Lying Together
Boulder, Colorado | Film Feature
Family, Romantic Comedy
In romantic comedies, we want something clean and uplifting, that we’re not embarrassed to laugh at. A movie that honors romance as a blessing, but not the only thing. Flawed characters of faith, not caricatures of faith. We didn’t see that out there. So we decided to make it.
Lying Together
Boulder, Colorado | Film Feature
Family, Romantic Comedy
Green Light
This campaign raised $11,525 for development. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
91 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
In romantic comedies, we want something clean and uplifting, that we’re not embarrassed to laugh at. A movie that honors romance as a blessing, but not the only thing. Flawed characters of faith, not caricatures of faith. We didn’t see that out there. So we decided to make it.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Ever look at the world out there and see a lot of entertainment that treats love—romantic love specifically—as the end-all be-all of life? It's an assumption underneath most movies, TV, and books.
We can all be strong people and be single. A romantic relationship is a wonderful blessing when it's there, but it's not necessary to be a whole person.
Our main character, Jess, might even go so far as to say romantic love is the one kind of love we don't need. What we all do need is the love of family, friends, and community. But it often feels like they're ones telling us that romance is what we're missing!
Have you ever been the only single person in a family gathering? How about a workplace? Or a congregation? Then you know what the pressure from others to find someone can be like.
Prying questions. Blind-dates. Set-ups disguised as casual get togethers...
In our film, friends Alex and Jess decide that the best way to dodge this situation is to tell Jess's father that they're dating.
Of course, Jess's father is the pastor of their church, so word travels quickly. Now, what could have been a relaxing weekend in the mountains of Colorado celebrating their friend Rachel's wedding turns into a charade, as Jess and Alex have to maintain their invented relationship.
What we can guarantee are a lot of laughs in this uplifting faith-friendly romantic comedy. By being honest, funny, and self-deprecating, we think we've created something with broad appeal.
This film grows out of our own experiences as young and single people in the church. Some people even take that call to find a life partner while still in high school.
Except us.
And when the attention of family, friends, and community finally turns towards finding you a partner, it can be hilarious and maddening.
As we started asking around, it seemed like everybody—single or married, religious or otherwise—had a story about this stage in life. And yet none of us could come up with great examples of a movie that captures this period.
Especially one that examines how all the pressure gets amplified within a tight-knit culture like the church.
There is a growing market for faith-based films in America.
Christians love movies too! However, we often find the films being marketed towards Christians are not all that great.
Pandering is not inclusion.
We get sold countless Passion Plays, Doom-and-Gloom melodramas, or quickly slapped together idealistic fare.
We decided to make a film that is first-and-foremost a good film. We have well rounded characters who happen to be Christians, but are not cartoon sketches of perfection.
The arts have a long history of communicating the deeper things of life. Maskil is an ancient Hebrew term. It was used to describe psalms which pass on knowledge or teach important truths.
The team here at Maskil Productions has been working in media and film for years. Writer Maggie Hart and Director Tim Nolte have collaborated on a number of award-winning shorts, and have worked on several feature films under other production company banners.
Aside from our filmography full of award-winning shorts, we've been blessed to pay the bills with commercial work, documentaries, educational spots, motion graphics and VFX jobs, etc.
However, at the end of the day, we became filmmakers to tell great feature length stories. Lying Together will be Maskil's first feature film.
Your contributions will be carefully handled by our production team. At this stage, we need money for Development/Packaging, so the breakdown looks like this:
[Nice info graphic showing how the money will be allocated]
From here, we will be able to attach more actors, hire an entertainment lawyer, generate contracts, secure further investors.
We have crunched the numbers and are confident that our $10,000 goal will get us through Development. Having said that, every dollar raised beyond our goal is going straight into the movie and will help us with Pre-Production.
We have a comprehensive breakdown on our Wishlist. Please visit and see if you have a lead on any of these item!
Jess is headstrong, dynamic, adventurous, and independent. She's happy being single, doesn't like change, and wants people to stop bothering her about getting married. When that that doesn't happen, she talks her best friend Alex into pretending to date her.
Uber-talented up-and-coming actor Daniel Cummings (General Hospital, Man Camp) plays Alex, Jess's closest male friend. He's also single, but wants to find "the one". He may be too influenced by Hollywood's idea of romance. He's long been interested in Jess, but has suppressed that after years of friendship.
We're thrilled to have the hilarious Mark Christopher Lawrence (Chuck, The Pursuit of Happyness) attached to play Jess's father, Pastor T. He thinks it's best for young people to get married to avoid temptation. He misses his wife, Jess's mother, who died ten years ago.
Rachel is Jess's closest female friend, and the bride at the wedding the film is centered around. She's upbeat and optimistic, dramatic and somewhat impatient. Lying Together is set against her wedding to Sam.
Sam is Rachel's fiance and the new worship leader at their church. Stalwart and affable, he and Rachel fell fast and hard for each other. They're a great couple, but they might be rushing things.
Danielle is Sam's cousin. Sweet, imaginative, thoughtful, and highly intelligent, she's not necessarily the first girl you'd notice but she might be a good fit for Alex.
Loren is the latest suitor Pastor T has in mind for Jess. He's Sam's best man. A shallow bro at first glance, he's adventurous, ridiculously fit and active. Underneath it all he's really just a teddy bear.
We grew up in Colorado and love it here! It’s a beautiful place to film!
There’s a thriving community of talented, pasionate, professionals in Colorado. Just as our film focuses on community, so do the filmmakers who have come up here.
We are excited to work together, in this beautiful place, to tell this story.
As we mentioned in our inclusion statement, we are commited to hiring inclusively, and we are delighted to collaborate with so many wonderful creatives here that identify with different races, genders, and orientations.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Private Placement Memorandom
Costs $1,000
One of the Legal Services we will need to move forward with our Production.
Subscription Agreement
Costs $1,000
One of the Legal Services we will need to move forward with our Production.
Operating Agreement
Costs $1,000
One of the Legal Services we will need to move forward with our Production.
Entertainment Lawyer
Costs $2,500
We'll need an Entertainment Lawyer to move forward with Production. We'd love to hear from you.
Frequent Flyer Miles
Costs $797
Flying to meet with Investors. Flying talent to rehearsals. Filmmaking happens in the air.
Florist Shop
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Florist Shop in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Soup Kitchen
Costs $100
Looking for the perfect Soup Kitchen in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Wedding Venue
Costs $250
Looking for a picturesque Colorado “wedding venue” as our main location. Cabin, ranch, lodge, etc.
Lumber Yard
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Lumber Yard in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Van
Costs $100
Looking for the perfect Passenger Van in Greater Denver Area as one of our picture vehicles..
Rural Church
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Rural Church in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Urban Church
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Urban Church in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Reception Hall
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Reception Hall in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Camera Rental
Costs $1
STRETCH GOALS: We'd love to talk to you about a reduced rate on a Red rental.
Location Manager
Costs $1
STRETCH GOAL: Are you a Locations Manager? We'd love to talk to you!
Casting Director
Costs $1
STRETCH GOAL: Are you a Casting Director? We'd love to talk with you.
Share this update!
About This Team
For more info, see the full Lying Together site.
Tim Nolte - Director, Co-producer, Co-writer
Tim Nolte is an award-winning director and producer, and has quickly gained a strong reputation in the Denver independent film community. He is known for his work on Disconnected, Fearless, Fulfillment, and Powers Unleashed: The Rhoda Powers Story. Tim graduated from Colorado Film School, one of Hollywood Reporters top 25 film schools, where his debut short film, Dichotomy, won top honors. He founded Maskil Productions Ltd in 2012.
Aside from Lying Together, Tim is currently working with Screenducks LLC on a new family-friendly sitcom and as a freelance director and cinematographer in television and commercial work. A Colorado native, he lives near Boulder, Colorado.
Maggie Hart - Writer
As a self-starter in the indie film world, Maggie Hart is no stranger to wearing multiple hats with shoestring budgets. Before writing, directing, producing and editing six episodes of the web series The Romantic Method, she did the same on her debut romcom feature Impressions. She recently produced the dramedy feature Instructions For Living, which won the audience award at the Twin Cities film festival. She loves telling female-driven comedies with a stylized sci-fi or magical twist.
Maggie graduated from Colorado Film School and LA’s acclaimed Act One writing program. Between her passion projects, Maggie works as an award-winning freelance screenwriter and producer of commercial content. On the off-chance she's not writing or making films, she's probably reading, traveling, or finding ways to light cocktails on fire.
Joseph Granda - Producer
Mr. Granda has a long history on the stage and in film. He began his career as an actor under the stage name Joseph Lindsey at The Neighborhood Playhouse in NYC.
Joseph starred opposite Academy Award-winner, Mira Sorvino in the New Line Cinema film Amongst Friends, written and directed by Rob Weiss. He has played opposite Keanu Reeves in Alfonso Arau’s A Walk in the Clouds, opposite Eric Roberts and Theresa Russell in the HBO original film Public Enemies. He starred in Artisan’s theatrically released film Caught Up, opposite Snoop Dog and LL Cool J.
Joseph’s screenwriting credits include Smells Like School Spirit for Red Door Development and Winning At Waterloo for Bright Pictures. His screenplay White Noise was purchased by Saleem Films. In 2015, his screenplay Out of the Flatirons was a finalist in the Kairos Prize for spiritually uplifting films. He is currently in preproduction for the feature The Wilderness Pilot, due to begin shooting summer of 2018.
Joseph now calls Colorado home, where he lives with his wife and daughter.
Jeff Rood - Co-Producer
Jeff has worked in the film industry for nearly a decade now, with the opportunity to fill many different roles on set. He has experience in both commercial and narrative filmmaking, along the way building amazing relationships with Emmy-award-winning filmmakers, and film professionals.
Aside from Lying Together, Jeff is currently producing the female-driven western feature The Great Divide with up-and-coming filmmaker Lindsay Sparks.
David Quakenbush - Cinematographer
David Quakenbush is an award-winning multimedia producer and cinematographer, and has been a visual storyteller for over 20 years. He and director Tim Nolte have collaborated on dozens of projects. His background includes several feature films, dozens of shorts, commercial and educational films, and a decade as staff photographer at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. His work is clear, concise and compelling.
Sterling Cook - Campaign Director
Sterling Cook is a Denver-based filmmaker. After studying cinema in San Francisco, and working on creative and corporate media in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, Sterling returned to Colorado, where his passion for filmmaking was ignited by his grandfather, playwright Robert L. Cook, who screened classic films for him during visits. He strives to strengthen the narrative film community in Denver.
A producer and a director, notable work includes MOLLY SAYS YES, based on Joyce's "Ulysses" and selected as an installment in Lars Von Trier's GESAMPT, Sheryl Glubook's LILY 'N' ROSE, the WINESBURG SERIES for James Franco TV, and Lee Amir-Cohen's THE OTHER PLACE. We love Sterling!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Ever look at the world out there and see a lot of entertainment that treats love—romantic love specifically—as the end-all be-all of life? It's an assumption underneath most movies, TV, and books.
We can all be strong people and be single. A romantic relationship is a wonderful blessing when it's there, but it's not necessary to be a whole person.
Our main character, Jess, might even go so far as to say romantic love is the one kind of love we don't need. What we all do need is the love of family, friends, and community. But it often feels like they're ones telling us that romance is what we're missing!
Have you ever been the only single person in a family gathering? How about a workplace? Or a congregation? Then you know what the pressure from others to find someone can be like.
Prying questions. Blind-dates. Set-ups disguised as casual get togethers...
In our film, friends Alex and Jess decide that the best way to dodge this situation is to tell Jess's father that they're dating.
Of course, Jess's father is the pastor of their church, so word travels quickly. Now, what could have been a relaxing weekend in the mountains of Colorado celebrating their friend Rachel's wedding turns into a charade, as Jess and Alex have to maintain their invented relationship.
What we can guarantee are a lot of laughs in this uplifting faith-friendly romantic comedy. By being honest, funny, and self-deprecating, we think we've created something with broad appeal.
This film grows out of our own experiences as young and single people in the church. Some people even take that call to find a life partner while still in high school.
Except us.
And when the attention of family, friends, and community finally turns towards finding you a partner, it can be hilarious and maddening.
As we started asking around, it seemed like everybody—single or married, religious or otherwise—had a story about this stage in life. And yet none of us could come up with great examples of a movie that captures this period.
Especially one that examines how all the pressure gets amplified within a tight-knit culture like the church.
There is a growing market for faith-based films in America.
Christians love movies too! However, we often find the films being marketed towards Christians are not all that great.
Pandering is not inclusion.
We get sold countless Passion Plays, Doom-and-Gloom melodramas, or quickly slapped together idealistic fare.
We decided to make a film that is first-and-foremost a good film. We have well rounded characters who happen to be Christians, but are not cartoon sketches of perfection.
The arts have a long history of communicating the deeper things of life. Maskil is an ancient Hebrew term. It was used to describe psalms which pass on knowledge or teach important truths.
The team here at Maskil Productions has been working in media and film for years. Writer Maggie Hart and Director Tim Nolte have collaborated on a number of award-winning shorts, and have worked on several feature films under other production company banners.
Aside from our filmography full of award-winning shorts, we've been blessed to pay the bills with commercial work, documentaries, educational spots, motion graphics and VFX jobs, etc.
However, at the end of the day, we became filmmakers to tell great feature length stories. Lying Together will be Maskil's first feature film.
Your contributions will be carefully handled by our production team. At this stage, we need money for Development/Packaging, so the breakdown looks like this:
[Nice info graphic showing how the money will be allocated]
From here, we will be able to attach more actors, hire an entertainment lawyer, generate contracts, secure further investors.
We have crunched the numbers and are confident that our $10,000 goal will get us through Development. Having said that, every dollar raised beyond our goal is going straight into the movie and will help us with Pre-Production.
We have a comprehensive breakdown on our Wishlist. Please visit and see if you have a lead on any of these item!
Jess is headstrong, dynamic, adventurous, and independent. She's happy being single, doesn't like change, and wants people to stop bothering her about getting married. When that that doesn't happen, she talks her best friend Alex into pretending to date her.
Uber-talented up-and-coming actor Daniel Cummings (General Hospital, Man Camp) plays Alex, Jess's closest male friend. He's also single, but wants to find "the one". He may be too influenced by Hollywood's idea of romance. He's long been interested in Jess, but has suppressed that after years of friendship.
We're thrilled to have the hilarious Mark Christopher Lawrence (Chuck, The Pursuit of Happyness) attached to play Jess's father, Pastor T. He thinks it's best for young people to get married to avoid temptation. He misses his wife, Jess's mother, who died ten years ago.
Rachel is Jess's closest female friend, and the bride at the wedding the film is centered around. She's upbeat and optimistic, dramatic and somewhat impatient. Lying Together is set against her wedding to Sam.
Sam is Rachel's fiance and the new worship leader at their church. Stalwart and affable, he and Rachel fell fast and hard for each other. They're a great couple, but they might be rushing things.
Danielle is Sam's cousin. Sweet, imaginative, thoughtful, and highly intelligent, she's not necessarily the first girl you'd notice but she might be a good fit for Alex.
Loren is the latest suitor Pastor T has in mind for Jess. He's Sam's best man. A shallow bro at first glance, he's adventurous, ridiculously fit and active. Underneath it all he's really just a teddy bear.
We grew up in Colorado and love it here! It’s a beautiful place to film!
There’s a thriving community of talented, pasionate, professionals in Colorado. Just as our film focuses on community, so do the filmmakers who have come up here.
We are excited to work together, in this beautiful place, to tell this story.
As we mentioned in our inclusion statement, we are commited to hiring inclusively, and we are delighted to collaborate with so many wonderful creatives here that identify with different races, genders, and orientations.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Private Placement Memorandom
Costs $1,000
One of the Legal Services we will need to move forward with our Production.
Subscription Agreement
Costs $1,000
One of the Legal Services we will need to move forward with our Production.
Operating Agreement
Costs $1,000
One of the Legal Services we will need to move forward with our Production.
Entertainment Lawyer
Costs $2,500
We'll need an Entertainment Lawyer to move forward with Production. We'd love to hear from you.
Frequent Flyer Miles
Costs $797
Flying to meet with Investors. Flying talent to rehearsals. Filmmaking happens in the air.
Florist Shop
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Florist Shop in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Soup Kitchen
Costs $100
Looking for the perfect Soup Kitchen in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Wedding Venue
Costs $250
Looking for a picturesque Colorado “wedding venue” as our main location. Cabin, ranch, lodge, etc.
Lumber Yard
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Lumber Yard in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Van
Costs $100
Looking for the perfect Passenger Van in Greater Denver Area as one of our picture vehicles..
Rural Church
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Rural Church in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Urban Church
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Urban Church in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Reception Hall
Costs $250
Looking for the perfect Reception Hall in Greater Denver Area as one of our locations.
Camera Rental
Costs $1
STRETCH GOALS: We'd love to talk to you about a reduced rate on a Red rental.
Location Manager
Costs $1
STRETCH GOAL: Are you a Locations Manager? We'd love to talk to you!
Casting Director
Costs $1
STRETCH GOAL: Are you a Casting Director? We'd love to talk with you.
Share this update!
About This Team
For more info, see the full Lying Together site.
Tim Nolte - Director, Co-producer, Co-writer
Tim Nolte is an award-winning director and producer, and has quickly gained a strong reputation in the Denver independent film community. He is known for his work on Disconnected, Fearless, Fulfillment, and Powers Unleashed: The Rhoda Powers Story. Tim graduated from Colorado Film School, one of Hollywood Reporters top 25 film schools, where his debut short film, Dichotomy, won top honors. He founded Maskil Productions Ltd in 2012.
Aside from Lying Together, Tim is currently working with Screenducks LLC on a new family-friendly sitcom and as a freelance director and cinematographer in television and commercial work. A Colorado native, he lives near Boulder, Colorado.
Maggie Hart - Writer
As a self-starter in the indie film world, Maggie Hart is no stranger to wearing multiple hats with shoestring budgets. Before writing, directing, producing and editing six episodes of the web series The Romantic Method, she did the same on her debut romcom feature Impressions. She recently produced the dramedy feature Instructions For Living, which won the audience award at the Twin Cities film festival. She loves telling female-driven comedies with a stylized sci-fi or magical twist.
Maggie graduated from Colorado Film School and LA’s acclaimed Act One writing program. Between her passion projects, Maggie works as an award-winning freelance screenwriter and producer of commercial content. On the off-chance she's not writing or making films, she's probably reading, traveling, or finding ways to light cocktails on fire.
Joseph Granda - Producer
Mr. Granda has a long history on the stage and in film. He began his career as an actor under the stage name Joseph Lindsey at The Neighborhood Playhouse in NYC.
Joseph starred opposite Academy Award-winner, Mira Sorvino in the New Line Cinema film Amongst Friends, written and directed by Rob Weiss. He has played opposite Keanu Reeves in Alfonso Arau’s A Walk in the Clouds, opposite Eric Roberts and Theresa Russell in the HBO original film Public Enemies. He starred in Artisan’s theatrically released film Caught Up, opposite Snoop Dog and LL Cool J.
Joseph’s screenwriting credits include Smells Like School Spirit for Red Door Development and Winning At Waterloo for Bright Pictures. His screenplay White Noise was purchased by Saleem Films. In 2015, his screenplay Out of the Flatirons was a finalist in the Kairos Prize for spiritually uplifting films. He is currently in preproduction for the feature The Wilderness Pilot, due to begin shooting summer of 2018.
Joseph now calls Colorado home, where he lives with his wife and daughter.
Jeff Rood - Co-Producer
Jeff has worked in the film industry for nearly a decade now, with the opportunity to fill many different roles on set. He has experience in both commercial and narrative filmmaking, along the way building amazing relationships with Emmy-award-winning filmmakers, and film professionals.
Aside from Lying Together, Jeff is currently producing the female-driven western feature The Great Divide with up-and-coming filmmaker Lindsay Sparks.
David Quakenbush - Cinematographer
David Quakenbush is an award-winning multimedia producer and cinematographer, and has been a visual storyteller for over 20 years. He and director Tim Nolte have collaborated on dozens of projects. His background includes several feature films, dozens of shorts, commercial and educational films, and a decade as staff photographer at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. His work is clear, concise and compelling.
Sterling Cook - Campaign Director
Sterling Cook is a Denver-based filmmaker. After studying cinema in San Francisco, and working on creative and corporate media in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, Sterling returned to Colorado, where his passion for filmmaking was ignited by his grandfather, playwright Robert L. Cook, who screened classic films for him during visits. He strives to strengthen the narrative film community in Denver.
A producer and a director, notable work includes MOLLY SAYS YES, based on Joyce's "Ulysses" and selected as an installment in Lars Von Trier's GESAMPT, Sheryl Glubook's LILY 'N' ROSE, the WINESBURG SERIES for James Franco TV, and Lee Amir-Cohen's THE OTHER PLACE. We love Sterling!