Roadkill
New York City, New York | Film Short
Horror, Musical
When her anxiety takes on a monstrous life of its own, a young musician must face it and her mother’s influence to survive her first show. Using horror and music, I hope to turn that fear into a visceral story about confronting your demons, reclaiming your voice, and daring to create art anyway.
Roadkill
New York City, New York | Film Short
Horror, Musical
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $9,080 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
47 supporters | followers
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When her anxiety takes on a monstrous life of its own, a young musician must face it and her mother’s influence to survive her first show. Using horror and music, I hope to turn that fear into a visceral story about confronting your demons, reclaiming your voice, and daring to create art anyway.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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On the night of her debut performance, a young musician’s anxiety turns monstrous. Roadkill is a psychological horror musical that transforms panic, pressure, and self-doubt into a bloody battle to take the stage.
Roadkill follows Rain, a talented but insecure young musician, on the night of their first major performance. As she prepares to take the stage, her anxiety spirals into vivid, violent hallucinations that blur the line between reality and nightmare. Her mother, Anita, while well-meaning, suffocates her with her support and over-protection. What begins as pre-show nerves escalates into a visceral battle between their inner fears, the pressure of being seen, and the weight of their mother’s expectations.
Set within a New York dive bar, Roadkill transforms a familiar coming-of-age moment into a surreal horror experience. Anxiety manifests physically and symbolically through blood, distortion, and recurring deer imagery, a play on “a deer in headlights,” reflecting how panic can feel predatory, paralyzing, and impossible to escape.
 copy.png)
Roadkill is a musical horror short film that utilizes the lens of music and performance to explore the crushing reality of anxiety that many of us face but rarely discuss.
This film is inspired by my lived experience with anxiety and panic surrounding creative pursuits. As an aspiring artist, filmmaker, and musician, I know firsthand how fear can distort reality, turn ambition into paralysis, and make even the idea of performing and creating feel dangerous.
I have been working on this story since I was 14. It was the first script I ever wrote. I’ve been drawn to the idea of personifying anxiety as horrifying, painful, and even deadly because that’s how it truly feels to live with it. I’ve experienced anxiety for most of my life, and it has held me back from so many opportunities I deeply wanted to pursue: presentations, performances, classes, clubs, artistic projects, you name it. Making this film is my way of reclaiming those lost moments. It’s an act of defiance against the fear that once limited me, and a testament to the journey of confronting, surviving, and ultimately creating despite anxiety.
Anxiety is rarely depicted on screen, and when it is, it’s often portrayed softly, or in the background, but for many people, anxiety is violent, overwhelming, and all-consuming. Anxiety disorders are at an all-time high, especially among young people and creatives navigating visibility, pressure, and comparison in an increasingly public world. Roadkill showcases what anxiety can actually feel like by using horrifying hallucinations and soulful songs to visualize the dread, self-criticism, and pressure that many experience beneath the surface. It offers a genre-driven perspective that will resonate with audiences who feel unseen.
This is my thesis film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Getting here was an uphill battle in itself, as I faced my own anxiety about creating, showing my work, and taking up space as an artist. Making this film will prove to myself that I, too, can show up anyway.
Roadkill is a surreal, immersive film that zeroes in on the protagonist's perspective. The cinematography brings us to a heightened state through unnerving lingering shots, reflections, doorways, and dirtied frames to give the feeling of being watched, high contrast shadows and bright, focused lights for a spotlight motif, and erratic, unpredictable movements
during performances.
The color palette consists of muted jewel tones of the dingy bar stage lights, cool greens and blues of the calming forest in her mind, and a dash of blood red.
Roadkill is unique in its blend of horror and musical elements; few films fall into this mixed genre. I drew inspiration from these works to develop a cinematic language of my own.
Every dollar contributed to this project will go towards bringing this film to life and helping me pursue a dream.
We already have qualified and received $1,325 through NYU’s allotment for Advanced Narrative Films, and raised $500 through private donors, which covers our film's contingency and a few meals. We still need around $9k-10k to ensure this production goes as planned. Here's where the money from your generosity will go.
Location Fees: $4000
- To cover the cost of renting a bar with a stage in NYC for 3-4 shoot days.
Transportation: $600
- The cost of renting a van to transport our equipment, and the price of parking for 3-4 days.
Food: $2000
- Around $400 a day for a meal for the full crew, and $400 for all of crafty (snacks, coffee, drinks, light breakfast)
Post Production: $950
- $300 for sound design
- $300 for color
- $350 for music
Festival Fees: $300
Ride Shares: $200
- a spare 200 dollars for the inevitable late-night rides for cast and crew
Production Design and Costumes: $700
- $500 to bring the dive bar to life
- $200 to source second-hand costumes
Makeup and SFX: $300
- Quote given for the makeup for our bloody scenes
Camera + G&E: $1500
- Equipment rental quote given by our director of photography
Sound/Misc: $225
- Batteries
- Hardrives
- Etc needs on set
DONATE: Pledge to our campaign, no amount is too small, and your donation will mean the world to us!
WISHLIST: Check our wishlist page to see if you could help provide any of the necessities for making this film.
SHARE: Send this campaign to your friends, family, or anyone you know! You can use the incentives to help us promote our film!
FOLLOW: Follow us on @Roadkillshort on Instagram, follow us here on Seed&Spark, and tell your network to follow along with us too!
CONTACT: Reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions, inquiries, suggestions, or encouragement!
At its heart, Roadkill is about performance: performing for an audience, for a parent, and for yourself. It’s about the fear of failure, the pressure to be perfect, and the courage it takes to show up anyway. By the end, Rain doesn’t defeat their anxiety, but she learns to move through it, reclaiming her voice on her own terms. We hope to amplify that message and inspire others to push through their anxiety to share themselves with the world.
Blending horror, music, and emotional realism, Roadkill presents an intimate, unsettling portrait of anxiety and artistic identity, one that resonates with anyone who has ever been afraid to step into the spotlight or share their voice.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations
Costs $3,000
We need to rent out a dive bar for production for 3 days. The estimates I've been given are roughly $1,000 dollars per day.
Special Effects Makeup
Costs $400
We have some gruesome special effects makeup, broken legs, bleeding fingers, cuts, and bruises - 400 was the quote from the makeup artist
Food
Costs $2,000
300 for crafty (snacks, breakfast, coffee), 25 cast and crew members for a 4 day shoot, 425 per meal per day
Production Design
Costs $500
Help us bring this grungey, mysterious, and colorful dive bar to life! We need wall decor, neon signs, vanity lights, and props.
Wardrobe
Costs $300
A custom ballgown, homemade deer antlers, and thrifted indie styles.
Transportation
Costs $1,000
800 to rent a truck and park in nyc for the duration of the shoot - 200 for ride shares
Music
Costs $300
To pay our composer and main artist for their original music and performance
Camera and G&E
Costs $2,000
The rate given by our DP — covers high-quality camera, lighting, gear, and a full g&e crew.
Post Production
Costs $800
300 for sound design, 200 for color correction, 300 for film festival submissions
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer + Director
Grace Conley is a writer, director, actor, and production designer from Philadelphia, PA. Conley has been making films since she was 6 years old, and at 23 has produced over 30 different shorts. They are currently a senior studying Film and TV at NYU. Conley has received numerous accolades for their work, including being named one of Film Independent’s Future Filmmakers and a YoungArts winner in 2021. She is passionate about telling unique, personal, and unheard stories, with a flair for the absurd.
Producer
Ana Hummes Ota is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer based in New York City who identifies as a Third Culture Kid. Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to a Brazilian mother and Brazilian-Japanese father, Ana grew up around the world in Brazil, China, Germany, and Malaysia. Her multi-cultural background inspires her female-driven stories that explore themes of belonging and cultural identity in a globalized world.
Ana’s filmmaking journey began early, winning the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Berlin Flash Film Festival when she was just 14 for her short screenplay. Her most recent project, Monster, received the Patrons Circle Fund grant from Seed & Spark. Alongside her creative work, Ana also brings marketing experience as Associate Manager of Content Acquisition and Marketing at ULB Musica, an independent Latin record label.
Producer
Maddie Berry is a producer from Long Beach, California. She recently graduated from NYU Tisch & is now working in production in New York and New Jersey. She is passionate about stories that highlight the importance of everyday people and the gray areas in all facets of life. Cannot wait to jump on board this project!
Associate Producer
Alyssa Cross is a producer from Boston, MA. She graduated from NYU Tisch last spring and is now working as an editor. She cannot wait to get to work on Roadkill.
Casting Director
Lacey Hardy is a New York-based filmmaker, NYU alum, and casting director who thrives on exploring idiosyncratic subject matters that persuade the audience to see the world through a warped lens. Hailing from Baltimore, MD, she's been exploring different ways to tell the Black story and how the environment changes us. Through highlighting comedic experiences with diverse perspectives, she hopes to bring a down-to-earth perspective on the unpredictability of the world and what causes change. Currently, Lacey is a casting fellow at AMC Networks with the Black Theatre Coalition. In her free time, she loves practicing guitar, writing, playing with her cat Pepper, and enjoying dessert!
Director of Photography
Rowan Cassandra Lin is a Trans and Taiwanese cinematographer who works in strongly political, visceral and intimate narratives. She is especially interested in diving into the intricacies of intersectional identities and loves exploring and tinkering with varied visual techniques. She has shot over a hundred productions in narrative and experimental film, as well as commercial projects. Lin takes great care in picking apart the undercurrents of the characters and narratives she works with, embracing the subtleties of emotion and the inner world of each player. Her visual language is born of a deep understanding of people, focusing on function through feeling and an adoration of complexities.
Music
Xemi is a 24-year-old independent musician from Philadelphia, PA. With expertise in music production, they use guitar, vocals, and experimental techniques in their performances to make every performance unique and immersive. Xemi has scored multiple short films, building sonic worlds with textured ambient soundscapes. They have released two EPs, with their third set to come out in 2026.
Production Designer
Kimia Saifyan is a Manhattan-based production designer and filmmaker whose work spans narrative and experimental genres. She approaches production design as a sensory language - using texture, space, and visual tone to evoke emotion and deepen story with the belief in mind that visual environments should not just support a narrative, but communicate one all on their own. Her design work includes a wide range of projects created in collaboration with filmmakers from Columbia University’s Graduate Film Program, New York University, and beyond.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
On the night of her debut performance, a young musician’s anxiety turns monstrous. Roadkill is a psychological horror musical that transforms panic, pressure, and self-doubt into a bloody battle to take the stage.
Roadkill follows Rain, a talented but insecure young musician, on the night of their first major performance. As she prepares to take the stage, her anxiety spirals into vivid, violent hallucinations that blur the line between reality and nightmare. Her mother, Anita, while well-meaning, suffocates her with her support and over-protection. What begins as pre-show nerves escalates into a visceral battle between their inner fears, the pressure of being seen, and the weight of their mother’s expectations.
Set within a New York dive bar, Roadkill transforms a familiar coming-of-age moment into a surreal horror experience. Anxiety manifests physically and symbolically through blood, distortion, and recurring deer imagery, a play on “a deer in headlights,” reflecting how panic can feel predatory, paralyzing, and impossible to escape.
Roadkill is a musical horror short film that utilizes the lens of music and performance to explore the crushing reality of anxiety that many of us face but rarely discuss.
This film is inspired by my lived experience with anxiety and panic surrounding creative pursuits. As an aspiring artist, filmmaker, and musician, I know firsthand how fear can distort reality, turn ambition into paralysis, and make even the idea of performing and creating feel dangerous.
I have been working on this story since I was 14. It was the first script I ever wrote. I’ve been drawn to the idea of personifying anxiety as horrifying, painful, and even deadly because that’s how it truly feels to live with it. I’ve experienced anxiety for most of my life, and it has held me back from so many opportunities I deeply wanted to pursue: presentations, performances, classes, clubs, artistic projects, you name it. Making this film is my way of reclaiming those lost moments. It’s an act of defiance against the fear that once limited me, and a testament to the journey of confronting, surviving, and ultimately creating despite anxiety.
Anxiety is rarely depicted on screen, and when it is, it’s often portrayed softly, or in the background, but for many people, anxiety is violent, overwhelming, and all-consuming. Anxiety disorders are at an all-time high, especially among young people and creatives navigating visibility, pressure, and comparison in an increasingly public world. Roadkill showcases what anxiety can actually feel like by using horrifying hallucinations and soulful songs to visualize the dread, self-criticism, and pressure that many experience beneath the surface. It offers a genre-driven perspective that will resonate with audiences who feel unseen.
This is my thesis film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Getting here was an uphill battle in itself, as I faced my own anxiety about creating, showing my work, and taking up space as an artist. Making this film will prove to myself that I, too, can show up anyway.
Roadkill is a surreal, immersive film that zeroes in on the protagonist's perspective. The cinematography brings us to a heightened state through unnerving lingering shots, reflections, doorways, and dirtied frames to give the feeling of being watched, high contrast shadows and bright, focused lights for a spotlight motif, and erratic, unpredictable movements
during performances.
The color palette consists of muted jewel tones of the dingy bar stage lights, cool greens and blues of the calming forest in her mind, and a dash of blood red.
Roadkill is unique in its blend of horror and musical elements; few films fall into this mixed genre. I drew inspiration from these works to develop a cinematic language of my own.
Every dollar contributed to this project will go towards bringing this film to life and helping me pursue a dream.
We already have qualified and received $1,325 through NYU’s allotment for Advanced Narrative Films, and raised $500 through private donors, which covers our film's contingency and a few meals. We still need around $9k-10k to ensure this production goes as planned. Here's where the money from your generosity will go.
Location Fees: $4000
- To cover the cost of renting a bar with a stage in NYC for 3-4 shoot days.
Transportation: $600
- The cost of renting a van to transport our equipment, and the price of parking for 3-4 days.
Food: $2000
- Around $400 a day for a meal for the full crew, and $400 for all of crafty (snacks, coffee, drinks, light breakfast)
Post Production: $950
- $300 for sound design
- $300 for color
- $350 for music
Festival Fees: $300
Ride Shares: $200
- a spare 200 dollars for the inevitable late-night rides for cast and crew
Production Design and Costumes: $700
- $500 to bring the dive bar to life
- $200 to source second-hand costumes
Makeup and SFX: $300
- Quote given for the makeup for our bloody scenes
Camera + G&E: $1500
- Equipment rental quote given by our director of photography
Sound/Misc: $225
- Batteries
- Hardrives
- Etc needs on set
DONATE: Pledge to our campaign, no amount is too small, and your donation will mean the world to us!
WISHLIST: Check our wishlist page to see if you could help provide any of the necessities for making this film.
SHARE: Send this campaign to your friends, family, or anyone you know! You can use the incentives to help us promote our film!
FOLLOW: Follow us on @Roadkillshort on Instagram, follow us here on Seed&Spark, and tell your network to follow along with us too!
CONTACT: Reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions, inquiries, suggestions, or encouragement!
At its heart, Roadkill is about performance: performing for an audience, for a parent, and for yourself. It’s about the fear of failure, the pressure to be perfect, and the courage it takes to show up anyway. By the end, Rain doesn’t defeat their anxiety, but she learns to move through it, reclaiming her voice on her own terms. We hope to amplify that message and inspire others to push through their anxiety to share themselves with the world.
Blending horror, music, and emotional realism, Roadkill presents an intimate, unsettling portrait of anxiety and artistic identity, one that resonates with anyone who has ever been afraid to step into the spotlight or share their voice.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations
Costs $3,000
We need to rent out a dive bar for production for 3 days. The estimates I've been given are roughly $1,000 dollars per day.
Special Effects Makeup
Costs $400
We have some gruesome special effects makeup, broken legs, bleeding fingers, cuts, and bruises - 400 was the quote from the makeup artist
Food
Costs $2,000
300 for crafty (snacks, breakfast, coffee), 25 cast and crew members for a 4 day shoot, 425 per meal per day
Production Design
Costs $500
Help us bring this grungey, mysterious, and colorful dive bar to life! We need wall decor, neon signs, vanity lights, and props.
Wardrobe
Costs $300
A custom ballgown, homemade deer antlers, and thrifted indie styles.
Transportation
Costs $1,000
800 to rent a truck and park in nyc for the duration of the shoot - 200 for ride shares
Music
Costs $300
To pay our composer and main artist for their original music and performance
Camera and G&E
Costs $2,000
The rate given by our DP — covers high-quality camera, lighting, gear, and a full g&e crew.
Post Production
Costs $800
300 for sound design, 200 for color correction, 300 for film festival submissions
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer + Director
Grace Conley is a writer, director, actor, and production designer from Philadelphia, PA. Conley has been making films since she was 6 years old, and at 23 has produced over 30 different shorts. They are currently a senior studying Film and TV at NYU. Conley has received numerous accolades for their work, including being named one of Film Independent’s Future Filmmakers and a YoungArts winner in 2021. She is passionate about telling unique, personal, and unheard stories, with a flair for the absurd.
Producer
Ana Hummes Ota is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer based in New York City who identifies as a Third Culture Kid. Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to a Brazilian mother and Brazilian-Japanese father, Ana grew up around the world in Brazil, China, Germany, and Malaysia. Her multi-cultural background inspires her female-driven stories that explore themes of belonging and cultural identity in a globalized world.
Ana’s filmmaking journey began early, winning the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Berlin Flash Film Festival when she was just 14 for her short screenplay. Her most recent project, Monster, received the Patrons Circle Fund grant from Seed & Spark. Alongside her creative work, Ana also brings marketing experience as Associate Manager of Content Acquisition and Marketing at ULB Musica, an independent Latin record label.
Producer
Maddie Berry is a producer from Long Beach, California. She recently graduated from NYU Tisch & is now working in production in New York and New Jersey. She is passionate about stories that highlight the importance of everyday people and the gray areas in all facets of life. Cannot wait to jump on board this project!
Associate Producer
Alyssa Cross is a producer from Boston, MA. She graduated from NYU Tisch last spring and is now working as an editor. She cannot wait to get to work on Roadkill.
Casting Director
Lacey Hardy is a New York-based filmmaker, NYU alum, and casting director who thrives on exploring idiosyncratic subject matters that persuade the audience to see the world through a warped lens. Hailing from Baltimore, MD, she's been exploring different ways to tell the Black story and how the environment changes us. Through highlighting comedic experiences with diverse perspectives, she hopes to bring a down-to-earth perspective on the unpredictability of the world and what causes change. Currently, Lacey is a casting fellow at AMC Networks with the Black Theatre Coalition. In her free time, she loves practicing guitar, writing, playing with her cat Pepper, and enjoying dessert!
Director of Photography
Rowan Cassandra Lin is a Trans and Taiwanese cinematographer who works in strongly political, visceral and intimate narratives. She is especially interested in diving into the intricacies of intersectional identities and loves exploring and tinkering with varied visual techniques. She has shot over a hundred productions in narrative and experimental film, as well as commercial projects. Lin takes great care in picking apart the undercurrents of the characters and narratives she works with, embracing the subtleties of emotion and the inner world of each player. Her visual language is born of a deep understanding of people, focusing on function through feeling and an adoration of complexities.
Music
Xemi is a 24-year-old independent musician from Philadelphia, PA. With expertise in music production, they use guitar, vocals, and experimental techniques in their performances to make every performance unique and immersive. Xemi has scored multiple short films, building sonic worlds with textured ambient soundscapes. They have released two EPs, with their third set to come out in 2026.
Production Designer
Kimia Saifyan is a Manhattan-based production designer and filmmaker whose work spans narrative and experimental genres. She approaches production design as a sensory language - using texture, space, and visual tone to evoke emotion and deepen story with the belief in mind that visual environments should not just support a narrative, but communicate one all on their own. Her design work includes a wide range of projects created in collaboration with filmmakers from Columbia University’s Graduate Film Program, New York University, and beyond.