Punchline
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Drama, Comedy
The comedy scene has a new rising star, Moses has made a huge splash with his sharp jokes and strong stage presence. Off stage though he can't get more than a word out because of a debilitating stutter. When asked out by quick talking Jules, will Moses' first date in years go well, or fall apart?
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$3,290
Goal: $10,225 for production
The comedy scene has a new rising star, Moses has made a huge splash with his sharp jokes and strong stage presence. Off stage though he can't get more than a word out because of a debilitating stutter. When asked out by quick talking Jules, will Moses' first date in years go well, or fall apart?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In the last 15 or so years there has been a decline of comedies being made and a drop off in "feel good stories". A lot of the content we see is "blood in the mouth" jokes, which can be fantastic and very funny, but has left a vacuum for these other types of stories.
Out story is about a young up and coming comedian named Moses Stimmerman. When at the mic he commands the room with his voice and presence, making people laugh until they cry. Off-stage he hides his debilitating stutter. When he meets a young woman in his audience one night, she makes it clear she wants him to take her out. Moses agrees, but now what?
Our characters are exactly that...characters. They are unique, well defined and undeniably realistic. Sometimes it's easy to allow a character to fall into a trope, and we have from the start of this script been mindful to let the characters exist and react as they were originally conceived, and let the story play out to show who they are, and to let the audience love them, and even see themselves in the characters.
Not only is the story taking an older sort of narrative and making it new again, but the vision of how we shoot the film will mirror that. We are using filters, and moving the camera in a way that contrasts against current trends and looks, and feels more like a film from the 90's or 80's. The rooms will be hazy, the lights will be bright, and the rooms will be dark, and filled with laughter.
We are going to be shooting in a Chicago comedy club that has been host to every stand up for the last 40 years as they've toured across the country. The inside is steeped in that comedy history, and makes it feel very lived in and tangible, like you could reach out and touch the jokes.
This story is relevent and important to tell because while we might not be Mo, and have his issues, the story moves it's themes wider than the scope of the story:
CONFIDENCE:
Even the most confident of people can often feel the “con” in the word more than anything. Fake it till you make it...imposter syndrome, a mistake has been made, and you don’t really deserve the lauding you receive. We often see others’ confidence as real and earned, but struggle with our own.
LONELINESS:
When looking to make a connection, we are often our own worst enemy. Thinking the things we see as faults in ourselves, will be seen as faults by others. We are often our own worst enemies, and our harshest critics. 100 people could heap you with praise, and all it takes to forget all of that is one person being critical.
POWER OF LAUGHTER:
When we make a joke, and get laughter it lifts us up, makes us stronger. Laughter binds us, tears down walls, and helps people heal. When someone laughs at you though, the power of that laughter can take all of that away.
For our 7 other finished films, and an 8th in post production currently, we have aimed to have each film be different, in look, feel, genre...everything. This one will be just as varied and different. It will feel like nothing else we've made yet, and will be different than the other films out currently on the festival circuit and in theatres.
Our team for this film currently consists of 3 core members. We have begun to bring in the rest of our crew as we fill out our Camera Department, Sound, Art Department and Production Crew. We as often as we can, bring in the same talented individuals to create community, while also bringing college students onboard to get them experience on set, and serve as a teaching set for those up-and-comers.
Since the company was created in summer of 2021, across our 8 films we have not only put in all of the money ourselves, out of pocket, but we have also always come in at budget or under budget. The amount we are campaigning for is not just a guess, not just a number we came up with out of nowhere, but based on 20 years of film experience, and owning/running this company for the last 5 years.
We beleive in putting money towards the people we hire and only towards equipment we don't already own. Between Ben and Tin they have 40,000+ dollars worth of camera, lenses, follow focus, matte boxes, tripods...and on and on and on. But we don't have a haze machine (which we will rent) or a doorway dolly (which we will rent).
The rest of the money goes to day-rates, feeding people (we've gotten only good feedback on our crafty and catering choices) Location rental costs, and insurance to make sure everyone is protected in case of an accident. Our money goes directly to getting people paid who in this industry too often have to fight to get their money, or wait, or sometimes are never paid.
Any money we make beyond our campaign goes directly into everyone's day-rates to make sure they get paid even better.
So after you give us all your money, and after you've maxed out your credit cards, what more can you do for us?
Well I'll tell you, spread the word, tell others, share it on social media, tell people in their ear holes, sign language, other languages, even using hand written love letters. Only you can Prevent Forest Fires...and help us make a movie.
Follow us here:
https://www.instagram.com/punchline_54sp/
https://www.instagram.com/benkurstin/
https://www.instagram.com/e.d.g.__/
https://www.instagram.com/tinfamous/
If you have any questions, want to know more about the production/company/or us...just reach out and ask.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $5,550
We want to pay the talented group of artists and crew members who will be helping us create this film!
Locations
Costs $2,000
To add to our production value as well as showcase the wonderful comedy scene of Chicago, we're using a real Comedy Club as our setting.
Insurance
Costs $1,000
Safety is our biggest concern and we want to make sure we're covered if anything were to go wrong with our Cast & Crew along with Locations
Craft Services
Costs $600
We believe in making sure our cast & crew are well fed no matter where they're working on our set. This is to help us do that.
Art Department Budget
Costs $375
Although we'll be using the Location to tell most of the story, our art department will need a budget to fill in what we don't have.
Grip & Electric Rentals
Costs $200
Using what we already own, this is to help us fill in what we may need in this department on Production Days
Transportation
Costs $200
Not every Cast or Crew has the ability to get to the set in a reasonable way. This is to help them or for a rental to transport equipment.
Hard Drives
Costs $300
This is where everyone's hard work ends up. These hard drives will ensure everything is archived and will be used for editing.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Since the company was founded in Summer of 2021 to produce our first short film, “Yellow Polka Dot” 54SP has produced a total of 8 short films completely out of pocket. Each film, upon being shot is finished in Post-Production at an average timeline of 8 months, before the film is sent out onto the Film Festival Circuit. As of Septemeber 2026 the total count is: 114 Film Festivals, with 33 Award Wins.
Ben Kurstin graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2007 with a degree in Film & Video Cinematography. He worked his way through the G&E Department, working as a Grip, Best Boy Electric and Gaffer before DPing shorts, features, and commercials. When the world entered Quarantine in 2020 Ben began writing a new short film each day to cope with being unable to work. In 60 days he wrote over one thousand pages, across fifty-four scripts, in sixty days. Tin and Ben began the company in Summer of 2021 by producing Yellow Polka Dot. Since then, they have produced: The Sleight, Spearmint, Plowed, The Solution, Beyond the Void with Captain Dalton Mattix, Counter Girl, and Familiar Little Stranger. Ben has also prepared feature scripts for Yellow Polka Dot, The Sleight, and The Solution, with another one planned before Fall of 2027. His personal website can be found here:
Tin Nguyen is a New Mexico-based cinematographer with one persistent question driving his work: what should this image feel like, and why? As co-founder of 54 Scripts Productions, he photographs and directs narrative films with the same commitment, creating images that are specific, intentional, and unmistakably tied to the story that they're serving. He and his 54SP partner and co-founder Ben Kurstin are building toward features one frame at a time, with the hope of fostering a creative community wherever that path leads. His personal website can be found here:
Eliana Deckner-Glick (EDG) is an award winning Chicago-based actor originally from Marietta, Georgia, known for her work spanning theatre, film, commercials, and improv. Her recent credits include A Prayer for the French Republic (Northlight/Theatre Wit), The Berlin Diaries (Arts Judaica), STATIC-HEAD and Beyond the Garden Gate (The Impostors Theatre Co.), as well as Starship Edsel (The Second City). A Sarah Siddons Grant recipient, Eliana received her acting BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is represented by Grossman & Jack. She is thrilled to be working with 54SP again, having previously appeared in “Beyond the Void” and "Counter Girl". Her personal website can be found here: https://elianadecknerglick.com/
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In the last 15 or so years there has been a decline of comedies being made and a drop off in "feel good stories". A lot of the content we see is "blood in the mouth" jokes, which can be fantastic and very funny, but has left a vacuum for these other types of stories.
Out story is about a young up and coming comedian named Moses Stimmerman. When at the mic he commands the room with his voice and presence, making people laugh until they cry. Off-stage he hides his debilitating stutter. When he meets a young woman in his audience one night, she makes it clear she wants him to take her out. Moses agrees, but now what?
Our characters are exactly that...characters. They are unique, well defined and undeniably realistic. Sometimes it's easy to allow a character to fall into a trope, and we have from the start of this script been mindful to let the characters exist and react as they were originally conceived, and let the story play out to show who they are, and to let the audience love them, and even see themselves in the characters.
Not only is the story taking an older sort of narrative and making it new again, but the vision of how we shoot the film will mirror that. We are using filters, and moving the camera in a way that contrasts against current trends and looks, and feels more like a film from the 90's or 80's. The rooms will be hazy, the lights will be bright, and the rooms will be dark, and filled with laughter.
We are going to be shooting in a Chicago comedy club that has been host to every stand up for the last 40 years as they've toured across the country. The inside is steeped in that comedy history, and makes it feel very lived in and tangible, like you could reach out and touch the jokes.
This story is relevent and important to tell because while we might not be Mo, and have his issues, the story moves it's themes wider than the scope of the story:
CONFIDENCE:
Even the most confident of people can often feel the “con” in the word more than anything. Fake it till you make it...imposter syndrome, a mistake has been made, and you don’t really deserve the lauding you receive. We often see others’ confidence as real and earned, but struggle with our own.
LONELINESS:
When looking to make a connection, we are often our own worst enemy. Thinking the things we see as faults in ourselves, will be seen as faults by others. We are often our own worst enemies, and our harshest critics. 100 people could heap you with praise, and all it takes to forget all of that is one person being critical.
POWER OF LAUGHTER:
When we make a joke, and get laughter it lifts us up, makes us stronger. Laughter binds us, tears down walls, and helps people heal. When someone laughs at you though, the power of that laughter can take all of that away.
For our 7 other finished films, and an 8th in post production currently, we have aimed to have each film be different, in look, feel, genre...everything. This one will be just as varied and different. It will feel like nothing else we've made yet, and will be different than the other films out currently on the festival circuit and in theatres.
Our team for this film currently consists of 3 core members. We have begun to bring in the rest of our crew as we fill out our Camera Department, Sound, Art Department and Production Crew. We as often as we can, bring in the same talented individuals to create community, while also bringing college students onboard to get them experience on set, and serve as a teaching set for those up-and-comers.
Since the company was created in summer of 2021, across our 8 films we have not only put in all of the money ourselves, out of pocket, but we have also always come in at budget or under budget. The amount we are campaigning for is not just a guess, not just a number we came up with out of nowhere, but based on 20 years of film experience, and owning/running this company for the last 5 years.
We beleive in putting money towards the people we hire and only towards equipment we don't already own. Between Ben and Tin they have 40,000+ dollars worth of camera, lenses, follow focus, matte boxes, tripods...and on and on and on. But we don't have a haze machine (which we will rent) or a doorway dolly (which we will rent).
The rest of the money goes to day-rates, feeding people (we've gotten only good feedback on our crafty and catering choices) Location rental costs, and insurance to make sure everyone is protected in case of an accident. Our money goes directly to getting people paid who in this industry too often have to fight to get their money, or wait, or sometimes are never paid.
Any money we make beyond our campaign goes directly into everyone's day-rates to make sure they get paid even better.
So after you give us all your money, and after you've maxed out your credit cards, what more can you do for us?
Well I'll tell you, spread the word, tell others, share it on social media, tell people in their ear holes, sign language, other languages, even using hand written love letters. Only you can Prevent Forest Fires...and help us make a movie.
Follow us here:
https://www.instagram.com/punchline_54sp/
https://www.instagram.com/benkurstin/
https://www.instagram.com/e.d.g.__/
https://www.instagram.com/tinfamous/
If you have any questions, want to know more about the production/company/or us...just reach out and ask.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $5,550
We want to pay the talented group of artists and crew members who will be helping us create this film!
Locations
Costs $2,000
To add to our production value as well as showcase the wonderful comedy scene of Chicago, we're using a real Comedy Club as our setting.
Insurance
Costs $1,000
Safety is our biggest concern and we want to make sure we're covered if anything were to go wrong with our Cast & Crew along with Locations
Craft Services
Costs $600
We believe in making sure our cast & crew are well fed no matter where they're working on our set. This is to help us do that.
Art Department Budget
Costs $375
Although we'll be using the Location to tell most of the story, our art department will need a budget to fill in what we don't have.
Grip & Electric Rentals
Costs $200
Using what we already own, this is to help us fill in what we may need in this department on Production Days
Transportation
Costs $200
Not every Cast or Crew has the ability to get to the set in a reasonable way. This is to help them or for a rental to transport equipment.
Hard Drives
Costs $300
This is where everyone's hard work ends up. These hard drives will ensure everything is archived and will be used for editing.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Since the company was founded in Summer of 2021 to produce our first short film, “Yellow Polka Dot” 54SP has produced a total of 8 short films completely out of pocket. Each film, upon being shot is finished in Post-Production at an average timeline of 8 months, before the film is sent out onto the Film Festival Circuit. As of Septemeber 2026 the total count is: 114 Film Festivals, with 33 Award Wins.
Ben Kurstin graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2007 with a degree in Film & Video Cinematography. He worked his way through the G&E Department, working as a Grip, Best Boy Electric and Gaffer before DPing shorts, features, and commercials. When the world entered Quarantine in 2020 Ben began writing a new short film each day to cope with being unable to work. In 60 days he wrote over one thousand pages, across fifty-four scripts, in sixty days. Tin and Ben began the company in Summer of 2021 by producing Yellow Polka Dot. Since then, they have produced: The Sleight, Spearmint, Plowed, The Solution, Beyond the Void with Captain Dalton Mattix, Counter Girl, and Familiar Little Stranger. Ben has also prepared feature scripts for Yellow Polka Dot, The Sleight, and The Solution, with another one planned before Fall of 2027. His personal website can be found here:
Tin Nguyen is a New Mexico-based cinematographer with one persistent question driving his work: what should this image feel like, and why? As co-founder of 54 Scripts Productions, he photographs and directs narrative films with the same commitment, creating images that are specific, intentional, and unmistakably tied to the story that they're serving. He and his 54SP partner and co-founder Ben Kurstin are building toward features one frame at a time, with the hope of fostering a creative community wherever that path leads. His personal website can be found here:
Eliana Deckner-Glick (EDG) is an award winning Chicago-based actor originally from Marietta, Georgia, known for her work spanning theatre, film, commercials, and improv. Her recent credits include A Prayer for the French Republic (Northlight/Theatre Wit), The Berlin Diaries (Arts Judaica), STATIC-HEAD and Beyond the Garden Gate (The Impostors Theatre Co.), as well as Starship Edsel (The Second City). A Sarah Siddons Grant recipient, Eliana received her acting BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is represented by Grossman & Jack. She is thrilled to be working with 54SP again, having previously appeared in “Beyond the Void” and "Counter Girl". Her personal website can be found here: https://elianadecknerglick.com/