Monochrome
Portland, Oregon | Film Short
Sci-Fi, Drama
Not everything is black and white.
Monochrome
Portland, Oregon | Film Short
Sci-Fi, Drama
1 Campaigns | Oregon, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $22,459 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
169 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Not everything is black and white.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
This is a movie that reflects all of us.
Our collective unconscious, our personal impulses, our hidden desires—as well as ultimately—our search for what really—genuinely—creates beauty and meaning in life.
I can't wait to share it with you—and I can't wait to invite you in on the process of making a movie at a real motion-picture film studio in Portland, Oregon—start to finish.
"[Making a movie] doesn't cure cancer, it doesn't make the trains run on time, it doesn't solve your economic problems—it doesn't do any of that stuff. But what it does is...it gives us a bit of humanity. Maybe it gives us the best...when it's really good...it gives us the best of who we can be as people." — Hans Zimmer
Monochrome is a kinetic, immersive 30 - 40 minute grounded science-fiction drama—the story centered in a moment of future-history where 8 million people around the world have lost the ability to perceive color.
Rod and Cohen—subject and host, respectively—are in the middle of the biggest conversation of their lives, with 3.7 million people tuning in to a nationally broadcast interview, all to try to answer a central, essential question: how did Rod become the only person in the world able to go from being monochrome—seeing in black-and-white—to seeing in vivid color?
And yet: the more Rod reveals—about hidden desires, the images in his dreams, and what, exactly, Rod had to do in order to get his color back—Cohen slowly realizes: the entire interview isn't really an interview.
It's an ambush.
—which has a combined total of decades of experience in the film industry, (for social proof) has worked and shot on projects with Lebron James at Nike, the Portland Thorns, and Tribeca Untold Stories, and has access to the highest grade cinema equipment in Portland, Oregon.
To everyone who joins the team, we're inviting you to a party in Portland, Oregon once the film is wrapped and picture-locked. It's a genuine thank-you to everyone who's helping a vision—a real movie—come to life.
Everything from getting your own Monochrome black-and-white photoshoot (including head shots) at Desert Island Studios (yes, a real photoshoot just for you—and we can do color, too)—to getting a copy of the movie, your name in the credits, and an invitation to join our team, and get more deeply involved in the beating heart of the film industry.
One man's search for beauty, self, truth, and revelation—and even now, having written the script for 2 years, the story still moves me.
A quote, that sums up the quest for human truth beneath the veil of story, metaphor, and image:
“In all my films…I’ve always tried to dig into something deeper…a deeper truth…when you read a great poem, it will occur to you very abruptly that there’s a deep, enormous truth in this poem…and you feel illuminated…and you don’t have to analyze…and you don’t have to read a lot of literature about this poem…you just know it instantly…” — Werner Herzog
I can't wait to show it to you. And with incredible sound design, instrumentation from Spitfire Audio (endorsed by Hans Zimmer, and instruments recorded at AIR Studios in London), dynamic editing, and full-fidelity picture quality—it'll be a real treat to experience the film.
You can sit in your living room, get a loved one, a glass of wine, and see it at home (or at a communal screening!) and know you helped bring it to vivid, immersive life. We can't wait to put your name in the credits, and show you off a little.
When you pledge to the campaign, you're literally creating a job for someone out of thin air—a real, contract position within the independent film industry.
Your supports directly—and immediately—creates:
Join the team. At every stage, you get you fun prizes you can purchase. All deliverables will be sent after completion of the final film. Here's what we got:
Whatever you decide to donate, you'll get a credit at the end of the film, and an invite to our Monochrome party in Portland, Oregon. Disclaimer: travel and lodging not included. Thank you so much for coming on board the film and joining the team!
At $24, you'll get a professional digital download of the film before the film is available to the viewing public. Watch the whole film from start to finish, and have a copy of the film, forever.
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $49, you'll a beautifully finished soundtrack as a digital download that'll be yours to keep before the score is available anywhere else. Using instruments from Spitfire audio, the score will be a beautiful, haunting, transcendent score—we can't wait for you to hear it.
+ The Finished Film
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $149, you'll get the Red Script—a physical, real copy of the script on beautiful, hypnotic red paper, signed by cast and crew as a memento for your purchase.
+ The Finished Film
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
*Shipping for U.S. only at this time.
At $499, you'll get the Monochrome experience—come onto the set of Monochrome, at our stage at Desert Island Studios (with RGB Spacelights) and get a 30 minute photoshoot in black and white. We'll shoot photos, get your angles, and you'll choose your one favorite photo—which, I'll run through my film software to create a professional, filmic color-grade. All photos and color-grades are final, camera will be chosen by photographer and you must be in, or willing to travel to Portland, Oregon to claim, so I can actually take photos of you!
+ The Finished Film
+ The Red Script, Signed by Cast and Crew
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $999, you'll get the Polychrome experience—come to the stage at Desert Island Studios with any-color-you-want RGB Spacelights and get a 30 minute photoshoot in black and white or color (your choice). Make it a professional shoot, a casual shoot, an engagement shoot with your significant other, bring your friends—whatever you want. You can choose three of your favorite photos—which, I'll run through my film software to create a professional, filmic color-grade. All photos and color-grades are final, camera will be chosen by photographer and you must be in or willing to travel to Portland, Oregon to claim, so I can actually take photos of you!
+ The Finished Film
+ The Monochrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Red Script, Signed by Cast and Crew
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $1499, join the film industry as a financier with "In Association With" credit. Example: "In Association with John Smith". Get your name in the credits and you'll get an IMDb credit. You'll get first access to the film before anyone else in the public does.
+ The Finished Film
+ The Monochrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Polychrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Red Script, Signed by Cast and Crew
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $2999, join the film industry as a financier with "Presented By" credit. Example: "Presented By John Smith". Get your name everywhere: in the credits, posters, an IMDb credit, and get first access to the film before anyone else in the public does.
+ The Finished Film
+ The Monochrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Polychrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Red Script, Signed by Cast and Crew
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
Thank you so much for supporting the film—we can't wait to have you to join us, and join the journey.
"For an hour, or for two days, or longer, these films can enable small changes of heart, changes that mean the same thing: to live better and to love more." — Terrence Malick
And—if you're curious about more ways to help, here's 1 thing you can do that'll really drive the needle:
Think of a person (or 2! or 3!) who might be interested in supporting the arts, contributing and pledging to the film community, or interested in being more involved in film in general. This could be an uncle, a family friend, your best friend, or a colleague or boss. Or, just someone you know who loves movies. Introduce me to them at [email protected]—or, if you'd rather, just send me their contact details—so we can get in touch!
Lastly—
Whether I know you or not, I'd love to keep in touch, and keep you updated on Monochrome, as well as the films beyond it. I've got a lovely, lovely little newsletter with over a thousand people who all get updates and reflections and creative projects as they come—and I'd love to have you on there. I promise it's fun—many people find the reflections an absolute pleasure to read (everything on films, books, the human condition, the mysteries of being a person in the 21st century, etc.) and I'd love to have you with me. You can find it here. I think you'll enjoy it.
Again: thank you so much. It takes a village, a real web of real people, to concretize the film we enjoy culturally everyday into reality.
I know every minute, and every dollar, that you give to art is understood as a sort of commitment from you to this—and it is appreciated in the very deepest sense of the word. Thank you for reading. I can't wait to deliver Monochrome to you.
P.S. A little disclaimer: Deliverables (prizes, and incentives) will be delivered after the film is finished. Timelines, budget, deliverables, production details, and everything listed here is subject to change, shift and evolve as this project grows and comes into contact with the real world—I'll keep you posted if any major changes come up due to production demands. All in-person events or deliverables (including the photoshoot, and party) require you to be or travel to Portland, Oregon, and travel and lodging is not included. If you're curious, don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Contract Positions for Cast and Crew
Costs $10,000
Our cast and crew is the beating heart of the production. Includes paid contracts for Camera Operator, 1st AC, our actors, and more.
Marketing and Distribution
Costs $5,000
The arms of the production—to reach out and extend the film toward everyone. Includes E&O Insurance, Festival Fees, marketing, and more.
Production and Post-Production Items
Costs $3,000
Includes T9 drives, set dressing, props, wardrobe, and more.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Mohnish Soundararajan is a filmmaker—writer, director, actor, and composer—interested in the beauty and mystery of the human condition, the inner workings of self and society, and the depth of the subconscious. He is currently in development for the film Monochrome—with other projects under wraps. He is a member of Desert Island Studios, a film studio in Portland, Oregon, and leads the film newsletter, Reflections.
Vysali Soundararajan is an executive producer for the upcoming film Monochrome, Associate General Counsel at Gallagher, with a degree in international law from the University of California at Berkley, and a life-long lover of film.
Brad Burke is a film producer with a strong foundation in writing and directing, earning awards in both disciplines for his feature films Waldgeist (2017) and Off the Beaten Path (2019). He transitioned into producing with the stand‑up feature Sohayla Horani: Interested or Racist? (2020), a sharp and personal exploration of comedian Sohayla Horani’s experience growing up Muslim in a post‑9/11 United States. In 2022, Brad produced The Last Day of Retrograde, which went on to win top honors at multiple film festivals before premiering on Apple TV+.
Desert Island Studios is a modern day motion picture storytelling and digital media studio led by filmmakers and powered by the community, based in Portland, Oregon. Their work encompasses the creative cevelopment, production, and post production of original films.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
This is a movie that reflects all of us.
Our collective unconscious, our personal impulses, our hidden desires—as well as ultimately—our search for what really—genuinely—creates beauty and meaning in life.
I can't wait to share it with you—and I can't wait to invite you in on the process of making a movie at a real motion-picture film studio in Portland, Oregon—start to finish.
"[Making a movie] doesn't cure cancer, it doesn't make the trains run on time, it doesn't solve your economic problems—it doesn't do any of that stuff. But what it does is...it gives us a bit of humanity. Maybe it gives us the best...when it's really good...it gives us the best of who we can be as people." — Hans Zimmer
Monochrome is a kinetic, immersive 30 - 40 minute grounded science-fiction drama—the story centered in a moment of future-history where 8 million people around the world have lost the ability to perceive color.
Rod and Cohen—subject and host, respectively—are in the middle of the biggest conversation of their lives, with 3.7 million people tuning in to a nationally broadcast interview, all to try to answer a central, essential question: how did Rod become the only person in the world able to go from being monochrome—seeing in black-and-white—to seeing in vivid color?
And yet: the more Rod reveals—about hidden desires, the images in his dreams, and what, exactly, Rod had to do in order to get his color back—Cohen slowly realizes: the entire interview isn't really an interview.
It's an ambush.
—which has a combined total of decades of experience in the film industry, (for social proof) has worked and shot on projects with Lebron James at Nike, the Portland Thorns, and Tribeca Untold Stories, and has access to the highest grade cinema equipment in Portland, Oregon.
To everyone who joins the team, we're inviting you to a party in Portland, Oregon once the film is wrapped and picture-locked. It's a genuine thank-you to everyone who's helping a vision—a real movie—come to life.
Everything from getting your own Monochrome black-and-white photoshoot (including head shots) at Desert Island Studios (yes, a real photoshoot just for you—and we can do color, too)—to getting a copy of the movie, your name in the credits, and an invitation to join our team, and get more deeply involved in the beating heart of the film industry.
One man's search for beauty, self, truth, and revelation—and even now, having written the script for 2 years, the story still moves me.
A quote, that sums up the quest for human truth beneath the veil of story, metaphor, and image:
“In all my films…I’ve always tried to dig into something deeper…a deeper truth…when you read a great poem, it will occur to you very abruptly that there’s a deep, enormous truth in this poem…and you feel illuminated…and you don’t have to analyze…and you don’t have to read a lot of literature about this poem…you just know it instantly…” — Werner Herzog
I can't wait to show it to you. And with incredible sound design, instrumentation from Spitfire Audio (endorsed by Hans Zimmer, and instruments recorded at AIR Studios in London), dynamic editing, and full-fidelity picture quality—it'll be a real treat to experience the film.
You can sit in your living room, get a loved one, a glass of wine, and see it at home (or at a communal screening!) and know you helped bring it to vivid, immersive life. We can't wait to put your name in the credits, and show you off a little.
When you pledge to the campaign, you're literally creating a job for someone out of thin air—a real, contract position within the independent film industry.
Your supports directly—and immediately—creates:
Join the team. At every stage, you get you fun prizes you can purchase. All deliverables will be sent after completion of the final film. Here's what we got:
Whatever you decide to donate, you'll get a credit at the end of the film, and an invite to our Monochrome party in Portland, Oregon. Disclaimer: travel and lodging not included. Thank you so much for coming on board the film and joining the team!
At $24, you'll get a professional digital download of the film before the film is available to the viewing public. Watch the whole film from start to finish, and have a copy of the film, forever.
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $49, you'll a beautifully finished soundtrack as a digital download that'll be yours to keep before the score is available anywhere else. Using instruments from Spitfire audio, the score will be a beautiful, haunting, transcendent score—we can't wait for you to hear it.
+ The Finished Film
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $149, you'll get the Red Script—a physical, real copy of the script on beautiful, hypnotic red paper, signed by cast and crew as a memento for your purchase.
+ The Finished Film
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
*Shipping for U.S. only at this time.
At $499, you'll get the Monochrome experience—come onto the set of Monochrome, at our stage at Desert Island Studios (with RGB Spacelights) and get a 30 minute photoshoot in black and white. We'll shoot photos, get your angles, and you'll choose your one favorite photo—which, I'll run through my film software to create a professional, filmic color-grade. All photos and color-grades are final, camera will be chosen by photographer and you must be in, or willing to travel to Portland, Oregon to claim, so I can actually take photos of you!
+ The Finished Film
+ The Red Script, Signed by Cast and Crew
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $999, you'll get the Polychrome experience—come to the stage at Desert Island Studios with any-color-you-want RGB Spacelights and get a 30 minute photoshoot in black and white or color (your choice). Make it a professional shoot, a casual shoot, an engagement shoot with your significant other, bring your friends—whatever you want. You can choose three of your favorite photos—which, I'll run through my film software to create a professional, filmic color-grade. All photos and color-grades are final, camera will be chosen by photographer and you must be in or willing to travel to Portland, Oregon to claim, so I can actually take photos of you!
+ The Finished Film
+ The Monochrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Red Script, Signed by Cast and Crew
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $1499, join the film industry as a financier with "In Association With" credit. Example: "In Association with John Smith". Get your name in the credits and you'll get an IMDb credit. You'll get first access to the film before anyone else in the public does.
+ The Finished Film
+ The Monochrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Polychrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Red Script, Signed by Cast and Crew
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
At $2999, join the film industry as a financier with "Presented By" credit. Example: "Presented By John Smith". Get your name everywhere: in the credits, posters, an IMDb credit, and get first access to the film before anyone else in the public does.
+ The Finished Film
+ The Monochrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Polychrome Experience Photoshoot
+ The Red Script, Signed by Cast and Crew
+ Digital Download of the Soundtrack
+ Name in the Credits
+ Party Invite
Thank you so much for supporting the film—we can't wait to have you to join us, and join the journey.
"For an hour, or for two days, or longer, these films can enable small changes of heart, changes that mean the same thing: to live better and to love more." — Terrence Malick
And—if you're curious about more ways to help, here's 1 thing you can do that'll really drive the needle:
Think of a person (or 2! or 3!) who might be interested in supporting the arts, contributing and pledging to the film community, or interested in being more involved in film in general. This could be an uncle, a family friend, your best friend, or a colleague or boss. Or, just someone you know who loves movies. Introduce me to them at [email protected]—or, if you'd rather, just send me their contact details—so we can get in touch!
Lastly—
Whether I know you or not, I'd love to keep in touch, and keep you updated on Monochrome, as well as the films beyond it. I've got a lovely, lovely little newsletter with over a thousand people who all get updates and reflections and creative projects as they come—and I'd love to have you on there. I promise it's fun—many people find the reflections an absolute pleasure to read (everything on films, books, the human condition, the mysteries of being a person in the 21st century, etc.) and I'd love to have you with me. You can find it here. I think you'll enjoy it.
Again: thank you so much. It takes a village, a real web of real people, to concretize the film we enjoy culturally everyday into reality.
I know every minute, and every dollar, that you give to art is understood as a sort of commitment from you to this—and it is appreciated in the very deepest sense of the word. Thank you for reading. I can't wait to deliver Monochrome to you.
P.S. A little disclaimer: Deliverables (prizes, and incentives) will be delivered after the film is finished. Timelines, budget, deliverables, production details, and everything listed here is subject to change, shift and evolve as this project grows and comes into contact with the real world—I'll keep you posted if any major changes come up due to production demands. All in-person events or deliverables (including the photoshoot, and party) require you to be or travel to Portland, Oregon, and travel and lodging is not included. If you're curious, don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Contract Positions for Cast and Crew
Costs $10,000
Our cast and crew is the beating heart of the production. Includes paid contracts for Camera Operator, 1st AC, our actors, and more.
Marketing and Distribution
Costs $5,000
The arms of the production—to reach out and extend the film toward everyone. Includes E&O Insurance, Festival Fees, marketing, and more.
Production and Post-Production Items
Costs $3,000
Includes T9 drives, set dressing, props, wardrobe, and more.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Mohnish Soundararajan is a filmmaker—writer, director, actor, and composer—interested in the beauty and mystery of the human condition, the inner workings of self and society, and the depth of the subconscious. He is currently in development for the film Monochrome—with other projects under wraps. He is a member of Desert Island Studios, a film studio in Portland, Oregon, and leads the film newsletter, Reflections.
Vysali Soundararajan is an executive producer for the upcoming film Monochrome, Associate General Counsel at Gallagher, with a degree in international law from the University of California at Berkley, and a life-long lover of film.
Brad Burke is a film producer with a strong foundation in writing and directing, earning awards in both disciplines for his feature films Waldgeist (2017) and Off the Beaten Path (2019). He transitioned into producing with the stand‑up feature Sohayla Horani: Interested or Racist? (2020), a sharp and personal exploration of comedian Sohayla Horani’s experience growing up Muslim in a post‑9/11 United States. In 2022, Brad produced The Last Day of Retrograde, which went on to win top honors at multiple film festivals before premiering on Apple TV+.
Desert Island Studios is a modern day motion picture storytelling and digital media studio led by filmmakers and powered by the community, based in Portland, Oregon. Their work encompasses the creative cevelopment, production, and post production of original films.