Le Bon Chef
Reading, Pennsylvania | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
Two 50-something women and a diverse cast of quirky restaurant workers present a comedy-drama that questions the patriarchal rules of a stagnating industry. Le Bon Chef presents progressive themes, including empowerment, self-knowledge, and perseverance, plus a dash of fun.
Le Bon Chef
Reading, Pennsylvania | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
2 Campaigns | Pennsylvania, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $20,011 for development. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
64 supporters | followers
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Two 50-something women and a diverse cast of quirky restaurant workers present a comedy-drama that questions the patriarchal rules of a stagnating industry. Le Bon Chef presents progressive themes, including empowerment, self-knowledge, and perseverance, plus a dash of fun.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In the male-dominated world of classical French cooking, tradition is king. Strange ideas, innovation, and women have no place there. Enter Vivienne Martine. Trained at the Cordon Bleu and heavily influenced by a domineering father, she has all the tools to make it in this rarefied world.
In spite of that — or because of it — her restaurant, Le Bon Chef, is failing. People are moving beyond stuffy French tradition. Fusion is where it's at now, but Viv is a traditionalist.
She has an ace in the hole that could save her. Best friend Celine Thompson is a world traveler and has her finger on the pulse of just about everything. She has ten million followers on Instagram and a nation of friends of Facebook. With Celine's help, Le Bon Chef could be saved. But will their friendship survive?
Plan of Action
We are dividing our fundraising plan into three phases. Phase I consists of procuring development funds. This is the phase we're in right now. The goal is to raise $20,000 which we will use to prepare contracts, find our talent and crew, secure locations, and start our social media campaigning.
Phase II is the bulk of our fundraising efforts. We will be seeking investors for the production of the film. We have budgeted the film at $650,000 and plan to sell shares in the final film to procure these funds. Once these funds are in place, the film will be greenlit. We hope to be in production by Spring 2021, and expect a 4-5 month timeline from shoot through edit.
Phase III is the final phase and consists of procuring funds for marketing the finished product. We hope to raise $200,000 for this phase of the project.
Progress
We are currently at the very beginning of our journey with Le Bon Chef. Our script is complete and we've received feedback from industry friends. We are confident we've got a sharp little film that will entertain, enlighten, and delight.
We've begun thinking about who we'd like to cast as our leads, Vivienne and Celine, as well as our quirky Creole sous chef from New Orleans, Cuban maitre D' who is convinced he's French, sloppy substitute waiter, hefty delivery gal, and of course the wicked mayor's wife.
We plan on not shooting this film until things have settled down from the pandemic. We would like to wait until things have returned to normal. While things may never return to 100% normal we will wait until we can safely shoot. If we are still under pandemic conditionst by that time, we will follow protocols set forth by SAG and other industry organizations as to how the shoot is to proceed, using such tools as masks, disinfecting stations, minimal crew, and an onsite Covid specialist.
We'd love to have you follow along with the progress of Le Bon Chef. You can do that by signing up for our newsletter.
You can find our blog where we talk about all things food, film, modern culture, and anything except politics at our website. We might even throw in some recipes or advice on car maintenance.
Sue Lange & Tracy Schott
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Publicist
Costs $3,000
We're looking for an experienced film publicist to help spread the word about Le Bon Chef!
Legal fees
Costs $10,000
Legal fees will cover the cost of an entertainment lawyer for contracts (investors, actors, crew).
Social media
Costs $500
Covers the cost of social media expert who will create a buzz from pre-production through marketing.
Casting Process
Costs $5,000
Money for casting director, SAG signatory process, audition sessions, agent fees, travel.
Video Editing
Costs $1,500
Investors and talent like to see what we can do. We need a great sizzle reel to show off our work!
Share this update!
About This Team
We've worked with our team on numerous projects and have developed an efficient process that has resulted in award-winning content.
Kevin Hackenberg, DP
With over 25 years experience in the film world as a DP, Director, and Producer, Kevin is a trusted source for any size project and is considered one of the East Coast’s premier DPs for his beautiful visuals, steadicam and drone work. Known for THE SIXTH SENSE (1999), THE BELOVED (2011), CHASING AMY (1997) THE WOODSMAN (2004), EQUITY (2016) and AS YOU ARE (2019). Kevin is also the creator of FUNNY & AMEN, a series of shorts proving that Christians actually can have a sense of humor.
Andrew Pochan, Art Director
Andrew studied filmmaking at Robert Morris University where he graduated with a BFA. He’s also studied abroad in Finland and Dubai, UAE with Abbas Kiarostami. He has designed sets for numerous shorts, feature films, and stage plays. He is a muralist in West Reading, PA where his artwork is on display in the acclaimed mural corridor. His colorful, sometimes abstract and whimsical, paintings and mixed media art have garnered a following in Southeast Pennsylvania and beyond.
Chris Heslop, Music Composer
An alumnus of the BMI Jazz Composers’ Workshop in New York City, Chris has arranged and/or composed for the Reading Pops Orchestra, Dave Stahl Big Band, Rob Stoneback Big Band with Bill Watrous, Gerald Veasley and Heads-Up Superband, and the films THE POLKA KING (2017), TRAFFIC OPERA (2017) and DUST NUGGETS (2020). Chris is the Musical Director for Reading Theater Project and The Reading Hot Club (which wrote and recorded the theme music in our pitch video) with which he loves performing Gypsy Jazz.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In the male-dominated world of classical French cooking, tradition is king. Strange ideas, innovation, and women have no place there. Enter Vivienne Martine. Trained at the Cordon Bleu and heavily influenced by a domineering father, she has all the tools to make it in this rarefied world.
In spite of that — or because of it — her restaurant, Le Bon Chef, is failing. People are moving beyond stuffy French tradition. Fusion is where it's at now, but Viv is a traditionalist.
She has an ace in the hole that could save her. Best friend Celine Thompson is a world traveler and has her finger on the pulse of just about everything. She has ten million followers on Instagram and a nation of friends of Facebook. With Celine's help, Le Bon Chef could be saved. But will their friendship survive?
Plan of Action
We are dividing our fundraising plan into three phases. Phase I consists of procuring development funds. This is the phase we're in right now. The goal is to raise $20,000 which we will use to prepare contracts, find our talent and crew, secure locations, and start our social media campaigning.
Phase II is the bulk of our fundraising efforts. We will be seeking investors for the production of the film. We have budgeted the film at $650,000 and plan to sell shares in the final film to procure these funds. Once these funds are in place, the film will be greenlit. We hope to be in production by Spring 2021, and expect a 4-5 month timeline from shoot through edit.
Phase III is the final phase and consists of procuring funds for marketing the finished product. We hope to raise $200,000 for this phase of the project.
Progress
We are currently at the very beginning of our journey with Le Bon Chef. Our script is complete and we've received feedback from industry friends. We are confident we've got a sharp little film that will entertain, enlighten, and delight.
We've begun thinking about who we'd like to cast as our leads, Vivienne and Celine, as well as our quirky Creole sous chef from New Orleans, Cuban maitre D' who is convinced he's French, sloppy substitute waiter, hefty delivery gal, and of course the wicked mayor's wife.
We plan on not shooting this film until things have settled down from the pandemic. We would like to wait until things have returned to normal. While things may never return to 100% normal we will wait until we can safely shoot. If we are still under pandemic conditionst by that time, we will follow protocols set forth by SAG and other industry organizations as to how the shoot is to proceed, using such tools as masks, disinfecting stations, minimal crew, and an onsite Covid specialist.
We'd love to have you follow along with the progress of Le Bon Chef. You can do that by signing up for our newsletter.
You can find our blog where we talk about all things food, film, modern culture, and anything except politics at our website. We might even throw in some recipes or advice on car maintenance.
Sue Lange & Tracy Schott
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Publicist
Costs $3,000
We're looking for an experienced film publicist to help spread the word about Le Bon Chef!
Legal fees
Costs $10,000
Legal fees will cover the cost of an entertainment lawyer for contracts (investors, actors, crew).
Social media
Costs $500
Covers the cost of social media expert who will create a buzz from pre-production through marketing.
Casting Process
Costs $5,000
Money for casting director, SAG signatory process, audition sessions, agent fees, travel.
Video Editing
Costs $1,500
Investors and talent like to see what we can do. We need a great sizzle reel to show off our work!
Share this update!
About This Team
We've worked with our team on numerous projects and have developed an efficient process that has resulted in award-winning content.
Kevin Hackenberg, DP
With over 25 years experience in the film world as a DP, Director, and Producer, Kevin is a trusted source for any size project and is considered one of the East Coast’s premier DPs for his beautiful visuals, steadicam and drone work. Known for THE SIXTH SENSE (1999), THE BELOVED (2011), CHASING AMY (1997) THE WOODSMAN (2004), EQUITY (2016) and AS YOU ARE (2019). Kevin is also the creator of FUNNY & AMEN, a series of shorts proving that Christians actually can have a sense of humor.
Andrew Pochan, Art Director
Andrew studied filmmaking at Robert Morris University where he graduated with a BFA. He’s also studied abroad in Finland and Dubai, UAE with Abbas Kiarostami. He has designed sets for numerous shorts, feature films, and stage plays. He is a muralist in West Reading, PA where his artwork is on display in the acclaimed mural corridor. His colorful, sometimes abstract and whimsical, paintings and mixed media art have garnered a following in Southeast Pennsylvania and beyond.
Chris Heslop, Music Composer
An alumnus of the BMI Jazz Composers’ Workshop in New York City, Chris has arranged and/or composed for the Reading Pops Orchestra, Dave Stahl Big Band, Rob Stoneback Big Band with Bill Watrous, Gerald Veasley and Heads-Up Superband, and the films THE POLKA KING (2017), TRAFFIC OPERA (2017) and DUST NUGGETS (2020). Chris is the Musical Director for Reading Theater Project and The Reading Hot Club (which wrote and recorded the theme music in our pitch video) with which he loves performing Gypsy Jazz.