Naked
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
Naked is a female-driven project. It is an in-depth portrait of a women’s experience of motherhood, disappointment, mediocrity, fatigue, trying to be everything, and struggling to be anything. It’s funny, touching, honest, raw and... naked.
Naked
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $10,360 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
100 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Naked is a female-driven project. It is an in-depth portrait of a women’s experience of motherhood, disappointment, mediocrity, fatigue, trying to be everything, and struggling to be anything. It’s funny, touching, honest, raw and... naked.
In Partnership With
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We've reached our goal of $5.5K! So... what now? We streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch!
We are so grateful to our supporters for helping us surpass our goal of $5,500 in just 15 days! With another 15 days left, what's next? Why, we stretch, of course!
But why stretch? Well, take a look at the handy dandy graphic above. At a budget of $5,500, we planned to pay our team members $167.50 for a twelve-hour shoot day. That's $13.54/hour -- below the mimimum wage in NYC but more than most indie films pay (which is often $0 and snacks). If we make it to $10K, we can pay our team members $18.75/hour! That $5 and change increase helps a lot in a city that costs... a lot.
Also, at a lower budget of $5.5K, often times our post-team is working well below their rates, and therefore need to prioritize other projects that pay their rent first, making the time it takes to finish the film oh so long (about 6 months). However, at $10K, we will be able to pay our post-peeps more and bump up the chain of priority, helping our film get done in as little as 3 months!!!
Lastly, what's not on this graph is the number of festivals we could submit to with the extra dough. More festivals = more exposure = you helped make us FAMOUS!
I'm only partly kidding. So here's some simple math:
More money = better paid workers = better quality film = more exposure.
You feel us? So don't be deterred by our green light! If you believe in what we are doing (which you can find out more about below), then please contribute. Help us get Naked... made! (That joke never gets old).
The Story…Uncovered.
Naked is an in-depth portrait of a young mother posing as the self-assured woman she feels she’s expected to be. Hoping that nude modeling for an art class will restore her sense of self, she eventually finds a way to accept her circumstances, even if life isn’t everything she hoped it would be.
The Birthday Suit
Naked was first born when Vanessa Shealy submitted a short monologue to Emerging Artists Theater’s New Work Series. The piece became a metaphor for a journey that Vanessa knew was a common for other women her age – one of trying to hold on to the ambitions of her youth, but juggling too many responsibilities and a highly energetic toddler at home.
Vanessa's son had recently been diagnosed with autism, after which life changed dramatically. She accepted a full time job (complete with benefits and office lighting), and began the all-consuming life of countless therapy sessions, fighting for schools, and trying to overcome an the obsessive fear of what the future held for her son -- and for her.
“The act of writing this piece was, for me, standing in front of a group of my peers, trying to get naked - trying to be honest, trying to be okay with letting go, trying to accept my new self and be okay with it.”
The Bare Truth
Fast forward a few years, and the piece was included in a festival produced by Project Y Theater called Women in Theater. Vanessa called up the best actress she knew to perform this 15 minute monologue, Rebecca De Ornelas.
Rebecca and Vanessa became friends when they were in a play together with Alice Spivak’s company, OnTheRoadRep. Later that year, they worked together at the aforementioned “office” job, where Vanessa was still spending her days.
Rebecca knocked the socks off the play, and afterwards she and her husband Michael DiBiasio had the grand idea to make it into a short film.
The Exposure
Together, Rebecca and Michael produced the feature film The Videoblogs (available on VOD), as well as short films such as Multiverse and The Confession.
To conceptualize this piece for film, the team added the (previously “off stage”) character of the young artist, who is there to draw the nude protagonist.
Real-life artist Jamel Robinson was perfect for this role, and brings an edge, honesty, and depth to it that the team thinks will make this piece resonate with audiences.
The Clothes Off Our Backs
We need your help to bring this story to life. We know we have an important story to tell, and if you’ve read to this point you probably also understand the balancing act that comes with growing older, making art, living life, raising kids, and accepting new identities. Without you this project won’t be possible, so thank you in advance for your support of female-centered stories, and women-driven filmmaking.
Naked Stretching!
Oh, wait, did we forget to mention that we're all independent artists, who are used to stretchinggggg a buck but ALSO have learned it's okay to ask for more (whattt?).
Here are some different tiers for our campaign goal(s):
Base Goal ($5,500)
This allows us to shoot, and to pay every one a little bit for their time. Many key collaborators on the team will wear multiple hats. We don't mind, but it can get hard!
Middle Goal ($7,800)
This amount will allow us to hire a bigger crew, with most people wearing only one hat (doing one job). It can happen!
Top Goal ($10,000)
If we were to raise this amount, we can speed up completion of the film and secure an easier go of things, just in general. We don't need it to succeed, but it would sureeeee be nice, and every dollar would still be maxed out to make the best film possible.
For you. Our Naked friends.
Thanks for considering our project! You're so very sexy!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Artist Easels
Costs $150
The majority of the film takes place in an art studio, and we need it to look authentic, yo.
Make-Up Artist
Costs $175
Despite the title of the film, some basic make-up is needed. We won't go as nuts as this photo, tho.
Artist's Studio
Costs $750
The space we will be shooting in is gorge' and the artist deserves a fair pay for letting us use it!
Taxis
Costs $250
To set, from set, late production nights...this is NY and we want to be safe.
Food
Costs $500
On set and in meetings, we need to eat. Help us eat. We may or may not wear clothes.
On-Set Producer + Sound Person
Costs $350
When Rebecca takes off her producer hat to act, this person will step up. Oh, and also record sound?
Actors
Costs $350
We always hire pros and it's a bottom line for us that they get paid.
Writer
Costs $175
Writers gonna write. Writers gonna get paid.
Directors
Costs $350
We've got two of them. Double the talent. Double the fun.
Director of Photography
Costs $175
We need someone who can get that shot and get it right.
Production Assistant
Costs $175
We've got a small crew and will need an extra set of hands! The girl in this pic seems cool.
Wardrobe
Costs $200
We can't be naked all the time. Well, we can but the script isn't written that way. Not totally.
Props
Costs $100
There are things in the world of film that make the world look real. We need those things.
Editor
Costs $175
This person will put everything together and put it together in a cool way. We love editors!
Colorist
Costs $175
Because they make things look pretty.
Sound Designer
Costs $175
So you can hear all the things we are saying.
Composer
Costs $175
Because music always makes things juuust a bit cooler.
Festivals!
Costs $500
We are taking this all the way, baby! Help us spread our reach.
Insurance
Costs $600
Totally boring. Totally necessary.
Share this update!
About This Team
Vanessa Shealy (Writer/Director) Originally from Oklahoma City, Vanessa Shealy completed her MFA in Acting from the University of Georgia before moving to the Big Apple, where she is a writer and actor. Vanessa’s full length plays include Tea in the Afternoon, American Drum Circle, and One, Two, Whatever you do... Her short plays include A Captive Audience, Cataracts, and the short solo play, Naked. Her original comedic short film, Whistle & Snap screened at six film festivals, including the Montreal Black Film Festival. Vanessa was a co-producer of the feature length documentary, Souled Out Comedy, which won the Audience Choice award at The Friars Club Comedy Film Festival. She is also an actor and the co-creator and writer of the comic book series Couri Vine.
Michael DiBiasio (Co-Director) Filmmaker Michael DiBiasio's first feature The Videoblogs screened nationally in 2016 and is currently available on VOD in multiple countries. His best friends are his wife (see also: Rebecca De Ornelas), his dog, and whatever film he is working on at the time, which he believes is an entirely normal, healthy, and appropriate way to live. Michael is a graduate of Columbia University. In addition to Naked, he is currently working on his second feature film and his debut novel.
Rebecca De Ornelas (Producer/Lead Actress) In addition to playing the lead role in The Videoblogs ("a provocative indie", RogerEbert.com), Rebecca has appeared on several New York stages, including as Amy in The Show-Off at The Barrow Group as well as in the one-women show rendition of Naked, which was in several festivals. She has produced and appeared in multiple films and holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she trained at the Stella Adler Studio with Master Teachers Ron Burrus, James Tripp, and Betsy Parish. Rebecca lives in Brooklyn, where she was born and raised, with her husband (see also: Michael DiBiasio) and pup, Zelda Fitzgerald.
Jamel E. Robinson (Actor/Artist) Jamel Robinson is a poet and self-taught visual artist best known for his abstract paintings on canvas and non traditional surfaces. He began the new chapter of his creative journey after being asked to paint a poem on a canvas for a group exhibition in the winter of 2011. Robinson has appeared in various charity auctions, solo exhibitions and group shows in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and in Copenhagen. His paintings, drawings and sculptures have sold to a variety of prominent collectors and gained Robinson popularity in the US and abroad. Jamel has exhibited with the Ivy Brown Gallery in New York, the EFERYA Gallery in Paris and Gallery Von Schmordenfaden in Copenhagen and is based in Harlem, New York where he was born, raised, lives and works.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We've reached our goal of $5.5K! So... what now? We streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch!
We are so grateful to our supporters for helping us surpass our goal of $5,500 in just 15 days! With another 15 days left, what's next? Why, we stretch, of course!
But why stretch? Well, take a look at the handy dandy graphic above. At a budget of $5,500, we planned to pay our team members $167.50 for a twelve-hour shoot day. That's $13.54/hour -- below the mimimum wage in NYC but more than most indie films pay (which is often $0 and snacks). If we make it to $10K, we can pay our team members $18.75/hour! That $5 and change increase helps a lot in a city that costs... a lot.
Also, at a lower budget of $5.5K, often times our post-team is working well below their rates, and therefore need to prioritize other projects that pay their rent first, making the time it takes to finish the film oh so long (about 6 months). However, at $10K, we will be able to pay our post-peeps more and bump up the chain of priority, helping our film get done in as little as 3 months!!!
Lastly, what's not on this graph is the number of festivals we could submit to with the extra dough. More festivals = more exposure = you helped make us FAMOUS!
I'm only partly kidding. So here's some simple math:
More money = better paid workers = better quality film = more exposure.
You feel us? So don't be deterred by our green light! If you believe in what we are doing (which you can find out more about below), then please contribute. Help us get Naked... made! (That joke never gets old).
The Story…Uncovered.
Naked is an in-depth portrait of a young mother posing as the self-assured woman she feels she’s expected to be. Hoping that nude modeling for an art class will restore her sense of self, she eventually finds a way to accept her circumstances, even if life isn’t everything she hoped it would be.
The Birthday Suit
Naked was first born when Vanessa Shealy submitted a short monologue to Emerging Artists Theater’s New Work Series. The piece became a metaphor for a journey that Vanessa knew was a common for other women her age – one of trying to hold on to the ambitions of her youth, but juggling too many responsibilities and a highly energetic toddler at home.
Vanessa's son had recently been diagnosed with autism, after which life changed dramatically. She accepted a full time job (complete with benefits and office lighting), and began the all-consuming life of countless therapy sessions, fighting for schools, and trying to overcome an the obsessive fear of what the future held for her son -- and for her.
“The act of writing this piece was, for me, standing in front of a group of my peers, trying to get naked - trying to be honest, trying to be okay with letting go, trying to accept my new self and be okay with it.”
The Bare Truth
Fast forward a few years, and the piece was included in a festival produced by Project Y Theater called Women in Theater. Vanessa called up the best actress she knew to perform this 15 minute monologue, Rebecca De Ornelas.
Rebecca and Vanessa became friends when they were in a play together with Alice Spivak’s company, OnTheRoadRep. Later that year, they worked together at the aforementioned “office” job, where Vanessa was still spending her days.
Rebecca knocked the socks off the play, and afterwards she and her husband Michael DiBiasio had the grand idea to make it into a short film.
The Exposure
Together, Rebecca and Michael produced the feature film The Videoblogs (available on VOD), as well as short films such as Multiverse and The Confession.
To conceptualize this piece for film, the team added the (previously “off stage”) character of the young artist, who is there to draw the nude protagonist.
Real-life artist Jamel Robinson was perfect for this role, and brings an edge, honesty, and depth to it that the team thinks will make this piece resonate with audiences.
The Clothes Off Our Backs
We need your help to bring this story to life. We know we have an important story to tell, and if you’ve read to this point you probably also understand the balancing act that comes with growing older, making art, living life, raising kids, and accepting new identities. Without you this project won’t be possible, so thank you in advance for your support of female-centered stories, and women-driven filmmaking.
Naked Stretching!
Oh, wait, did we forget to mention that we're all independent artists, who are used to stretchinggggg a buck but ALSO have learned it's okay to ask for more (whattt?).
Here are some different tiers for our campaign goal(s):
Base Goal ($5,500)
This allows us to shoot, and to pay every one a little bit for their time. Many key collaborators on the team will wear multiple hats. We don't mind, but it can get hard!
Middle Goal ($7,800)
This amount will allow us to hire a bigger crew, with most people wearing only one hat (doing one job). It can happen!
Top Goal ($10,000)
If we were to raise this amount, we can speed up completion of the film and secure an easier go of things, just in general. We don't need it to succeed, but it would sureeeee be nice, and every dollar would still be maxed out to make the best film possible.
For you. Our Naked friends.
Thanks for considering our project! You're so very sexy!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Artist Easels
Costs $150
The majority of the film takes place in an art studio, and we need it to look authentic, yo.
Make-Up Artist
Costs $175
Despite the title of the film, some basic make-up is needed. We won't go as nuts as this photo, tho.
Artist's Studio
Costs $750
The space we will be shooting in is gorge' and the artist deserves a fair pay for letting us use it!
Taxis
Costs $250
To set, from set, late production nights...this is NY and we want to be safe.
Food
Costs $500
On set and in meetings, we need to eat. Help us eat. We may or may not wear clothes.
On-Set Producer + Sound Person
Costs $350
When Rebecca takes off her producer hat to act, this person will step up. Oh, and also record sound?
Actors
Costs $350
We always hire pros and it's a bottom line for us that they get paid.
Writer
Costs $175
Writers gonna write. Writers gonna get paid.
Directors
Costs $350
We've got two of them. Double the talent. Double the fun.
Director of Photography
Costs $175
We need someone who can get that shot and get it right.
Production Assistant
Costs $175
We've got a small crew and will need an extra set of hands! The girl in this pic seems cool.
Wardrobe
Costs $200
We can't be naked all the time. Well, we can but the script isn't written that way. Not totally.
Props
Costs $100
There are things in the world of film that make the world look real. We need those things.
Editor
Costs $175
This person will put everything together and put it together in a cool way. We love editors!
Colorist
Costs $175
Because they make things look pretty.
Sound Designer
Costs $175
So you can hear all the things we are saying.
Composer
Costs $175
Because music always makes things juuust a bit cooler.
Festivals!
Costs $500
We are taking this all the way, baby! Help us spread our reach.
Insurance
Costs $600
Totally boring. Totally necessary.
Share this update!
About This Team
Vanessa Shealy (Writer/Director) Originally from Oklahoma City, Vanessa Shealy completed her MFA in Acting from the University of Georgia before moving to the Big Apple, where she is a writer and actor. Vanessa’s full length plays include Tea in the Afternoon, American Drum Circle, and One, Two, Whatever you do... Her short plays include A Captive Audience, Cataracts, and the short solo play, Naked. Her original comedic short film, Whistle & Snap screened at six film festivals, including the Montreal Black Film Festival. Vanessa was a co-producer of the feature length documentary, Souled Out Comedy, which won the Audience Choice award at The Friars Club Comedy Film Festival. She is also an actor and the co-creator and writer of the comic book series Couri Vine.
Michael DiBiasio (Co-Director) Filmmaker Michael DiBiasio's first feature The Videoblogs screened nationally in 2016 and is currently available on VOD in multiple countries. His best friends are his wife (see also: Rebecca De Ornelas), his dog, and whatever film he is working on at the time, which he believes is an entirely normal, healthy, and appropriate way to live. Michael is a graduate of Columbia University. In addition to Naked, he is currently working on his second feature film and his debut novel.
Rebecca De Ornelas (Producer/Lead Actress) In addition to playing the lead role in The Videoblogs ("a provocative indie", RogerEbert.com), Rebecca has appeared on several New York stages, including as Amy in The Show-Off at The Barrow Group as well as in the one-women show rendition of Naked, which was in several festivals. She has produced and appeared in multiple films and holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she trained at the Stella Adler Studio with Master Teachers Ron Burrus, James Tripp, and Betsy Parish. Rebecca lives in Brooklyn, where she was born and raised, with her husband (see also: Michael DiBiasio) and pup, Zelda Fitzgerald.
Jamel E. Robinson (Actor/Artist) Jamel Robinson is a poet and self-taught visual artist best known for his abstract paintings on canvas and non traditional surfaces. He began the new chapter of his creative journey after being asked to paint a poem on a canvas for a group exhibition in the winter of 2011. Robinson has appeared in various charity auctions, solo exhibitions and group shows in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and in Copenhagen. His paintings, drawings and sculptures have sold to a variety of prominent collectors and gained Robinson popularity in the US and abroad. Jamel has exhibited with the Ivy Brown Gallery in New York, the EFERYA Gallery in Paris and Gallery Von Schmordenfaden in Copenhagen and is based in Harlem, New York where he was born, raised, lives and works.