Shepherd Moon: a sci-fi short film
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Sci-Fi, Drama
Shepherd Moon is a sci-fi psychological drama, told from a female perspective. We believe in the story’s ability to both resonate with its audience while keeping them on the edge of their seats. We cannot wait to make this uniquely personal yet universal story a reality, but we need your help!
Shepherd Moon: a sci-fi short film
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Sci-Fi, Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,300 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
112 supporters | followers
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Shepherd Moon is a sci-fi psychological drama, told from a female perspective. We believe in the story’s ability to both resonate with its audience while keeping them on the edge of their seats. We cannot wait to make this uniquely personal yet universal story a reality, but we need your help!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY
Shepherd Moon focuses on the strained relationship between an Alien and her human test subject, Adam. Tensions rise as they fail to understand one another and Adam hatches a plan. The film is set in the not-so-distant future, an alternative timeline where space travel has been prioritized. Our leads lay low in a downtown city apartment, where it’s unclear how exactly they were brought together, who found who, and what each one is getting from the situation. The film, as a whole, is a metaphor for complicated interpersonal relationships, and we think every audience member will be able to see themselves in our characters.
TROPES
Filmmakers have used the trope of aliens & robots to represent autism/neurodivergence for decades. There is something so quintessential about an individual who has to study human beings in order to understand how human society operates - a common denominator between the neurodivergent experience & the alien experience. However, as science fiction is still a largely male-dominated genre, this trope often gets conflated with the adjacent "Born Sexy Yesterday" trope - a story in which a beautiful woman (some might say "sexy") learns about the world through her childlike wonder & naivety (almost as if she were "born yesterday"), told through a male gaze. Our film will be told through both a female POV and a neurodivergent POV, with our goal to make these themes empowering, rather than reductive.
VISUALS
The visual elements of this film are its bread & butter, as Michaela and Maria are both such aesthetically-driven people. Since the story is set in an ambiguous time period with ambiguous social guidelines, there is so much room for play & whimsy in the production design. The production is able to pull inspiration from so many different time periods, as they are not limited to just one. These visual contradictions will also play an effective storytelling role - in creating a parallel between the disorientation of time that people experience in real life when they're caught in a toxic relationship cycle. Shepherd Moon is visually inspired by Sci-Fi films such as Her (2013), Cloud Atlas (2012), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). While the story itself draws inspiration from quieter dramas/thrillers such as Priscilla (2023), Phantom Thread (2017), and Ex Machina (2014).
OUR HOPE
Michaela Wadzinski is our director/producer and Maria Smal is our writer/actor/producer. Together, they make a powerful female filmmaking duo based out of Los Angeles, but both originally from the corny state of Nebraska. Aside from having fun with our friends and exercising our creative muscles, the ultimate goal for this short film is to submit to film festivals all around the world. It's daunting to tackle such an ambitious project, let alone with the hopes to get our foot in the door to open new opportunities for us that we otherwise might never receive. It takes guts to make a completely independently-funded science fiction short film, and we're confident that this project will help earn us a respected seat at the metaphorical indie-film dining table.
CAST
The Alien is highly sensitive/observant but struggles to read between the lines. Deeply curious. Very intelligent but somehow naive. She’s fixated on learning as much about humankind as she can, and Adam is definitely a challenge. Her fear of failure guides her decisions. Played by Maria Smal.
Adam is outspoken, charming, and passionate. He has never been told to shut the f up in his entire life. Highly intelligent but deeply insecure. Adam’s motivations are complicated, just like most humans, so the Alien definitely struggles to figure him out. His fear of loneliness guides his decisions. Played by Ryan Goldsher.
The Rabbit is played by George Smal; experienced in front of the camera & sooo photogenic.
Josh is just trying to do his job, man. Played by the unparalleled Isaiah D. Washington.
BUDGET
Our fundraising goal is broken down above. The Sci-Fi visuals require money, especially for production design and our multiple filming locations.
Production Timeline
Winter 2024: Pre-Production/Fundraising
March 2024: Production
Spring/Summer 2024: Post-Production
Fall 2024 on: Festival Run/All Rewards Delivered
This production has a stretch goal of $10k to really make our movie shine - but help us get to $8k first!
If you don't have the means to donate, sharing our campaign on social media helps just as much. Every little bit helps towards this ambitious project!
Follow our Instagram page @shepherdmoonfilm for updates, campaign shoutouts, behind the scenes content, & more!
Thank you so much for considering our project. It means the world (& beyond). -M&M
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations
Costs $1,700
Our main locations, an apartment and a farm, need to fit into our sci-fi look!
Production Design
Costs $1,500
Production design will help sell the time and setting of our film.
Catering and Crafty
Costs $1,000
Money towards feeding our talented cast and crew!
Crew and Equipment!
Costs $3,800
Lighting and camera rentals are needed to help our film look the part, and a production crew to make it all happen!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Michaela Wadzinski is an award-winning director, writer and story artist. Professionally she works as a storyboard artist in the animation industry, but her love and schooling in live action keep her working constantly in both mediums. She has directed numerous shorts, most notably Know You Well, Protector of the Center of the Earth, 1995, and Negative Spaces, which have shown in over 70 film festivals worldwide, winning 19 best of awards. She loves writing, directing, and storyboarding because they are all about storytelling and how to most effectively tell one’s story. Michaela is the director and producer of Shepherd Moon. This is her first time working in Sci-Fi and she cannot be more excited!
Maria Smal is an actor & writer. And every multi-hyphenate who moves to Los Angeles either dies a hero or lives long enough to watch themselves become a content creator - but thankfully content creation has only partially altered Maria’s brain chemistry. Filmmaking was Maria’s first passion, but she’s the eldest daughter of two immigrant parents, so I’ll let you fill in the blanks for how warmly that was received. Thankfully, they’ve both come around to Maria’s personal version of the “American Dream” - and the fact that she’s had the resilience to make it this far should be testament enough to support her in her work. This is Maria’s first time leading in a film for a festival circuit, but she’s confident that she has written a uniquely personal yet ultimately universal story about an Alien going through one of the most “human” experiences that there is.
Jacob Skoda is a sound mixer and producer of online, podcast, and narrative content. After experience on previous Sci-Fi shorts such as Nesting Grounds, and The Shape of Fear, he is thrilled to be a part of this production.
And last but certainly not least, pictured above is our Director of Photography, Jon Bass. His work speaks for itself, check out his website. His stuff is out of this world.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY
Shepherd Moon focuses on the strained relationship between an Alien and her human test subject, Adam. Tensions rise as they fail to understand one another and Adam hatches a plan. The film is set in the not-so-distant future, an alternative timeline where space travel has been prioritized. Our leads lay low in a downtown city apartment, where it’s unclear how exactly they were brought together, who found who, and what each one is getting from the situation. The film, as a whole, is a metaphor for complicated interpersonal relationships, and we think every audience member will be able to see themselves in our characters.
TROPES
Filmmakers have used the trope of aliens & robots to represent autism/neurodivergence for decades. There is something so quintessential about an individual who has to study human beings in order to understand how human society operates - a common denominator between the neurodivergent experience & the alien experience. However, as science fiction is still a largely male-dominated genre, this trope often gets conflated with the adjacent "Born Sexy Yesterday" trope - a story in which a beautiful woman (some might say "sexy") learns about the world through her childlike wonder & naivety (almost as if she were "born yesterday"), told through a male gaze. Our film will be told through both a female POV and a neurodivergent POV, with our goal to make these themes empowering, rather than reductive.
VISUALS
The visual elements of this film are its bread & butter, as Michaela and Maria are both such aesthetically-driven people. Since the story is set in an ambiguous time period with ambiguous social guidelines, there is so much room for play & whimsy in the production design. The production is able to pull inspiration from so many different time periods, as they are not limited to just one. These visual contradictions will also play an effective storytelling role - in creating a parallel between the disorientation of time that people experience in real life when they're caught in a toxic relationship cycle. Shepherd Moon is visually inspired by Sci-Fi films such as Her (2013), Cloud Atlas (2012), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). While the story itself draws inspiration from quieter dramas/thrillers such as Priscilla (2023), Phantom Thread (2017), and Ex Machina (2014).
OUR HOPE
Michaela Wadzinski is our director/producer and Maria Smal is our writer/actor/producer. Together, they make a powerful female filmmaking duo based out of Los Angeles, but both originally from the corny state of Nebraska. Aside from having fun with our friends and exercising our creative muscles, the ultimate goal for this short film is to submit to film festivals all around the world. It's daunting to tackle such an ambitious project, let alone with the hopes to get our foot in the door to open new opportunities for us that we otherwise might never receive. It takes guts to make a completely independently-funded science fiction short film, and we're confident that this project will help earn us a respected seat at the metaphorical indie-film dining table.
CAST
The Alien is highly sensitive/observant but struggles to read between the lines. Deeply curious. Very intelligent but somehow naive. She’s fixated on learning as much about humankind as she can, and Adam is definitely a challenge. Her fear of failure guides her decisions. Played by Maria Smal.
Adam is outspoken, charming, and passionate. He has never been told to shut the f up in his entire life. Highly intelligent but deeply insecure. Adam’s motivations are complicated, just like most humans, so the Alien definitely struggles to figure him out. His fear of loneliness guides his decisions. Played by Ryan Goldsher.
The Rabbit is played by George Smal; experienced in front of the camera & sooo photogenic.
Josh is just trying to do his job, man. Played by the unparalleled Isaiah D. Washington.
BUDGET
Our fundraising goal is broken down above. The Sci-Fi visuals require money, especially for production design and our multiple filming locations.
Production Timeline
Winter 2024: Pre-Production/Fundraising
March 2024: Production
Spring/Summer 2024: Post-Production
Fall 2024 on: Festival Run/All Rewards Delivered
This production has a stretch goal of $10k to really make our movie shine - but help us get to $8k first!
If you don't have the means to donate, sharing our campaign on social media helps just as much. Every little bit helps towards this ambitious project!
Follow our Instagram page @shepherdmoonfilm for updates, campaign shoutouts, behind the scenes content, & more!
Thank you so much for considering our project. It means the world (& beyond). -M&M
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations
Costs $1,700
Our main locations, an apartment and a farm, need to fit into our sci-fi look!
Production Design
Costs $1,500
Production design will help sell the time and setting of our film.
Catering and Crafty
Costs $1,000
Money towards feeding our talented cast and crew!
Crew and Equipment!
Costs $3,800
Lighting and camera rentals are needed to help our film look the part, and a production crew to make it all happen!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Michaela Wadzinski is an award-winning director, writer and story artist. Professionally she works as a storyboard artist in the animation industry, but her love and schooling in live action keep her working constantly in both mediums. She has directed numerous shorts, most notably Know You Well, Protector of the Center of the Earth, 1995, and Negative Spaces, which have shown in over 70 film festivals worldwide, winning 19 best of awards. She loves writing, directing, and storyboarding because they are all about storytelling and how to most effectively tell one’s story. Michaela is the director and producer of Shepherd Moon. This is her first time working in Sci-Fi and she cannot be more excited!
Maria Smal is an actor & writer. And every multi-hyphenate who moves to Los Angeles either dies a hero or lives long enough to watch themselves become a content creator - but thankfully content creation has only partially altered Maria’s brain chemistry. Filmmaking was Maria’s first passion, but she’s the eldest daughter of two immigrant parents, so I’ll let you fill in the blanks for how warmly that was received. Thankfully, they’ve both come around to Maria’s personal version of the “American Dream” - and the fact that she’s had the resilience to make it this far should be testament enough to support her in her work. This is Maria’s first time leading in a film for a festival circuit, but she’s confident that she has written a uniquely personal yet ultimately universal story about an Alien going through one of the most “human” experiences that there is.
Jacob Skoda is a sound mixer and producer of online, podcast, and narrative content. After experience on previous Sci-Fi shorts such as Nesting Grounds, and The Shape of Fear, he is thrilled to be a part of this production.
And last but certainly not least, pictured above is our Director of Photography, Jon Bass. His work speaks for itself, check out his website. His stuff is out of this world.