Sonder
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama
"Sonder" grapples with mental health and suicide through the eyes of two young people who, while at their lowest, find solace within the empathy of a complete stranger.
Sonder
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama
2 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $30,108 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
29 supporters | followers
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"Sonder" grapples with mental health and suicide through the eyes of two young people who, while at their lowest, find solace within the empathy of a complete stranger.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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White Rhino Productions is a production company that aims to tell ordinary stories extraordinarily. Our last project, Red Skies, was featured on FilmShortage and is currently running through the festival circuit. Red Skies won Best Director and Best Production Design at FFI London, and Best Florida Film at Fort Myers Film Festival.
LOGLINE:
After traveling to New York City to commit suicide, a young man's plans are interrupted by a chance meeting with a woman running from her past.
SYNOPSIS:
When Ian travels to New York City to commit suicide, he runs into Amber, an Australian woman still reconciling with the failure of her young marriage and sudden move across the world. After the two form an unlikely kinship over the purchase of a mid-morning beer, Ian decides to spend his final hours with her. Throughout the course of twelve hours, Ian and Amber develop an intimate bond that questions if they were ever strangers in the first place.
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IAN
played by Tyler Fewin
Ian was once the type of person whose presence was magnetic. After the onset of his depression and the subsequent loss of his parents, he became a shell of who he was. As he began to lose the relationships closest to him, Ian began to struggle with suicidal thoughts.
To escape from his isolation, Ian always kept moving, fearing that he'd be consumed by his worst thoughts in the quiet moments. But, as Jake says to Cohn in The Sun Also Rises, “You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.”
AMBER
played by Elisha Herbert
Amber was always lonely, even though she was often seen as the life of the party - a risktaker. Trading in her dreams for a life of security, Amber married her high school sweetheart at 18. After the eventual dissolution of her marriage, she impulsively decided to pack up her bags and move across the world to New York City.
As her loneliness returned, Amber found comfort in alcohol. Starting her day with a beer, she has discovered that the world she sought when she left Australia was not the world she found. The once-popular and buoyant Amber has, for the first time in her life, found herself completely alone.
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THEMATIC STATEMENT
Sonder is an experiment in radical empathy. We wanted to take two relatively normal individuals and explore them with the same nuance and intensity we would explore a sensationalized character.
BUDGET, TARGET AUDIENCE, & FUTURE PLANS
We are hoping for a budget of 31-38k. We will be paying the on-set crew hourly and the production staff and actors a flat rate. Travel expenses and hotel rooms will be covered for all members of the cast and crew out of the budget.
Sonder is a proof-of-concept short film. Within the next year, it will be taken to film festivals internationally and within New York City. In the long run, we hope to be able to develop it into a miniseries. We are currently in the early stages of working on a full pilot script and have multiple studios already interested in seeing the finished short.
WHY NOW?
Mental health is currently in crisis, as one of the largest epidemics facing young people today. In fact, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24 in the U.S (UCLA Health). Our team is a collective of young people who have also battled with mental health themselves or alongside loved ones. We want to take control over the narrative of how loneliness and isolation are portrayed on screen, and how other young people can share love and support one another through mental health struggles. With a licensed psychiatrist serving as a consultant and an Executive Producer of the project, we aim to delve into this issue with accuracy and grace.
Sonder aims to reshift the narrative, focusing on the definition of "sonder" itself: the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own, in which you might appear only once.
Though our lives are ever-changing, the brief yet unique experiences we share with others, with compassion and empathy, are the ones that can define us forever. White Rhino Productions leads with empathy as one of our highest-held truths.
CONTEXT
We will use these funds for pre-production, production, and post-production. We plan to submit Sonder to festivals such as Tribeca and SXSW, as well as shopping it around to various studios. If all goes to plan, we will premiere online on either Film Shortage or Short of the Week. We are in the process of working on a series version of the short film as well, and the pilot is currently being written.
REGARDING COVID
The entire cast and crew will be double vaccinated, as well as be administered COVID tests before takeoff. We will be adhering to the guidelines set out by the CDC.
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Follow us on @whiterhinoproductions on Instagram, and feel free to share our numerous posts to help spread the word!
Here are some hashtags to use when sharing!
#wereweeverstrangers #sonderfilm
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew Compensation
Costs $9,000
Supporting our crew is key in providing team members a livable wage for the duration of the shoot.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Talent Compensation
Costs $2,000
This will enable us to have the most talented cast possible.
Locations + Permits
Costs $4,000
Using New York City as our backdrop will allow the film to be authentic and bring the film to life.
Sound Equipment
Costs $3,000
For Hollywood-quality sound equipment (wireless lavaliers, shotgun mic, & boom pole).
Camera Costs
Costs $5,500
We will be renting a RED camera & lenses for the best visual quality possible.
Editing
Costs $700
Editor to color grade & condense on-screen and behind-the-scenes footage.
Makeup & Wardrobe
Costs $600
To have our cast look & feel authentic on-screen.
Safety on Set
Costs $300
For maintaining sanitation following CDC guidelines & keeping our cast and crew safe!
Craft Services
Costs $2,050
Craft services ensures we feed our entire cast & crew through the duration of filming.
Insurance & Fees
Costs $1,000
Costs of insurances & fees for beginning production in the state of New York.
Props & Design
Costs $700
Covering all items actors use on-screen to aid our storytelling!
Travel & Lodging
Costs $1,200
Housing our actors & crew who are flying in to work on our project.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
White Rhino Productions is a production company for the next generation. We hope to revolutionize the film industry both on and offscreen, learning from both the mistakes and successes of the generations before us. Our first priority is the health, safety, and happiness of our team. Because of that, we make it a point to pay livable wages to every individual regardless of role and are planning to train an emotional support animal to help make our sets a place of uncensored creativity and comfort. In an industry where higher-ups routinely verbally and sexually abuse their underlings, we hope that our focus on empathy, flexibility, and kindness will provide a unique oasis for anyone who works with us. We believe that this atmosphere will help us to create films with beating hearts, as the emotion, joy, and care put into production will be evident on screen.
In terms of filmmaking itself, White Rhino Productions combines the hyper-realistic style of filmmakers like Agnes Varda with the technology of the present. This, in turn, completely immerses the audience into the film, making it feel as if they are really standing five feet away, watching everything happen. This deeply personal connection created between the audience and the film can inspire new outlooks when it comes to especially controversial or sensitive issues. With division being prevalent throughout the country, it could be impactful to immerse people in situations that would otherwise seem alien to them. Perhaps it could even usher in a newfound sense of empathy in our viewers. We hope for a completely individualized experience for each viewer and, as a result, chose the Northern White Rhino as our mascot - the truest individual on the planet.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
White Rhino Productions is a production company that aims to tell ordinary stories extraordinarily. Our last project, Red Skies, was featured on FilmShortage and is currently running through the festival circuit. Red Skies won Best Director and Best Production Design at FFI London, and Best Florida Film at Fort Myers Film Festival.
LOGLINE:
After traveling to New York City to commit suicide, a young man's plans are interrupted by a chance meeting with a woman running from her past.
SYNOPSIS:
When Ian travels to New York City to commit suicide, he runs into Amber, an Australian woman still reconciling with the failure of her young marriage and sudden move across the world. After the two form an unlikely kinship over the purchase of a mid-morning beer, Ian decides to spend his final hours with her. Throughout the course of twelve hours, Ian and Amber develop an intimate bond that questions if they were ever strangers in the first place.
IAN
played by Tyler Fewin
Ian was once the type of person whose presence was magnetic. After the onset of his depression and the subsequent loss of his parents, he became a shell of who he was. As he began to lose the relationships closest to him, Ian began to struggle with suicidal thoughts.
To escape from his isolation, Ian always kept moving, fearing that he'd be consumed by his worst thoughts in the quiet moments. But, as Jake says to Cohn in The Sun Also Rises, “You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.”
AMBER
played by Elisha Herbert
Amber was always lonely, even though she was often seen as the life of the party - a risktaker. Trading in her dreams for a life of security, Amber married her high school sweetheart at 18. After the eventual dissolution of her marriage, she impulsively decided to pack up her bags and move across the world to New York City.
As her loneliness returned, Amber found comfort in alcohol. Starting her day with a beer, she has discovered that the world she sought when she left Australia was not the world she found. The once-popular and buoyant Amber has, for the first time in her life, found herself completely alone.
THEMATIC STATEMENT
Sonder is an experiment in radical empathy. We wanted to take two relatively normal individuals and explore them with the same nuance and intensity we would explore a sensationalized character.
BUDGET, TARGET AUDIENCE, & FUTURE PLANS
We are hoping for a budget of 31-38k. We will be paying the on-set crew hourly and the production staff and actors a flat rate. Travel expenses and hotel rooms will be covered for all members of the cast and crew out of the budget.
Sonder is a proof-of-concept short film. Within the next year, it will be taken to film festivals internationally and within New York City. In the long run, we hope to be able to develop it into a miniseries. We are currently in the early stages of working on a full pilot script and have multiple studios already interested in seeing the finished short.
WHY NOW?
Mental health is currently in crisis, as one of the largest epidemics facing young people today. In fact, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24 in the U.S (UCLA Health). Our team is a collective of young people who have also battled with mental health themselves or alongside loved ones. We want to take control over the narrative of how loneliness and isolation are portrayed on screen, and how other young people can share love and support one another through mental health struggles. With a licensed psychiatrist serving as a consultant and an Executive Producer of the project, we aim to delve into this issue with accuracy and grace.
Sonder aims to reshift the narrative, focusing on the definition of "sonder" itself: the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own, in which you might appear only once.
Though our lives are ever-changing, the brief yet unique experiences we share with others, with compassion and empathy, are the ones that can define us forever. White Rhino Productions leads with empathy as one of our highest-held truths.
CONTEXT
We will use these funds for pre-production, production, and post-production. We plan to submit Sonder to festivals such as Tribeca and SXSW, as well as shopping it around to various studios. If all goes to plan, we will premiere online on either Film Shortage or Short of the Week. We are in the process of working on a series version of the short film as well, and the pilot is currently being written.
REGARDING COVID
The entire cast and crew will be double vaccinated, as well as be administered COVID tests before takeoff. We will be adhering to the guidelines set out by the CDC.
Follow us on @whiterhinoproductions on Instagram, and feel free to share our numerous posts to help spread the word!
Here are some hashtags to use when sharing!
#wereweeverstrangers #sonderfilm
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew Compensation
Costs $9,000
Supporting our crew is key in providing team members a livable wage for the duration of the shoot.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Talent Compensation
Costs $2,000
This will enable us to have the most talented cast possible.
Locations + Permits
Costs $4,000
Using New York City as our backdrop will allow the film to be authentic and bring the film to life.
Sound Equipment
Costs $3,000
For Hollywood-quality sound equipment (wireless lavaliers, shotgun mic, & boom pole).
Camera Costs
Costs $5,500
We will be renting a RED camera & lenses for the best visual quality possible.
Editing
Costs $700
Editor to color grade & condense on-screen and behind-the-scenes footage.
Makeup & Wardrobe
Costs $600
To have our cast look & feel authentic on-screen.
Safety on Set
Costs $300
For maintaining sanitation following CDC guidelines & keeping our cast and crew safe!
Craft Services
Costs $2,050
Craft services ensures we feed our entire cast & crew through the duration of filming.
Insurance & Fees
Costs $1,000
Costs of insurances & fees for beginning production in the state of New York.
Props & Design
Costs $700
Covering all items actors use on-screen to aid our storytelling!
Travel & Lodging
Costs $1,200
Housing our actors & crew who are flying in to work on our project.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
White Rhino Productions is a production company for the next generation. We hope to revolutionize the film industry both on and offscreen, learning from both the mistakes and successes of the generations before us. Our first priority is the health, safety, and happiness of our team. Because of that, we make it a point to pay livable wages to every individual regardless of role and are planning to train an emotional support animal to help make our sets a place of uncensored creativity and comfort. In an industry where higher-ups routinely verbally and sexually abuse their underlings, we hope that our focus on empathy, flexibility, and kindness will provide a unique oasis for anyone who works with us. We believe that this atmosphere will help us to create films with beating hearts, as the emotion, joy, and care put into production will be evident on screen.
In terms of filmmaking itself, White Rhino Productions combines the hyper-realistic style of filmmakers like Agnes Varda with the technology of the present. This, in turn, completely immerses the audience into the film, making it feel as if they are really standing five feet away, watching everything happen. This deeply personal connection created between the audience and the film can inspire new outlooks when it comes to especially controversial or sensitive issues. With division being prevalent throughout the country, it could be impactful to immerse people in situations that would otherwise seem alien to them. Perhaps it could even usher in a newfound sense of empathy in our viewers. We hope for a completely individualized experience for each viewer and, as a result, chose the Northern White Rhino as our mascot - the truest individual on the planet.