Rich Kids
Houston, Texas | Film Feature
Drama, Teen
Rich Kids is a narrative drama about a group of troubled teens in a low-income community who resolve to break into “Los Ricos”, the local mansion with a border fence, in order to forget their difficult lives and experience a different one.
Rich Kids
Houston, Texas | Film Feature
Drama, Teen
2 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $23,116 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
304 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Rich Kids is a narrative drama about a group of troubled teens in a low-income community who resolve to break into “Los Ricos”, the local mansion with a border fence, in order to forget their difficult lives and experience a different one.
In Partnership With
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
PLEASE VISIT OUR POST PRODUCTION CAMPAIGN: www.RichKidsTheMovie.com
Synopsis
Mattias is a teenager whose family is struggling from financial hardship. When he discovers a wealthy neighbor’s out of town, he breaks into the mansion with his friends, spending the afternoon pretending to be rich. But when a troublemaking relative shows up uninvited, loyalties are tested as Matt’s desire for power in the house rises and his friendships are pushed to the breaking point.
About the script
From Laura Somers (co-writer/director): This story is loosely inspired by the kids from my neighborhood and by an incident that happened in the house I grew up in. My house was ten times bigger than any of the houses in the low income community across the street. The house also had a large fence surrounding it. A few years ago a group of kids broke into the house while my parents were away. The kids had a one hell of a great night before it ended in tragedy when one of them died.
This break-in got me thinking a lot about what it must be like for the lower income kids to live next to an affluent neighbor who had a big fence around their house. What message is the fence sending to them? In our country, all of our systems, whether they be economic, justice, or education, create their own invisible fences blocking equal access to working class, poor and ethnic communities. This is the theme that is central to the film, one that I’m very passionate about exploring.
From David Saldaña (co-writer): When Laura and I met to discuss her idea for the Rich Kids script she already had a basic story line mapped out in her head and ideas on shaping the narrative and characters. Having developed a familiarity with each other's work over the past six or so years we'd discovered our overlapping story telling sensibilities and love of character over plot. The choice to co-write the screenplay seemed like a no-brainer and luckily, we were rewarded with a relatively "effortless" process.
Before writing a single word we talked a lot, about being from Texas, about being a teenager, about being a parent, about groups unrepresented in film and television and how all those things have shaped us as screenwriters today. For me, this was wonderful opportunity to develop and explore the lives of characters that I wanted to see on the screen without fretting about the mechanics and devices that I'd spent so many hours on when working on specs and pilots, story over plot we said. To me, this meant an obligation to be as honest as possible so that the story would be compelling-- provoking thought and emotion for the audience.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Arri Alexa Camera Package
Costs $10,000
We need a professional camera to make this film look like a real movie!
Production Insurance
Costs $1,000
We want to keep our people and our equipment protected in case of an accident.
One Ton Grip package
Costs $1,000
Grip secures people and equipment into place: sandbags, c-stands, apple boxes and if we're really lucky - we'll get a DOLLY and track!
Lighting Package
Costs $2,500
You can't make a painting without paint, and lights are cinema's paint.
Catering
Costs $2,000
Good food keeps a hard working team going when the going gets tough.
Location Rental Fee
Costs $300
A modest thank you gift for the people who let us film in their front yard.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Fuel
Costs $1,000
We want to reimburse our cast and crew for transportation costs.
Sound Package
Costs $1,000
Sound is crucial to making or breaking a film. We need professional equipment to pull it off. Mixer, Booms, Lav Mics!
Prime Lens Set
Costs $300
Prime lenses change the focal length of a shot and are superior optical quality!
GRaid Drives
Costs $1,000
This is where we put the movie's footage when we shoot it! We need four 1TB drives and two 8TB drives for the raw footage and for backup.
Underwater Camera Housing
Costs $900
Help us get the awesome underwater pool shots and keep the camera safe and dry!!
Camera Accessories
Costs $150
Extra battery rentals keeps the work flowing without waiting to recharge.
Monitor
Costs $300
Help the director and key crew see the image projected on a screen while the cinematographer is filming.
Accessories - Tripods / Heads
Costs $250
The camera has to stand on a tripod!
Memory cards and Card Reader
Costs $200
This captures the footage and transfers it to our hard drives for editing
Share this update!
About This Team
Laura Somers (Co-Writer, Director) is originally from Pasadena, TX. She wants to live in a world where female directors are hired for 51% of the jobs in film and television. She is a solid, nurturing, and enthusiastic director committed to being an in demand film director. Laura’s directing strengths lie with her solid storytelling skills, powerful use of imagery, and her ability to inspire passionate performances from actors.
A graduate of NYU's TISCH School of the Arts, Laura's work has been highlighted on BrevityTV.com, The W Hotels, UCLA Medical Center, American Theater Magazine, New York Magazine and Vanity Fair. Her films have played at festivals around the world and her work has received financial support from IBM, the Austin Arts Commission, and Banana Republic. Between 1999 – 2001, she was Co-Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed award-winning theater company the dirigo group in Austin, TX. Having directed over 30 plays, her work with the dirigo group was honored by American Theater Magazine as one of twelve rising American theater companies “to watch” that were “hot, hip and on the verge”. She recently was named as one of SHOOT Magazine's up and coming directors of 2016.
From 2006-2014, she was a Editor on reality tv, films, web series and commercials for networks including TruTv, Spike, SyFy, TV One, MSN.com and Lifetime. In addition to being a filmmaker, she is a stay at home mom to her 30-month-old son. She also teaches aspiring screenwriters with the Wounded Warrior Project and the Writer's Guild Association. She lives in Los Angeles.
David Saldaña (co-writer) is from Austin, Texas. He started performing and writing in high school where he won numerous UIL acting awards and was a key member of Reagan High School’s Broadcast Journalism Program. He also made a bunch of goofy short films with his buddies. David was granted a Texas Achievement Award, academic minority scholarship, and graduated from the University of Texas with a BA in French.
After college, David spent five years as performer in Austin’s theater and comedy scenes. He was a company member at the critically acclaimed Vortex Theater where he participated in several original and adapted productions. He also served as assistant director for the Vortex Summer Youth Program’s award winning production of Aristophanes’s The Frogs. In addition, he worked as an actor and sound designer with Teatro Humanidad and Teatro Vivo.
On the comedic side, David was troupe member of Monk’s Night Out and Ray Prewitt’s Fourth Grade Class with whom he gigged regularly for over two years performing Improvisational Comedy on Friday and Saturday nights at Austin’s Velveeta Room. David also did a short stint with The Latino Comedy Project.
His years on stage came to an end after David decided he no longer had the desire to act. He then moved to Portland, Oregon where he bought a bicycle, got a job slinging espresso, and started training Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art.
It wasn’t long before David’s creative desire re-emerged and he delved fully into screenwriting. He started collaborating with a writing partner and the two wrote a number of features and pilots on spec. Along the way, David also got married, started a family, and relocated to Los Angeles where he now works a corporate desk job and teaches Capoeira in Korea Town. David and his family live in Eagle Rock.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
PLEASE VISIT OUR POST PRODUCTION CAMPAIGN: www.RichKidsTheMovie.com
Synopsis
Mattias is a teenager whose family is struggling from financial hardship. When he discovers a wealthy neighbor’s out of town, he breaks into the mansion with his friends, spending the afternoon pretending to be rich. But when a troublemaking relative shows up uninvited, loyalties are tested as Matt’s desire for power in the house rises and his friendships are pushed to the breaking point.
About the script
From Laura Somers (co-writer/director): This story is loosely inspired by the kids from my neighborhood and by an incident that happened in the house I grew up in. My house was ten times bigger than any of the houses in the low income community across the street. The house also had a large fence surrounding it. A few years ago a group of kids broke into the house while my parents were away. The kids had a one hell of a great night before it ended in tragedy when one of them died.
This break-in got me thinking a lot about what it must be like for the lower income kids to live next to an affluent neighbor who had a big fence around their house. What message is the fence sending to them? In our country, all of our systems, whether they be economic, justice, or education, create their own invisible fences blocking equal access to working class, poor and ethnic communities. This is the theme that is central to the film, one that I’m very passionate about exploring.
From David Saldaña (co-writer): When Laura and I met to discuss her idea for the Rich Kids script she already had a basic story line mapped out in her head and ideas on shaping the narrative and characters. Having developed a familiarity with each other's work over the past six or so years we'd discovered our overlapping story telling sensibilities and love of character over plot. The choice to co-write the screenplay seemed like a no-brainer and luckily, we were rewarded with a relatively "effortless" process.
Before writing a single word we talked a lot, about being from Texas, about being a teenager, about being a parent, about groups unrepresented in film and television and how all those things have shaped us as screenwriters today. For me, this was wonderful opportunity to develop and explore the lives of characters that I wanted to see on the screen without fretting about the mechanics and devices that I'd spent so many hours on when working on specs and pilots, story over plot we said. To me, this meant an obligation to be as honest as possible so that the story would be compelling-- provoking thought and emotion for the audience.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Arri Alexa Camera Package
Costs $10,000
We need a professional camera to make this film look like a real movie!
Production Insurance
Costs $1,000
We want to keep our people and our equipment protected in case of an accident.
One Ton Grip package
Costs $1,000
Grip secures people and equipment into place: sandbags, c-stands, apple boxes and if we're really lucky - we'll get a DOLLY and track!
Lighting Package
Costs $2,500
You can't make a painting without paint, and lights are cinema's paint.
Catering
Costs $2,000
Good food keeps a hard working team going when the going gets tough.
Location Rental Fee
Costs $300
A modest thank you gift for the people who let us film in their front yard.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Fuel
Costs $1,000
We want to reimburse our cast and crew for transportation costs.
Sound Package
Costs $1,000
Sound is crucial to making or breaking a film. We need professional equipment to pull it off. Mixer, Booms, Lav Mics!
Prime Lens Set
Costs $300
Prime lenses change the focal length of a shot and are superior optical quality!
GRaid Drives
Costs $1,000
This is where we put the movie's footage when we shoot it! We need four 1TB drives and two 8TB drives for the raw footage and for backup.
Underwater Camera Housing
Costs $900
Help us get the awesome underwater pool shots and keep the camera safe and dry!!
Camera Accessories
Costs $150
Extra battery rentals keeps the work flowing without waiting to recharge.
Monitor
Costs $300
Help the director and key crew see the image projected on a screen while the cinematographer is filming.
Accessories - Tripods / Heads
Costs $250
The camera has to stand on a tripod!
Memory cards and Card Reader
Costs $200
This captures the footage and transfers it to our hard drives for editing
Share this update!
About This Team
Laura Somers (Co-Writer, Director) is originally from Pasadena, TX. She wants to live in a world where female directors are hired for 51% of the jobs in film and television. She is a solid, nurturing, and enthusiastic director committed to being an in demand film director. Laura’s directing strengths lie with her solid storytelling skills, powerful use of imagery, and her ability to inspire passionate performances from actors.
A graduate of NYU's TISCH School of the Arts, Laura's work has been highlighted on BrevityTV.com, The W Hotels, UCLA Medical Center, American Theater Magazine, New York Magazine and Vanity Fair. Her films have played at festivals around the world and her work has received financial support from IBM, the Austin Arts Commission, and Banana Republic. Between 1999 – 2001, she was Co-Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed award-winning theater company the dirigo group in Austin, TX. Having directed over 30 plays, her work with the dirigo group was honored by American Theater Magazine as one of twelve rising American theater companies “to watch” that were “hot, hip and on the verge”. She recently was named as one of SHOOT Magazine's up and coming directors of 2016.
From 2006-2014, she was a Editor on reality tv, films, web series and commercials for networks including TruTv, Spike, SyFy, TV One, MSN.com and Lifetime. In addition to being a filmmaker, she is a stay at home mom to her 30-month-old son. She also teaches aspiring screenwriters with the Wounded Warrior Project and the Writer's Guild Association. She lives in Los Angeles.
David Saldaña (co-writer) is from Austin, Texas. He started performing and writing in high school where he won numerous UIL acting awards and was a key member of Reagan High School’s Broadcast Journalism Program. He also made a bunch of goofy short films with his buddies. David was granted a Texas Achievement Award, academic minority scholarship, and graduated from the University of Texas with a BA in French.
After college, David spent five years as performer in Austin’s theater and comedy scenes. He was a company member at the critically acclaimed Vortex Theater where he participated in several original and adapted productions. He also served as assistant director for the Vortex Summer Youth Program’s award winning production of Aristophanes’s The Frogs. In addition, he worked as an actor and sound designer with Teatro Humanidad and Teatro Vivo.
On the comedic side, David was troupe member of Monk’s Night Out and Ray Prewitt’s Fourth Grade Class with whom he gigged regularly for over two years performing Improvisational Comedy on Friday and Saturday nights at Austin’s Velveeta Room. David also did a short stint with The Latino Comedy Project.
His years on stage came to an end after David decided he no longer had the desire to act. He then moved to Portland, Oregon where he bought a bicycle, got a job slinging espresso, and started training Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art.
It wasn’t long before David’s creative desire re-emerged and he delved fully into screenwriting. He started collaborating with a writing partner and the two wrote a number of features and pilots on spec. Along the way, David also got married, started a family, and relocated to Los Angeles where he now works a corporate desk job and teaches Capoeira in Korea Town. David and his family live in Eagle Rock.