#1 was inspired by the story of Edwin Rist, an American who stole bird feathers from a British museum. Rist grew up a member of the fly-tying community that used the feathers as an art. Among the bird plummage stolen were feathers from famous expeditions. Despite their historical value it took several days before anyone working at the museum noticed they were gone. Rist began selling the feathers and tore off tags destorying their scientific value. The feathers were absorbed into the fly-tying market that used them with love and care. Pieces of history became a product. 

Rist's story raises many questions. When does passion become dangerous? When is history destoryed? Why do people care so much about bird feathers?

Thinking of Rist, I found that many of these questions could be found in not just feathers but with comics and almost any collection. #1 discusses the questions Rist's story raises with a new subject.

Comic book collecting is a niche community with artifacts from history that are held in high value. There are reprints and digital editions that are held in less value than the original. The importance of old comics are not because they are the only means of enjoying the story, but because they came first and are tangible. The idea of tangible comics over digital is what brought in the NFT element into the story. Recently headlines have been filled with confusing jargon about blockchains and NFTs selling for millions. The idea of art ownership existing and being valued solely by code is a ridiculous concept that has changed the landscape of collecting into more of a stock market.

Comic book collecting is a world of insatiable desire. Comics have been apart of pop culture for decades, informing stories, but rarely is the medium itself given fair attention. As superhero blockbusters set records; comic shops go under. The most valuable comic in the world is worth over three million dollars. Auction houses frequent obsene collections of pulp treated like gospel. Thefts have been committed from stores to storage lockers to reap the benefits of the constantly revalued comic books.

The two characters represent the opposite forces from Rist's story.

Alley is greed. He scans the panels of a comic the public hasn't seen in half a century, a seemingly heroic act. Yet he chops up the work and sells them seperately to gain as much money as possible with NFTs, a new online frontier that challenges ideas of ownership.

Mason is passion. He rather keep the comic stuffed away and for it to be all his. He cares more about the book than anyone else ever could. He's ready to fight Alley to reclaim what he believes to be his.

Old superhero and horror comic books are vibrant. Giallo cinema has a history of pulp crime origins with stylings matching older comic books better than most of today's gray superhero films.

With giallo as an inspiration, the film's cinematographer and production designer will bring #1 to life as if it were torn from the pages of an old horror/thriller comic.

Inspired by the visuals of: Suspiria, Deep Red, Last Night in Soho, and more.

Suspiria, directed by Dario Argento, 1977.

Last Night in Soho, directed by Edgar Wright, 2021.

Comic book shops serve as the main setting of #1. We want to film at a real shop, and to do that we'll need your help. The Tempe-Phoenix area is scattered with stores that can serve as the location. We're on the hunt for the perfect store.

Be sure to stayed tuned to our updates as we announce what store we'll be filming. Our crew is sure to turn a local comic shop into the world of the suspenseful #1.

Below is a breakdown of our budget estimates. If we exceed our crowdfunding goal we aim to: increase the quality of the props for the film and submit to more festivals.

Shooting is estimated to take place April 2022.

After post-production is complete our film will be privately uploaded and elidgible contributors will receive a link to the film. The film will be up for a limited time to preserve the eventual festival releases.

#1 will be submitted to the ASU senior showcase to join the catalogue of other capstone films in December. During 2023, the film will be submitted and play at film festival festivals.

COVID-19 has complicated filming in these last few years, and your support means so much to us. The cast and crew will priotize a safe set enviroment. Social distancing, COVID testing, and required masks for crew are some of the ways we plan to make sure everyone stays healthy while filming.

Thank you for your time. We can't wait to show you the #1 short film.