Submittan
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Sci-Fi
As a single mother and an artist, Chase struggles to survive in the over-crowded city of Submittan. Facing eviction, she takes a job interview to design a poster for the city's campaign... a dark plan for the city’s own inhabitants.
Submittan
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Sci-Fi
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $17,130 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
75 supporters | followers
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As a single mother and an artist, Chase struggles to survive in the over-crowded city of Submittan. Facing eviction, she takes a job interview to design a poster for the city's campaign... a dark plan for the city’s own inhabitants.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
For Japanese friends（日本語の方へ）: このページの翻訳はこちらでご覧になれます：
STORY
SUBMITTAN is a story of Chase, a Japanese immigrant graphic designer and a single mother of two daughters, living in a future city called Submittan. She struggles to put food on the table, pay her rent, and find decent work. When an opportunity arises to enter a poster design competition for an ad agency, she jumps at the chance.
With her finished poster in hand, Chase goes to a job interview. However deep inside, something is brewing; she knows what this poster implies, and how bad it is for the future of certain groups. Will she be able to realize her immoral decision and choose wisely? Or will she have to sacrifice her principles for her family's survival? When the truth is revealed, she cannot escape what happens.
Inspiration
If you visit Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles you would be struck by the fact that the whole exhibit culminates in one simple fact: Yes, Nazis organized the mass murder of the Jewish people, but it was “ordinary people” who committed those atrocities. Since my visit there, I’ve been fascinated by the fact that any ordinary person can be easily swayed to do bad things when pressed.
I wanted to write a story about cruelty, not from the viewpoint of a victim or a villain, but of a bystander, an unwilling contributor. And I thought, what better way to do it than making it happen in the future and creating a cool sci-fi movie out of it? That's how the consrtuct was born.
My vision of Submittan's future is inspired by two movies: "Children of Men" and "Stalker."
Both movies look at the future as it's an extension of what is going on right now - the decay of what has happened. We want to explore that by shooting at real locations as much as possible, and we already found cool places among the vast landscape of Los Angeles!
Why now
I came to the United States on 2002 and have been receiving the benefits of immigrant status. Living here has also taught me that the reason that I enjoy my status is due to all who came before us and suffered for us. So, recent developments in this country and its treatments toward immigrants really saddens me.
I wrote the first draft before 2016. It went through different versions and developments, especially because of events after 2016. But what is central to the film, and my yearning to tell this story never wavered. If anything, I feel, this topic is even more relevant than before.
I believe I have a very strong script that’s ready to move to the next stage, to be filmed and burned into images and sounds. This is the way it was always meant to be delivered to you. Please join me on this next stage of this journey. Thank you very much!
How your money will be spent
Our goal of $16,000 will greenlight the production of the project. However, we need more to finish and deliver to the world. If we can reach the following stretch goals, that would unlock all these new possibilities:
$20,000 - can move into the post production
$25,000 - can afford to pay crew who would otherwise be underpaid/unpaid
$30,000 - more locations and mid-level production quality (better equipments and production designs)
$35,000 - higher end production quality and post production services (including visual effects, color, audio)
$40,000 - funds film festivals submissions and marketing materials
THANK YOU!
Special thanks to Oriko Ikeda, Ronald Blas (pictured here), Elizabeth Gray, Emi & Yuka Nishii, and Anthony Izzi for lending your talents to make this possible!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Casts
Costs $2,000
For actors who will be the bridge between you and film
Crew
Costs $3,400
They're the backbone of this film, capturing magic in front of camera.
Equipments
Costs $1,500
To capture the moment. Camera, Light, Dollies, Lenses, Sound.
Production Design
Costs $4,500
For creating the environment the characters live. Set, props, designs, etc
Foods
Costs $2,600
OK maybe not ramen... but we japanese, we can't go to battle when hungry
Transportation
Costs $400
Moving one location to another costs, specially when you shoot in variable places.
Locations
Costs $1,600
For the environment that the film take place, including studios, permits, etc
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Susumu Kimura - Writer/Director/Editor
Born and raised in outskirts of Tokyo, Susumu grew up watching Jackie Chan movies and drawing Mangas. It was a VHS viewing of Brian De Palma's "The Untouchables" at age 13, however, that forever etched in his heart the yearning to tell a story. While studying at Emerson College in Boston, Susumu discovered his love of film editing and decided to make it a career. After few years of editing commercials in Japan, the passion to work in the film - along with a green card - brought him back to the U.S. He has since gone on to edit movies, television shows, promos and pretty much anything he can get his hands on. Clients include Netflix, NBCUniversal, Verizon, TVGuide, AOL, Snapchat & Youtube.
Susumu became a Film Independent's Project Involve editing fellow in 2012, which led to new passion for writing and directing own materials. He won Armed With a Camera Fellowship to write/direct his short "Yakuza No. 2" which garnered festival recognition and sold for online streaming. His other short films was recognized in Vancouver, Seattle, and Los Angeles. The most recent shot "Home/Town" won and award at NewFilmmakersLA. Submittan will be his 5th short film.
Susumu now lives in the outskirts of Los Angeles with his wife and a son who looks just like him.
Samantha Wessel - Producer
Samantha Wessel is a Producer & Software Engineer. She has worked on projects for NBC, YouTube, Spotify, and Snapchat among others. She associate produced the Emmy award-winning "Capturing Everest" documenting the summit of Mount Everest in 360.
Andressa Cor - Director of Photography
"Andressa Cor's thesis film at AFI, “Stealth” (dir by Bennett Lasseter), won a 2015 Student Academy Award, an honorable mention at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, and several other film festivals around the world. In 2016, she was selected one of the 6 cinematographers for the Project Involve Program, making her one of the 30 new voices of filmmaking presented by Film Independent. Since then, she has shot several projects that showcased her work in countless festivals.
She grew up in Brazil, got her BFA in cinema from Paraná University of Art, her BFA in Printmaking from the Paraná School of Music and Fine Arts, in Brazil, and her MFA in cinematography from the American Film Institute, in USA (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant and New Filmmakers Program at Panavision recipient)."
Antonio Rodriguez - Visual Effects Supervisor
Antonio Rodriguez is a graphic designer and creative director in Los Angeles.
He graduated the BFA program from Cal State Long Beach and have a bunch of awesome designer friends there. He likes to build experiences and connect to people through design. He mainly does creative work and 3D motion graphics, but as of late he has been doing a lot of interactive spaces, Ui/Ux and architecture projects. He freelances a lot and works across a lot of industries.
You can find his works here.
Edward Distarce - Graphic Designer
Edward Distarce is an Illustrator and Multimedia Designer from San Dimas, California.
He enjoys creating visual experiences that provide viable solutions for clients. He has found his skills cross over into all walks of design. He treats every project with the utmost respect and dedication, and set high standards for all aspects of my work. He is always trying to evolve my craft, knowing that learning is an endless endeavor.
You can find his sample works here.
Rene Rodriguez - Associate Producer
Eric Sinsley - Social Media Producer
Kiyoshi Tsukamoto - Graphic Designer
Tom Szorady - Graphic Designer
Taiyo Nobata - Storyboard Artist
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
For Japanese friends（日本語の方へ）: このページの翻訳はこちらでご覧になれます：
STORY
SUBMITTAN is a story of Chase, a Japanese immigrant graphic designer and a single mother of two daughters, living in a future city called Submittan. She struggles to put food on the table, pay her rent, and find decent work. When an opportunity arises to enter a poster design competition for an ad agency, she jumps at the chance.
With her finished poster in hand, Chase goes to a job interview. However deep inside, something is brewing; she knows what this poster implies, and how bad it is for the future of certain groups. Will she be able to realize her immoral decision and choose wisely? Or will she have to sacrifice her principles for her family's survival? When the truth is revealed, she cannot escape what happens.
Inspiration
If you visit Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles you would be struck by the fact that the whole exhibit culminates in one simple fact: Yes, Nazis organized the mass murder of the Jewish people, but it was “ordinary people” who committed those atrocities. Since my visit there, I’ve been fascinated by the fact that any ordinary person can be easily swayed to do bad things when pressed.
I wanted to write a story about cruelty, not from the viewpoint of a victim or a villain, but of a bystander, an unwilling contributor. And I thought, what better way to do it than making it happen in the future and creating a cool sci-fi movie out of it? That's how the consrtuct was born.
My vision of Submittan's future is inspired by two movies: "Children of Men" and "Stalker."
Both movies look at the future as it's an extension of what is going on right now - the decay of what has happened. We want to explore that by shooting at real locations as much as possible, and we already found cool places among the vast landscape of Los Angeles!
Why now
I came to the United States on 2002 and have been receiving the benefits of immigrant status. Living here has also taught me that the reason that I enjoy my status is due to all who came before us and suffered for us. So, recent developments in this country and its treatments toward immigrants really saddens me.
I wrote the first draft before 2016. It went through different versions and developments, especially because of events after 2016. But what is central to the film, and my yearning to tell this story never wavered. If anything, I feel, this topic is even more relevant than before.
I believe I have a very strong script that’s ready to move to the next stage, to be filmed and burned into images and sounds. This is the way it was always meant to be delivered to you. Please join me on this next stage of this journey. Thank you very much!
How your money will be spent
Our goal of $16,000 will greenlight the production of the project. However, we need more to finish and deliver to the world. If we can reach the following stretch goals, that would unlock all these new possibilities:
$20,000 - can move into the post production
$25,000 - can afford to pay crew who would otherwise be underpaid/unpaid
$30,000 - more locations and mid-level production quality (better equipments and production designs)
$35,000 - higher end production quality and post production services (including visual effects, color, audio)
$40,000 - funds film festivals submissions and marketing materials
THANK YOU!
Special thanks to Oriko Ikeda, Ronald Blas (pictured here), Elizabeth Gray, Emi & Yuka Nishii, and Anthony Izzi for lending your talents to make this possible!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Casts
Costs $2,000
For actors who will be the bridge between you and film
Crew
Costs $3,400
They're the backbone of this film, capturing magic in front of camera.
Equipments
Costs $1,500
To capture the moment. Camera, Light, Dollies, Lenses, Sound.
Production Design
Costs $4,500
For creating the environment the characters live. Set, props, designs, etc
Foods
Costs $2,600
OK maybe not ramen... but we japanese, we can't go to battle when hungry
Transportation
Costs $400
Moving one location to another costs, specially when you shoot in variable places.
Locations
Costs $1,600
For the environment that the film take place, including studios, permits, etc
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Susumu Kimura - Writer/Director/Editor
Born and raised in outskirts of Tokyo, Susumu grew up watching Jackie Chan movies and drawing Mangas. It was a VHS viewing of Brian De Palma's "The Untouchables" at age 13, however, that forever etched in his heart the yearning to tell a story. While studying at Emerson College in Boston, Susumu discovered his love of film editing and decided to make it a career. After few years of editing commercials in Japan, the passion to work in the film - along with a green card - brought him back to the U.S. He has since gone on to edit movies, television shows, promos and pretty much anything he can get his hands on. Clients include Netflix, NBCUniversal, Verizon, TVGuide, AOL, Snapchat & Youtube.
Susumu became a Film Independent's Project Involve editing fellow in 2012, which led to new passion for writing and directing own materials. He won Armed With a Camera Fellowship to write/direct his short "Yakuza No. 2" which garnered festival recognition and sold for online streaming. His other short films was recognized in Vancouver, Seattle, and Los Angeles. The most recent shot "Home/Town" won and award at NewFilmmakersLA. Submittan will be his 5th short film.
Susumu now lives in the outskirts of Los Angeles with his wife and a son who looks just like him.
Samantha Wessel - Producer
Samantha Wessel is a Producer & Software Engineer. She has worked on projects for NBC, YouTube, Spotify, and Snapchat among others. She associate produced the Emmy award-winning "Capturing Everest" documenting the summit of Mount Everest in 360.
Andressa Cor - Director of Photography
"Andressa Cor's thesis film at AFI, “Stealth” (dir by Bennett Lasseter), won a 2015 Student Academy Award, an honorable mention at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, and several other film festivals around the world. In 2016, she was selected one of the 6 cinematographers for the Project Involve Program, making her one of the 30 new voices of filmmaking presented by Film Independent. Since then, she has shot several projects that showcased her work in countless festivals.
She grew up in Brazil, got her BFA in cinema from Paraná University of Art, her BFA in Printmaking from the Paraná School of Music and Fine Arts, in Brazil, and her MFA in cinematography from the American Film Institute, in USA (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant and New Filmmakers Program at Panavision recipient)."
Antonio Rodriguez - Visual Effects Supervisor
Antonio Rodriguez is a graphic designer and creative director in Los Angeles.
He graduated the BFA program from Cal State Long Beach and have a bunch of awesome designer friends there. He likes to build experiences and connect to people through design. He mainly does creative work and 3D motion graphics, but as of late he has been doing a lot of interactive spaces, Ui/Ux and architecture projects. He freelances a lot and works across a lot of industries.
You can find his works here.
Edward Distarce - Graphic Designer
Edward Distarce is an Illustrator and Multimedia Designer from San Dimas, California.
He enjoys creating visual experiences that provide viable solutions for clients. He has found his skills cross over into all walks of design. He treats every project with the utmost respect and dedication, and set high standards for all aspects of my work. He is always trying to evolve my craft, knowing that learning is an endless endeavor.
You can find his sample works here.
Rene Rodriguez - Associate Producer
Eric Sinsley - Social Media Producer
Kiyoshi Tsukamoto - Graphic Designer
Tom Szorady - Graphic Designer
Taiyo Nobata - Storyboard Artist