The Story

Oopsie Daisy follows Noah, a young Jewish man who is grieving the loss of his mother and finds comfort in bringing mistakenly stolen painted stones to her grave, but little does he know the importance these rocks hold to a young woman, Elizabeth, caring for her sick grandmother, May. Noah struggles with coming to terms with the sudden death and as a result, struggles with severe anxiety and loneliness. Similarly, Elizabeth struggles with her problems- spending time with what’s left of the grandmother she once knew through their only connection to the past: art. When Noah and Elizabeth meet unusually, they learn more about each other and form a new connection.

With this story being set in 2007, we won’t only be telling this story in a different era, but at a time before the world changed. This is a time before smartphones and social media when things were simpler. We wanted to go back to this era because it was during our youth, which was such an important part of who we are today. We are confident that we can recreate this look and hope to bring our audience members back to this period from our younger lives.

The Message

This film is about the importance of having a support system, especially when dealing with loss. Our intent for this film is to convey to our audience the complex emotions that our characters face, just like us. This story has a universal experience, which we can all relate to: loss. With this film, we want to signify these themes and immerse our audience into an experience that feels like a slice of life. Through Oopsie Daisy, we are conveying that in one of the hardest life experiences that anyone could go through, having a support system is needed, especially for one’s mental health.

The Characters

Noah (22) - An innocent and wholesome but emotionally damaged young man. Recently orphaned, he struggles to come to terms with the death of his mother on his own. As a vulnerable and guarded introvert, he keeps to himself but the feelings from his past have intensified, having become harder to hide, and are hindering his healing.

Elizabeth (22) - A lifelong people pleaser, now a workaholic who is taking personal time off, causing her anxiety. With her parents out of the picture since she was born, she was raised by her grandparents. Since taking time off, her worries about her grandmother have turned her into a feisty individual, especially when it comes to the stones that sit so close to her.

May (70) - Elizabeth’s grandmother. A sweet, older woman who enjoys the simple things of life. Selfless, gentle, and considerate she took care of her granddaughter growing up, who now takes care of her. Although she is aging rapidly she is still the same person underneath. Once an art teacher, she has a special place for creating beautiful things a bond that ties her close to Elizabeth and keeps her young if only for brief moments.

Director's Note

Dealing with grief is something we can all relate to, though each person’s story is different. For example, a sudden and unexpected loss or a slow and painful one. Sometimes we feel guilt or anger, or sometimes we feel a sense of relief when dealing with grief. Losing a loved one or an entire support system is hard, but we don’t have to cope alone. 

Oopsie Daisy explores the universality of this concept and more specifically the importance of a support system. Our characters Noah and Elizabeth come from completely different walks of life, and yet they are both feeling the same difficult emotions. They are two young adults navigating the real world for the first time, and dealing with large amounts of grief on top of that. Our inspirations for Oopsie Daisy come from works that depict these emotions and situations, such as Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Stephen Chbosky’s Perks of Being A Wallflower. 

Our Look

Through our Director of Photography:

I thought long and hard about how I wanted to capture the story of Oopsie Daisy. I ended up drawing the most inspiration from these four films as they all bring different aspects to our overall look. I feel soft lighting that can blend into the scene will amplify our story as we can focus on our deep and complex characters. Along with that, I want the film to have a certain texture to it that I think Portrait of a Lady on Fire has, along with its beautiful subdued colors that are accompanied by magnificent locations and production design. I love Manchester by the Sea for its personal camera work that highlights the actors rather than where the actors are and I feel similarly about First Reformed except it prioritized wide shots that captured both sides of a conversation while still not being afraid to have fantastic close-ups. Additionally, it used its 4:3 aspect ratio to its advantage, which is what I plan on doing too. Finally, even though it came out recently, The Holdovers had incredible winter lighting, which is what I will need to make this film look the best it possibly can. I think this blend of different film looks, along with my unique style, will make Oopsie Daisy look more than just a typical short film.

The Holdovers (2023) / Manchester by the Sea (2016) / Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) / First Reformed (2017)

Our Look

Through our Production Designer:

Our Timeline

PROJECT STATUS

As of November 2023, Oopsie Daisy is in the pre-production phase. We’re aiming to raise $14,000 through our crowdfunding efforts and begin moving through our production timeline. The film will be cast by January 2024, and we are currently set to start filming in late February 2024. After filming is complete and the post-production process is underway, we are pursuing a Summer 2024 release and submission of Oopsie Daisy to various film festivals. 

This campaign helps us afford the necessary things for this project to be made. It is important because crowdfunding helps us with not just production, but also pre-production, post-production, and distribution. We’re hoping to reach our crowdfunding goal and all contributions will bring us closer to that target. We need to be able to get props, professional actors, film equipment, a proper color grade, a sound mix, locations, safety equipment, and contingency in case anything goes wrong.

DEVELOPMENT

Oopsie Daisy’s script was originally written in the fall of 2022 by Julia, our screenwriter. From then, it has gone through many drafts and revisions to become the strong story it is now. Around the same time that the script was being written, our team was coming together. All of us have come from many different areas of filmmaking and are all dedicated to having Oopsie Daisy come to life.

PRE-PRODUCTION

Now with a solid script and a team excited to begin, we have been working day and night to fine-tune the film to be as good as it can be! In the pre-production phase, our director Kira has been working closely with Julia, who is also the film’s producer, to create a vision for the story and bring out the most important themes. Julia and our assistant director, Ryan, have been hard at work organizing this crowdfunding campaign, creating a budget for the project, and creating a timeline of production including an initial shooting schedule. Ari, our director of photography, has been brainstorming how he wants to visually portray the themes of the film, and creating his shot list for the production. Our production designer, Lexi, has been tirelessly creating a vision for how the characters, locations, and props should look and fit right into the film’s 2007 aesthetic. Nick, our sound designer, has been working hard planning how to record clean audio in the various locations we will need to be shooting in. Last but not least, our editor, Holly, has been meticulously honing her skills and deciding the style and techniques she wants to use with the final film, as well as editing projects like our test drive and crowdfunding video. Every member of the team has been giving their all to the project’s pre-production and cannot wait to scout locations, begin the audition process, and bring the project to life!

PRODUCTION

All of our pre-production has led towards our film shoot, which will be in February of 2024. Here, everything will come to life as we get our locations and design them to look like the year 2007. We’ve worked on films together to become more confident in our abilities as filmmakers by working on films such as our test drive film and our promotional video, as shown above. These films have helped and have prepared us for Oopsie Daisy, which is going to turn out amazing. If you’d like to see the behind-the-scenes of our production, some incentives will give you special access to see everything during filming!

POST-PRODUCTION

Holly, our editor, and Ari, our assistant editor as well as Nick, our sound designer, will be going through the footage and sound to create a cut of the film. This process is very important as it requires working with a sound mixer, a professional color grader, as well as a composer for the soundtrack of our film. Around this time, Ryan and Julia will be working to make sure that supporters can receive their incentives!

DISTRIBUTION

Lastly, we have set aside a part of our budget to help with film festival fees. These are important because we want to establish ourselves within the industry with our film. We are planning to submit to many well-known festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, and many more. Additionally, supporters who contributed $75+ will receive a digital copy of the film.

Your Contributions

Oopsie Daisy has many crucial elements, from its 2007 production design to taking in an actual cemetery location. We are grateful for all the support that we will get. With your support, we will be able to directly cover important production costs at all stages, like locations, professional talent, festival entry fees, and many more. Your contributions will truly be what brings Oopsie Daisy to its fullest potential, and wouldn’t be possible without your help. For more info on how you can help us, check out the incentives list to see how we can show our thanks to you for contributing to this project that we care so deeply about. There you can receive movie posters, stickers, behind-the-scenes footage, custom Oopsie Daisy merch, and more!

How You Can Support

This page will fund our project from pre-production through distribution. We are confident in our abilities as filmmakers and students to bring this story to life. We appreciate all of the support that we get and with your help, we will be able to share this film with the world!

Click the button “Make a Pledge” at the top of this page to help us. Any amount, big or small, will bring us closer to reaching our goal!

Follow us on our Instagram @oopsiedaisyfilm and Facebook Oopsie Daisy Film as well as this Seed&Spark page to stay up to date with the progress of Oopsie Daisy. With more followers on our pages, the greater the audience our film can reach to others!

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