Prickly Mountain
Waitsfield, Vermont | Film Feature
Documentary
Shaped by Bauhaus, design/build fostered creativity, resilience, and learning through making. Filmmaker Allie, raised in this ethos, explores its impact over three decades. The film naturally mirrors the movement’s emphasis on imperfection, celebrating process, failing, and learning along the way.
Prickly Mountain
Waitsfield, Vermont | Film Feature
Documentary
1 Campaigns | Vermont, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $15,000 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
152 supporters | followers
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Shaped by Bauhaus, design/build fostered creativity, resilience, and learning through making. Filmmaker Allie, raised in this ethos, explores its impact over three decades. The film naturally mirrors the movement’s emphasis on imperfection, celebrating process, failing, and learning along the way.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A feature documentary about a counter culture expression of architecture, and a girl who grew up in it.
Those Wacky Architects.
In the late ’60s and ’70s, a group of renegade architects landed in Vermont with big ideas and a simple goal: to stop just designing buildings and start making them too. Influenced by Bauhaus ideals but rebelling against academic rigidity, they built by hand, embraced mistakes, and turned architecture into a joyful, chaotic experiment. More than just homes, they built a lifestyle rooted in community, creativity, and imperfection. This was design/build—a movement about learning by doing, and doing it together. Fast-forward: I grew up in that world. Literally. I played in half-finished houses, learned to solve problems with my hands, and internalized a way of thinking that values process over perfection. Years later, as a filmmaker, I picked up a camera to document the design/build movement. I ended up rediscovering my roots—and building a house of my own. Prickly Mountain is a story about radical architecture, yes. But it's also a story about community, freedom, and what happens when we slow down and make things with care. It’s about building things — and lives — from the ground up.
This isn’t just a nostalgic dive into a quirky subculture. It’s a blueprint for how we might live differently — now.
As we face climate change, housing crises, and deep disconnection, the design/build philosophy feels more urgent than ever. This movement wasn’t just about making weird houses — it was about making a life.
The architects in this film weren’t just making wild homes — they were rejecting the rules of the establishment, embracing messiness, and finding power in collective action. Their story reminds us that creativity doesn’t require perfection, just participation. I like to call design/build the “slow build movement.” This film follows that same philosophy: it took time, intention, and a lot of growth to make. But that process shaped the outcome and my immense growth — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
WHAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED
- 50 interviews with architects, builders, and community members
- Filmed across Vermont, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Rhode Island
- Completed principal photography in 2023
- Full rough cut completed in February 2024
- Unofficial invites from two architecture film festivals — pending final cut!
WHERE YOU COME IN
We’re raising $15,000 to complete the final phase of post-production and get this film out into the world.
This is an all-or-nothing campaign — if we don’t hit our goal, we don’t receive the funds. Every dollar, every share, and every ounce of support helps us cross the finish line.
HOW WE’LL USE THE FUNDS
- Editor Fees – tighten the story, refine pacing
- Sound Design & Mix – polish it for professional release
- Color Grading – bring the footage (and archival) to life
- Music – afford licensed music that reflects the soul of the film
- Festival Submissions – to get the film out into the world
- Animation- bring graphics and imagery to life
STRETCH GOALS
Every dollar over our $15,000 goal will make the film even better and help us reach more people. Here's what your extra support could unlock:
- $6,000 – Team up with a colorist to create a vibrant, cinematic final look
- $5,000 – Bring on a composer to craft an original score
- $4,000 – Impact Producer – to build partnerships and plan community screenings
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Share the campaign with your people — word of mouth is gold
Follow us on Instagram @pricklymountainfilm
Join our newsletter for updates, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes https://www.pricklymountainfilm.com/
Prefer a tax-deductible donation? You can donate via our fiscal sponsor, Women in Film and Video — and it still counts toward our goal!
FROM ALLIE (that’s me)
I’ve poured everything into this — my heart, my savings, my time, my camera gear, and let’s be honest… my sanity. What started as a personal project has become a feature-length documentary 10 years in the making. I’ve worn every hat — director, producer, camera op, sound tech, editor, fundraiser. And now, I’m doing the hardest thing: asking for help. This is it. The final push to get this story out into the world. I’m proud of how far it’s come, and with your support, we can finish strong and share this wild, beautiful history with the audiences it was made for.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Edit: Rough Cut
Costs $1,000
Oliver Dawe has been incredibly generous, but we aren't completely done with the rough cut. Before we begin the fine cut, we need this.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Graphic Design support
Costs $500
I need support creating a poster, logo, and general visual presence for the film!
Animation
Costs $3,000
A huge component of the film will rely on basic animation, we need someone handy :)
Edit: Story Consultation
Costs $973
This is a very important piece of the post-production process and those who have already donated their time THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Edit: Fine Cut
Costs $7,000
The bulk of this campaign will cover the additional month of labour needed to invest on this project. Taking it from rough cut to final!
Sound Mix
Costs $2,000
Sound is such a crucial aspect of a great film.
Distribution
Costs $527
Support to get this film out there into the world.
Share this update!
About This Team
Allie Rood | Director
Allie graduated with a BA in Art with a focus on sculpture and digital media, from Whitman College. She is also an alumnus of Yestermorrow Design/ Build school. Allie is a filmmaker who has spent over a decade telling stories in the outdoor industry. She considers Prickly Mountain, a documentary about her hometown, to be a very personal passion project; she has been working on it for over eight years. She is currently based in Ōtautahi, Christchurch.
Oliver Dawe | Editor
Oliver Dawe is a filmmaker based in Ōtautahi, Christchurch - New Zealand. Oliver Dawe eats, sleeps and breathes film, and continues to passionately pursue his filmmaking dreams with a gifted eye for crafting story. He is no stranger to design, being the son of a sculptor, Oliver has been an integral piece of the Design/ Build Movie creation. After editing an engrossing 8 minute sizzle reel, he has come on board to craft the feature length documentary for Prickly Mountain.
Corey Henrickson | DOP
Corey is a Director and DP working in television, documentary film and branded content. He lives in Middlebury, Vermont and started his business in 2005. Allie connected with Corey after seeing his work in the Collective Quarterly 2 magazine publication in 2014. Corey has been an incredible sounding board, source of support and DP for much of the film’s year production. When he is not behind a camera Corey can be found exploring on his bike.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A feature documentary about a counter culture expression of architecture, and a girl who grew up in it.
Those Wacky Architects.
In the late ’60s and ’70s, a group of renegade architects landed in Vermont with big ideas and a simple goal: to stop just designing buildings and start making them too. Influenced by Bauhaus ideals but rebelling against academic rigidity, they built by hand, embraced mistakes, and turned architecture into a joyful, chaotic experiment. More than just homes, they built a lifestyle rooted in community, creativity, and imperfection. This was design/build—a movement about learning by doing, and doing it together. Fast-forward: I grew up in that world. Literally. I played in half-finished houses, learned to solve problems with my hands, and internalized a way of thinking that values process over perfection. Years later, as a filmmaker, I picked up a camera to document the design/build movement. I ended up rediscovering my roots—and building a house of my own. Prickly Mountain is a story about radical architecture, yes. But it's also a story about community, freedom, and what happens when we slow down and make things with care. It’s about building things — and lives — from the ground up.
This isn’t just a nostalgic dive into a quirky subculture. It’s a blueprint for how we might live differently — now.
As we face climate change, housing crises, and deep disconnection, the design/build philosophy feels more urgent than ever. This movement wasn’t just about making weird houses — it was about making a life.
The architects in this film weren’t just making wild homes — they were rejecting the rules of the establishment, embracing messiness, and finding power in collective action. Their story reminds us that creativity doesn’t require perfection, just participation. I like to call design/build the “slow build movement.” This film follows that same philosophy: it took time, intention, and a lot of growth to make. But that process shaped the outcome and my immense growth — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
WHAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED
- 50 interviews with architects, builders, and community members
- Filmed across Vermont, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Rhode Island
- Completed principal photography in 2023
- Full rough cut completed in February 2024
- Unofficial invites from two architecture film festivals — pending final cut!
WHERE YOU COME IN
We’re raising $15,000 to complete the final phase of post-production and get this film out into the world.
This is an all-or-nothing campaign — if we don’t hit our goal, we don’t receive the funds. Every dollar, every share, and every ounce of support helps us cross the finish line.
HOW WE’LL USE THE FUNDS
- Editor Fees – tighten the story, refine pacing
- Sound Design & Mix – polish it for professional release
- Color Grading – bring the footage (and archival) to life
- Music – afford licensed music that reflects the soul of the film
- Festival Submissions – to get the film out into the world
- Animation- bring graphics and imagery to life
STRETCH GOALS
Every dollar over our $15,000 goal will make the film even better and help us reach more people. Here's what your extra support could unlock:
- $6,000 – Team up with a colorist to create a vibrant, cinematic final look
- $5,000 – Bring on a composer to craft an original score
- $4,000 – Impact Producer – to build partnerships and plan community screenings
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Share the campaign with your people — word of mouth is gold
Follow us on Instagram @pricklymountainfilm
Join our newsletter for updates, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes https://www.pricklymountainfilm.com/
Prefer a tax-deductible donation? You can donate via our fiscal sponsor, Women in Film and Video — and it still counts toward our goal!
FROM ALLIE (that’s me)
I’ve poured everything into this — my heart, my savings, my time, my camera gear, and let’s be honest… my sanity. What started as a personal project has become a feature-length documentary 10 years in the making. I’ve worn every hat — director, producer, camera op, sound tech, editor, fundraiser. And now, I’m doing the hardest thing: asking for help. This is it. The final push to get this story out into the world. I’m proud of how far it’s come, and with your support, we can finish strong and share this wild, beautiful history with the audiences it was made for.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Edit: Rough Cut
Costs $1,000
Oliver Dawe has been incredibly generous, but we aren't completely done with the rough cut. Before we begin the fine cut, we need this.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Graphic Design support
Costs $500
I need support creating a poster, logo, and general visual presence for the film!
Animation
Costs $3,000
A huge component of the film will rely on basic animation, we need someone handy :)
Edit: Story Consultation
Costs $973
This is a very important piece of the post-production process and those who have already donated their time THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Edit: Fine Cut
Costs $7,000
The bulk of this campaign will cover the additional month of labour needed to invest on this project. Taking it from rough cut to final!
Sound Mix
Costs $2,000
Sound is such a crucial aspect of a great film.
Distribution
Costs $527
Support to get this film out there into the world.
Share this update!
About This Team
Allie Rood | Director
Allie graduated with a BA in Art with a focus on sculpture and digital media, from Whitman College. She is also an alumnus of Yestermorrow Design/ Build school. Allie is a filmmaker who has spent over a decade telling stories in the outdoor industry. She considers Prickly Mountain, a documentary about her hometown, to be a very personal passion project; she has been working on it for over eight years. She is currently based in Ōtautahi, Christchurch.
Oliver Dawe | Editor
Oliver Dawe is a filmmaker based in Ōtautahi, Christchurch - New Zealand. Oliver Dawe eats, sleeps and breathes film, and continues to passionately pursue his filmmaking dreams with a gifted eye for crafting story. He is no stranger to design, being the son of a sculptor, Oliver has been an integral piece of the Design/ Build Movie creation. After editing an engrossing 8 minute sizzle reel, he has come on board to craft the feature length documentary for Prickly Mountain.
Corey Henrickson | DOP
Corey is a Director and DP working in television, documentary film and branded content. He lives in Middlebury, Vermont and started his business in 2005. Allie connected with Corey after seeing his work in the Collective Quarterly 2 magazine publication in 2014. Corey has been an incredible sounding board, source of support and DP for much of the film’s year production. When he is not behind a camera Corey can be found exploring on his bike.