Only Strangers Sleep in my Bed
Middletown, Connecticut | Film Short
Thriller
This is the story of a young con man and his journey into the home of the woman who believes him to be her long lost son. Through her door and under her floorboards, he will find that he is not alone in his secrets.
Only Strangers Sleep in my Bed
Middletown, Connecticut | Film Short
Thriller
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,934 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
46 supporters | followers
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This is the story of a young con man and his journey into the home of the woman who believes him to be her long lost son. Through her door and under her floorboards, he will find that he is not alone in his secrets.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We open on a dark hotel room as a young man dyes his hair red in the mirror. We do not know his name, but he will go by Sam. Beside him hangs an aged missing poster for a red haired boy with conspicuous spectacles upon his face. The name reads Samuel Weaver.
Across town, in a once-lavish home, Victoria Weaver eats alone. When an unexpected knock breaks her solitude, our plot begins.
Only Strangers Sleep in my Bed is a perverse vision of a secluded home in a small quiet town that was scarred years before by the dissapearance of a child. When a con man works his way into the home of a lonely woman, he will soon find that he is not the only one with something to hide.
Stoker, Chan-Wook Park Gone Girl, David Fincher
Growing up in San Francisco, I was always fascinated by the ornate Victorian homes that have dotted the landscape since the end of the 19th century. In my younger years, my father would often bring me to these aging homes as he remodeled them. The setting of Only Strangers Sleep in my Bed takes inspiration from that architecture. Enveloped in deep greens and oranges, the palette of the home is warm, earthy, and claustrophobic.
Stoker, Chan-Wook Park Soliloquy, Kazynori Nagashima
Beyond the house itself, the film borrows from the theme of 20th century Americana and the archetypes within. It plays on the thief and the grieving mother as cliches to be explored and subverted.
We Need to Talk about Kevin, Lynne Ramsay Circumstance, Formento & Formento
The cinematography will bring a feeling of voyeurism to the story with the viewer on the outside looking into two shrouded lives as they reveal themselves to one another. Clarity in the visual expression of complex information is crucial and much of the plot is based around visual motif.
Making a film on 16mm film can get pretty expensive. Even one that's twelve minutes long. Though we have already secured funding to cover much of the cost of the 16mm film stock along with its post production processing, there are many other costs that we much take into consideration if we want to bring Only Strangers Sleep in my Bed to its fullest potential.
- The single largest remaining aspect of our budget is for production design. For our film, this consists of constructed sets, costume design, props, and generally decorating the spaces. A visual story such as this is boosted by an aesthetic that fits its mood. We hope to give insight to the characters and their stories through the spaces they inhabit.
- The film's location of an aging Victoria home is also paramount for the structure of the plot, so we must be precise with our shooting location.
- Over our collective years watching the projects of young filmmakers, it has become clear that the single most common obstacle to a project's success is the quality of the sound design. We're going to leave it to those who are trained in it.
- Filmmaking is hard work and nothing good ever came out of a crew that wasn't properly rested or fed. We're not renting beds or anything like that, but we will need some food.
- Since we are going to be filming on location, we need a reliable form of transportation for getting our cast and crew to and from set each day.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Food
Costs $600
We need to keep our cast and crew well fed so that everyone is happy on set!
The Victorian Home
Costs $500
The story is confined to a single house, help us find the perfect one...
Transportation
Costs $250
We need to make sure our cast and crew can get to set every day!
Production Design
Costs $2,000
To create the precise world of the film, we need to focus intensely on Production Design
Share this update!
About This Team
Shane Bannon (Writer-Director) is a film major at Wesleyan University. He grew up in San Francisco in an aging Victorian home. He has worked in several capacities on Commercial and Television shoots. His short film Clarissa Starlander and the Missing Moon Princess, which he directed alongside Noah Dirks premiered at Campus Movie Fest where it won the Jury Award, Best Story, and Best Campus Picture. Several of his most recent projects were shot on 16mm.
Adam De Santes (Producer) is a film and psychology student at Wesleyan University. He recently produced the feature film, Calliope, as well as over 15 short films, including “Tag, You’re Id,” “The Collective,” and “There’s Still a Chance?” which received Gold Keys at the Scholastic Art Competition and screened at multiple film festivals. An actor as well, he has been involved in numerous theater productions in both Wisconsin and Connecticut.
Anik Bernstein (Producer/Script Supervisor) is a Sophomore at Wesleyan University. She has worked on 4 short films at Wesleyan as well as one Web-series as a Producer, Script Supervisor, AD, and PA. She is extremely excited to be working with Shane and the rest of the team, and has a lot of faith in this project.
Matt Kleppner (Director of Photography) is a Film and American Studies double major at Wesleyan University who works primarily as a DP on short films and music videos. Experienced with both the technical and creative sides of cinematography, he endeavors to enhance the emotional context of a story through lighting, camera, color, and lens. He also works as a freelance filmmaker and recently as a 2nd AC on Investigation Discovery's "A Crime to Remember." His most recent 16mm film, "Summertime," can be viewed on the "additional videos" section of our page.
Sofie Somoroff (Assistant Director) is a senior film and theater major at Wesleyan University. A proud member of Shane's Sight and Sound Crew, Sofie loves supporting and being part of his wacky and exciting creative process. Shi is ecstatic to practice a new method of keeping people on schedule through the use of Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
Wilson Lai (Gaffer) is going to be a junior at Wesleyan this year with an intention to double major in Film and History. He has worked on short films since high school and loves working on set. Lighting is his passion.
Celina Bernstein (Production Designer/Executive Producer) is a Senior Theater and Studio Art Major at Wesleyan University. Her role of Executive Producer consists of reminding Shane to do things. Her design experience comes from many different areas, including costume design, painting, and teaching herself how to use Photoshop by watching every Youtube tutorial that was available in 2010. Celina is incredibly dedicated to this project and is excited to bring the world of the film to life.
Capri Gehred-O’Connell (Set Dresser) is a junior Theater Major at Wesleyan University. She has worked on previous films as an actress and production assistant and is very excited to venture into the world of set decoration. She has been studying scenic design with Marcela Oteíza and will be working as her research assistant this fall to further her studies into the field.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We open on a dark hotel room as a young man dyes his hair red in the mirror. We do not know his name, but he will go by Sam. Beside him hangs an aged missing poster for a red haired boy with conspicuous spectacles upon his face. The name reads Samuel Weaver.
Across town, in a once-lavish home, Victoria Weaver eats alone. When an unexpected knock breaks her solitude, our plot begins.
Only Strangers Sleep in my Bed is a perverse vision of a secluded home in a small quiet town that was scarred years before by the dissapearance of a child. When a con man works his way into the home of a lonely woman, he will soon find that he is not the only one with something to hide.
Stoker, Chan-Wook Park Gone Girl, David Fincher
Growing up in San Francisco, I was always fascinated by the ornate Victorian homes that have dotted the landscape since the end of the 19th century. In my younger years, my father would often bring me to these aging homes as he remodeled them. The setting of Only Strangers Sleep in my Bed takes inspiration from that architecture. Enveloped in deep greens and oranges, the palette of the home is warm, earthy, and claustrophobic.
Stoker, Chan-Wook Park Soliloquy, Kazynori Nagashima
Beyond the house itself, the film borrows from the theme of 20th century Americana and the archetypes within. It plays on the thief and the grieving mother as cliches to be explored and subverted.
We Need to Talk about Kevin, Lynne Ramsay Circumstance, Formento & Formento
The cinematography will bring a feeling of voyeurism to the story with the viewer on the outside looking into two shrouded lives as they reveal themselves to one another. Clarity in the visual expression of complex information is crucial and much of the plot is based around visual motif.
Making a film on 16mm film can get pretty expensive. Even one that's twelve minutes long. Though we have already secured funding to cover much of the cost of the 16mm film stock along with its post production processing, there are many other costs that we much take into consideration if we want to bring Only Strangers Sleep in my Bed to its fullest potential.
- The single largest remaining aspect of our budget is for production design. For our film, this consists of constructed sets, costume design, props, and generally decorating the spaces. A visual story such as this is boosted by an aesthetic that fits its mood. We hope to give insight to the characters and their stories through the spaces they inhabit.
- The film's location of an aging Victoria home is also paramount for the structure of the plot, so we must be precise with our shooting location.
- Over our collective years watching the projects of young filmmakers, it has become clear that the single most common obstacle to a project's success is the quality of the sound design. We're going to leave it to those who are trained in it.
- Filmmaking is hard work and nothing good ever came out of a crew that wasn't properly rested or fed. We're not renting beds or anything like that, but we will need some food.
- Since we are going to be filming on location, we need a reliable form of transportation for getting our cast and crew to and from set each day.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Food
Costs $600
We need to keep our cast and crew well fed so that everyone is happy on set!
The Victorian Home
Costs $500
The story is confined to a single house, help us find the perfect one...
Transportation
Costs $250
We need to make sure our cast and crew can get to set every day!
Production Design
Costs $2,000
To create the precise world of the film, we need to focus intensely on Production Design
Share this update!
About This Team
Shane Bannon (Writer-Director) is a film major at Wesleyan University. He grew up in San Francisco in an aging Victorian home. He has worked in several capacities on Commercial and Television shoots. His short film Clarissa Starlander and the Missing Moon Princess, which he directed alongside Noah Dirks premiered at Campus Movie Fest where it won the Jury Award, Best Story, and Best Campus Picture. Several of his most recent projects were shot on 16mm.
Adam De Santes (Producer) is a film and psychology student at Wesleyan University. He recently produced the feature film, Calliope, as well as over 15 short films, including “Tag, You’re Id,” “The Collective,” and “There’s Still a Chance?” which received Gold Keys at the Scholastic Art Competition and screened at multiple film festivals. An actor as well, he has been involved in numerous theater productions in both Wisconsin and Connecticut.
Anik Bernstein (Producer/Script Supervisor) is a Sophomore at Wesleyan University. She has worked on 4 short films at Wesleyan as well as one Web-series as a Producer, Script Supervisor, AD, and PA. She is extremely excited to be working with Shane and the rest of the team, and has a lot of faith in this project.
Matt Kleppner (Director of Photography) is a Film and American Studies double major at Wesleyan University who works primarily as a DP on short films and music videos. Experienced with both the technical and creative sides of cinematography, he endeavors to enhance the emotional context of a story through lighting, camera, color, and lens. He also works as a freelance filmmaker and recently as a 2nd AC on Investigation Discovery's "A Crime to Remember." His most recent 16mm film, "Summertime," can be viewed on the "additional videos" section of our page.
Sofie Somoroff (Assistant Director) is a senior film and theater major at Wesleyan University. A proud member of Shane's Sight and Sound Crew, Sofie loves supporting and being part of his wacky and exciting creative process. Shi is ecstatic to practice a new method of keeping people on schedule through the use of Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
Wilson Lai (Gaffer) is going to be a junior at Wesleyan this year with an intention to double major in Film and History. He has worked on short films since high school and loves working on set. Lighting is his passion.
Celina Bernstein (Production Designer/Executive Producer) is a Senior Theater and Studio Art Major at Wesleyan University. Her role of Executive Producer consists of reminding Shane to do things. Her design experience comes from many different areas, including costume design, painting, and teaching herself how to use Photoshop by watching every Youtube tutorial that was available in 2010. Celina is incredibly dedicated to this project and is excited to bring the world of the film to life.
Capri Gehred-O’Connell (Set Dresser) is a junior Theater Major at Wesleyan University. She has worked on previous films as an actress and production assistant and is very excited to venture into the world of set decoration. She has been studying scenic design with Marcela Oteíza and will be working as her research assistant this fall to further her studies into the field.