Riis: A Gay Odd-ussy
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, LGBTQ
A group of friends find themselves on the ultimate queer quest while spending a day at the gay beach. One of them has spotted their crush all the way at the other end of the crowded beach, they just need to get to there. As they journey, they fall into traps and temptations.
Riis: A Gay Odd-ussy
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, LGBTQ
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $11,263 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
111 supporters | followers
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A group of friends find themselves on the ultimate queer quest while spending a day at the gay beach. One of them has spotted their crush all the way at the other end of the crowded beach, they just need to get to there. As they journey, they fall into traps and temptations.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Riis: A Queer Odd-ussy follows a group of friends on a quest for love…or at least a chance to say hey to an instagram crush. This project was conceived as a time capsule of queerness at this moment in NYC at one of the most quintessential places for the LGBTQIA+ community to congregate: Riis Beach.
Why Riis? Well, in recent years there was talk of closing Riis down. For more context read this article in the NY Times. In queer circles, this was devastating. Riis is a safe space for most of us. At the beach, that summer in 2022, I started thinking about how someone should preserve what Riis or "The Peoples' Beach" is like in a film. How would someone do that? What would it take? And I conceived of this very scrappy, very diy production where actual people on the beach could participate. It's two years late and here we are with a whole script. The narrative wrapper will drive the story forward, but along the way, we'll document the real characters of Riis showcasing the true friendships, the unbelievable unwritten rules of the space, and the community that you find at every turn when visiting this summer destination.
The heart of our story is the friendships between the main characters. We follow the group on a quest, but it’s not where they end up, it’s the journey along the way. My favorite movies growing up were about friendships. Our main characters are a gang of loveable misfits.
How you are helping:
- We don’t have a huge platform. Funding this film means you are helping an underrepresented group gain legitimacy in a very competitive industry.
- By donating to us, you are helping us tell our own stories for our audience.
Our script's biggest challenge is the sun and sea. Our shooting location is at the beach. It’s a public location, outside and a loud location to boot. We are relying on nature, on strangers, which can be unpredictable to say the least. However, with the right preparation and an experienced cast and crew, we can do it right.
Everyone on our team has experience with independent filmmaking and a budget of nothing. However, this project requires funding for everyone to really show their skill. So, we are looking for people who care about stories and want to support us, to join us on our quest.
We are looking to raise $12,950 for this film. This would allow us to:
- Afford rental costs equipment.
- Compensate our cast and crew fairly.
- Feed our cast and crew.
- Transport people and gear to and from our shooting location.
- Purchase important production design elements for the story.
- Cover general and various fees and costs involved
Our story is a love letter to this safe space and to share a glimpse of it with our audience. Riis is hard to describe in words— it’s fun, it’s a vibe for sure–it deserves to be preserved in film. The narrative is about the magic of community. Ultimately, I aspire to create a community for queer filmmakers and encourage others to tell their stories. Thank you for being a part of it.
How you can help:
1. Join our team by making a pledge on this page. You'll receive some cool incentives, appreciation, and a lot of love.
2. Follow me on Instagram @clairemcclain
3. Follow/Subscribe to our campaign on Seed & Spark for updates on our progress. More followers qualifies us for Seed & Spark support packages;
4. Share our page, the only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. So, Share! Share our campaign on social media, email, word-of-mouth, or any way you can.
5.Send us a private email if you have a special way you can help!
THANK YOU!
Our team needs YOU! Any support is appreciated!
COME ON THIS JOURNEY WITH US!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $7,800
Shooting on a beach comes with a unique set of technical challenges. We're working with very skilled professionals. They needa get paid.
Equipment Rental
Costs $1,500
We'll be renting lenses and sound equipment.
Craft Services
Costs $1,000
We're shooting for two long days. So, providing meals and water for our cast/crew is essential.
Insurance
Costs $1,000
Insurance is required for equipment rental/transportation.
Transportation
Costs $1,000
Public transportation will not cut it with for our Equipment.
Art direction
Costs $400
We need props, costumes, set pieces...etc.
Miscellaneous
Costs $250
Last minute costs come up especially shooting on location.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CREATIVE TEAM
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer/Actor - Claire McClain (She/Her): Claire McClain is a queer multi-disciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY. With more than one passion to pursue, Claire stays pretty busy and always has a project on her hands from music to filmmaking, painting to acting. Claire works professionally as an actor in commercials, v/o, and film. While honing her skills in front of the camera she gained an understanding of the filmmaking process and has enjoyed delving into the processherself. Last year, she wrote, acted, and produced music for her own short film, Record Temp.
Director, Kendall Payne (She/Her): Short Filmmaker and Brooklyn Based Comedian/Writer Kendall Alex Payne is a writer, director, and stand-up comedian. Her humor is dry, current, and extremely queer. Kendall has been making comedic short films, sketches, and web series since 2016. Her latest short film, Dealing, premiered at Newfest 2023. Kendall works professionally as an Associate Creative Director and has directed commercial content for Netflix, Apple TV+, Subway, and more. And in a random twist, Kendall has amassed a 35k+ following on TikTok with her viral Lesbian TikTok Drama series where she breaks down the relationships of lesbian TikTokers, a service that no one asked for, but everyone is grateful for. Link to work
Cinematographer - Alicia Ramírez (She/Her): Alicia is a Brooklyn based creative working as a cinematographer, photographer and video editor. She has extensive experience across the various genres of filmmaking and content creation. Some past clients include Paramount, BET, Saks, Viacom, P&G, Nikon, The New Yorker, Paper Magazine, and Amazon
Producer, Dana Brandes-Simon (She/Her): Dana is a Brooklyn-based journalist and documentary filmmaker. Last year, she was a producer on the second season of a hit documentary series on Netflix. In the same year, she worked closely with A24 to develop a new documentary series where she directed multiple shoots with celebrity talent. She was a staff Development Producer at Ark Media, where she developed and sold multiple series and feature films to Netflix, CBS See It Now, Peacock, and Paramount+. Previously, she field-produced Kate Stonehill's feature documentary, Phantom Parrot. In 2021, she traveled across the U.S. for Showtime's Emmy-nominated political documentary series, The Circus: The Greatest Political Show on Earth. That same year, she produced conceptual artist Jill Magid's short film, Tender, for Field of Vision and First Look Media. She got her start at Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, where she worked on CNN’s Death Row Stories and HBO Max’s Generation Hustle. Link to work
Art Direction, Emma Herrera (She/Her): Emma can do it all in terms of art direction–costumes, set, and props. She is environmental conscious when sourcing as she aims to use what is already owned by the cast and crew or buys second hand. Her process is thoughtful and thorough using the script as her guide. Check out her work here: emma-herrera.com
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Riis: A Queer Odd-ussy follows a group of friends on a quest for love…or at least a chance to say hey to an instagram crush. This project was conceived as a time capsule of queerness at this moment in NYC at one of the most quintessential places for the LGBTQIA+ community to congregate: Riis Beach.
Why Riis? Well, in recent years there was talk of closing Riis down. For more context read this article in the NY Times. In queer circles, this was devastating. Riis is a safe space for most of us. At the beach, that summer in 2022, I started thinking about how someone should preserve what Riis or "The Peoples' Beach" is like in a film. How would someone do that? What would it take? And I conceived of this very scrappy, very diy production where actual people on the beach could participate. It's two years late and here we are with a whole script. The narrative wrapper will drive the story forward, but along the way, we'll document the real characters of Riis showcasing the true friendships, the unbelievable unwritten rules of the space, and the community that you find at every turn when visiting this summer destination.
The heart of our story is the friendships between the main characters. We follow the group on a quest, but it’s not where they end up, it’s the journey along the way. My favorite movies growing up were about friendships. Our main characters are a gang of loveable misfits.
How you are helping:
- We don’t have a huge platform. Funding this film means you are helping an underrepresented group gain legitimacy in a very competitive industry.
- By donating to us, you are helping us tell our own stories for our audience.
Our script's biggest challenge is the sun and sea. Our shooting location is at the beach. It’s a public location, outside and a loud location to boot. We are relying on nature, on strangers, which can be unpredictable to say the least. However, with the right preparation and an experienced cast and crew, we can do it right.
Everyone on our team has experience with independent filmmaking and a budget of nothing. However, this project requires funding for everyone to really show their skill. So, we are looking for people who care about stories and want to support us, to join us on our quest.
We are looking to raise $12,950 for this film. This would allow us to:
- Afford rental costs equipment.
- Compensate our cast and crew fairly.
- Feed our cast and crew.
- Transport people and gear to and from our shooting location.
- Purchase important production design elements for the story.
- Cover general and various fees and costs involved
Our story is a love letter to this safe space and to share a glimpse of it with our audience. Riis is hard to describe in words— it’s fun, it’s a vibe for sure–it deserves to be preserved in film. The narrative is about the magic of community. Ultimately, I aspire to create a community for queer filmmakers and encourage others to tell their stories. Thank you for being a part of it.
How you can help:
1. Join our team by making a pledge on this page. You'll receive some cool incentives, appreciation, and a lot of love.
2. Follow me on Instagram @clairemcclain
3. Follow/Subscribe to our campaign on Seed & Spark for updates on our progress. More followers qualifies us for Seed & Spark support packages;
4. Share our page, the only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. So, Share! Share our campaign on social media, email, word-of-mouth, or any way you can.
5.Send us a private email if you have a special way you can help!
THANK YOU!
Our team needs YOU! Any support is appreciated!
COME ON THIS JOURNEY WITH US!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $7,800
Shooting on a beach comes with a unique set of technical challenges. We're working with very skilled professionals. They needa get paid.
Equipment Rental
Costs $1,500
We'll be renting lenses and sound equipment.
Craft Services
Costs $1,000
We're shooting for two long days. So, providing meals and water for our cast/crew is essential.
Insurance
Costs $1,000
Insurance is required for equipment rental/transportation.
Transportation
Costs $1,000
Public transportation will not cut it with for our Equipment.
Art direction
Costs $400
We need props, costumes, set pieces...etc.
Miscellaneous
Costs $250
Last minute costs come up especially shooting on location.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CREATIVE TEAM
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer/Actor - Claire McClain (She/Her): Claire McClain is a queer multi-disciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY. With more than one passion to pursue, Claire stays pretty busy and always has a project on her hands from music to filmmaking, painting to acting. Claire works professionally as an actor in commercials, v/o, and film. While honing her skills in front of the camera she gained an understanding of the filmmaking process and has enjoyed delving into the processherself. Last year, she wrote, acted, and produced music for her own short film, Record Temp.
Director, Kendall Payne (She/Her): Short Filmmaker and Brooklyn Based Comedian/Writer Kendall Alex Payne is a writer, director, and stand-up comedian. Her humor is dry, current, and extremely queer. Kendall has been making comedic short films, sketches, and web series since 2016. Her latest short film, Dealing, premiered at Newfest 2023. Kendall works professionally as an Associate Creative Director and has directed commercial content for Netflix, Apple TV+, Subway, and more. And in a random twist, Kendall has amassed a 35k+ following on TikTok with her viral Lesbian TikTok Drama series where she breaks down the relationships of lesbian TikTokers, a service that no one asked for, but everyone is grateful for. Link to work
Cinematographer - Alicia Ramírez (She/Her): Alicia is a Brooklyn based creative working as a cinematographer, photographer and video editor. She has extensive experience across the various genres of filmmaking and content creation. Some past clients include Paramount, BET, Saks, Viacom, P&G, Nikon, The New Yorker, Paper Magazine, and Amazon
Producer, Dana Brandes-Simon (She/Her): Dana is a Brooklyn-based journalist and documentary filmmaker. Last year, she was a producer on the second season of a hit documentary series on Netflix. In the same year, she worked closely with A24 to develop a new documentary series where she directed multiple shoots with celebrity talent. She was a staff Development Producer at Ark Media, where she developed and sold multiple series and feature films to Netflix, CBS See It Now, Peacock, and Paramount+. Previously, she field-produced Kate Stonehill's feature documentary, Phantom Parrot. In 2021, she traveled across the U.S. for Showtime's Emmy-nominated political documentary series, The Circus: The Greatest Political Show on Earth. That same year, she produced conceptual artist Jill Magid's short film, Tender, for Field of Vision and First Look Media. She got her start at Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, where she worked on CNN’s Death Row Stories and HBO Max’s Generation Hustle. Link to work
Art Direction, Emma Herrera (She/Her): Emma can do it all in terms of art direction–costumes, set, and props. She is environmental conscious when sourcing as she aims to use what is already owned by the cast and crew or buys second hand. Her process is thoughtful and thorough using the script as her guide. Check out her work here: emma-herrera.com