Murder Camp
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Horror
An absurdist comedy set in the world of a grounded slasher horror. You'll laugh, you'll scream, you may even shed a tear at... MURDER CAMP.
Murder Camp
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Horror
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $27,285 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
211 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
An absurdist comedy set in the world of a grounded slasher horror. You'll laugh, you'll scream, you may even shed a tear at... MURDER CAMP.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
On a hot summer night... Camp Creek River counselor Becky finds herself bored (as usual) with her fellow counselors. She peels off from the campfire to go read while fellow counselor Johnny pesters her to make out. "FINE," she concedes. "Under shirt, over bra, twenty minutes."
As they go at it in a cabin, an eerie quiet befalls the woods. Then:
HEAVY BREATHING...
... as a masked SERIAL KILLER lurks outside their window.
Just as he's about to make his move:
DIFFERENT... HEAVY BREATHING.
Our masked killer looks up to find – ANOTHER masked KILLER stands on the roof.
Our first killer (Kevin) looks up at the second killer (Greg) puzzled... pissed.
KEVIN
(loud whisper)
What are you doing here!?
GREG
(loud whisper)
What are you doing here?!
KEVIN
This is my night!
GREG
What are you talking about?
KEVIN
It's the first Thursday after the full moon, it's my night.
GREG
Tonight is the Crow Sabbath.
KEVIN
Dude, that's not for three weeks.
Greg is mortified. What's gotten into him? He's always been "Mr. Structure," the (derranged/sociopathic) "Man with a Plan." And here he is... mixing up the Crow Sabbath? That's like slasher 101.
What ensues is a comedic, character-driven come-to-jesus conversation between two monsters, two men, two... friends.
Playing with the tropes of horror and the self-help world, we watch Kevin and Greg wrestle with how they're moving in different directions...
... until Becky steps up in an unexpected way.
Hey! Clara (director), Jeremy (co-writer, "Greg"), and Will (co-writer, "Kevin") here!
We f*cking love what we do... so much so that we've been collaborating in a not-for-profit theater company, Public Assembly, for 5 years, pro bono. We share an extreme dedication to our craft... and while we've all had some wins along the way, it's been impossible to get past certain gate-keepers.
Despite the exciting progress being made in diversity and representation, it's still rare for women to direct TV pilots. It's still close to impossible for larger-bodied and fat actors to get cast in major roles (and for those roles not to make the characters' bodies a punchline). And Latin women are still woefully underrepresented (according to Forbes, in 2021 only 2.9% of leading TV roles were played by Latinxs).
Frankly, we'd love it if we could just "let the work speak for itself" and not bother y'all with these representation issues. But these truths dictate our circumstnaces... and rather than compalin about them, we're here to do something about it:
MURDER CAMP is our attempt to show the world what we're capable of instead of waiting for it to fall in our laps.
As stated above, this piece isn't simply a short film... it's also a proof of concept. Our intention is to develop MURDER CAMP into a full-blown TV series. And we need YOUR help!
Will Lagos is KEVIN.
Jeremy Radin is GREG.
Olivia Holguín is BECKY.
Absurdist comedy encased in the cinematic style and manner of grounded horror.
We're inspired by how the genres of horror and comedy have always seemed to be reaching toward one another ever since the rise of the slasher in the 70s and 80s. Our intention is to elicit both fear and belly laughs as you watch MURDER CAMP, all while you identify with the characters' journeys.
Throughout our crowdfunding campaign we'll share more specific tidbits about the creative vision and execution of MURDER CAMP, like this collage from our treatment:
Follow us to stay up to date!
The "Wishlist" shows our broad budget. And while $25,170 sounds like a lot of money, it runs out shockingly quickly... so these are some stretch goals:
- + $2000 pays for production overages!
- + $3000 pays for sound mix + music!
- + $4000 pays for color correction!
- + $5000 pays for festival submissions!
- + $6500 pays for festival travel!
FOLLOW US ON SEED&SPARK
It's free + you'll get the most up-to-date news about our project! Plus, Seed&Spark will reward us for building our audience.
PLEDGE
Every dollar counts when it comes to making an indie film! Consider choosing one of our KeWL perks or just making a pledge. We can't thank you enough!
SPREAD THE WORD
The only way we'll achieve our crowdfunding goal is if we stretch beyond our personal networks. So if you'd like to help make MURDER CAMP a reality, please share our campaign via social media, email, text, word-of-mouth, skywriting, telepathy.... we can't do this without YOU!
Feel free to copy and paste:
• I'm just DYING to see MURDER CAMP ;) a slasher horror comedy project on @seedandspark https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp
• Oh no! @CampCreekRiver is on the verge of closing... definitely not due to all the murders!! Contribute to our campaign at @seedandspark to #SAVECREEKRIVER https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp
• Help! My parents want me to summer camp but all I want to do is stay home and contribute to @CampCreekRiver ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Support them on @seedandspark https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp
• I just contributed to a slasher comedy short film on @seedandspark that stars fat characters and a Latinx final girl, directed by a Latinx queer woman. Please acknowledge my wokeness and consider doing the same: https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp @campcreekriver
• Just checked out a short film campaign by Public Assembly alums and you should do the same! Join them on @seedandspark https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp @CampCreekRiver
FOLLOW US
Our film:
https://twitter.com/campcreekriver
https://www.instagram.com/campcreekriver/
Our creatives:
Director Clara https://www.instagram.com/claranovich/
Writer/Actor Jeremy https://www.instagram.com/germyradin/
Writer/Actor Will https://www.instagram.com/willisnotajerk/
Producer Lilly https://www.instagram.com/lillcampbelll/
THANK YOU <3
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Grip & Lighting package
Costs $2,200
Filming at night in the woods requires some creative (and expansive!) lighting.
Actors Rates
Costs $2,200
We're passionate about paying our actors for their time and talents!
Location + Permit
Costs $2,800
For the perfect cabin/woods that is both accessible and safe for our crew.
Camera + Lenses
Costs $1,900
We've discovered it's pretty hard to make a movie without 'em.
Special Effects (Blood'n'gore)
Costs $1,900
It's a horror film, after all! We need our gun shots and machete-hacks to look A-One, baby!
Hard Drives
Costs $400
Replacing actual reels of film on the modern set are data storage drives.
COVID Safety
Costs $650
We're not sure if you heard, but something crazy happened in 2020 and it's still kind of a *thing*?
Sound Design / Mixing
Costs $400
Sound is just as important as picture when it comes to horror.
Production Support
Costs $650
Chairs, tables, trash bags, PAs, all the gritty bits to get it done.
Insurance
Costs $300
Lots of things can go sideways on a film shoot, it's important to have insurance!
Gas
Costs $650
Generators and trucks require gas! And with gas prices being what they are, we definitely need help!
Production Design
Costs $800
For our set/location to look our best and work in union with our cinematography.
Share this update!
About This Team
CLARA ARANOVICH-VALDÉS
Director
Clara is a third culture kid (the daughter of an Argentine physicist and a Chilean market researcher) who grew up utterly obsessed with cinema. She loves dark absurdist humor, grounded sci-fi, and pretty much every dog she's ever met. Her TV work includes "In The Dark" (CW/CBS/Netflix), "Tentacles" (Blumhouse/Hulu), "Nancy Drew" (CW/Amazon), "Promised Land" (ABC/Hulu), "Tom Swift" (CW), and will be directing an episode of the new "Walker: Independence" soon after wrapping this short film you're totally donating to :D Her short form work has screened at SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival, Nowness.com, the Hammer Museum, Cannes Lion, among others. She is the recipient of several Vimeo Staff Picks and is a Sundance Screenwriters Intensive Alumna. She also co-founded and co-creative directs Public Assembly, a theater company of which both Will and Jeremy are members. Clara detests cilantro. She is represented by ICM/CAA.
JEREMY RADIN
Co-Writer, "Greg"
Jeremy Radin is a writer, actor, and creative consultant. He’s appeared on television shows (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, CSI, Criminal Minds) and in films, most recently co-starring in the WB film The Way Back (dir. Gavin O’Connor, 2020). He is a founding member of Public Assembly, a Los Angeles-based theater company. His poetry has been published widely and he is the author of two full-length collections: Slow Dance with Sasquatch (Write Bloody Publishing, 2012) and Dear Sal (Not A Cult Press, 2022). He is the owner and operator of Lanternist Creative Consulting, through which he coaches writers and performers. Follow him @germyradin
WILL LAGOS
Co-Writer, "Kevin"
Will Lagos is an actor, writer, musician, and arts educator. He’s appeared on television shows (Law & Order: SVU, The Rookie, Community), motion pictures (Sky High, Shot In The Dark, No Man Of God), and in regional theaters in Los Angeles and the United Kingdom. He is a founding member of Public Assembly, an LA-based theater company and arts collective. Will is also the performance director of The Westminster Chorus, a male singing ensemble based in Southern California, and enjoys traveling throughout the United States as a sought-after singing and vocal performance coach in classical, commercial, and close harmony music. Will is also a member of the Musical Theater Conservatory faculty at the California School of the Arts, San Gabriel Valley. Cilantro fucking rules. Will is represented by Mavrick Artists.
LILLY CAMPBELL
Producer
Lillian Campbell is a producer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she began her career in the industry as part of the production team at PICROW, the production company behind Amazon Studios original series including Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent. After PICROW, she worked at NBCUniversal in Studio Operations before moving on as an independent producer. She has produced a variety of projects in the commercial and short film space and is currently in development on two feature films.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
On a hot summer night... Camp Creek River counselor Becky finds herself bored (as usual) with her fellow counselors. She peels off from the campfire to go read while fellow counselor Johnny pesters her to make out. "FINE," she concedes. "Under shirt, over bra, twenty minutes."
As they go at it in a cabin, an eerie quiet befalls the woods. Then:
HEAVY BREATHING...
... as a masked SERIAL KILLER lurks outside their window.
Just as he's about to make his move:
DIFFERENT... HEAVY BREATHING.
Our masked killer looks up to find – ANOTHER masked KILLER stands on the roof.
Our first killer (Kevin) looks up at the second killer (Greg) puzzled... pissed.
KEVIN
(loud whisper)
What are you doing here!?
GREG
(loud whisper)
What are you doing here?!
KEVIN
This is my night!
GREG
What are you talking about?
KEVIN
It's the first Thursday after the full moon, it's my night.
GREG
Tonight is the Crow Sabbath.
KEVIN
Dude, that's not for three weeks.
Greg is mortified. What's gotten into him? He's always been "Mr. Structure," the (derranged/sociopathic) "Man with a Plan." And here he is... mixing up the Crow Sabbath? That's like slasher 101.
What ensues is a comedic, character-driven come-to-jesus conversation between two monsters, two men, two... friends.
Playing with the tropes of horror and the self-help world, we watch Kevin and Greg wrestle with how they're moving in different directions...
... until Becky steps up in an unexpected way.
Hey! Clara (director), Jeremy (co-writer, "Greg"), and Will (co-writer, "Kevin") here!
We f*cking love what we do... so much so that we've been collaborating in a not-for-profit theater company, Public Assembly, for 5 years, pro bono. We share an extreme dedication to our craft... and while we've all had some wins along the way, it's been impossible to get past certain gate-keepers.
Despite the exciting progress being made in diversity and representation, it's still rare for women to direct TV pilots. It's still close to impossible for larger-bodied and fat actors to get cast in major roles (and for those roles not to make the characters' bodies a punchline). And Latin women are still woefully underrepresented (according to Forbes, in 2021 only 2.9% of leading TV roles were played by Latinxs).
Frankly, we'd love it if we could just "let the work speak for itself" and not bother y'all with these representation issues. But these truths dictate our circumstnaces... and rather than compalin about them, we're here to do something about it:
MURDER CAMP is our attempt to show the world what we're capable of instead of waiting for it to fall in our laps.
As stated above, this piece isn't simply a short film... it's also a proof of concept. Our intention is to develop MURDER CAMP into a full-blown TV series. And we need YOUR help!
Will Lagos is KEVIN.
Jeremy Radin is GREG.
Olivia Holguín is BECKY.
Absurdist comedy encased in the cinematic style and manner of grounded horror.
We're inspired by how the genres of horror and comedy have always seemed to be reaching toward one another ever since the rise of the slasher in the 70s and 80s. Our intention is to elicit both fear and belly laughs as you watch MURDER CAMP, all while you identify with the characters' journeys.
Throughout our crowdfunding campaign we'll share more specific tidbits about the creative vision and execution of MURDER CAMP, like this collage from our treatment:
Follow us to stay up to date!
The "Wishlist" shows our broad budget. And while $25,170 sounds like a lot of money, it runs out shockingly quickly... so these are some stretch goals:
- + $2000 pays for production overages!
- + $3000 pays for sound mix + music!
- + $4000 pays for color correction!
- + $5000 pays for festival submissions!
- + $6500 pays for festival travel!
FOLLOW US ON SEED&SPARK
It's free + you'll get the most up-to-date news about our project! Plus, Seed&Spark will reward us for building our audience.
PLEDGE
Every dollar counts when it comes to making an indie film! Consider choosing one of our KeWL perks or just making a pledge. We can't thank you enough!
SPREAD THE WORD
The only way we'll achieve our crowdfunding goal is if we stretch beyond our personal networks. So if you'd like to help make MURDER CAMP a reality, please share our campaign via social media, email, text, word-of-mouth, skywriting, telepathy.... we can't do this without YOU!
Feel free to copy and paste:
• I'm just DYING to see MURDER CAMP ;) a slasher horror comedy project on @seedandspark https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp
• Oh no! @CampCreekRiver is on the verge of closing... definitely not due to all the murders!! Contribute to our campaign at @seedandspark to #SAVECREEKRIVER https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp
• Help! My parents want me to summer camp but all I want to do is stay home and contribute to @CampCreekRiver ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Support them on @seedandspark https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp
• I just contributed to a slasher comedy short film on @seedandspark that stars fat characters and a Latinx final girl, directed by a Latinx queer woman. Please acknowledge my wokeness and consider doing the same: https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp @campcreekriver
• Just checked out a short film campaign by Public Assembly alums and you should do the same! Join them on @seedandspark https://tinyurl.com/murdercamp @CampCreekRiver
FOLLOW US
Our film:
https://twitter.com/campcreekriver
https://www.instagram.com/campcreekriver/
Our creatives:
Director Clara https://www.instagram.com/claranovich/
Writer/Actor Jeremy https://www.instagram.com/germyradin/
Writer/Actor Will https://www.instagram.com/willisnotajerk/
Producer Lilly https://www.instagram.com/lillcampbelll/
THANK YOU <3
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Grip & Lighting package
Costs $2,200
Filming at night in the woods requires some creative (and expansive!) lighting.
Actors Rates
Costs $2,200
We're passionate about paying our actors for their time and talents!
Location + Permit
Costs $2,800
For the perfect cabin/woods that is both accessible and safe for our crew.
Camera + Lenses
Costs $1,900
We've discovered it's pretty hard to make a movie without 'em.
Special Effects (Blood'n'gore)
Costs $1,900
It's a horror film, after all! We need our gun shots and machete-hacks to look A-One, baby!
Hard Drives
Costs $400
Replacing actual reels of film on the modern set are data storage drives.
COVID Safety
Costs $650
We're not sure if you heard, but something crazy happened in 2020 and it's still kind of a *thing*?
Sound Design / Mixing
Costs $400
Sound is just as important as picture when it comes to horror.
Production Support
Costs $650
Chairs, tables, trash bags, PAs, all the gritty bits to get it done.
Insurance
Costs $300
Lots of things can go sideways on a film shoot, it's important to have insurance!
Gas
Costs $650
Generators and trucks require gas! And with gas prices being what they are, we definitely need help!
Production Design
Costs $800
For our set/location to look our best and work in union with our cinematography.
Share this update!
About This Team
CLARA ARANOVICH-VALDÉS
Director
Clara is a third culture kid (the daughter of an Argentine physicist and a Chilean market researcher) who grew up utterly obsessed with cinema. She loves dark absurdist humor, grounded sci-fi, and pretty much every dog she's ever met. Her TV work includes "In The Dark" (CW/CBS/Netflix), "Tentacles" (Blumhouse/Hulu), "Nancy Drew" (CW/Amazon), "Promised Land" (ABC/Hulu), "Tom Swift" (CW), and will be directing an episode of the new "Walker: Independence" soon after wrapping this short film you're totally donating to :D Her short form work has screened at SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival, Nowness.com, the Hammer Museum, Cannes Lion, among others. She is the recipient of several Vimeo Staff Picks and is a Sundance Screenwriters Intensive Alumna. She also co-founded and co-creative directs Public Assembly, a theater company of which both Will and Jeremy are members. Clara detests cilantro. She is represented by ICM/CAA.
JEREMY RADIN
Co-Writer, "Greg"
Jeremy Radin is a writer, actor, and creative consultant. He’s appeared on television shows (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, CSI, Criminal Minds) and in films, most recently co-starring in the WB film The Way Back (dir. Gavin O’Connor, 2020). He is a founding member of Public Assembly, a Los Angeles-based theater company. His poetry has been published widely and he is the author of two full-length collections: Slow Dance with Sasquatch (Write Bloody Publishing, 2012) and Dear Sal (Not A Cult Press, 2022). He is the owner and operator of Lanternist Creative Consulting, through which he coaches writers and performers. Follow him @germyradin
WILL LAGOS
Co-Writer, "Kevin"
Will Lagos is an actor, writer, musician, and arts educator. He’s appeared on television shows (Law & Order: SVU, The Rookie, Community), motion pictures (Sky High, Shot In The Dark, No Man Of God), and in regional theaters in Los Angeles and the United Kingdom. He is a founding member of Public Assembly, an LA-based theater company and arts collective. Will is also the performance director of The Westminster Chorus, a male singing ensemble based in Southern California, and enjoys traveling throughout the United States as a sought-after singing and vocal performance coach in classical, commercial, and close harmony music. Will is also a member of the Musical Theater Conservatory faculty at the California School of the Arts, San Gabriel Valley. Cilantro fucking rules. Will is represented by Mavrick Artists.
LILLY CAMPBELL
Producer
Lillian Campbell is a producer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she began her career in the industry as part of the production team at PICROW, the production company behind Amazon Studios original series including Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent. After PICROW, she worked at NBCUniversal in Studio Operations before moving on as an independent producer. She has produced a variety of projects in the commercial and short film space and is currently in development on two feature films.