Sperm Sister
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Family
Meghan only ever had an imaginary sister growing up. But when a DNA test matches her to a real sister, Meghan imagines the worst.
Sperm Sister
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Family
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $14,928 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
117 supporters | followers
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Meghan only ever had an imaginary sister growing up. But when a DNA test matches her to a real sister, Meghan imagines the worst.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Meghan’s life of carefully controlled order is disrupted by an email notification:
The match has a name: Emma, a profile picture: awkward, and a label: “Sister”.
Emma haunts Meghan in the form of an imaginary friend, continuously popping up in various possible personalities that drive Meghan nuts. Emma, real or not, is turning Meghan’s Marie Kondo-life-style into a collage of emotional chaos. Her force, even as an unknown sister, is so strong that no amount of meal prepping or triple folded LuLuLemon leggings can keep Emma at bay.
There’s just one way to settle this: Meghan must meet Emma in person, even if it means losing all control.
'Sperm Sister' explores the judgements we place on others and how they usually reflect more about how we see ourselves, if blood and sisterly connections are intrinsic or learned, and the fear of letting go of our self-told story to expand our identity and connect with others.
Meghan lives in an isolated beach town, where she runs the beaches with only the waves to keep her company. We are scouting for affordable, accessible beach houses located in the tri-state area for our four day shoot in October.
Emma lives in the city, thriving on the chaos, among millions of people stacked on top of each other. We have an apartment in Astoria that will serve as Emma's apartment.
My films tend to reflect a measure of personal chaos, humor, and horror. I enjoy depicting the world as I see it: a place full of truthful contradictions with a healthy dose of the absurd. I take people, but not life, seriously and thus my films have a satirical edge. I’m inspired by surreal visual art that marries recognizable and unfamiliar elements to create something new and my goal is to to fuse that sense into my work. Admiration and love for David Lynch aside, I believe there is a collective feeling that we’re stuck in someone else’s dream (or nightmare) lately– and tapping into randomness and disarray feels appropriate these days.
Making the most of a script that allows silliness, “Sperm Sister” will stand apart from other comedic shorts with carefully planned shots that consider the edit first and leave tired, TV-style coverage behind. Speckled with vaudeville-esque visual gags executed by straightforward camera movement, actor blocking, and juxtaposition bring the story vibrance. Bright colors dominate, as does sharp, clear focus once Emma enters the scene- exposing all the corners of Meghan’s psyche- which is dustier than the Sahara. The edit will have an urgency to it, quick, energetic cuts that offer a ramped up feel to keep us laughing right up until our stories crescendo– making the moment when protagonist Meghan finally voices her pent up emotions all the more impactful.
--Whitney
As Gilda Radner once said, comedy is "hitting on the truth before the other guy thinks of it". We aim to connect to the universal human experience through laughter and specificity.
We are scrappy down and dirty filmmakers who do not ask for permission or forgiveness. This film will be made, regardless of the funding outcome. We are building our own doors, kicking them in, and reaching back to pull others through with us.
We are committed to pay everyone on our team equitably and treat all with respect. We work hard, laugh hard, and at the end of the day our goal is to get our stories into the world and find connection and community.
As a corporate sustainability coordinator, Cerridwyn will utilize her knowledge in emissions collection and reporting to apply to the NYC FIlm Green. We commit to creating a sustainable and transparent set, looking to innovate and inspire other filmmakers to respect and protect our environment.
We have a director, a DP, and our producer, Cerridwyn, will star as Meghan. We are scouting locations in beach towns accessible by train from New York City, with a rough expected shoot timeline of September/October 2025. We have put out an open casting call for Emma and will begin casting in earnest this August.
The "wishlist" would secure our dream budget- allowing us sufficient time on set, access to high quality equipment, guarantee project completion by 2026. Our goal is to create a set that is safe and efficient but also, an enjoyable place to be, with ample time to allow for "gravy" shots, learning, and extra takes- which on a comedic short is always magical.
Anything beyond our goal will go towards post production, which is vital to delivering a high quality final cut, and festival submissions, a key factor in broadening the story's reach.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
House Rental
Costs $4,000
filming in an apartment is hard! Who wants to deal with a neighbor's periodic screaming (true story)? 4 night house rental, peace and quiet.
Sound
Costs $1,667
Have you ever watched an indie film and the sound was just... Well, same. We'd rather not. Rate for a kick-ass sound person on set!
Insurance
Costs $1,800
Provides security, assurance, and credibility with our crew. We want to protect our people and their gear and run a safe set.
Cast
Costs $1,928
We intend to fairly compensate our two actors based on SAG/AFTRA micro budget minimums
Director
Costs $1,600
4 days prep, 4 day shoot, at minimum NY wage. Let's be honest, our director will be working a lot more than this, this is the bare min.
Crafty & Set Ops
Costs $1,500
Meals and set supplies for the shoot
Transportation
Costs $800
Depending on where we shoot, we expect it will require at least one car to transport gear, as well as train tickets for cast&crew.
DP/Cinematographer
Costs $2,000
Our DP has his own gear, reducing rental costs. Rate of $500 a day budgeted
Crew
Costs $3,300
AD, Key Grip, Best Boy, Gaffer, Script Supervisor at minimum wage for 4 days
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Whitney St. Ours
Director
Whitney’s debut short, “The Housesitters” sold to Gunpowder and Sky’s subsidiary Alter, earned her a Best Director nomination from Nightmares Film Festival, and has been viewed over a half million times online. Her 2nd short, “YouBuddy” won the Women In Film Award from IndieFEST. Her latest “Hostess” completed in 2025 and is onto festivals. Slamdance likens her writing style to David Lynch and Barnstorm labels her “surreal but grounded” with a “mastery of tone”. Acting credits include: HBO’s The Deuce, Law and Order: SVU, Scrap (feature film). Whitney holds a degree in English from Drew University. SAG and NYWIFT member.
Cerridwyn McCaffrey
Writer | Producer | "Meghan"
Cerridwyn, pronounced Care-uh-dwin, is the daughter of a musician and a novelist. Scrappy self determination and storytelling are baked into her DNA. Cerridwyn has an acting BFA from Boston University. She frequently partners with NYC playwrights/screenwriters as an actor and copy editor to develop and refine their stories. Through her time workshopping with writers, she picked up the tools to pen her own stories to act in, or amplify others who are under represented on screen.
Daniel St. Ours
Cinematographer
Daniel is a filmmaker from Towson, MD who has worked in house as a cinematographer at Stanley Black & Decker, Under Armour, and HZDG. Most recently he served as the DP of Ferrari: Fury and the Monster, directed by Steve Hoover and Executive Producer David Beckham. He is currently in pre production on the feature film, Spades, directed by John Beckham and Executive Producer George Pelecanos.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Meghan’s life of carefully controlled order is disrupted by an email notification:
The match has a name: Emma, a profile picture: awkward, and a label: “Sister”.
Emma haunts Meghan in the form of an imaginary friend, continuously popping up in various possible personalities that drive Meghan nuts. Emma, real or not, is turning Meghan’s Marie Kondo-life-style into a collage of emotional chaos. Her force, even as an unknown sister, is so strong that no amount of meal prepping or triple folded LuLuLemon leggings can keep Emma at bay.
There’s just one way to settle this: Meghan must meet Emma in person, even if it means losing all control.
'Sperm Sister' explores the judgements we place on others and how they usually reflect more about how we see ourselves, if blood and sisterly connections are intrinsic or learned, and the fear of letting go of our self-told story to expand our identity and connect with others.
Meghan lives in an isolated beach town, where she runs the beaches with only the waves to keep her company. We are scouting for affordable, accessible beach houses located in the tri-state area for our four day shoot in October.
Emma lives in the city, thriving on the chaos, among millions of people stacked on top of each other. We have an apartment in Astoria that will serve as Emma's apartment.
My films tend to reflect a measure of personal chaos, humor, and horror. I enjoy depicting the world as I see it: a place full of truthful contradictions with a healthy dose of the absurd. I take people, but not life, seriously and thus my films have a satirical edge. I’m inspired by surreal visual art that marries recognizable and unfamiliar elements to create something new and my goal is to to fuse that sense into my work. Admiration and love for David Lynch aside, I believe there is a collective feeling that we’re stuck in someone else’s dream (or nightmare) lately– and tapping into randomness and disarray feels appropriate these days.
Making the most of a script that allows silliness, “Sperm Sister” will stand apart from other comedic shorts with carefully planned shots that consider the edit first and leave tired, TV-style coverage behind. Speckled with vaudeville-esque visual gags executed by straightforward camera movement, actor blocking, and juxtaposition bring the story vibrance. Bright colors dominate, as does sharp, clear focus once Emma enters the scene- exposing all the corners of Meghan’s psyche- which is dustier than the Sahara. The edit will have an urgency to it, quick, energetic cuts that offer a ramped up feel to keep us laughing right up until our stories crescendo– making the moment when protagonist Meghan finally voices her pent up emotions all the more impactful.
--Whitney
As Gilda Radner once said, comedy is "hitting on the truth before the other guy thinks of it". We aim to connect to the universal human experience through laughter and specificity.
We are scrappy down and dirty filmmakers who do not ask for permission or forgiveness. This film will be made, regardless of the funding outcome. We are building our own doors, kicking them in, and reaching back to pull others through with us.
We are committed to pay everyone on our team equitably and treat all with respect. We work hard, laugh hard, and at the end of the day our goal is to get our stories into the world and find connection and community.
As a corporate sustainability coordinator, Cerridwyn will utilize her knowledge in emissions collection and reporting to apply to the NYC FIlm Green. We commit to creating a sustainable and transparent set, looking to innovate and inspire other filmmakers to respect and protect our environment.
We have a director, a DP, and our producer, Cerridwyn, will star as Meghan. We are scouting locations in beach towns accessible by train from New York City, with a rough expected shoot timeline of September/October 2025. We have put out an open casting call for Emma and will begin casting in earnest this August.
The "wishlist" would secure our dream budget- allowing us sufficient time on set, access to high quality equipment, guarantee project completion by 2026. Our goal is to create a set that is safe and efficient but also, an enjoyable place to be, with ample time to allow for "gravy" shots, learning, and extra takes- which on a comedic short is always magical.
Anything beyond our goal will go towards post production, which is vital to delivering a high quality final cut, and festival submissions, a key factor in broadening the story's reach.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
House Rental
Costs $4,000
filming in an apartment is hard! Who wants to deal with a neighbor's periodic screaming (true story)? 4 night house rental, peace and quiet.
Sound
Costs $1,667
Have you ever watched an indie film and the sound was just... Well, same. We'd rather not. Rate for a kick-ass sound person on set!
Insurance
Costs $1,800
Provides security, assurance, and credibility with our crew. We want to protect our people and their gear and run a safe set.
Cast
Costs $1,928
We intend to fairly compensate our two actors based on SAG/AFTRA micro budget minimums
Director
Costs $1,600
4 days prep, 4 day shoot, at minimum NY wage. Let's be honest, our director will be working a lot more than this, this is the bare min.
Crafty & Set Ops
Costs $1,500
Meals and set supplies for the shoot
Transportation
Costs $800
Depending on where we shoot, we expect it will require at least one car to transport gear, as well as train tickets for cast&crew.
DP/Cinematographer
Costs $2,000
Our DP has his own gear, reducing rental costs. Rate of $500 a day budgeted
Crew
Costs $3,300
AD, Key Grip, Best Boy, Gaffer, Script Supervisor at minimum wage for 4 days
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Whitney St. Ours
Director
Whitney’s debut short, “The Housesitters” sold to Gunpowder and Sky’s subsidiary Alter, earned her a Best Director nomination from Nightmares Film Festival, and has been viewed over a half million times online. Her 2nd short, “YouBuddy” won the Women In Film Award from IndieFEST. Her latest “Hostess” completed in 2025 and is onto festivals. Slamdance likens her writing style to David Lynch and Barnstorm labels her “surreal but grounded” with a “mastery of tone”. Acting credits include: HBO’s The Deuce, Law and Order: SVU, Scrap (feature film). Whitney holds a degree in English from Drew University. SAG and NYWIFT member.
Cerridwyn McCaffrey
Writer | Producer | "Meghan"
Cerridwyn, pronounced Care-uh-dwin, is the daughter of a musician and a novelist. Scrappy self determination and storytelling are baked into her DNA. Cerridwyn has an acting BFA from Boston University. She frequently partners with NYC playwrights/screenwriters as an actor and copy editor to develop and refine their stories. Through her time workshopping with writers, she picked up the tools to pen her own stories to act in, or amplify others who are under represented on screen.
Daniel St. Ours
Cinematographer
Daniel is a filmmaker from Towson, MD who has worked in house as a cinematographer at Stanley Black & Decker, Under Armour, and HZDG. Most recently he served as the DP of Ferrari: Fury and the Monster, directed by Steve Hoover and Executive Producer David Beckham. He is currently in pre production on the feature film, Spades, directed by John Beckham and Executive Producer George Pelecanos.