Don't you fricken hate it when you're out with your best friend and some blood sucking lame-o just won't take the hint? Ugh. SAME! So then it's like all up to you to save your friend, dust the creeps, and not only save the party, but the world! What a drag! I mean, whatever -at least there's pizza.
Don't you fricken hate it when you're out with your best friend and some blood sucking lame-o just won't take the hint? Ugh. SAME! So then it's like all up to you to save your friend, dust the creeps, and not only save the party, but the world! What a drag! I mean, whatever -at least there's pizza.
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Story
Mission Statement
We are a diverse team of likeminded majority queer, nonbinary, femme-identifying artists that are passionate about bringing joy through the true art of campy horror comedy.About The Project
What kind of theatre company releases their cast list on Halloween?!?!?! What a way to ruin the party mood. For Emma, that’s exactly what happened. Dressed as a Newsie in culottes and all, she learns the devastating news that she’s been rejected from the Spring Musical.
Meanwhile, her best friend, Lizbeth has taken shelter in the bathroom - hiding from someone dressed as Dracula who appeared to be stalking her around the party.
Determined not to let any of this ruin their Halloween night, they pump themselves up with chocolate, bathroom pep talks, and a boss-bitch mirror selfie photoshoot.
However, they are RUDELY interrupted by a blood-thirsty vampire Barbie! After defeating her in a death-defying battle using old tampons and a toilet plunger, they know…Dracula is real and has set their sights on Lizbeth.
It’s up to Emma to take down Dracula before Lizbeth and all the party-goers are turned into blood-thirsty vampy minions.
EMMA (They/Them/She/Her)
Emma has never been a leading lady. They’ve tried and tried, but if theatre school has taught them anything it’s that…you know…some people got it and some people don’t.
Sure, the setbacks have caused some major insecurities but they’re still determined to spend years as a broke actor waiting tables in New York trying to dazzle people on the Broadway stages before getting sick of being broke and pursuing a real estate license - Living the dream! Duh!
Picking up a plunger and fighting the undead was certainly the last role they thought they’d be cast in, but when destiny calls, you gotta answer.
LIZBETH (She/Her)
The kind of person you instantly fall in love with, Lizbeth controls any room she’s in. People don’t even have to ask what her major is because she screams *or rather - sings* Theatre Major. Of course, her brilliant personality aside, she has also been known to be cunning and resourceful, I mean, how else is one going to get anywhere in this world?
She adores her life and is always on the hunt to keep the party going. Literally nothing could ever get her down…except maybe Dracula attempting to make her a full blown Vampy Minion, but you know…never say never?
DRACULA (They/Them / Your Highness Thank You Very Much)
Ugh. Another bio? Please. Dracula’s been around for fricken centuries, don’t you mortals get it by now? Fine. They’ll indulge you one last time.
Dracula is a literal queen of night. Darkness is their domain. They are sexy and they know it so don’t even try and pretend like you weren’t looking their way. And hey- before you start groaning on and on about how cliché it is for a vampire to be out hunting on Halloween night, a lifetime of eternity is stupid exhausting, so why not have the occasional night of frivolity with walking happy meals?
BARBIE (She/Her)
You’ve seen Disco Barbie. You’ve seen Evening Gown Barbie. But nothing could have possibly prepared you for the fantabulous prowess of Vampire Barbie.
Not much is known about this exquisite minion of the underworld before Dracula turned her at a Halloween party, but she got her immortality, newfound strength and lust for blood and RAN.WITH.IT.
POP.PUNK.CAMP.
Our set dec and overall visual aesthetic will be an ode to 1960s & 70s glam with a grungy punk underground sound that really makes this Halloween party one to DIE for.
"My brother made me watch Night of the Living Dead when I was five and I haven't been the same since" - Cassie
Horror movies are a part of us on the Lost Boys Pizza team. We have such a love and admiration for the pratical effects, prop work, and makeup design that goes into making horror movies and we are dedicated to creating all of our effects in camera/on set, because honestly, what's the point of making a horror movie if your cast isn't getting covered in goo?
Let's talk money!
FOOD - $5000
We're working with a cast and crew of 30-40 people for 6 days of shooting. For most productions, food costs will be about 30% of the budget which includes Crafty (snacks to keep our minions happy and energized), Catering (one to two meals per shooting day), and Coffee (to keep the director happy)
CAST & CREW - $4000
We are fortunate enough to be working with amazingly talented cast and crew memebers. While the majority of our team is local to Chicago, we are working with a select few people from Los Angeles and will be flying them out and finding a place to house them becasue apparently Cassie's closet isn't an appropriate lodging option.
COSTUMES, PROPS & SET DEC - $3000
We are SO GRATEFUL that DePaul University has sounds stages with pre-built sets for student to learn with and utilize for our own projects. In order to bring this punk pop Halloween party to life on these sets, we will need to seriously dec it out like an actual underground punk club. We are also bringing in our own bathroom stall to transform the bathroom set into a public bar bathroom. This set piece is also a staple in one of our big bad fight sequences.
Our costumes range from: Newsies, a Halloween Treat, 80's work-out Barbie, and Dracula. Multiples of these costumes will be needed as Halloween night progresses and our heroes go through multiple battles and get scathed (as one does at a Halloween party)
We will also be utilizing several stunt props including a breakaway toilet lid, a wooden stake, and lots and lots of bloody tampons.
SPECIAL FX - $1000
Our team is dedicated to the application of in-camera special effects. As such, we will need to run tests before we get to set and practice with fake heads and bodies to pull off successful vamp staking and glitter explosions.
POST PRODUCTION: EDITNG, COLOR CORRECTION, SOUND DESIGN - $2000
Post is truely where the project comes together and is often overlooked in the pre-production process on student films. We want to make sure we get our post-production process on the right foot creating the smoothest process for our editing team, sound designer, and colorist in order to get our final project to you in a timely matter!
So...Did you know that COVID-19 has affected filmmaking?
My cohort (my class) is known as the Covid Cohort because we started our program in 09/2020 - the first group of students to start film school completely online. No one was filming. Our classes focused on writing and teaching us shot composition and visual design.
This year has been a long and exhausting journey re-learning how to approach production in a COVID-19 world. Thankfully, DePaul has been guiding us, figuring out how we can best return to set safely to film our thesis projects.
A LOOK INTO OUR COVID SAFETY PLAN:
- Proof of Vaccination will be required of all cast & crew
- A negative COVID-19 test must be provided before a member of the cast and crew can step onto set
- PPE including face masks and gloves will be provided to everyone on set, including personal mask baggies for cast to stow their masks while filmming
- Location
- We are filming on Depaul Cinespace Sound Stages which provides us with:
- Space for Zone A and Zone B crew areas to socially distance during production
- Great air filtration (which can be difficult when filmming in smaller spaces)
- We are filming on Depaul Cinespace Sound Stages which provides us with:
- Crafy & Catering
- Snacks will be single served items
- Meals will be individually wrapped
- Hair, Makeup & SFX
- Filmming on DePaul's sound stages means we'll have plenty of space for socially distanced makeup stations for our cast members
- Our HMU & SFX artists will be provided with extra PPE (face shields and/or goggles) in addition to their masks when working in close proximity with our cast members
I remember working in the Production Office of a very small budget streaming show a few years ago and a couple weeks into production, the flu had started going around to each member of the crew on set and eventually it reached those of us in the office. The production coordinator, both of our production assistants, and I (the production secretary) all had fevers and took turns napping in an empty office throughout the day because...that was...the only option any of us had at the time. If we can say there's something good that came from the pandemic, it's that the industry is finally taking the health of film crews seriously.
You know you want to.
Even if you are unable to contribute financially, we would LOVE to have you along for the ride! Please follow us on our social media!
Instagram: @lostboyspizzashortfilm
Facebook: @lostboyspizzashortfilm
TikTok: @lostboyspizzashort film
And follow our Seed & Spark campaign to stay up-to-date on the most recent and exciting news as we move from pre-production into production! Plus, as an added bonus, the more followers and online support we get, the more savings and discounts we recieve!!! Making a profile takes less than five minutes so it's perfect to do while you're on the train, ignoring the show you've got on TV right now, or even reading this on your bathroom break at work!
If you can, please share our campaign with your friends, family, and that person you haven't talked to in like five years, but have been thinking about texting recently!
"But LBP, what will I say to them?" Well, lovely supporter, you! You can say something like this:
"Hey! Check out this super awesome short film- I know I know, short film. gross. But trust me! This one ACTUALLY looks cool and fun! www.seedandspark.com/fund/lost-boys-pizza "
Or this:
"Hey Chuck! It's Marvin. Your cousin, MARVIN BARRY! You know that short film you've been dying to watch? Well look at this! www.seedandspark.com/fund/lost-boys-pizza "
Or this:
"Hey! I found this super awesome short film campaign on Seed and Spark today. It's a thesis film for a grad student at DePaul about saving the world, but more importantly, a Halloween party, from vampires that explode into glitter! I thought you'd get a kick out of the page because you love campy horror comedies!! www.seedandspark.com/fund/lost-boys-pizza "
Incentives
$10
A Sprinkle of Parmesan
You know it. I know it. The whole world knows it! No pizza is worth a damn without that extra sprinkle of parmesan on top to give it that extra little bit of cheesy goodness,
So, being the cheesehead that you are, you will recieve:
- An Online Shout-Out from our social media platforms!!!!
$25
A Side of Ranch
Is any pizza order complete without a side of Ranch?
NOT IN THE MIDWEST!!!!
So, with this must have condiment YOU, my fine friend, will recieve:
- An Online Shout-Out from our social media platforms
- A personalized horror themed digital Thank You
- AND Access to the Lost Boys Playlist so you can groove like Dracula's watching!
$50
Garlic Breath
Oh wow. No matter how much we brush our teeth, you are a part of us forever. As such, Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A personalized video shout-out from Tati & Cassie
- AND Your very own vampire fangs with a silly Thank You Note
$75
Bloody Mary Bloody Mary Bloody...
Ohh Yummy! We can tell that you have a taste for the finer things.
In hopes to satisfy you, your grace, Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A personalized Halloween themed post-it note doodle
- AND Your name in the credits! *Gasp! You're famous!*
$100
Team Edward v Team Jacob
Oh SNAP! The fight is ON. To go into this endless battle Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- Our Lost Boys Pizza short film sticker
- A sweet sweet BTS video of our fight choreography for both Emma & Lizbeth's match with Vampire Barbie AND the Dance-off boss battle with Dracula!
$250
Groovin' Saxophone Hip Thrusts
HOLY CANNOLI! You've got some major moves AND know how to keep the party mood pumpin! Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A signed postcard (featuring the Lost Boys Pizza poster) from the Cast & Crew
- A Lost Boys Pizza mixed-tape CD
- AND - Early Access to the final cut of the film!!!
$500
Werewolves! NOT Swearwolves!
WOOF! What would we do without you? We'd forget who we truly are, honestly. To show our gratitude for you saving our pants & our dignitiy Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A digital illustration of yourself as a VAMPIRE!!!!
- A Thank You video from the cast & crew from the set of the film!
- AND an invite to our private cast & crew screening of the film!!!! (Chicago & LA based)
$1,000
The Chosen One
In every generation, a YOU is born! You are literally our hero! SO to thank you for you kicking our finances in the butt, Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- An executive producer credit in the film's credits & IMDB
- A digital still from the film featuring YOUR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CREDIT!!!
**the below image is merely an example - the film still you will recieve will be from the final cut**
$2,500
The Keifer Sutherland
Our dark lord and sire!!! We BOW TO YOU!
To show our undying devotion, NOT ONLY DO YOU GET ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A PRINTED FILM STILL FEATURING YOUR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CREDIT!!!!!
**the below image is merely an example - the film still you will recieve will be from the final cut**
$25,000
Vampire's Kiss
CASSIE WILL LITERALLY BITE YOU!
Side effects may include sensitivity to sunlight, pointy teeth, an eternal addiction to iced americanos AND the realization that this isn't a real incentive
Claimed: 0 of 1
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$10
A Sprinkle of Parmesan
You know it. I know it. The whole world knows it! No pizza is worth a damn without that extra sprinkle of parmesan on top to give it that extra little bit of cheesy goodness,
So, being the cheesehead that you are, you will recieve:
- An Online Shout-Out from our social media platforms!!!!
$25
A Side of Ranch
Is any pizza order complete without a side of Ranch?
NOT IN THE MIDWEST!!!!
So, with this must have condiment YOU, my fine friend, will recieve:
- An Online Shout-Out from our social media platforms
- A personalized horror themed digital Thank You
- AND Access to the Lost Boys Playlist so you can groove like Dracula's watching!
$50
Garlic Breath
Oh wow. No matter how much we brush our teeth, you are a part of us forever. As such, Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A personalized video shout-out from Tati & Cassie
- AND Your very own vampire fangs with a silly Thank You Note
$75
Bloody Mary Bloody Mary Bloody...
Ohh Yummy! We can tell that you have a taste for the finer things.
In hopes to satisfy you, your grace, Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A personalized Halloween themed post-it note doodle
- AND Your name in the credits! *Gasp! You're famous!*
$100
Team Edward v Team Jacob
Oh SNAP! The fight is ON. To go into this endless battle Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- Our Lost Boys Pizza short film sticker
- A sweet sweet BTS video of our fight choreography for both Emma & Lizbeth's match with Vampire Barbie AND the Dance-off boss battle with Dracula!
$250
Groovin' Saxophone Hip Thrusts
HOLY CANNOLI! You've got some major moves AND know how to keep the party mood pumpin! Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A signed postcard (featuring the Lost Boys Pizza poster) from the Cast & Crew
- A Lost Boys Pizza mixed-tape CD
- AND - Early Access to the final cut of the film!!!
$500
Werewolves! NOT Swearwolves!
WOOF! What would we do without you? We'd forget who we truly are, honestly. To show our gratitude for you saving our pants & our dignitiy Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A digital illustration of yourself as a VAMPIRE!!!!
- A Thank You video from the cast & crew from the set of the film!
- AND an invite to our private cast & crew screening of the film!!!! (Chicago & LA based)
$1,000
The Chosen One
In every generation, a YOU is born! You are literally our hero! SO to thank you for you kicking our finances in the butt, Not only do you get ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- An executive producer credit in the film's credits & IMDB
- A digital still from the film featuring YOUR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CREDIT!!!
**the below image is merely an example - the film still you will recieve will be from the final cut**
$2,500
The Keifer Sutherland
Our dark lord and sire!!! We BOW TO YOU!
To show our undying devotion, NOT ONLY DO YOU GET ALL the previous incentives...
BUT YOU ALSO RECIEVE:
- A PRINTED FILM STILL FEATURING YOUR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CREDIT!!!!!
**the below image is merely an example - the film still you will recieve will be from the final cut**
$25,000
Vampire's Kiss
CASSIE WILL LITERALLY BITE YOU!
Side effects may include sensitivity to sunlight, pointy teeth, an eternal addiction to iced americanos AND the realization that this isn't a real incentive
Claimed: 0 of 1
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
CASSIE LLANAS (They/Them) - DirectorWhile growing up in the Midwest, Cassie hated vampires. They saw one episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark on Nickelodeon where Nosferatu would crawl out of the movie theatre screen and kill the cineplex employees and Cassie has never been able to sleep with their neck exposed since.
Cassie fell in love with this script the moment they read an early draft in a screenwriting class they had with Tati. They knew they had to direct this project the moment they read “Picking up the used tampon from the floor, Barbie begins to suck on it. MOANING with satisfaction” I mean…how could you read that and not fall in love?
TATI VUJOVIC (She/Her) - ScreenwriterTati always believed in Vampires and assumed that she would come face to face with one at some point in her life. Obviously Halloween Night at a Pizza Parlour would be the perfect time and place for this run in — just saying, in case any Vampires are reading this...
After a long-winded debate on whether or not Edward Cullen would drink Bella Swan’s period blood, Tati was inspired to write this semi-true spooky/silly masterpiece, not expecting anyone to make it — but here we are aren’t we?
Tati is glad to have a team of people who loves her writing as much as she loved writing it, it’s been a dream come true (until she meets an actual Vampire of course)!
GILLIAN HADDING (She/Her) - ProducerGillian Hadding is an undergraduate student at DePaul University studying film and tv with a concentration in producing and minor in finance. She has produced several shorts and a tv mini-series. Gillian has a small love for all things scary like zombies (but absolutely no ghosts, no Ouija Board action over here). She is also a dancer, so when she read the script and saw the dance battle, she knew this was the one for her! Plus, scary vampires AND glittery dance battles = the perfect combination!
SCHUYLER WEINBERG (He/Him) - ProducerSchuyler was born and raised in Louisville, KY with an affinity for comedy and film. While working for his father in high school, he shirked his responsibilities and read about every cast member of SNL. He moved to Chicago in 2012 to learn everything about improv and sketch comedy he could. He started writing, directing, and producing digital content with various sketch groups, eventually making his own short film, Odd Jobs in 2019. In 2021 he began pursuing his MFA in Creative Producing from DePaul University.
Are You Afraid of the Dark and Goosebumps scared the bejeezus out of him growing up and he still sleeps with the blankets all the way over his head if he watches something scary. His significant other has described him as "the jumpiest person alive" and "seriously, why are you so jumpy?" So when the chance came to face his fears in the form of a campy, horror comedy with glitter bombs he jumped at the chance.
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