Rosabelle, Believe
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
History, Sci-Fi
“Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.” - Emily Dickinson. If you could bring back someone you have loved and lost, would you–even if it meant they were only half of their former selves? Rosabelle, Believe is about the power of love to keep someone’s essence alive…literally.
Rosabelle, Believe
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
History, Sci-Fi
2 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $5,599 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
32 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
“Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.” - Emily Dickinson. If you could bring back someone you have loved and lost, would you–even if it meant they were only half of their former selves? Rosabelle, Believe is about the power of love to keep someone’s essence alive…literally.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Our writer, Zach Levine, was inspired to write this story by what he knows about Harry Houdini. Before Houdini died, he and his wife made a promise to each other: if there was a life after death, he would send a message back to her for proof. The message was, “Rosabelle, believe.”
A fan of science-fiction and eerie dramatic works, such as the Marvel series Wandavision and the Apple TV show Severance, he wanted to craft a story that highlights the weight of loss while also leaning into high-concept science fiction. He wrote this script a few years ago, and the time has come to finally produce it with other like-minded filmmakers.
This is a story about the strength of love and how it can persist even through death, a universal feeling that all members of the audience can understand. On a personal level, I recently lost my grandmother to COVID. While I’m grateful to have spent much of my life traveling with her, I will always wish I could just have one more chance to talk to her and tell her how much I love her. I’m sure many people can relate to this sentiment, which makes the story especially powerful in my mind. Rosabelle, Believe is about a chance to talk with a loved one you wish you could have just one more conversation with.
Grief is a difficult subject to talk about. It’s even harder to face. We aim to create a film that justly portrays this struggle, but with a twist. Drawing inspiration from works like Black Mirror and Wandavision, we want to highlight the intersection of life and technology in a more literal sense.
Every day, technology becomes more integrated into our everyday lives. With every convenience it brings, though, it also presents dangers. This film aims to tackle both of these aspects of technology and how they affect our lives on every level.
Due to the pandemic making working conditions for the film industry difficult to navigate, we wanted to create an inclusive yet safe environment for fellow filmmakers to bring the story to life. We kept our crew small and maintained safety practices to mitigate the spread of COVID, such as providing masks on set and regularly sanitizing our spaces. The health and safety of our cast and crew mean more to us than anything, so it was our utmost priority to ensure their comfort on set.
Recently, we filmed our project, so now we are hoping to raise funds for artist compensation, post-production, and festival submissions. We plan to have the film edited by the end of August to then submit to festivals in the fall and spring.
We’re also teaming up with BIID, a rock band from Germany, to write an original song for the film, so we would love to share their hard work with the world as well.
Your support means the world to us! Even if you can’t make a monetary contribution, you can follow us on social media and help us spread the word about our project. Follow us on our Instagram, @rosabellebelieve, and keep an eye out for updates on the film.
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our project; we can’t wait to share it with you soon!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Costumes
Costs $300
So our Costume Designer can craft wardrobe as accurately as possible to the period!
Production Design
Costs $1,000
So our Production Designer can bring their period piece/sci-fi vision to life!
Camera & Lighting Equipment
Costs $1,000
So our incredible Camera and Lighting teams can showcase their talents with the proper equipment!
Food & Craft Services
Costs $500
So we can feed our rockstar Cast and Crew!
Transportation
Costs $500
So we can move Crew and equipment safely and efficiently from location to location!
Post Production
Costs $400
So our wonderful Editors have the resources they need to masterfully bring the film together!
Festival Submissions
Costs $300
So we can share our hard work with other film lovers!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Nicole Gillette - Co-Director
Nicole Gillette is from Dallas, Texas and lives in Los Angeles. She just earned her Bachelor’s degree in Film Production at Loyola Marymount University and is interested in writing, directing, and producing for film.
Recently, she finished her thesis film for her final college semester, so she’s eager to jump into the next project, Rosabelle, Believe.
Zach Levine - Writer/Co-Director
Zach Levine is from Boston, Massachusetts and currently lives in Los Angeles. He is studying Screenwriting, English, and Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University and is interested in pursuing a career in writing, directing, and producing for film and TV. This is Zach’s directorial debut, and he is extremely excited to bring this project to life!
Dmitriy Usov - Producer
Dmitriy Usov is a Russian-Cypriot writer, producer and director based in Los Angeles.
Growing up in an international environment Dmitriy has been captivated by telling stories that bridge gaps in cultural differences, distance, and time. From an early age, Dmitriy has been fascinated by everything unknown and mysterious, and which is precisely what Rosabelle, Believe is about.
Tom Bolles - Director of Photography
Tom is a Los Angeles based cinematographer and colorist originally from Washington, DC. He is currently a senior at Loyola Marymount University studying Film Production.
Tom is passionate about every part of the image pipeline from lighting on set to image processing and post production color.
Tom’s most recent project was shooting a music video for indie singer-songwriter Bennett Coast’s new single Seeds.
As a colorist, Tom has worked with a variety of brands and artists including Pokémon, Vince Staples, Swae Lee, Mabel, and others.
Andi Gallagher - Young Rosabelle
Andi Gallagher is a Meisner trained actress with a love of telling engaging stories where she and the cast get the privilege of playing with and exploring humanness and the depths of our complexity. She recently had the joy of shooting an ABC pilot near Yosemite (combining her love of acting and adventure rec!) Andi particularly enjoys working on Indie films with a heart for collaboration, which made this film particularly wonderful to be a part of! You can see more of her recent work on FOX's 9-1-1: Lonestar. Originally from Iowa, Andi is now based in Los Angeles.
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Elijah Olachea - Theodore
Elijah Olachea is an actor based out of Los Angeles. He has been cast in numerous award-winning shorts and films and is honored to be a part of the story of Rosabelle, Believe.
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Francisco DeCun - Erik the Milkman
Originally from Puerto Rico and raised in Miami, FL, Francisco DeCun is a life-long artist. As a published illustrator, he’s worked on everything from comic books to brand logos. As a musician, he has toured around the world as a drummer and has released solo records as a frontman. As an actor, he has starred in dozens of short films and over 50 commercials. Now you can see him as Erik the Milkman, as the creepy yet harmless figure who does his best to help Rosabelle believe.
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Michelle Murphy - Isabelle
Michelle Murphy is an actor, writer and VO artist based in Los Angeles. Michelle has worked in theatre, film and television throughout the midwest and west coast and just wrapped Disney+ limited series Lost Man Found in Tokyo, Japan. Michelle is currently working on her first solo show, headed to the stage in Sept. 2022.
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Elijah Matias - Sound Mixer
Elijah is a sound mixer, director, and writer from Long Beach, CA. He is currently a senior at Loyola Marymount University studying Film Production and Screenwriting. He is interested in telling stories about groups and cultures that have not had much exposure in mainstream media, especially from his own Filipino roots.
He has worked in SFTV’s sound department since his first year and can answer most of your questions about sound production.
Besides sound, he is also willing to take on other roles in productions.
.JPG)
Emmalyne Hvizdak - Costume Designer
Emmalyne Hvizdak is an LA-based playwright, theatre director, and costume designer. She is currently a senior at Loyola Marymount University, majoring in Screenwriting and Theatre Arts, with a focus in Directing. She loves working on deeply personal stories, especially those centered around women's lives, which has made bringing Rosabelle, Believe to life a complete joy.
.JPG)
Kelly Pennington - Production Designer
Kelly Pennington is a director, AD, and PD from dallas texas and is now based in los angeles. She has one semester left at LMU, which she will be spending abroad in Bonn making her second documentary. She loves the creative process of production design and the task to create a believable and living world that the film takes place in. Playing with the two different time periods and the juxtaposition of those two worlds was an especially fun project and she’s so thankful she got to be part of Rosabelle, Believe!
.jpeg)
Julia Hilbert - Production Designer
Julia Hilbert is one of the co-production designers! Originally from the East Coast, she got her start in film photography - she is a filmmaker interested in writing and production design!
.jpg)
Rita Tsao - First Assistant Camera
Rita Tsao is a Taiwanese filmmaker currently based in Los Angeles.
She moved from Taiwan to Britain and is now in Los Angles to work on becoming a better cinematographer while studying for her MFA degree at Loyola Marymount University.
She has a passion for film and cinematography and has worked on various projects in different departments for the past few years to sharpen her skills as a filmmaker.
She is honored to have the opportunity to work with so many talented people as the 1st AC for this project, and she can’t wait to see the final film!
.JPG)
Ami Hamada - Script Supervisor
Ami Hamada is a recent grad from Loyola Marymount University. She graduated Class of 2022 with a B.A. in Screenwriting. She loves gaining set experience by helping friends with their passion projects. She’s beyond grateful to have been part of such a fun creative shoot and to work alongside an incredible group of artists.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Our writer, Zach Levine, was inspired to write this story by what he knows about Harry Houdini. Before Houdini died, he and his wife made a promise to each other: if there was a life after death, he would send a message back to her for proof. The message was, “Rosabelle, believe.”
A fan of science-fiction and eerie dramatic works, such as the Marvel series Wandavision and the Apple TV show Severance, he wanted to craft a story that highlights the weight of loss while also leaning into high-concept science fiction. He wrote this script a few years ago, and the time has come to finally produce it with other like-minded filmmakers.
This is a story about the strength of love and how it can persist even through death, a universal feeling that all members of the audience can understand. On a personal level, I recently lost my grandmother to COVID. While I’m grateful to have spent much of my life traveling with her, I will always wish I could just have one more chance to talk to her and tell her how much I love her. I’m sure many people can relate to this sentiment, which makes the story especially powerful in my mind. Rosabelle, Believe is about a chance to talk with a loved one you wish you could have just one more conversation with.
Grief is a difficult subject to talk about. It’s even harder to face. We aim to create a film that justly portrays this struggle, but with a twist. Drawing inspiration from works like Black Mirror and Wandavision, we want to highlight the intersection of life and technology in a more literal sense.
Every day, technology becomes more integrated into our everyday lives. With every convenience it brings, though, it also presents dangers. This film aims to tackle both of these aspects of technology and how they affect our lives on every level.
Due to the pandemic making working conditions for the film industry difficult to navigate, we wanted to create an inclusive yet safe environment for fellow filmmakers to bring the story to life. We kept our crew small and maintained safety practices to mitigate the spread of COVID, such as providing masks on set and regularly sanitizing our spaces. The health and safety of our cast and crew mean more to us than anything, so it was our utmost priority to ensure their comfort on set.
Recently, we filmed our project, so now we are hoping to raise funds for artist compensation, post-production, and festival submissions. We plan to have the film edited by the end of August to then submit to festivals in the fall and spring.
We’re also teaming up with BIID, a rock band from Germany, to write an original song for the film, so we would love to share their hard work with the world as well.
Your support means the world to us! Even if you can’t make a monetary contribution, you can follow us on social media and help us spread the word about our project. Follow us on our Instagram, @rosabellebelieve, and keep an eye out for updates on the film.
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our project; we can’t wait to share it with you soon!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Costumes
Costs $300
So our Costume Designer can craft wardrobe as accurately as possible to the period!
Production Design
Costs $1,000
So our Production Designer can bring their period piece/sci-fi vision to life!
Camera & Lighting Equipment
Costs $1,000
So our incredible Camera and Lighting teams can showcase their talents with the proper equipment!
Food & Craft Services
Costs $500
So we can feed our rockstar Cast and Crew!
Transportation
Costs $500
So we can move Crew and equipment safely and efficiently from location to location!
Post Production
Costs $400
So our wonderful Editors have the resources they need to masterfully bring the film together!
Festival Submissions
Costs $300
So we can share our hard work with other film lovers!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Nicole Gillette - Co-Director
Nicole Gillette is from Dallas, Texas and lives in Los Angeles. She just earned her Bachelor’s degree in Film Production at Loyola Marymount University and is interested in writing, directing, and producing for film.
Recently, she finished her thesis film for her final college semester, so she’s eager to jump into the next project, Rosabelle, Believe.
Zach Levine - Writer/Co-Director
Zach Levine is from Boston, Massachusetts and currently lives in Los Angeles. He is studying Screenwriting, English, and Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University and is interested in pursuing a career in writing, directing, and producing for film and TV. This is Zach’s directorial debut, and he is extremely excited to bring this project to life!
Dmitriy Usov - Producer
Dmitriy Usov is a Russian-Cypriot writer, producer and director based in Los Angeles.
Growing up in an international environment Dmitriy has been captivated by telling stories that bridge gaps in cultural differences, distance, and time. From an early age, Dmitriy has been fascinated by everything unknown and mysterious, and which is precisely what Rosabelle, Believe is about.
Tom Bolles - Director of Photography
Tom is a Los Angeles based cinematographer and colorist originally from Washington, DC. He is currently a senior at Loyola Marymount University studying Film Production.
Tom is passionate about every part of the image pipeline from lighting on set to image processing and post production color.
Tom’s most recent project was shooting a music video for indie singer-songwriter Bennett Coast’s new single Seeds.
As a colorist, Tom has worked with a variety of brands and artists including Pokémon, Vince Staples, Swae Lee, Mabel, and others.
Andi Gallagher - Young Rosabelle
Andi Gallagher is a Meisner trained actress with a love of telling engaging stories where she and the cast get the privilege of playing with and exploring humanness and the depths of our complexity. She recently had the joy of shooting an ABC pilot near Yosemite (combining her love of acting and adventure rec!) Andi particularly enjoys working on Indie films with a heart for collaboration, which made this film particularly wonderful to be a part of! You can see more of her recent work on FOX's 9-1-1: Lonestar. Originally from Iowa, Andi is now based in Los Angeles.
Elijah Olachea - Theodore
Elijah Olachea is an actor based out of Los Angeles. He has been cast in numerous award-winning shorts and films and is honored to be a part of the story of Rosabelle, Believe.
Francisco DeCun - Erik the Milkman
Originally from Puerto Rico and raised in Miami, FL, Francisco DeCun is a life-long artist. As a published illustrator, he’s worked on everything from comic books to brand logos. As a musician, he has toured around the world as a drummer and has released solo records as a frontman. As an actor, he has starred in dozens of short films and over 50 commercials. Now you can see him as Erik the Milkman, as the creepy yet harmless figure who does his best to help Rosabelle believe.
Michelle Murphy - Isabelle
Michelle Murphy is an actor, writer and VO artist based in Los Angeles. Michelle has worked in theatre, film and television throughout the midwest and west coast and just wrapped Disney+ limited series Lost Man Found in Tokyo, Japan. Michelle is currently working on her first solo show, headed to the stage in Sept. 2022.
Elijah Matias - Sound Mixer
Elijah is a sound mixer, director, and writer from Long Beach, CA. He is currently a senior at Loyola Marymount University studying Film Production and Screenwriting. He is interested in telling stories about groups and cultures that have not had much exposure in mainstream media, especially from his own Filipino roots.
He has worked in SFTV’s sound department since his first year and can answer most of your questions about sound production.
Besides sound, he is also willing to take on other roles in productions.
Emmalyne Hvizdak - Costume Designer
Emmalyne Hvizdak is an LA-based playwright, theatre director, and costume designer. She is currently a senior at Loyola Marymount University, majoring in Screenwriting and Theatre Arts, with a focus in Directing. She loves working on deeply personal stories, especially those centered around women's lives, which has made bringing Rosabelle, Believe to life a complete joy.
Kelly Pennington - Production Designer
Kelly Pennington is a director, AD, and PD from dallas texas and is now based in los angeles. She has one semester left at LMU, which she will be spending abroad in Bonn making her second documentary. She loves the creative process of production design and the task to create a believable and living world that the film takes place in. Playing with the two different time periods and the juxtaposition of those two worlds was an especially fun project and she’s so thankful she got to be part of Rosabelle, Believe!
Julia Hilbert - Production Designer
Julia Hilbert is one of the co-production designers! Originally from the East Coast, she got her start in film photography - she is a filmmaker interested in writing and production design!
Rita Tsao - First Assistant Camera
Rita Tsao is a Taiwanese filmmaker currently based in Los Angeles.
She moved from Taiwan to Britain and is now in Los Angles to work on becoming a better cinematographer while studying for her MFA degree at Loyola Marymount University.
She has a passion for film and cinematography and has worked on various projects in different departments for the past few years to sharpen her skills as a filmmaker.
She is honored to have the opportunity to work with so many talented people as the 1st AC for this project, and she can’t wait to see the final film!
Ami Hamada - Script Supervisor
Ami Hamada is a recent grad from Loyola Marymount University. She graduated Class of 2022 with a B.A. in Screenwriting. She loves gaining set experience by helping friends with their passion projects. She’s beyond grateful to have been part of such a fun creative shoot and to work alongside an incredible group of artists.