feature length version of the story.
KILTER is set in Chatsworth, California within the San Fernando Valley in the mid 1990s. Chatsworth is a rural and rocky suburb about 40 minutes outside of Los Angeles, yet feels hundreds of miles away. The Valley has a slower pace and a “small town” feeling. I grew up here so it’s very personal to me and it’s where I love to set the stories I tell.
Visually, KILTER draws inspiration from E.T., Poltergeist and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood in terms of the setting and how the Valley is portrayed. For the creature in our story, we’ve always been inspired and horrified by the ‘less is more’ approach. The shark in Jaws, the alien in Signs, and the monster in The Ritual. All these films tease the greater horror and let your imagination do most of the work.
We’re excited to be partnering with Brandon Johnson, also known as 'Spiritwalker', to bring our creature to life on screen. Brandon is an incredible creature maker and performer who has amassed nearly 7 million followers on social media. With his creation as our basis, we’re confident the monster we depict on screen will be something you think about for a long time.
If we're successful with this campaign, the plan is to shoot the short film during late summer 2024 and likely have a finished product by the end of the year. We're grateful to have successfully crowdfunded for our last short thriller and our plan is to take the plethora of knowledge we learned from that experience and put it all into this film to make something that's even better. We are so excited by the prospect of bringing this film to life and want to thank you so much for taking the time to consider our story. We hope you’re inclined to be a part of the world of KILTER, whether that’s through a donation or just passing this link to someone who might be interested.
Thank you!
Hidden Valley Place behind the scenes from production in 2021.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera & Accessories
Costs $4,000
This portion of the budget will go to renting the camera, lenses, and support systems.
Grip & Lighting
Costs $4,000
This portion of the budget goes to renting grip and lighting equipment for the shoot.
Art Department
Costs $5,000
This portion of the budget goes to set dressing and production design.
Creature Design
Costs $5,000
This portion of the budget goes to making and traveling the costume and performer for the creature in the film.
Locations
Costs $5,000
This portion of the budget goes to renting locations needed to film.
Crew
Costs $10,000
The largest portion of the budget goes to hiring and paying the crew that works on the film.
Insurance
Costs $4,000
This portion of the budget goes to production insurance which allows us to rent equipment and secure locations.
Food
Costs $2,000
This portion of the budget goes to feeding everyone on set during filming.
Post Production
Costs $7,000
This portion of the budget goes to editing, color correction, sound design and mixing.
Wardrobe
Costs $3,000
This portion of the budget goes to renting and buying period accurate items for the actors on screen.
Share this update!
About This Team
BARTLEY TAYLOR - Writer | Director | Producer
Bartley is an LGBTQ filmmaker and Los Angeles native. His wide body of work consists of traditional commercials, branded content, short form narrative, unscripted digital food series and documentaries. Bartley was featured in SHOOT magazine’s New Directors Showcase thanks to his same-sex couple featured Airbnb spot. His passion for storytelling and compelling visuals is always the driving force behind creating new content. His last film Hidden Valley Place was successfully crowdfunded and went on to receive a Best Thriller nomination at Cannes World Film Festival in 2021.
PAUL TERRY - Story By | Composer | Producer
Paul has produced/composed more than 30 soundtracks, including: the multi-award-winning feature documentary SIDNEY & FRIENDS; the award-winning film DAVE STEVENS: DRAWN TO PERFECTION; NBCUniversal’s comic-book docu-series BEHIND THE PANEL; and the award-winning chiller CARE.
He is re-teaming with Bartley after having scored and associate produced his thriller Hidden Valley Place.
ALLISON ROECKER - Producer
Allison is a two-time Emmy nominated Producer and Video Storyteller. She has spent the last decade immersed in the world of production. Her work includes sideline NFL coverage for viewers in Central Oregon, post-production on the film Finch (AppleTV+) directed by Miguel Sapochnik and pre-production for HBO's House of the Dragon. Allison has also worked in the commercial field, collaborating on projects for brands like Jeep, Geico, Kohler, and Kellogg's. She is currently in house at a direct to consumer marketing firm, leading the video team's production department. Allison is excited to join Bartley for the second time after Hidden Valley Place.
NATE EGGERS - Producer
Nate has spent the past four years as a producer for the award winning short film program Rising Voices, a collaboration between Indeed and Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Productions that discovers and invests in up-and-coming writers and directors, and which has produced 30 short films to date.
Prior to this, he worked as a producer on the commercial and branded content side with clients such as MillerCoors, KitchenAid, and Indeed. He has worked at multiple ad agencies including McGarrah Jessee and Digitas Chicago where he worked on the Cannes Lions Grand Prix winning Care Counts campaign for Whirlpool.
DANIEL WILLIAMS - Cinematographer
Daniel Steven Williams is an award winning LA based cinematographer. His clientele includes Disney, Lucasfilm, Porsche, Adidas and more. He and Bartley have collaborated on over 10 projects together as director and DP including Hidden Valley Place. Daniel is an incredible visual storyteller and brings a rich layer of experience and care to the films he lenses.
ANGELA YOUNG - Casting Director
Angela is a Los Angeles based Casting Director. She has worked in film and television casting for over a decade and is a current member of CSA (Casting Society of America). Her most recent film credits include Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. As an Associate, she won a CSA Artios Award (2020) in the The Zeitgeist Award category for Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Her work also includes Surface (AppleTV+), Lisey's Story (AppleTV+), Locke & Key (Netflix), Clarice (CBS), Sacred Lies (Facebook Watch), Colony (USA), Happy Together (CBS), and more.
JOE CARUGATI - Editor
Joe is a seasoned editor with vast experience across commercials, digital series, long form narrative and music videos. Having recently won 1st place in the Camp Kuleshov competition for re-editing the classic film ‘Annie’ into a trailer for a horror film, he’s always able to look at a story from several different angles which makes him a great collaborator. Joe also returns to the team from Hidden Valley Place.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mental health is an evergreen topic that continues to need a light shined upon it and film is often a great conversation starter. It’s how we feel seen, connect with others, and can even be its own language. Beyond that, the thriller/horror genre is an incredible playground for exciting and original stories - especially when coupled with a topic that’s touched nearly everyone’s life in one way or another.
KILTER is led by two college-age boys, Marshall and James, who are navigating their way through their sexual identity during a time where alternate lifestyles were not as accepted as they are today. Shortly after meeting at a party, they stumble upon their classmate Holly, just after she's been killed and is in the process of being consumed by a dark creature. Having only known one another for a couple hours, Marshall and James' future is painfully intertwined as they try to figure out what’s preying on the town all while trying to navigate new feelings towards one another.
This film is extremely personal in several ways and I’ve reached the point where I have no choice left but to try and find a way to bring it to life. We are deep in the development process of this film, having worked on the script in some form for over two years. It started as a short, then expanded into a feature film. Through that exploration, we found a deeper understanding of the characters and themes and put those learnings into the short. This campaign will allow us to bring the short film to life and serve as a proof of concept for the feature length version of the story.
KILTER is set in Chatsworth, California within the San Fernando Valley in the mid 1990s. Chatsworth is a rural and rocky suburb about 40 minutes outside of Los Angeles, yet feels hundreds of miles away. The Valley has a slower pace and a “small town” feeling. I grew up here so it’s very personal to me and it’s where I love to set the stories I tell.
Visually, KILTER draws inspiration from E.T., Poltergeist and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood in terms of the setting and how the Valley is portrayed. For the creature in our story, we’ve always been inspired and horrified by the ‘less is more’ approach. The shark in Jaws, the alien in Signs, and the monster in The Ritual. All these films tease the greater horror and let your imagination do most of the work.
We’re excited to be partnering with Brandon Johnson, also known as 'Spiritwalker', to bring our creature to life on screen. Brandon is an incredible creature maker and performer who has amassed nearly 7 million followers on social media. With his creation as our basis, we’re confident the monster we depict on screen will be something you think about for a long time.
If we're successful with this campaign, the plan is to shoot the short film during late summer 2024 and likely have a finished product by the end of the year. We're grateful to have successfully crowdfunded for our last short thriller and our plan is to take the plethora of knowledge we learned from that experience and put it all into this film to make something that's even better. We are so excited by the prospect of bringing this film to life and want to thank you so much for taking the time to consider our story. We hope you’re inclined to be a part of the world of KILTER, whether that’s through a donation or just passing this link to someone who might be interested.
Thank you!
Hidden Valley Place behind the scenes from production in 2021.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera & Accessories
Costs $4,000
This portion of the budget will go to renting the camera, lenses, and support systems.
Grip & Lighting
Costs $4,000
This portion of the budget goes to renting grip and lighting equipment for the shoot.
Art Department
Costs $5,000
This portion of the budget goes to set dressing and production design.
Creature Design
Costs $5,000
This portion of the budget goes to making and traveling the costume and performer for the creature in the film.
Locations
Costs $5,000
This portion of the budget goes to renting locations needed to film.
Crew
Costs $10,000
The largest portion of the budget goes to hiring and paying the crew that works on the film.
Insurance
Costs $4,000
This portion of the budget goes to production insurance which allows us to rent equipment and secure locations.
Food
Costs $2,000
This portion of the budget goes to feeding everyone on set during filming.
Post Production
Costs $7,000
This portion of the budget goes to editing, color correction, sound design and mixing.
Wardrobe
Costs $3,000
This portion of the budget goes to renting and buying period accurate items for the actors on screen.
Share this update!
About This Team
BARTLEY TAYLOR - Writer | Director | Producer
Bartley is an LGBTQ filmmaker and Los Angeles native. His wide body of work consists of traditional commercials, branded content, short form narrative, unscripted digital food series and documentaries. Bartley was featured in SHOOT magazine’s New Directors Showcase thanks to his same-sex couple featured Airbnb spot. His passion for storytelling and compelling visuals is always the driving force behind creating new content. His last film Hidden Valley Place was successfully crowdfunded and went on to receive a Best Thriller nomination at Cannes World Film Festival in 2021.
PAUL TERRY - Story By | Composer | Producer
Paul has produced/composed more than 30 soundtracks, including: the multi-award-winning feature documentary SIDNEY & FRIENDS; the award-winning film DAVE STEVENS: DRAWN TO PERFECTION; NBCUniversal’s comic-book docu-series BEHIND THE PANEL; and the award-winning chiller CARE.
He is re-teaming with Bartley after having scored and associate produced his thriller Hidden Valley Place.
ALLISON ROECKER - Producer
Allison is a two-time Emmy nominated Producer and Video Storyteller. She has spent the last decade immersed in the world of production. Her work includes sideline NFL coverage for viewers in Central Oregon, post-production on the film Finch (AppleTV+) directed by Miguel Sapochnik and pre-production for HBO's House of the Dragon. Allison has also worked in the commercial field, collaborating on projects for brands like Jeep, Geico, Kohler, and Kellogg's. She is currently in house at a direct to consumer marketing firm, leading the video team's production department. Allison is excited to join Bartley for the second time after Hidden Valley Place.
NATE EGGERS - Producer
Nate has spent the past four years as a producer for the award winning short film program Rising Voices, a collaboration between Indeed and Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Productions that discovers and invests in up-and-coming writers and directors, and which has produced 30 short films to date.
Prior to this, he worked as a producer on the commercial and branded content side with clients such as MillerCoors, KitchenAid, and Indeed. He has worked at multiple ad agencies including McGarrah Jessee and Digitas Chicago where he worked on the Cannes Lions Grand Prix winning Care Counts campaign for Whirlpool.
DANIEL WILLIAMS - Cinematographer
Daniel Steven Williams is an award winning LA based cinematographer. His clientele includes Disney, Lucasfilm, Porsche, Adidas and more. He and Bartley have collaborated on over 10 projects together as director and DP including Hidden Valley Place. Daniel is an incredible visual storyteller and brings a rich layer of experience and care to the films he lenses.
ANGELA YOUNG - Casting Director
Angela is a Los Angeles based Casting Director. She has worked in film and television casting for over a decade and is a current member of CSA (Casting Society of America). Her most recent film credits include Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. As an Associate, she won a CSA Artios Award (2020) in the The Zeitgeist Award category for Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Her work also includes Surface (AppleTV+), Lisey's Story (AppleTV+), Locke & Key (Netflix), Clarice (CBS), Sacred Lies (Facebook Watch), Colony (USA), Happy Together (CBS), and more.
JOE CARUGATI - Editor
Joe is a seasoned editor with vast experience across commercials, digital series, long form narrative and music videos. Having recently won 1st place in the Camp Kuleshov competition for re-editing the classic film ‘Annie’ into a trailer for a horror film, he’s always able to look at a story from several different angles which makes him a great collaborator. Joe also returns to the team from Hidden Valley Place.