Wrapped in an aesthetic that blends realism and expressionism, Ray and Roy explores how we move on from loss. Ray Snopes dons the clothes of his dead brother in a morbid grieving ritual. His daughter Fiona, meanwhile, wants to move out, but cannot leave Ray in the throes of mourning.
Wrapped in an aesthetic that blends realism and expressionism, Ray and Roy explores how we move on from loss. Ray Snopes dons the clothes of his dead brother in a morbid grieving ritual. His daughter Fiona, meanwhile, wants to move out, but cannot leave Ray in the throes of mourning.
-
Story
Mission Statement
We are dedicated to diversifying the cast and crew by prioritizing women, POC, lower income, and queer persons. The film's two leads, additionally, will be non-white. We are also committed to giving those who haven't had the opportunity to be on film sets experience through key production roles.About The Project
Jazz has always been important to me as an artist. When I was ten years old, the first song I ever listened to with headphones on was a gaudy jazz piano number. I would play it every night on my iPod shuffle before I fell asleep on my mattress that rested on the ground without a bedframe. I took up piano lessons (which I later enthusiastically dropped) because of my love of jazz (I still instinctively play the melody of “The Entertainer” whenever I see a piano). In recent years, working in the foodservice industry has made me passionate about helping others and genuinely care about the people I serve. Ray and Roy is such a personal project: it allows me to braid these pieces of myself, being a story about the importance of caretaking told through jazz.
Ray and Roy explores the difficulty of nurturing the lonely and wounded. After his brother Roy commits suicide, former jazz musician Ray is in the throes of grieving. Ray inherited Roy’s clothes and ritualistically dons them in an obsessive effort to memorialize his brother. His daughter Fiona, who is twenty-five and trying to move out, observes his pain, but her efforts to get him to heal only drive him further into suffering.
Ray and Roy draws inspiration narratively from the short stories of Raymond Carver and James Baldwin and cinematically from both realist and expressive works of visual art. These are some stills and images that will help our team achieve the tone of a “dirty realist” ghost story.
"Maidenform," Mad Men (2008)
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Moonlight (2016)
Cover of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Todd Hido (2015)
Ray and Roy has received some funding already but, like any short film, we need additional funds to make this piece of art the best it can be! Please support us in these areas so we can make the best film it can be!!
We need to rent lenses and lights that will truly make Ray’s rituals look real and haunting
The clothes that Ray inherits from his brother are at the morbid center of the film, so believable costumes will be key to this story
Ray’s house has to feel both lived in and haunted, so the production design is paramount to the film’s visual style.
The Ray and Roy cast and crew is great!!! We also need transportation and food!!! The easier this is, the happier we’ll be and the better the movie will be!!!We hope you'll consider donating to this wonderful project. We are confident that Ray and Roy will be a deeply personal and touching film, and we won't forget any help that we can get.
Incentives
$5
I Got Rhythm
I will send you a PERSONALIZED and SWEET little MESSAGE, OKAY?
$15
Open, To Love
What?? You get to have a goshdarn SCRIPT?? And STORYBOARD??
$25
Giant Steps
Hey! You get to see this dang movie I made! Right on your laptop! Wow!
$50
Ascension
HOLY SMOKES!! You get a beautiful digital Ray and Roy poster designed by the amazingly talented SAM HILL (someone hire them, pls) !! And AUDIO COMMENTARY from the CREW!!
$100
My Favorite Things
Cool. You get to see videos of me performing stand-up comedy when I was eighteen. I don’t like this perk as much as the others. You will, tho.
$250
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
I will reenact this entire movie in a one man show. Some other movies may find their way in here. I like this one more than the previous one.
$500
Spiritual Unity
OH GOSH!! You get to have a beautiful little prop of the movie to keep for all times!! Very cool!!
$1,000
A Love Supreme
GOOD LORD!! YOU GET TO BE CREDITED AS A PRODUCER?? WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING?? “--Presented by [YOUR NAME]--” will open the film. And YOU GET TO VISIT US ON SET! AND SEE THE PREMIERE IN MAY!!
-
Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$5
I Got Rhythm
I will send you a PERSONALIZED and SWEET little MESSAGE, OKAY?
$15
Open, To Love
What?? You get to have a goshdarn SCRIPT?? And STORYBOARD??
$25
Giant Steps
Hey! You get to see this dang movie I made! Right on your laptop! Wow!
$50
Ascension
HOLY SMOKES!! You get a beautiful digital Ray and Roy poster designed by the amazingly talented SAM HILL (someone hire them, pls) !! And AUDIO COMMENTARY from the CREW!!
$100
My Favorite Things
Cool. You get to see videos of me performing stand-up comedy when I was eighteen. I don’t like this perk as much as the others. You will, tho.
$250
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
I will reenact this entire movie in a one man show. Some other movies may find their way in here. I like this one more than the previous one.
$500
Spiritual Unity
OH GOSH!! You get to have a beautiful little prop of the movie to keep for all times!! Very cool!!
$1,000
A Love Supreme
GOOD LORD!! YOU GET TO BE CREDITED AS A PRODUCER?? WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING?? “--Presented by [YOUR NAME]--” will open the film. And YOU GET TO VISIT US ON SET! AND SEE THE PREMIERE IN MAY!!
- Updates
-
Current Team
About This Team
Kickstarting his passion for film at a young age by reading the backs of DVD boxes in Blockbuster, Zack Brida is the writer/director of Ray and Roy. He began his obsession with watching movies and TV after his siblings and parents decided he was old enough to watch shows like The Office, 30 Rock, and Mad Men. His sleep schedule has never fully recovered from that moment, nor have his friends' ears from his insistent refernces to these shows.
Daniel Osofsky is a junior film major at Wesleyan who balances his time writing, designing, filmmaking, and reflecting on his decision to drop pre-med. Despite being a from New Hampshire, Daniel did not raise chickens in his backyard and instead decided that going to film school was a good idea. He’s worked on many senior theses doing everything from gaffing to working in the art department, but he’s particularly excited to be the director of photography on Ray and Roy.
Daniel has interned at The Video Call Center, White River Indie Films, and most recently spent his summer working as an art production assistant on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Daniel also does projection design and recently volunteered with Paul Newman’s charity, creating media for The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp. His work will premiere at the PlayStation Theater in Midtown later this month.
In his free time, Daniel does ballet and writes non-fiction essays – mostly about gay stuff.
Gaffing for Zack Brida is like pulling teeth: you don't want to do it but minor experience of laughing gas is too exciting to pass up...I kid. Jake Brodsky is extremely excited and honored to be working with a dear friend like Zack and hope he can live with my antics that will surely follow him from Ale's set.
Grace Lopez is a sophomore at Wesleyan University and is a prospective film and anthropology major. She has worked as a gaffer and as a script supervisor in previous film theses. She loves love and most importantly, movies about love..png)
Emily Litz is a junior from Boston, MA majoring in Film and Earth & Environmental Science. She is a projectionist for the Wesleyan Film Series and a member of the Film Board. She loves assembling Ikea furniture.
Josh Rode is a senior English and Film Studies major at Wesleyan University. His academic interests include performance, creative writing, theology and American studies. He is happy to be teaming with the cast and crew of Ray and Roy. Past credits include multiple Wesleyan student productions: Then Who? (grip work), CUT (gaffer) and Shine (assistant director). He also worked on the professional set of Plain Fiction. In his spare time, Josh enjoys running, writing, traveling and ice cream.
Ava Calabrese Grob is a theatre artist with a love for directing, scenic design, and performance art. She is pursuing a BA in Theater and English at Wes. She hasn't designed for film since the glory days of high school but loves Zack + the team and can't seem to resist Sad Art (TM).
Leon Ristov is a Macedonian director, screenwriter and actor that has been making films since the age of 9. By the time he finished high school, Ristov had won several prizes at state and international film festivals and been a part of a few youth film festival juries. In 2017, he had his professional acting debut in Teona Mitevska's "When The Day Had No Name" which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Gabby King is very excited to be operating the sound for “Ray and Roy!” A sophomore here at Wes, Gabby is a prospective film and english double major. In the past she’s worked the sound board for Second Stage shows, but is looking forward to gaining experience in film production!
Thanmye Lagudu is a junior, pursuing a Film Studies and Neuroscience double major. He is a member of the Wesleyan Film Board and the current co-host of the Screenwriters' Lounge. He has worked as an assistant camera and a script supervisor on other film theses. He is testing his mettle (and mental fortitude) as the assistant director on Ray and Roy.
Jack Warren is junior film major at Wesleyan University. He’s written, directed, assistant directed, sound recorded, produced, cheer-led, and gotten excited about movies all over campus. When he’s not filing Zack’s nails, grabbing snacks, making sure everything is going according to plan, and doing whatever else a producer is supposed to do, he’s the co-president of Cardinal Pictures, Wesleyan’s student filmmaking organization. -
Media
Videos
Images
-
Community
Supporters
Followers
