Reel Model Railroads
Los Angeles, California | Series
Documentary
The incredible work of model railroaders can go overlooked, and their intricate layouts won't last forever. This documentary series will explore this fascinating pursuit through their eyes and aim to preserve and showcase their creations in a cinematic, never-before-seen way.
Reel Model Railroads
Los Angeles, California | Series
Documentary
6 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$1,320
Goal: $41,700 for production
The incredible work of model railroaders can go overlooked, and their intricate layouts won't last forever. This documentary series will explore this fascinating pursuit through their eyes and aim to preserve and showcase their creations in a cinematic, never-before-seen way.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Reel Model Railroads transports you into the lifelike miniature worlds of model train layouts, from hidden basement layouts created by independent modelers, to sprawling train club layouts. Through realistic sound design and the use of specialized probe lenses, we scale your perspective down to the scale of the model. Experience these layouts from a first-person point of view, as if they were real.
But it doesn't end there. Hear about these layouts from their creators, with the unique stories and experiences they have had, and forge a connection with these like-minded artisans. Become inspired by the creative landscapes or simply enjoy the view of trains passing by.
Gain access to private clubs and unseen personal layouts. There are entire worlds lying hidden, and we intend to bring them to light.
We have already created two short teaser episodes as a proof of concept for the series. You can check them out below!
Belmont Shore Model Railroad Club - N Scale
Angels Gate Hi-Railers Model Railroading Club - O Gauge
We want to make 10 more episodes with your help, between 20-30 mins long, to serve as the first season. Once complete, we will seek distribution, and hopefully make more seasons to come!
Model Railroading is often referred to as "The World's Greatest Hobby". Why? Like their larger counterparts, model trains carry the great power of connection. It brings people together across generations and communities. It's a creative outlet that encourages problem-solving, building new skills, and learning about history. It also makes people happy, and that is a wonderful thing.
We don't ever want to see this hobby disappear. There are many layouts out there that have been built up over a lifetime, but may not be around forever. How many of these masterpieces will never be seen and enjoyed by the public? Using our filmmaking skills that we've been building for over 25 years, we want to do something about it.
We want to capture these layouts like never before, using cinematic techniques that puts the viewer into the world of each layout in a way that makes you question if it's even a miniature. We want to preserve these layouts and the creative builders behind them. Every layout has a story, and they often share that theme of connection.
We're very passionate about the hobby. We want to share it with others, immerse viewers into these miniature worlds, and preserve these works of art and the stories of their artists for generations to come. That's why we want to make this series.
We're Sam and Lauren - a husband and wife team that both work in the film & television industry. Sam works as a cinematographer with a deep understanding of light, framing, and movement. Lauren has worked as an Assistant Camera for over a decade and is now moving into Directing her own stories.
As you might have heard, the movie and television industry has had its share of challenges over the last six years. In 2020, we saw a complete halt of all production, and we had no work for months.
The holidays came around, and we weren't able to visit our family that year. Passed down from Sam's grandfather to his father was the tradition of running a train around the Christmas tree every year. Sam decided to carry on this tradition himself, and with extra time on his hands, what started as a simple train around the tree soon became a full-blown winter HO scale layout, complete with scenery, structures, and landscape. Sam had wanted to create a detailed layout like this since his childhood. It wasn't long before Sam pointed a camera at it, and Lauren became involved with making scenes on the layout that told their own story. We saw a lot of parallels with filmmaking and model railroading, and created the concept for the series. But we can't do it alone. With your help, we can bring it to life!
Your Contribution Will Go Toward:
- Hiring the Crew (1st Assistant Camera, Gaffer, Key Grip, Sound Mixer, and Production Designer). These are key roles on film sets for the camera, lighting, audio recording, and art departments. They are vital to making the elements that will immerse the viewer into these layouts and to capture authentic interviews. We can't make the series without them. It takes a village!
- Catering and Craft Services: It is standard on professional film sets to feed the crew lunch and provide snacks and beverages throughout the day (also known as Crafty or Craft Services). Food and refreshments keep them happy and performing their best.
- Production Insurance: Another standard practice in the film & television industry is to have insurance coverage in case there are any accidents. Some locations will require a policy in order to film. It is necessary to ensure that layouts and our production team will be protected, should the worst case happen.
- 4 TB Express SSD Drives: We will film the series on an ARRI Alexa 35 digital cinema camera, which records footage on memory cards. These cards will need to be downloaded during our days on set to fast SSD drives in order to keep our production running on-schedule. We need two of these so there is always a backup in case of a drive failure, to prevent losing footage.
- 16 TB Backup Hard Drive: The footage for the entire first season will live on a hard drive. If anything happens to that drive, we could lose all of it! That's why having a backup drive is common practice.
Curious about watching the finished show?
Want to be part of making the series?
There's a lot of different ways YOU can help!
Here's how:
- Make a pledge to our campaign: Any amount, big or small! We need to reach 80% of our goal in order to make the series. That's at least $33,360. Your pledge will be returned to you if we do not receive at least this amount. If we do raise over that amount, the show will be greenlit, and we have a variety of rewards to choose from to thank you! If we reach our total goal of $41,700, you can still keep donating towards our stretch goals.
- Follow Us along for the journey! You can follow us on our Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and this Seed & Spark campaign to receive updates and cool model railroad content.
- Share our Campaign. Tell a friend! Whether they are into models, trains, miniatures, realism, art, human stories, or something else - there are a lot of aspects of our show that may interest them. You can help us spread the word!
- Share on Social Media. Feel free to share our campaign and videos on Facebook, Instagram, or another platform of your choice! We want to connect to new audiences as well, and social media might be just the right place for people to discover it. We want to encourage young people to get into the hobby too.
If we get the project 100% funded, we can make the series, but only just. You can make the series even better by contributing past this point. Additional proceeds will go towards:
- Better rates for the crew and adding more crew members, which will increase the quality of the show
- Hiring an Editor and Sound Designer / Mixer to immerse audiences at a deeper level
- Labor rates for Director & DP, to foster the long-term vitality of the show and possible future seasons
- Equipment Costs covering our equipment or renting more gear
- Travel Expenses, giving us a larger area to look for and film unique layouts
We hope that you will join us in this journey by making a financial contribution to the project. If you want to explore more layouts through our series, please consider sharing our campaign with your fellow model railroad enthusiasts! Use this link: https://seedandspark.com/fund/reel-model-railroads
Industry Support
Interested in supporting Reel Model Railroads as an industry partner or other business? Contact us to discuss production sponsorship opportunities.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Hire the Crew
Costs $28,000
For 10 episodes, we've allocated $2,800 per episode for crew labor ($1,400 per day for two days). Not including our labor.
Catering and Craft Services
Costs $6,500
A fed crew is a happy crew! We need to provide lunch, snacks and hydration for everyone on set for 20 days of filming.
(2) Express SSD Drives (4 TB)
Costs $1,400
Needed in order to download footage from the camera on set and transport to post production.
Production Insurance for Entire Season
Costs $5,000
Standard in the industry, production insurance covers liabilities while on set
Backup Hard Drive (16 TB)
Costs $800
To store and preserve the footage and edits long-term.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Flying Dutchman Cinema is a boutique production company and equipment rental house, owned by Sam Mosco, a Director of Photography based in LA.
Sam Mosco, Director of Photography, grew up in Pennsylvania and studied Cinematography at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. His interest in model railroading was passed down through his family, from his grandfather to his father and eventually to him. In 2020, with some extra time on his hands, Sam built his own HO scale layout, reincarnating his connection to the hobby.
He began his professional film career as a camera intern on a live-action Nickelodeon series and went on to work as an assistant camera on feature films. After moving to Los Angeles, he continued pursuing cinematography while working his way through the grip and electrical departments. That experience gave him a deep understanding of light and a connection to the crew that continues into his work as a Director of Photography. His path through the industry eventually led to his first feature film as DP.
Sam has photographed multiple feature films along with many award-winning shorts and documentaries. His work has been viewed millions of times online. Reel Model Railroads combines his experience in cinematography with a longtime interest in model railroading, using light, motion, and perspective to bring these layouts to life.
Lauren Mosco, Director, is originally from Melbourne, Australia. She moved to Los Angeles for her career in film. Soon after, she met Sam, and they were married five years later. Lauren has extensive experience crewing on set as an assistant camera in Local 600. With a natural gift for connecting with people and sharing their stories, she sets a tone while directing that allows talent to open up and for crew to bring their best to each project. Her father took her to view model railroad exhibits as a child, and has contributed her skills to the layout with Sam. She too, now has a passion for creating miniature worlds. Together, they created the prototype for this series, and are determined to take it to the next level.
Chris Gonzalez, M.P.S.E., Sound Designer, is a Pittsburgh native who studied sound at Point Park University, where he met Sam more than a decade ago, and has continued to collaborate with him on projects throughout their careers. Chris connected with Lauren through shared hobbies and interests, including a fascination with miniature sets inspired by a love of playing Dungeons & Dragons. His career in sound has grown from production work and independent filmmaking into sound design, re-recording mixing, immersive audio, and major studio campaigns, including collaborations with Dolby and work on some of Hollywood's biggest film marketing projects for Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios. After seven years in Los Angeles, Chris has returned to Pittsburgh, where he teaches at Point Park and is building his own mixing stage and creative space while continuing to collaborate with filmmakers and share the experience he has gained throughout his career.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Reel Model Railroads transports you into the lifelike miniature worlds of model train layouts, from hidden basement layouts created by independent modelers, to sprawling train club layouts. Through realistic sound design and the use of specialized probe lenses, we scale your perspective down to the scale of the model. Experience these layouts from a first-person point of view, as if they were real.
But it doesn't end there. Hear about these layouts from their creators, with the unique stories and experiences they have had, and forge a connection with these like-minded artisans. Become inspired by the creative landscapes or simply enjoy the view of trains passing by.
Gain access to private clubs and unseen personal layouts. There are entire worlds lying hidden, and we intend to bring them to light.
We have already created two short teaser episodes as a proof of concept for the series. You can check them out below!
Belmont Shore Model Railroad Club - N Scale
Angels Gate Hi-Railers Model Railroading Club - O Gauge
We want to make 10 more episodes with your help, between 20-30 mins long, to serve as the first season. Once complete, we will seek distribution, and hopefully make more seasons to come!
Model Railroading is often referred to as "The World's Greatest Hobby". Why? Like their larger counterparts, model trains carry the great power of connection. It brings people together across generations and communities. It's a creative outlet that encourages problem-solving, building new skills, and learning about history. It also makes people happy, and that is a wonderful thing.
We don't ever want to see this hobby disappear. There are many layouts out there that have been built up over a lifetime, but may not be around forever. How many of these masterpieces will never be seen and enjoyed by the public? Using our filmmaking skills that we've been building for over 25 years, we want to do something about it.
We want to capture these layouts like never before, using cinematic techniques that puts the viewer into the world of each layout in a way that makes you question if it's even a miniature. We want to preserve these layouts and the creative builders behind them. Every layout has a story, and they often share that theme of connection.
We're very passionate about the hobby. We want to share it with others, immerse viewers into these miniature worlds, and preserve these works of art and the stories of their artists for generations to come. That's why we want to make this series.
We're Sam and Lauren - a husband and wife team that both work in the film & television industry. Sam works as a cinematographer with a deep understanding of light, framing, and movement. Lauren has worked as an Assistant Camera for over a decade and is now moving into Directing her own stories.
As you might have heard, the movie and television industry has had its share of challenges over the last six years. In 2020, we saw a complete halt of all production, and we had no work for months.
The holidays came around, and we weren't able to visit our family that year. Passed down from Sam's grandfather to his father was the tradition of running a train around the Christmas tree every year. Sam decided to carry on this tradition himself, and with extra time on his hands, what started as a simple train around the tree soon became a full-blown winter HO scale layout, complete with scenery, structures, and landscape. Sam had wanted to create a detailed layout like this since his childhood. It wasn't long before Sam pointed a camera at it, and Lauren became involved with making scenes on the layout that told their own story. We saw a lot of parallels with filmmaking and model railroading, and created the concept for the series. But we can't do it alone. With your help, we can bring it to life!
Your Contribution Will Go Toward:
- Hiring the Crew (1st Assistant Camera, Gaffer, Key Grip, Sound Mixer, and Production Designer). These are key roles on film sets for the camera, lighting, audio recording, and art departments. They are vital to making the elements that will immerse the viewer into these layouts and to capture authentic interviews. We can't make the series without them. It takes a village!
- Catering and Craft Services: It is standard on professional film sets to feed the crew lunch and provide snacks and beverages throughout the day (also known as Crafty or Craft Services). Food and refreshments keep them happy and performing their best.
- Production Insurance: Another standard practice in the film & television industry is to have insurance coverage in case there are any accidents. Some locations will require a policy in order to film. It is necessary to ensure that layouts and our production team will be protected, should the worst case happen.
- 4 TB Express SSD Drives: We will film the series on an ARRI Alexa 35 digital cinema camera, which records footage on memory cards. These cards will need to be downloaded during our days on set to fast SSD drives in order to keep our production running on-schedule. We need two of these so there is always a backup in case of a drive failure, to prevent losing footage.
- 16 TB Backup Hard Drive: The footage for the entire first season will live on a hard drive. If anything happens to that drive, we could lose all of it! That's why having a backup drive is common practice.
Curious about watching the finished show?
Want to be part of making the series?
There's a lot of different ways YOU can help!
Here's how:
- Make a pledge to our campaign: Any amount, big or small! We need to reach 80% of our goal in order to make the series. That's at least $33,360. Your pledge will be returned to you if we do not receive at least this amount. If we do raise over that amount, the show will be greenlit, and we have a variety of rewards to choose from to thank you! If we reach our total goal of $41,700, you can still keep donating towards our stretch goals.
- Follow Us along for the journey! You can follow us on our Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and this Seed & Spark campaign to receive updates and cool model railroad content.
- Share our Campaign. Tell a friend! Whether they are into models, trains, miniatures, realism, art, human stories, or something else - there are a lot of aspects of our show that may interest them. You can help us spread the word!
- Share on Social Media. Feel free to share our campaign and videos on Facebook, Instagram, or another platform of your choice! We want to connect to new audiences as well, and social media might be just the right place for people to discover it. We want to encourage young people to get into the hobby too.
If we get the project 100% funded, we can make the series, but only just. You can make the series even better by contributing past this point. Additional proceeds will go towards:
- Better rates for the crew and adding more crew members, which will increase the quality of the show
- Hiring an Editor and Sound Designer / Mixer to immerse audiences at a deeper level
- Labor rates for Director & DP, to foster the long-term vitality of the show and possible future seasons
- Equipment Costs covering our equipment or renting more gear
- Travel Expenses, giving us a larger area to look for and film unique layouts
We hope that you will join us in this journey by making a financial contribution to the project. If you want to explore more layouts through our series, please consider sharing our campaign with your fellow model railroad enthusiasts! Use this link: https://seedandspark.com/fund/reel-model-railroads
Industry Support
Interested in supporting Reel Model Railroads as an industry partner or other business? Contact us to discuss production sponsorship opportunities.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Hire the Crew
Costs $28,000
For 10 episodes, we've allocated $2,800 per episode for crew labor ($1,400 per day for two days). Not including our labor.
Catering and Craft Services
Costs $6,500
A fed crew is a happy crew! We need to provide lunch, snacks and hydration for everyone on set for 20 days of filming.
(2) Express SSD Drives (4 TB)
Costs $1,400
Needed in order to download footage from the camera on set and transport to post production.
Production Insurance for Entire Season
Costs $5,000
Standard in the industry, production insurance covers liabilities while on set
Backup Hard Drive (16 TB)
Costs $800
To store and preserve the footage and edits long-term.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Flying Dutchman Cinema is a boutique production company and equipment rental house, owned by Sam Mosco, a Director of Photography based in LA.
Sam Mosco, Director of Photography, grew up in Pennsylvania and studied Cinematography at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. His interest in model railroading was passed down through his family, from his grandfather to his father and eventually to him. In 2020, with some extra time on his hands, Sam built his own HO scale layout, reincarnating his connection to the hobby.
He began his professional film career as a camera intern on a live-action Nickelodeon series and went on to work as an assistant camera on feature films. After moving to Los Angeles, he continued pursuing cinematography while working his way through the grip and electrical departments. That experience gave him a deep understanding of light and a connection to the crew that continues into his work as a Director of Photography. His path through the industry eventually led to his first feature film as DP.
Sam has photographed multiple feature films along with many award-winning shorts and documentaries. His work has been viewed millions of times online. Reel Model Railroads combines his experience in cinematography with a longtime interest in model railroading, using light, motion, and perspective to bring these layouts to life.
Lauren Mosco, Director, is originally from Melbourne, Australia. She moved to Los Angeles for her career in film. Soon after, she met Sam, and they were married five years later. Lauren has extensive experience crewing on set as an assistant camera in Local 600. With a natural gift for connecting with people and sharing their stories, she sets a tone while directing that allows talent to open up and for crew to bring their best to each project. Her father took her to view model railroad exhibits as a child, and has contributed her skills to the layout with Sam. She too, now has a passion for creating miniature worlds. Together, they created the prototype for this series, and are determined to take it to the next level.
Chris Gonzalez, M.P.S.E., Sound Designer, is a Pittsburgh native who studied sound at Point Park University, where he met Sam more than a decade ago, and has continued to collaborate with him on projects throughout their careers. Chris connected with Lauren through shared hobbies and interests, including a fascination with miniature sets inspired by a love of playing Dungeons & Dragons. His career in sound has grown from production work and independent filmmaking into sound design, re-recording mixing, immersive audio, and major studio campaigns, including collaborations with Dolby and work on some of Hollywood's biggest film marketing projects for Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios. After seven years in Los Angeles, Chris has returned to Pittsburgh, where he teaches at Point Park and is building his own mixing stage and creative space while continuing to collaborate with filmmakers and share the experience he has gained throughout his career.