This is something I tell people who are considering a career in the fire service. It can be dangerous, but the odds of getting hurt or killed are actually pretty low. However, there is a sacrifice. All firefighters sacrifice their mental health. Everyone experiences it differently but the persistent exposure to human trauma affects all of us. But if you ask any firefighter, they will tell you this is the best job in the world. Why? Because the enduring fulfillment of service to others on their worst day provides lasting meaning. The sacrifice of our mental well-being comes with the answer to our question of purpose. Our existence has lasting value.

- JONATHAN BOYD, ALLEN FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF

Let me begin with a story.

It’s my first year of marriage. My wife, Abbie, has started her new job as an ICU nurse in a level one trauma hospital in Fort Worth, and I had just co-launched a production company with a couple of good friends. Life was an adventure, and it was good. After work, Abbie would greet me with a kiss and a sigh. I always asked, “How was work?” and she often gave me a half-smile and said, “It was fine.”

One day she came home. Silent. No kiss. No smile. I asked her how work was and received no reply. She sat on the ground in our entryway with tears softly coming down her face. Time passed. Finally, she worked up the emotional energy to tell me. A young woman was admitted into her unit today. The woman’s heart stopped, and they began CPR. Her fiancé was in the room, holding her hand while my wife was doing compressions on her chest. The doctor tapped Abbie on the shoulder and said, “She’s gone.” The young fiancé became motionless as the reality began to hit him that he had lost his soon to be wife. After three years of working in the ICU, Abbie is no stranger to hardships, loss, and trauma. Death is a part of her job. I often lack the words to comfort her; all I can do is let her know she is not alone.

- JOSHUA GALLAS, DIRECTOR

Our story begins with Jesse and his team being woken by the emergency tone at the station. They suit up and are out of the station in a split moment. This is all just routine for them. They arrive at the apartment complex on fire, assess the situation, hook up the hose lines, and begin to make their way into the burning building.

From this moment forward, we begin to follow Jesse as he sees life in his head. We move through the door of the burning building and cut to the next morning when Jesse walks through the door of his home. Before he has a moment to gather himself, Jesse is forced to put down his job as Lieutenant and put on his role of father and husband. Just an hour before his daughter’s birthday party, His wife Tanya is in desperate need of assistance. As he begins to work hard for his family we are transported back to the wreckage of the burning apartment. The building is weakening every moment they are inside. Jesse tries to do his job but is stopped in his tracks when he sees his seven-year-old son next to him in the building. Jesse snaps out to find himself at his daughter's party with his son next to him grilling hamburgers. Jesse’s realities begin to collide the further into the story we go.

Unable to do each role to his fullest potential, both parties, his brothers in the department and his wife at home, begin to realize there is something wrong with him. It is not long until Tanya discovers the secret that Jesse is holding on to and she must figure out how to address the issue before it consumes Jesse.

As creators passionate about the art of storytelling, our two writers of Smoke have a deep connection to the story through their loved ones. It's never easy going through difficult and sometimes traumatizing work events, and it's even harder watching the person you love most go through it. Our team is equipped to tell this story through truthful eyes and an honest perspective.

With support from a local fire department, Smoke will take viewers through the lens of a true firefighter, unlike Hollywood's traditional depictions. We have consulted with real firefighters to describe what walking through a burning house is like, and we will not cut corners to make this easier. From realistic fire scenes to the tricks PTSD can play on a mind, we are confident Smoke will stand out on Screen. And even more so, it will stand out to first responders going through similar situations.

Now more than ever, people are acknowledging mental health as a key component of overall wellness. So while many have taken strides in their mental health journey through counseling or therapy, there are many more who have not had the courage to take that step. We want to be the ones to encourage this step and open up this conversation. 

We understand you have a lot of choices when it comes to contributing to certain projects. So we want to personally invite you to contribute to something larger than a beautiful short film. We're inviting you to contribute to a movement. A movement that will encourage organizations everywhere to make mental health resources readily accessible for first responders.

Because when we're in need, we call them to rescue us. And with your contribution to Smoke, we can return the favor to help them.

We've partnered with Betterhelp to help bring this project to life and provide support to first responders through their online therapy. The exact details and promotions of this partnership are still being finalized currently.

We are asking for 12K to help cover the remaining cost to pay fair compensation to our crew, provide sound design, wardrobe and art department expenses, and locations. 

Though your contributions can take us even further than we hoped for! Our Stretch Goals would give us the following: 

15K - Pay for a BTS videoograher and photographer, a colorist, and an upgrade on our meals/crafty. 

18K - Pay for everything above + a stellar editor.

20K - This will grant our wishes for everything listed above and increase compensation for our hard-working crew. On top of that it will allow us to hire a PR agency to get Smoke in front of an even wider audience. Think more money...more awareness!

25K - Hitting this stretch goal makes all of our dreams come true. If we raise this amount we will be able to cover everything from above, and it will also cover fees for DCP, and Film Festival Submissions.

Let the camera breathe. We see this film being hand-held, moving and breathing organically, reacting as our main character is reacting. The light is motivated and natural, not drawing attention to itself, but still present. A softer winter sun as opposed to a heavy handed Texas summer sun. The apartment fire is dark and obscured. Shadows and motion. Smoke concealing the firefighters actions and the incident. At home things feel natural, there is a degree of warmth, but not enough to feel completely comfortable.

We want to shoot spherical at an aspect ratio of 2:1. Again not wanting to draw attention to even the choice of lenses. The taller format opens up the world a little more and feels more relatable than a 2:35 ratio.

Whether at home or at work, the locations bordering our protagonist play a major role in the story, we want to feel the locations, not just blur them out in closeups. Every shot is intentional and is meant to serve the story. We shoot for the edit, not for coverage. Some scenes are played out in one frame with emphasis on composition and blocking. Others are played out in various shots.

In the Fall of 2019, Prelude Films produced a series of videos for a recruitment campaign for the Allen Fire Department that went on to win a Regional EMMY in 2021. Throughout production, we lived at the station for several days: going on 15+ live calls a day, riding in fire engines and ambulances, all while filming and documenting. We also shot controlled footage of a staged car wreck and a house fire. From this project, we learned the ins and outs of the department, how to work together as a team, and how to capture what they do safely. This experience will be invaluable in the production of Smoke and will inform how we approach production. All of the firefighter stills are from that project.

View Project -> 

Story Development: Began in 2020
First Round of Fundraising: March 2022
Pre-Production: March-October 2022
Filming: October 2022
Project Completion: January 2023
Distribution: Starting in 2023

You are not alone. This is one of the most powerful truths that every first responder needs to hear. Men and women within these careers need to know they are not the only ones dealing with trauma and that talking about it with your loved ones, colleagues, and trained professionals is one of the biggest ways to help with trauma. Our goal with the film is not only to educate the general public with what these men and women go through but to more importantly encourage, support, and inspire people that are specifically first responders, medical personnel or anyone that has experienced trauma in their field of work.

The story of Smoke is much bigger than us. It is much bigger than pretty images and fancy editing. This story is the beginning of a discussion amongst men and women that endure hardships very few people encounter. This story is to support them. To promote hope. To encourage and to simply say, you are not alone.

Will you join us in bringing this story to life?