director's statement

My friendships with other girls as I grew up were strengthened by the art we loved together. The subjects often changed: Lizzie McGuire, That’s So Raven, and Hannah Montana, to name a few. I learned the dances, sang the songs, and even wrote fanfiction. Loving these shows, movies, and musicians made me feel like part of a community with other girls who just got it. We chatted about our faves IRL and through online communities with those who understood. I became friends with Jonas Brothers fans on Facebook. My college valedictorian mentioned me in her speech about our shared love of One Direction. And my first, indirect, screenplay came out of Degrassi roleplaying on Tumblr.

The one person who most prominently held that space in my life, though, since 2006, has been Taylor Swift. To say scalped! is based on a true story is true. I was burned by someone taking their ticket back from me after I had bought it. But scalped!, which was born the night that that happened, has become its own girly, dark, campy universe with characters and commentary that needed to be told. scalped! speaks to the exploitative greed of ticket scalpers, the question of who gets to go to concerts, the way an artist can unite a community, and the dynamic between an artist and their fans.

This story, these characters, and the vision for it are all something I feel my entire life of being a fangirl has prepared me for. We're filming this December — so come on, join the ride. Scarlet Sky, till I die.

synopsis

BETTY puts on her red scrunchie. It’s time to get Scarlet Sky tickets. DIANNA goes through roles and responsibilities for the Scarlet Sky Coalition (SSC). HARRIETT is as snarky as ever. But Ticket-In CRASHES before they can secure seats. JIM texts Betty to come to his place ASAP, which she does. But not without a confrontation from Harriett that Betty’s rich boyfriend should just buy them tickets on resale. Betty’s pissed and leaves. Dianna and Harriett sulk over not getting tickets, while watching a Cameo from Scarlet that she sent for Dianna’s birthday. Betty returns with Jim and his roommate TRENT...good news — Trent’s code worked. He got tickets for them all!

Harriett is suspicious that Trent had a code, didn’t tell them, and was able to worm his way through Ticket-In’s site crashing. Trent’s most excited to see the show with Dianna, whom he’s had a crush on since high school, and his “bestie” Jim.

The night before the concert, Trent shows up at Dianna’s apartment. The SSC is going through friendship bracelet R&Rs — or are they? We see an open notebook with assorted numbers written down — tour dates? They’re surprised to see Trent as they make bracelets. They say he can just text them the tickets. He’s not going to. Trent’s not taking them to the concert — just Jim. The SSC is annoyed. What? They paid him fair and square. Trent and Betty get in a fight over who’s Jim’s best friend.

Trent, mad about Dianna blowing him off, slips that he scalped the tickets. The SSC gets even more annoyed. Not only is Trent not giving them their tickets, but he also SCALPED them? Betty, Dianna, and Harriett put their hair in red scrunchie ponytails. Betty STABS Trent with one of the scissors for the bracelets and the other women join in.

The next night, Betty, Dianna, and Harriett get ready for the concert. They’re wearing Trent’s REMAINS — a flesh tube top, intestine belt, and eyeball earrings. Betty uses the eyeball earrings to unlock Trent’s phone and she transfers the tickets.

We’re back to where we started with the SSC, but this time, we see the LETHAL scissors up close. The scrunchies. The friendship bracelets — with numbers on them — are not tour dates. They’re the IP addresses, of scalpers. scalped!

budget

So where do you come in? Your support — which is crucial to making scalped! a reality — directly contributes to paying the entire cast and crew, feeds everyone on set, secures a stellar location, and gets us that killer edit in post-production. You can see a full breakdown of our budget on the Wishlist tab above and how we'll use funds to make this the best film possible. And hey — once we do, you can say you helped get us there.

tone

scalped! is a dark comedy horror set in a girly, campy, sugary, pop star veneer. It honors the bond of female friendship like Clueless while exploring darker questions about society — such as fandom exploitation — like Promising Young Woman.

look

scalped! takes visual inspiration from early 2000s pop stars, while also being true to the 2023 aesthetics surrounding fandom — which means friendship bracelets! The BFFs wear red scrunchies whenever they’re about to — well, scalp!

characters

betty

Betty loves three things most in the world: her besties, her boyfriend Jim, and the pop icon Scarlet Sky. Betty is the unofficial "glue" of her BFF clique the "Scarlet Sky Coalition" — but she is also prone to crying outbursts. She has been with her boyfriend Jim for 10 years, and they love trying new restaurants together. She’s a pro at Scarlet Sky friendship bracelets and she hates nothing more than ticket scalpers.

dianna

Dianna has a plan for everything, every time. She is the organizer of the group, ensuring they have a path for getting Scarlet Sky tickets and has successfully gotten the SSC tickets for all of her tours. Trent’s had a crush on her forever, but she’s just not that into him. She needs someone to match her intellect and ambition and that’s not Trent.

harriett

Harriett’s a lovable bitch, down to the core. She knows every Scarlet Sky lyric like the back of her hand and is a natural detective when it comes to figuring people out. Her sarcastic bite gets her in trouble, but her best friends always know how to bring her back out of it. Her favorite memories are going to Scarlet Sky shows with Dianna and Betty. She tolerates Jim — he’s an i-banker, ew — and Trent even less so.

jim

Jim might seem like your typical finance bro douche — he’s hot and an i-banker — but he’s actually a Scarlet Sky fan too. He would much rather spend alone time with Betty than with Betty and her best friends. He puts up with the SSC’s shenanigans — constant friendship bracelet making and frequent hangs without him — because he loves Betty so much. Trent’s his roommate because he wanted one, so he could save money for a house for himself and Betty.

trent

Jim’s roommate. He thinks he’s Jim’s best friend. He’s not. He’s the Seth Cohen to Jim’s Ryan — in his POV. Trent went to high school with the SSC and Jim but he isn’t really part of the group. He’s adorable and awkward and is the one who’s able to get the SSC Scarlet Sky tickets. But turns out, Trent’s lowkey a scalper. Which sucks for him — snip snip!

scarlet sky

Scarlet Sky is the biggest pop phenomenon in the world. She’s been touring and releasing music nonstop for over a decade, and her "Till I Die" tour is her last. She loves her fans, who commonly wear — and exchange — friendship bracelets to her shows.