Playing Games With Your Brother
New York City, New York | Film Short
Thriller, History
In the aftermath of 9/11, a suburban tween is left to his own devices while his brother serves in the Army. After a friend exposes him to a website featuring brutal real-world footage he is forced to question his trust in his own country and family. A coming-of-age thriller & NYU Tisch Thesis Film.
Playing Games With Your Brother
New York City, New York | Film Short
Thriller, History
Green Light
This campaign raised $9,620 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
24 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
In the aftermath of 9/11, a suburban tween is left to his own devices while his brother serves in the Army. After a friend exposes him to a website featuring brutal real-world footage he is forced to question his trust in his own country and family. A coming-of-age thriller & NYU Tisch Thesis Film.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
It’s 2006. Trevor is 11, his brother is six thousand miles away in Iraq, and the suburbs are lame. But in the endless world of video games and unlimited internet access, Trevor finds excitement and a slow descent into extremely graphic content. When his best friend's seedy older brother offers to show him "something he’s never seen before," Trevor eagerly accepts.
The last thing Trevor expected to have "never seen" was the good guys committing atrocities.
This shatters his worldview—Every soldier now looks like a monster. Every soldier now looks like his brother.
In the aftermath of extreme terror, Trevor jumps to extreme conclusions— he believes that his brother has been executed.
The film’s final act is a depiction of the idle dread carried by those with loved ones in places of war. Trevor returns to home, eats dinner and waits for the evening news to announce the unspeakable.
When no word arrives, Trevor returns to his routine but never plays the same games again.
CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGERY
Let’s get inside Trevor’s shoes— our VISUAL STYLE aims to blend the aesthetics of video games and home video to lull viewers’ into a state of nostalgia before shocking them with pure found-footage terror.
Coming of Age: Super Dark Times (2017), Janet Planet (2024), Dìdi(2024)
Video Games: Halo, Call of Duty
Psychological Horror: Super Dark Times (2017), Come and See (1985), Dìdi(2024)
As the film progresses, the tone and visual style shift from naive coming-of-age tale with a soft, fully lit look into a claustrophobic psychological thriller.
Center: Sabrina Harman "Thumbs Up" photo, Abdou Hussain Saad Faleh "Hooded Man" photo (Abu Ghraib, 2003). Images published by The Atlantic, The Economist, et al. Corresponding recreation test footage on either side.
No real footage of prisoners held by US Armed Forces, Al Qaeda, or by other parties is being used in the film, out of respect for victims. However, published depictions of real atrocities such as the Abu Ghraib torture scandal have directly influenced the visuals of the film.
Twenty years since America’s last incursion in Iraq, America is once again politically intervening in the Middle East. Our country has too easily forgotten the toll of a foreign war.
This vicious pattern has historically been predicated on the myth that war will remain foreign—that the theater of combat and the American homeland are distinct and unblurred zones.
The internet shattered this myth.
Like Trevor, everyday people can view the horrors of war: in real time from the ostensible safety of their homes, phones, and living rooms. This pattern within mass media desensitizes American civilians to routine violence while burdening the families of servicepeople with trauma-by-proxy.
Playing Games With Your Brother is a cautionary tale about this emotional toll.
While the American Government contemplates and supports a new war overseas, this movie is a gentle portrait of the American suburb, of the golden age of the internet, and the early 2000s. It’s a story about the intimacy of childhood, brotherhood, and about what happens when those bonds are shaken by the all-too-common upheaval of the American dream.
We don't want to play you for fools—here's the basic breakdown of how your money will be spent. Check out the WISHLIST tab for more details. Our total budget is just over 11,000. To receive any funds pledged to Seed & Spark, we must receive a minimum of $8,888 (80%) to reach of "green light" point.
Budget goal: $11,110
Seed & Spark Green-light Threshold: $8,888
x____PRE-PRODUCTION: October 2025-March 2026
x____FUNDRAISING: March 2026: You are here. Help us move past here.
o____PRODUCTION: April 2026: The actual filming of the film, April 9th-14th.
o____PICTURE LOCK: June 2026: Our first cut of the film gets pieced together
o____SOUND EDIT: July 2026: Sound design and original score are implemented.
o____FINAL CUT: August 2026: At long last—This is when all our lovely investors will see the final film.
o____FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS: Fall 2026: With your help, Playing Games With Your Brother is introduced to the world.
For more information or inquiries, you can reach us at @playinggameswithyourbrother on instagram.
Thank you for your consideration.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location—Suburban Home
Costs $2,000
In this economy??? We're looking for a family home in the NYC area to settle down in for a weekend. Loans HIGHLY appreciated.
Music Licensing
Costs $500
In addition to our original score, we have a "stretch goal" of licensing indie rock music from the period the film takes place
Gamer Fuel
Costs $925
Help feed and water our voracious crew with meals 1000% more nutritious than this. If you're hungry, they're hungry.
Set Dressing
Costs $750
It takes a lot of money to make a teenagers smelly mancave look this cheap. Help us bring our big brothers' rooms to life.
Camera & Lighting Rentals
Costs $2,000
We're deeply grateful to have a cinematic-level core camera package from NYU. Help us get the lights and lenses to complete our look.
2006 Kids Clothes
Costs $75
Period accurate clothing for Trevor, his neighbor Colton, and Colton's dirtbag older brother
Festival Submissions
Costs $500
Help us show Playing Games With Your Brother to the world!
Equipment Van
Costs $800
A Penske truck to transport our equipment and other goodies from the big city to Trevor's secluded suburbs.
Personnel Transport
Costs $1,000
Help get our crew out to the suburbs. Our options are my older brother's hatchback (pictured) or—with your support—a swanky passenger van.
Color Correction
Costs $300
We're looking for a quality colorist to give the film a slightly grainy, early-digital camcorder feel.
Early 2000's Rock Band Posters
Costs $60
Every edgy older brother needs his room decor. Send us your favorites or allow us cash to print our own!
Overnight Lodging
Costs $1,000
Let's give our actors a place to sleep that looks nicer than this. Pillows preferred.
Production Misc, Emergency & Contingency
Costs $1,200
It's better to be safe than sorry. Help keep our crew safe and our producer Sylvia sane by donating here.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
WRITER/DIRECTOR—Nathan Gall is a senior at NYU Tisch Film and TV. He is right here in the room with you all. Specializing in realistic dialogue, abrupt and surreal events, and aural storytelling, Nathan makes use of each of these in his upcoming thesis production ‘Playing Games With Your Brother’. Inspired by real events and experiences of the mid-2000s–Nathan brings his own upbringing wholly into his work. Focusing on the real-life implications of ever-budding technology and the 21st century imperial machine–Nathan brings a nuanced look at political modernism to his work.
PRODUCER—Sylvia Breaux is a New York based filmmaker and journalist. In addition to contributions to documentary work with The Washington Post and PBS, Sylvia has had her own films screened and awarded in festivals around the country, primarily at a splattering of horror-only fests. Sylvia’s heart lies in bringing fictional horrors to life and ensuring political accountability in the reality—however, crews needn’t fear going overtime or overbudget with her around.
CO-PRODUCER— Joyce Salame is a born and raised New Yorker of Syrian and Hungarian descent. She has produced several short films, the television pilot The Gig, as well as a micro-budget feature film The Rothschilds. She is currently attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts as a Film and Television major.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY—Tim Moon is a Brooklyn-based DP and camera assistant with experience in both digital and analogue mediums. While mostly working in New York and the surrounding area, he has also worked on productions across the United States and Europe. Tim’s love for film and making films was born out of watching and making skateboarding videos as a teenager. He is extremely excited and grateful to have Nathan as a friend but also as a collaborator in his next film ‘Playing Games With Your Brother.’
PRODUCTION DESIGNER—Kimia Saifyan is a Manhattan-based production designer and filmmaker whose work spans narrative and experimental genres. She approaches production design as a sensory language - using texture, space, and visual tone to evoke emotion and deepen story with the belief in mind that visual environments should not just support a narrative, but communicate one all on their own. Her design work includes a wide range of projects created in collaboration with filmmakers from Columbia University’s Graduate Film Program, New York University, and beyond.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
It’s 2006. Trevor is 11, his brother is six thousand miles away in Iraq, and the suburbs are lame. But in the endless world of video games and unlimited internet access, Trevor finds excitement and a slow descent into extremely graphic content. When his best friend's seedy older brother offers to show him "something he’s never seen before," Trevor eagerly accepts.
The last thing Trevor expected to have "never seen" was the good guys committing atrocities.
This shatters his worldview—Every soldier now looks like a monster. Every soldier now looks like his brother.
In the aftermath of extreme terror, Trevor jumps to extreme conclusions— he believes that his brother has been executed.
The film’s final act is a depiction of the idle dread carried by those with loved ones in places of war. Trevor returns to home, eats dinner and waits for the evening news to announce the unspeakable.
When no word arrives, Trevor returns to his routine but never plays the same games again.
CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGERY
Let’s get inside Trevor’s shoes— our VISUAL STYLE aims to blend the aesthetics of video games and home video to lull viewers’ into a state of nostalgia before shocking them with pure found-footage terror.
Coming of Age: Super Dark Times (2017), Janet Planet (2024), Dìdi(2024)
Video Games: Halo, Call of Duty
Psychological Horror: Super Dark Times (2017), Come and See (1985), Dìdi(2024)
As the film progresses, the tone and visual style shift from naive coming-of-age tale with a soft, fully lit look into a claustrophobic psychological thriller.
Center: Sabrina Harman "Thumbs Up" photo, Abdou Hussain Saad Faleh "Hooded Man" photo (Abu Ghraib, 2003). Images published by The Atlantic, The Economist, et al. Corresponding recreation test footage on either side.
No real footage of prisoners held by US Armed Forces, Al Qaeda, or by other parties is being used in the film, out of respect for victims. However, published depictions of real atrocities such as the Abu Ghraib torture scandal have directly influenced the visuals of the film.
Twenty years since America’s last incursion in Iraq, America is once again politically intervening in the Middle East. Our country has too easily forgotten the toll of a foreign war.
This vicious pattern has historically been predicated on the myth that war will remain foreign—that the theater of combat and the American homeland are distinct and unblurred zones.
The internet shattered this myth.
Like Trevor, everyday people can view the horrors of war: in real time from the ostensible safety of their homes, phones, and living rooms. This pattern within mass media desensitizes American civilians to routine violence while burdening the families of servicepeople with trauma-by-proxy.
Playing Games With Your Brother is a cautionary tale about this emotional toll.
While the American Government contemplates and supports a new war overseas, this movie is a gentle portrait of the American suburb, of the golden age of the internet, and the early 2000s. It’s a story about the intimacy of childhood, brotherhood, and about what happens when those bonds are shaken by the all-too-common upheaval of the American dream.
We don't want to play you for fools—here's the basic breakdown of how your money will be spent. Check out the WISHLIST tab for more details. Our total budget is just over 11,000. To receive any funds pledged to Seed & Spark, we must receive a minimum of $8,888 (80%) to reach of "green light" point.
Budget goal: $11,110
Seed & Spark Green-light Threshold: $8,888
x____PRE-PRODUCTION: October 2025-March 2026
x____FUNDRAISING: March 2026: You are here. Help us move past here.
o____PRODUCTION: April 2026: The actual filming of the film, April 9th-14th.
o____PICTURE LOCK: June 2026: Our first cut of the film gets pieced together
o____SOUND EDIT: July 2026: Sound design and original score are implemented.
o____FINAL CUT: August 2026: At long last—This is when all our lovely investors will see the final film.
o____FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS: Fall 2026: With your help, Playing Games With Your Brother is introduced to the world.
For more information or inquiries, you can reach us at @playinggameswithyourbrother on instagram.
Thank you for your consideration.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location—Suburban Home
Costs $2,000
In this economy??? We're looking for a family home in the NYC area to settle down in for a weekend. Loans HIGHLY appreciated.
Music Licensing
Costs $500
In addition to our original score, we have a "stretch goal" of licensing indie rock music from the period the film takes place
Gamer Fuel
Costs $925
Help feed and water our voracious crew with meals 1000% more nutritious than this. If you're hungry, they're hungry.
Set Dressing
Costs $750
It takes a lot of money to make a teenagers smelly mancave look this cheap. Help us bring our big brothers' rooms to life.
Camera & Lighting Rentals
Costs $2,000
We're deeply grateful to have a cinematic-level core camera package from NYU. Help us get the lights and lenses to complete our look.
2006 Kids Clothes
Costs $75
Period accurate clothing for Trevor, his neighbor Colton, and Colton's dirtbag older brother
Festival Submissions
Costs $500
Help us show Playing Games With Your Brother to the world!
Equipment Van
Costs $800
A Penske truck to transport our equipment and other goodies from the big city to Trevor's secluded suburbs.
Personnel Transport
Costs $1,000
Help get our crew out to the suburbs. Our options are my older brother's hatchback (pictured) or—with your support—a swanky passenger van.
Color Correction
Costs $300
We're looking for a quality colorist to give the film a slightly grainy, early-digital camcorder feel.
Early 2000's Rock Band Posters
Costs $60
Every edgy older brother needs his room decor. Send us your favorites or allow us cash to print our own!
Overnight Lodging
Costs $1,000
Let's give our actors a place to sleep that looks nicer than this. Pillows preferred.
Production Misc, Emergency & Contingency
Costs $1,200
It's better to be safe than sorry. Help keep our crew safe and our producer Sylvia sane by donating here.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
WRITER/DIRECTOR—Nathan Gall is a senior at NYU Tisch Film and TV. He is right here in the room with you all. Specializing in realistic dialogue, abrupt and surreal events, and aural storytelling, Nathan makes use of each of these in his upcoming thesis production ‘Playing Games With Your Brother’. Inspired by real events and experiences of the mid-2000s–Nathan brings his own upbringing wholly into his work. Focusing on the real-life implications of ever-budding technology and the 21st century imperial machine–Nathan brings a nuanced look at political modernism to his work.
PRODUCER—Sylvia Breaux is a New York based filmmaker and journalist. In addition to contributions to documentary work with The Washington Post and PBS, Sylvia has had her own films screened and awarded in festivals around the country, primarily at a splattering of horror-only fests. Sylvia’s heart lies in bringing fictional horrors to life and ensuring political accountability in the reality—however, crews needn’t fear going overtime or overbudget with her around.
CO-PRODUCER— Joyce Salame is a born and raised New Yorker of Syrian and Hungarian descent. She has produced several short films, the television pilot The Gig, as well as a micro-budget feature film The Rothschilds. She is currently attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts as a Film and Television major.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY—Tim Moon is a Brooklyn-based DP and camera assistant with experience in both digital and analogue mediums. While mostly working in New York and the surrounding area, he has also worked on productions across the United States and Europe. Tim’s love for film and making films was born out of watching and making skateboarding videos as a teenager. He is extremely excited and grateful to have Nathan as a friend but also as a collaborator in his next film ‘Playing Games With Your Brother.’
PRODUCTION DESIGNER—Kimia Saifyan is a Manhattan-based production designer and filmmaker whose work spans narrative and experimental genres. She approaches production design as a sensory language - using texture, space, and visual tone to evoke emotion and deepen story with the belief in mind that visual environments should not just support a narrative, but communicate one all on their own. Her design work includes a wide range of projects created in collaboration with filmmakers from Columbia University’s Graduate Film Program, New York University, and beyond.