Nightjar
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Film-Noir, Mystery
Nightjar follows a woman's desire to walk alone through a city freely. M, who takes the same route home each night, chooses to go off her typical course one evening. It's a story of overcoming fear and embracing the freedom to wander—something women often can’t do at night.
Nightjar
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Film-Noir, Mystery
Green Light
This campaign raised $6,900 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
77 supporters | followers
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Nightjar follows a woman's desire to walk alone through a city freely. M, who takes the same route home each night, chooses to go off her typical course one evening. It's a story of overcoming fear and embracing the freedom to wander—something women often can’t do at night.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
STORY
Nightjar is a surrealist short film about a girl named M, who sleepwalks through the streets of Los Angeles. She uses a metal detector to navigate the nocturnal world around her, coming face to face with internal fears manifested as different characters and scenarios along her path. In the end, she awakens realizing the entire journey took place within her small bedroom.
The film explores the unsettling experience of being a woman alone at night. The tone is whimsical, surreal and slightly unsettling, touching on themes of vulnerability and resilience. Sleepwalkers are often fearless when they are in the unconscious of dangerous situations.
CHARACTER
M is a slender, awkward, gangly young woman with girlish features. Her hair is slightly unruly, and her face is free of makeup. Her facial features are natural yet unique (not tied to any specific time period). Her eyes convey her naive curiosity about the world around her. She is owlish with cartoonishly large eyes like a nocturnal animal. She wears an eclectic mix of pajamas and oversized, quirky clothes, as if she blindly dressed herself.
Character Inspiration Board
LOCATIONS / SETTING
The film's geography is inspired by the harsh/ empty industrial landscape of LA and the hidden corners of Echo Park. Train yards, winding tunnels, narrow neighborhood sidewalks, old interior hallways, and overgrown green spaces of LA are stitched together in a dreamlike fashion.
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Photos from Location Scouting
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Setting Inspiration Board
WHY NOW?
While modern women are often portrayed as fearless, idealized figures, they still navigate the constant fear of being perceived and judged. This fear strips them of the freedom to act spontaneously. We want to depict a woman who moves through the nighttime city without hesitation—exploring the dark city on her own terms.
Still from Nightjar location scouting footage
SOUND DESIGN AND SONIC STYLE
-Ambiance- wind, trains, nighttime creatures, crickets.
-Acousmatic sounds- Trains, bells, clanking, glass breaking.
-Diegetic sound (real from the world)- footsteps, skateboarders, metal detector
-Internalized diegetic sounds- hallucination, dreamlike, distortions separate from reality of the world.
-Voice over- poetically drives narrative from M’s perspective but doesn’t always match what’s shown.
-Score- Musical sound bridges between scenes with nods to old cinema.
Pinhole photography by Ann Hamilton -- experimental inspiration
Nightjar reimagines the simple act of walking home alone after dark as a surreal, psychological experience. The film explores themes of danger and wonder, balancing tension and humor to reflect the city's layered and contradictory nature. Inspired by the nocturnal bird, the title speaks to the film’s themes—nightjars are elusive creatures that hunt between night and day, existing in the in-between. Like the bird, our protagonist, M, moves unseen through the liminal space between reality and dream.
This project prioritizes an all-female and non-binary crew, bringing fresh perspectives to the screen. By supporting Nightjar, you’re empowering independent artists to create meaningful work, free from commercial constraints. In an era of AI and commodified art, Nightjar pays homage to authentic creative making.
Thank you for helping bring this vision to life!
TIMELINE
The majority of our preproduction work is complete including a finalized screen play, shot list, casting, and key crew hiring. Though we are still building out team and shooting schedule. We plan to shoot this project at night over a 4 night period starting early May 2025 and completion with release is set for Fall 2025.
May 2025 when we will begin to start spending the money donated to us by this campaign.
$3000 - Camera rental and operation
$2000 - Editing
$2000 - Lighting & grip
$1000 - Transportation
$1000 - Film Festival fees
$1000 - Payment for remainder crew and food
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Transportation
Costs $50
We are filming across multiple locations across LA, and we need your help to ensure our cast, crew, and equipment are transported safely!
Crafty
Costs $500
Hot coffee, meals, and other snacks that will keep everyone happy and fueled. Help feed the team!
Camera, Lighting, Sound Equipment
Costs $1,000
The right lenses and lights make a huge difference in capturing our specific vision.
Post Production
Costs $10
While Nina and Victoria will be taking on the majority of the editing.
Cast and Crew
Costs $5,600
Contributions made here will go directly towards paying our cast and crew!
Contingency Costs
Costs $100
These funds will go towards miscellaneous and unexpected costs that almost always arise on set. As well as a few small props.
Share this update!
About This Team
Our goal is to bring together women within the art an film industry who are extremely passionate, highly creative, and unafraid to experiment. We are still in the process of curating our team.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
STORY
Nightjar is a surrealist short film about a girl named M, who sleepwalks through the streets of Los Angeles. She uses a metal detector to navigate the nocturnal world around her, coming face to face with internal fears manifested as different characters and scenarios along her path. In the end, she awakens realizing the entire journey took place within her small bedroom.
The film explores the unsettling experience of being a woman alone at night. The tone is whimsical, surreal and slightly unsettling, touching on themes of vulnerability and resilience. Sleepwalkers are often fearless when they are in the unconscious of dangerous situations.
CHARACTER
M is a slender, awkward, gangly young woman with girlish features. Her hair is slightly unruly, and her face is free of makeup. Her facial features are natural yet unique (not tied to any specific time period). Her eyes convey her naive curiosity about the world around her. She is owlish with cartoonishly large eyes like a nocturnal animal. She wears an eclectic mix of pajamas and oversized, quirky clothes, as if she blindly dressed herself.
Character Inspiration Board
LOCATIONS / SETTING
The film's geography is inspired by the harsh/ empty industrial landscape of LA and the hidden corners of Echo Park. Train yards, winding tunnels, narrow neighborhood sidewalks, old interior hallways, and overgrown green spaces of LA are stitched together in a dreamlike fashion.
Photos from Location Scouting
Setting Inspiration Board
WHY NOW?
While modern women are often portrayed as fearless, idealized figures, they still navigate the constant fear of being perceived and judged. This fear strips them of the freedom to act spontaneously. We want to depict a woman who moves through the nighttime city without hesitation—exploring the dark city on her own terms.
Still from Nightjar location scouting footage
SOUND DESIGN AND SONIC STYLE
-Ambiance- wind, trains, nighttime creatures, crickets.
-Acousmatic sounds- Trains, bells, clanking, glass breaking.
-Diegetic sound (real from the world)- footsteps, skateboarders, metal detector
-Internalized diegetic sounds- hallucination, dreamlike, distortions separate from reality of the world.
-Voice over- poetically drives narrative from M’s perspective but doesn’t always match what’s shown.
-Score- Musical sound bridges between scenes with nods to old cinema.
Pinhole photography by Ann Hamilton -- experimental inspiration
Nightjar reimagines the simple act of walking home alone after dark as a surreal, psychological experience. The film explores themes of danger and wonder, balancing tension and humor to reflect the city's layered and contradictory nature. Inspired by the nocturnal bird, the title speaks to the film’s themes—nightjars are elusive creatures that hunt between night and day, existing in the in-between. Like the bird, our protagonist, M, moves unseen through the liminal space between reality and dream.
This project prioritizes an all-female and non-binary crew, bringing fresh perspectives to the screen. By supporting Nightjar, you’re empowering independent artists to create meaningful work, free from commercial constraints. In an era of AI and commodified art, Nightjar pays homage to authentic creative making.
Thank you for helping bring this vision to life!
TIMELINE
The majority of our preproduction work is complete including a finalized screen play, shot list, casting, and key crew hiring. Though we are still building out team and shooting schedule. We plan to shoot this project at night over a 4 night period starting early May 2025 and completion with release is set for Fall 2025.
May 2025 when we will begin to start spending the money donated to us by this campaign.
$3000 - Camera rental and operation
$2000 - Editing
$2000 - Lighting & grip
$1000 - Transportation
$1000 - Film Festival fees
$1000 - Payment for remainder crew and food
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Transportation
Costs $50
We are filming across multiple locations across LA, and we need your help to ensure our cast, crew, and equipment are transported safely!
Crafty
Costs $500
Hot coffee, meals, and other snacks that will keep everyone happy and fueled. Help feed the team!
Camera, Lighting, Sound Equipment
Costs $1,000
The right lenses and lights make a huge difference in capturing our specific vision.
Post Production
Costs $10
While Nina and Victoria will be taking on the majority of the editing.
Cast and Crew
Costs $5,600
Contributions made here will go directly towards paying our cast and crew!
Contingency Costs
Costs $100
These funds will go towards miscellaneous and unexpected costs that almost always arise on set. As well as a few small props.
Share this update!
About This Team
Our goal is to bring together women within the art an film industry who are extremely passionate, highly creative, and unafraid to experiment. We are still in the process of curating our team.