Marshawn is in a rut. And it all hit when his girlfriend dumped him. So he decides to shake up his life a little, try some new things… but nothing seems to work. Nope, it’s time to start dating again. And after an attempt at speed dating, Marshawn thinks he’s finally found the right person in Christa. He’s even going to take her to a kung-fu film festival!

However, there’s someone who completely disagrees with Marshawn's choice: the voice that’s narrating his story. You've all seen those films where there's a narrator not related in any way to the characters but telling their stories anyway? Well it turns out this particular narrator’s been telling Marshawn’s story for a lot longer than he ever knew.

Now Marshawn’s finally listening. And what’s more, he’s fighting back!

Plunge. An uncommon comedy about free will. With not one, but two twist endings!

OTHER FILMS FEATURING UNTRUSTWORTHY NARRATORS!

MARSHAWN, African American, late 20’s. A data processor, longtime comics fan, and newly single. He thinks he’s found the right girl, and a real date is in order. His life is about to read like a comic book with the obstacles a certain someone puts in his way…

THE NARRATOR. The voice narrating Marshawn’s story… not just in this film, but for a lot longer than our main character knows. And he knows what’s best for Marshawn no matter how physically painful it might be.

JUDY: A kickboxer with some serious relationship issues of her own who Marshawn meets in kickboxing class. And regrets meeting, as evidenced my his black eye...

CHRISTA: She likes Marshawn. He likes her. So why is his narrator trying to break them up?

BELINDA: Marshawn’s ex-girlfriend.

MEAGHAN, BARRY, TIA, and PAUL: Worst-case scenarios at speed dating night.

Also FBI Agents, zombies, aliens, ninjas, and participants at pottery and creating comics classes... You’ll have to see it to believe it!

After two sessions with the Scriptwriter's Studio at Bellingham Film the script for Plunge was submitted to a number of screenplay competitions where it wound up placing high with the Hollywood Hills Screenplay Competition, the Monmouth Film Festival, and the LA Comedy Festival among others.

Bellingham Script Studio, where Plunge was first read.

Photo by Bellingham Script Studio, official Facebook page.

But scripts are meant to filmed, not read. Now, after a COVID derailed our plans in 2020, the producing team of Axt, Winters, and Craig are ready to make it happen.

Now, the goal for Plunge is $30,000.

Yes, really! Even though this is a short film, Plunge's scope is very ambitious: a Hollywood-style film shot on an independent level. To produce and direct a project of this nature at a high level of quality requires a considerable investment of time and money to make a reality.

This is where you come in! Your contributions will cover all aspects of filming, from pre-production to post. Of equal importance everyone connected with the filming of Plunge will be paid for their hard work.

Shooting will take place over the course of three weekends in September and October in lovely downtown Bellingham, Washington:

(Look! Lovely downtown Bellingham, Washington!)

The completed production will be submitted to film festivals worldwide, especially those specializing in (of course) comedy.

NOTE: The production will follow COVID protocols, and providing adequate PPE on set.

The important question... why not?

Some of the best answers to questions are the simplest ones, travel from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time. The simplest answer here is that this is a film we want to make for no other reason than:

a) the script is original and made us laugh out loud, an...

b) we wanted to challenge ourselves as filmmakers.

After the past two years everyone has been through, we need to laugh. Plunge certainly fits the bill. COVID derailed our plans to make Plunge in 2020. Now we have a second shot. The team is ready to get to work; if it doesn't happen now, who knows when it will.

 Consulting Producer Maggie Craig on the set of the award-winning short film The Fork (as director), also produced by her and Damon Winters.

Photo by Bellingham Script Studio, official Facebook page.

Anything beyond our production $30,000 budget will go toward submission fees and marketing (press packets, social media, etc.) for film festivals.

"It takes a lot to make me laugh. And I found myself laughing as I wrote this on a train from Bellingham to Everett, WA, a stream of consciousness quickly morphing over several drafts into one of the best scripts I've written to date. But again, scripts aren't meant to be read, they're meant to be filmed.

"Only weeks ago I turned 53. For the past 20 years I've worked as an audio dramatist, developing and producing over 60 hours of high-quality audio dramas from The X-Files and Locke & Key for Audible to Starstruck to programs for Scholastic Audio. Even before my birthday I knew that the third act of my life needed to go off with a bang. It was time to explore an artistic realm I've always been a fan of, but never truly a part of. And that realm is filmmaking.

"But I'm not jumping into the fire by myself; I'm lucky to be making this in Bellingham and Whatcom County with not only my fellow producers but also a supportive community of artists, musicians, performers, arts organizations, and especially filmmakers. Film is a collaborative medium, and I have some fantastic collaborators here to tell Marshawn's story...

Or is it the Narrator's? We'll see..."

- Lance Roger Axt, Screenwriter/Director

Donate what you can! Not to mention you can also help to spread the word on social media and/or by email! Please share our campaign however you can (just copy and paste):

Help screenwriter and director Lance Roger Axt by contributing to his short comedy film Plunge! Marshawn is ready to jump back into the dating world... but the narrator narrating his story has other ideas! Join the Plunge team on @seedandspark https://seedandspark.com/fund/plunge-short

Each person that shares our mission to make helps expand our reach and our chances of making Plunge happen.