Rabbit Hole
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
A recent high school grad struggles to find his footing as a young adult, feeling responsible for the care of his unhinged QAnon mom. A timely and poignant short film with a unique twist on the queer coming-of-age story.
Rabbit Hole
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $17,108 for pre-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
165 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
A recent high school grad struggles to find his footing as a young adult, feeling responsible for the care of his unhinged QAnon mom. A timely and poignant short film with a unique twist on the queer coming-of-age story.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
SYNOPSIS
Blake is 18 years old, shy and a bit self conscious. He's excited to start exploring young adult hood and "coming out" of his shell.
His single-mom, Denise, has quit her job as a nurse due to the vaccine mandates, now devoting all of our time and money to Q-Anon. Blake has become the caregiver in the house, and feels he is the last thread holding his unhinged mom to her sanity.
Conflict arises when Blake must work up the courage to tell Denise that A) he caught covid from a new "friend" and B) he's been secretly vaccinated for months.
It doesn't go well, and it leaves Blake with a tough decision to make: is there anything left he can do for his mom, or does he have to put himself first?
WHY NOW?
QAnon continues to spread like wildfire across the country, leaving bewildered loved ones in its path, unsure how to communicate and reason with these QAnon supporters.
QAnon goes beyond politics. There are wild, deeply troubling conspriacies. Sane individuals are spiraling into full psychotic breaks, believing that QAnon is "testing them" with training missions. Becoming truly unrecognizable and a danger to themselves.
Reddit is flooded with first-hand accounts of people losing loved ones to QAnon. Many are teenagers and young adults who are still living under the same roof as conspiracist parents; posting cries for help, forced to abide by their rules or feeling like they've lost their parents completely.
WHY THIS STORY?
My mission as a filmmaker is to share LGBTQ stories. I've been extremely moved by what I've read of teens dealing with QAnon parents, and had an epiphany to merge this with the classic queer coming-of-age story for a completely unique take.
Rather than playing into stereotypical tropes that have been seen before, Denise was an extremely nurturing mother, making the break in her & Blake's relationship even more heartbreaking. That, and the fact that it has nothing to do with his sexuality but instead his refusal to accept her unhinged QAnon ideology.
WHERE ARE WE IN THE FILMMAKING PROCESS?
I'm very excited about the momentum behind this project. Right now, we are in pre-production and your support will help make sure this story is brought to life. The current goal amount is the bare minimum needed to film & edit Rabbit Hole, and make sure it's submitted on time to all major festivals.
CASTING: Since this is my fulltime job, I was eager to dive in. I've recently cast the role of Blake with a very stellar young actor from Kent State Univeristy. I am targeting name actresses for the role of Denise which can only happen through your support & full funding.
CREW: Thrilled to be working with DP John Gebhart again, whose projects have screened at Sundance. The rest of the crew will come from the Northeast Ohio area.
SCRIPT: The script is locked and ready to shoot!
COVID SAFETY: We plan to take all measures to keep cast & crew safe including PPE, zones, and fully vaxxed crew.
FOR REAL. THANK YOU.
To conclude: No pledge is too smalll and every "follow" counts.
Seed & Spark rewards us for building our audience. The more followers we get, the more we unlock products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed & Spark!
We need to reach beyond our network in order to make this crowdfunding goal a success. If you like supporting indie filmmakers and sharing queer stories, YOU can make the difference in our success!
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you can! We can't do this without you.
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste:
Support filmmaker @schoonie.tv.film by pledging to his heartfelt short film RABBIT HOLE, a queer coming-of-age family drama about "coming out" of your shell, first kisses, and QAnon. Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/rabbitholefilm
I just watched the teaser for the short film RABBIT HOLE written/directed by @schoonie.tv.film and WOW, you've got to support this queer-coming-of-age short film! Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/rabbitholefilm
I'm so excited to see the short film RABBIT HOLE, by KSU alum and director/writer @schoonie.tv.film, being filmed this spring in Akron, Ohio! Support them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/rabbitholefilm
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast/Crew Pay
Costs $8,500
Payment for cast and crew.
Catering
Costs $1,000
Food: necessary for survival. Total for four days of filming.
Travel/Housing
Costs $3,000
Includes travel from NY to Ohio for crew, housing for cast/crew, and misc transportation.
Post-Production/Festivals
Costs $2,000
Post-production costs and festival entry fees.
Gear/Props
Costs $1,000
Gear rentals for camera and misc props for filming.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
AARON SCHOONOVER - Writer, Director, Producer
Aaron is a filmmaker based in New York City. He is currently working as a casting associate to Bess Fifer, and recently completed work on a new Apple series Severance (Ben Stiller), The Tender Bar (George Clooney), and several other independent features.
Aaron has worked under Emmy and Artios award winning casting directors including Rachel Tenner, Patrick Rush, Jennifer Euston, and Bess Fifer.
From 2013-2017 Aaron served as a senior extras casting director on high-level projects including: Orange is the New Black, Fosse/Verdon, Pose, The Big Sick, Sleeping With Other People, Adam, The Assistant, Seven Seconds, and more. This allowed him an incredible first-hand look into the filmmaking process and ability to collaborate with directors and showrunners such as Jenji Kohan, Leslye Headland, Ryan Murphy, Jim Jarmusch, Sian Heder, Matthew Weiner.
His most recent award-winning short film Electricity (2021) starring Michael Judson Berry and Dylan Adler is an official selection at PrideArts Film Fest this spring.
JOHN GEBHART - Director of Photography
John is a filmmaker based in Astoria.
He is the co-founder and head of production for A Stori A Film, a full-service video production company based in New York City that offers a variety of production and post-production services. Clients include Target, Verizon, Twitter, NBC.
Aaron and John have been working together since 2013, and recently collaborated on the short film "Electricity."
Recent credits include the Sundance official selection You Would’t Understand which premiered in 2020.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
SYNOPSIS
Blake is 18 years old, shy and a bit self conscious. He's excited to start exploring young adult hood and "coming out" of his shell.
His single-mom, Denise, has quit her job as a nurse due to the vaccine mandates, now devoting all of our time and money to Q-Anon. Blake has become the caregiver in the house, and feels he is the last thread holding his unhinged mom to her sanity.
Conflict arises when Blake must work up the courage to tell Denise that A) he caught covid from a new "friend" and B) he's been secretly vaccinated for months.
It doesn't go well, and it leaves Blake with a tough decision to make: is there anything left he can do for his mom, or does he have to put himself first?
WHY NOW?
QAnon continues to spread like wildfire across the country, leaving bewildered loved ones in its path, unsure how to communicate and reason with these QAnon supporters.
QAnon goes beyond politics. There are wild, deeply troubling conspriacies. Sane individuals are spiraling into full psychotic breaks, believing that QAnon is "testing them" with training missions. Becoming truly unrecognizable and a danger to themselves.
Reddit is flooded with first-hand accounts of people losing loved ones to QAnon. Many are teenagers and young adults who are still living under the same roof as conspiracist parents; posting cries for help, forced to abide by their rules or feeling like they've lost their parents completely.
WHY THIS STORY?
My mission as a filmmaker is to share LGBTQ stories. I've been extremely moved by what I've read of teens dealing with QAnon parents, and had an epiphany to merge this with the classic queer coming-of-age story for a completely unique take.
Rather than playing into stereotypical tropes that have been seen before, Denise was an extremely nurturing mother, making the break in her & Blake's relationship even more heartbreaking. That, and the fact that it has nothing to do with his sexuality but instead his refusal to accept her unhinged QAnon ideology.
WHERE ARE WE IN THE FILMMAKING PROCESS?
I'm very excited about the momentum behind this project. Right now, we are in pre-production and your support will help make sure this story is brought to life. The current goal amount is the bare minimum needed to film & edit Rabbit Hole, and make sure it's submitted on time to all major festivals.
CASTING: Since this is my fulltime job, I was eager to dive in. I've recently cast the role of Blake with a very stellar young actor from Kent State Univeristy. I am targeting name actresses for the role of Denise which can only happen through your support & full funding.
CREW: Thrilled to be working with DP John Gebhart again, whose projects have screened at Sundance. The rest of the crew will come from the Northeast Ohio area.
SCRIPT: The script is locked and ready to shoot!
COVID SAFETY: We plan to take all measures to keep cast & crew safe including PPE, zones, and fully vaxxed crew.
FOR REAL. THANK YOU.
To conclude: No pledge is too smalll and every "follow" counts.
Seed & Spark rewards us for building our audience. The more followers we get, the more we unlock products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed & Spark!
We need to reach beyond our network in order to make this crowdfunding goal a success. If you like supporting indie filmmakers and sharing queer stories, YOU can make the difference in our success!
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you can! We can't do this without you.
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste:
Support filmmaker @schoonie.tv.film by pledging to his heartfelt short film RABBIT HOLE, a queer coming-of-age family drama about "coming out" of your shell, first kisses, and QAnon. Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/rabbitholefilm
I just watched the teaser for the short film RABBIT HOLE written/directed by @schoonie.tv.film and WOW, you've got to support this queer-coming-of-age short film! Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/rabbitholefilm
I'm so excited to see the short film RABBIT HOLE, by KSU alum and director/writer @schoonie.tv.film, being filmed this spring in Akron, Ohio! Support them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/rabbitholefilm
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast/Crew Pay
Costs $8,500
Payment for cast and crew.
Catering
Costs $1,000
Food: necessary for survival. Total for four days of filming.
Travel/Housing
Costs $3,000
Includes travel from NY to Ohio for crew, housing for cast/crew, and misc transportation.
Post-Production/Festivals
Costs $2,000
Post-production costs and festival entry fees.
Gear/Props
Costs $1,000
Gear rentals for camera and misc props for filming.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
AARON SCHOONOVER - Writer, Director, Producer
Aaron is a filmmaker based in New York City. He is currently working as a casting associate to Bess Fifer, and recently completed work on a new Apple series Severance (Ben Stiller), The Tender Bar (George Clooney), and several other independent features.
Aaron has worked under Emmy and Artios award winning casting directors including Rachel Tenner, Patrick Rush, Jennifer Euston, and Bess Fifer.
From 2013-2017 Aaron served as a senior extras casting director on high-level projects including: Orange is the New Black, Fosse/Verdon, Pose, The Big Sick, Sleeping With Other People, Adam, The Assistant, Seven Seconds, and more. This allowed him an incredible first-hand look into the filmmaking process and ability to collaborate with directors and showrunners such as Jenji Kohan, Leslye Headland, Ryan Murphy, Jim Jarmusch, Sian Heder, Matthew Weiner.
His most recent award-winning short film Electricity (2021) starring Michael Judson Berry and Dylan Adler is an official selection at PrideArts Film Fest this spring.
JOHN GEBHART - Director of Photography
John is a filmmaker based in Astoria.
He is the co-founder and head of production for A Stori A Film, a full-service video production company based in New York City that offers a variety of production and post-production services. Clients include Target, Verizon, Twitter, NBC.
Aaron and John have been working together since 2013, and recently collaborated on the short film "Electricity."
Recent credits include the Sundance official selection You Would’t Understand which premiered in 2020.