It all starts at another random house party on a nondescript night. Twenty-somethings Silas and Zoe are being pushed together through mutual friends. Silas is a newspaper assistant, trying to figure out what he wants out of life while dealing with a breakup with his long-term college girlfriend. Zoe meanwhile is an actress, also dealing with an ugly split, whose career is beginning to take off. Trying to escape the noise of the party, they run into each other on the balcony. Sparks fly, and before they know it, they're seeing each other again. As they grow closer in the coming weeks, their pasts, the things they'd like to forget about, and the pressures of young adult life begin to rise to the surface. Their easygoing connection is strained as they begin to lean on each other in ways the other isn't ready for. Are they ready for a new relationship? Are they even right for each other? 

These are the questions that haunt Silas and Zoe as they try and make room for each other in their increasingly complicated lives. Missing Pieces allows audiences to spend time with these characters as they navigate their feelings for each other, their friendships, and most importantly their love for themselves. It is unflinching, honest, and personal. It's a story about people and the unknowable ways that our hearts and brains work. It will dig into Silas and Zoe's connection with love, and ask if it's even worth it. Is their connection worth holding onto even knowing the pain that comes with it? Whatever your answer ends up being, we hope that everybody will feel seen, and come away with a love for what drives us to make the choices we do. 

A Note From the Director - Why This Film is Important to Me

We live in a time of unprecedented questioning. As the pandemic forced everybody into isolation, it brought about time and more importantly the need for self-reflection. What do I care about? What matters to me? Couple this reflection with an ever-increasing focus on activism of all kinds, and we've been born into a world that is constantly shifting. Old structures are being torn down. It's exciting, but it can also be scary. 

In my view, this massive shift comes from a growing sense of individuality and self-worth in many of us around the world. As those in power attempt to restrict or take away rights based on race, gender, sexuality, etc…, an equally strong countermovement has been launched by people who refuse to be told who they are and how they fit into the world. We are all unique individuals with differing needs, goals, and ideas. No one knows themselves better than them. It’s an inspiring, and freeing time that has resulted in noticeable change. 

When I was growing up, I was always led to believe that to be a hard worker meant working a 9-5 job, five days a week. If I wanted to be an artist, I would need to deal with the world telling me I was lazy and bound to fail. Now, people around the world are pushing to break that mold. You don’t need to work at a job you hate to be a hard worker. People work differently. When I was younger, the media I consumed always promoted the idea that love meant finding a girlfriend, getting married, and having kids. Now, as I’ve watched people fight against laws that restrict their right to marriage or their right to choose whether or not they want to have a kid, I’ve seen that love transcends those systems to which I initially attached it to.

What we’ve been left with now is a world in which things, including love, exist independent of the systems to which they’ve long been connected. Love, in my lifetime, has never had a broader scope or meaning. It exists differently in every individual. The flip side of that though, is that it can also be harder to understand. Romantic relationships can exist under any number of circumstances. But what do those actually look like in practice, without any existing structures to look towards? That’s up to us. While still far, far from the reality of our country, we’ve begun to work towards a world in which we ourselves shape the narrative of our lives. 

This is the key behind Missing Pieces. It’s a film that I hope to create without agenda or leaning toward pre-existing notions. This is a film about people, our need for connection, and the ways in which we go about looking for those connections. It allows its characters to exist as people, not as tools for a broader message. 

So then what does love look like when you treat its participants seriously, and with equal validity? It's messy and flawed. Nobody is perfect, and still, everybody craves connection, knowing the emotional baggage they may bring and the damage it might cause. People can enter a relationship with the best of intentions, and even when the relationship is successful things can and will go wrong. No two people are the same. When you honor your own feelings and the feelings of your partner, you honor that there is conflict in those feelings. To examine people honestly is to understand that they are likely trying their hardest, and will likely still make mistakes anyway. I've always struggled with this idea.

I love romance. I love people. I love the feeling of love. To me, there is nothing more exciting than growing close to a new person and sharing memories and experiences. But there is always, always the flip side, the pain that comes with it. Relationships are hard and it can be easy to wonder if the good times are worth the bad. This is why I set out to make Missing Pieces. I don’t want to avoid the pain. It’s not helpful to paint the conflict in a bad light. At the end of the day we need love and connection, and you can’t have it without the occasional heartbreak. By looking our conflicts in the face, I hope to make them less scary, and more human. They're not there out of a desire to tear each other down. They come from people’s singular, individual desire to love and be loved in the way that they know how. I find that beautiful, and I hope that this film can allow people to see some of that in themselves.

What Comes Next?

We are currently in pre-production on Missing Pieces and will begin filming in early July. Due to our cast & crew's work schedules, we will be filming on weekends throughout the summer, and plan to wrap at the end of September. From there, we'll get right to work on post-production with the aim to begin submitting to festivals by the end of 2023 and all throughout 2024.

All of our work on this film is building towards the goal of securing distribution. We believe that Missing Pieces is a special story that people of our generation will connect with, and we're determined to get it out there for everybody to see. To speak personally for a moment, meaning me, Cameron Andrews, the director, I've always loved seeing movies in theaters, and it's my sincerest hope that Missing Pieces will end up there.

STRETCH GOALS!

$13,000 is our goal, but make no mistake, we hope to surpass it! If we reach our goal before the end of the campaign, we'll be adjusting our goals accordingly.

Stretch Goal #1: $20,000

• With $20,000 you would be supporting us through post-production, allowing us to hire an editing team that would take our finished film to the next level. This would also help us through the process of marketing our film and submitting it to festivals. Finishing the film is priority #1, but we also hope to bring it to audiences all around the world.

Stretch Goal #2: $25,000

• By pushing us to $25,000 you'd be supporting not only our journey towards getting Missing Pieces seen but also allowing us to pay our cast & crew a flat rate for their work!

The Team

Cameron Andrews - Writer & Director

Born and raised in Vermont, Cameron would go on to attend Boston University’s College of Communication to study film production. In the summer of 2020, while home from college due to the pandemic, Cameron wrote and directed his first feature film, Holocene, with the help of his friends. Following the premiere of Holocene in the summer of 2022, he made the move to Los Angeles in order to pursue his dream of becoming a working director. He has written ten feature films, and Missing Pieces will be his second feature-length effort behind the camera. 

Ruby Gatenby - Producer

Ruby is originally from Minnetonka, Minnesota where her love of film and art started. Always knowing she wanted to go out and do bigger things, she attended college at Columbia College Chicago and graduated with a degree in film production, and swiftly moved out to Los Angeles. Ruby has shot and produced many short films and projects for many companies as well as her own personal endeavors. Currently working in the industry, she began her career at 101 Studios creating her own position as Social Media Manager and Content Coordinator. Recently, she has moved to a Digital Creative Coordinator role at Grandson LA. Her future goals include producing and directing her own films and music videos.

Robert Haversat - Producer

Robert Haversat is a versatile filmmaker hailing from New Jersey. A graduate of Boston University's Film and TV program, he has honed his skills by shooting, lighting, animating, and editing captivating short films. With a passion for storytelling, Robert ventured to Los Angeles alongside fellow aspiring filmmakers to pursue his dreams in the industry. A self-proclaimed wearer of many hats Robert is a flexible member of any film crew on and off the set, ensuring each project reaches its full potential.

Brittan Jackson - Producer

Brittan is originally from Knoxville, TN. His love for film started at an early age when he received the Star Wars Special Edition VHS box set for Christmas. He attended Carson-Newman University and received a degree in Communication Studies. Brittan attended the Los Angeles Film Studies Center during his last semester of college in 2019 and his passion for storytelling and the City of Angels intensified. After returning home during the pandemic, he got his start working in Television at the former Warner Bros. Discovery studio in Knoxville, TN. After a year of working in Knoxville, he decided to move to LA to pursue Television further, but also film. He is a working Los Angeles-based Segment and Associate Producer, and his credits include The Curse of Oak Island, Kids' Baking Championship, The Captain, and The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Missing Pieces is Brittan's first endeavor at producing a feature film, and he hopes to produce many more in the future.

Conor O’Leary - Cinematographer

Born and raised in Kingston, Massachusetts, Conor has always had an eye for images. From notebook doodles to intricate portraits, Conor enjoys and excels at drawing. That love for the visual medium took him to Boston University, where he studied cinematography and honed his craft. After graduating in 2022, Conor moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of making films that are both meaningful and visually stunning.

Caroline Jelley - Assistant Director

Originally from Asheville, North Carolina, Caroline earned her B.A. in Media Communications/Film at Southern Wesleyan University in South Carolina in 2021. She then moved out to Los Angeles, CA to become a filmmaker, where she is currently working in TV/film both in freelance production and the indie filmmaking world. Her ultimate goal is to direct/act/write/produce her own stories as well as collaborate with other artists all over the world.

Gabe Holmes - Composer

Carson Mithelman - Production Designer

Gabriel Molina - Costume Designer

Kourtney White - Prop Master

Darrell Battle Jr. - Lead Actor

Darrell was born in Norfolk, VA and raised across the country as a military kid. He’s been acting professionally for 4 years starting off in theater in high school whilst pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Television & Film studies. Darrell has wanted to pursue many professions growing up including going to the NFL but realized he could do it all in the world of acting. When he’s not working in the industry, he enjoys going to the gym, working on his vehicles, gaming competitively and designing clothes for his brand. Recent credits include the lead in short film STRIDE (2023) and a supporting role in Latasha Harlins (2023).

Yasmin Flohr - Lead Actor

Yasmin Flohr has always been an entertainer. Starting with her love of I Love Lucy and her first on stage presence as Willy Wonka, physical comedy is where Yasmin shines best, though she also shares that light with romantic coming of age. She studied and graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, training in Meisner, Alexander and Improv. Yasmin has great support from her family and friends, her mom has been smiling in all kinds of crowds since the Willy Wonka days and she very much appreciates it. In her free time, Yasmin is watching movies and or contemplating what bottoms to wear with the super cool shirt she thrifted. She is extremely thankful to perform in her first feature film and to jump into something that not only connects with her but connects with many others.

Supporting Cast

Harmony Lynne

Brian Plunkett

John Bucy

Anthony Marzden

Mariana Carvajal 

Richard Follin

We Need Your Help!

Your support is everything to us. It's what allows this film to go from idea to reality. But where exactly is your money going? Well, a large portion of funds will be put towards feeding our amazing cast and crew, as well as insurance, because keeping everybody safe is our top priority. No film is complete without locations either, and we'll need your help to secure those as well as props and set dressing to make those locations pop. Finally, your support will allow us to rent the equipment necessary to match the talent level of our incredible crew!

If you have any questions about our campaign, you can check out our Instagram @missingpiecesfilm_, or you can reach out to me directly at [email protected]. I’m always happy to answer questions and talk about this amazing project. Thank you for taking the time to consider our project, and we look forward to bringing this film to life!