System Failure
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Sci-Fi, Thriller
System Failure is a proof of concept sci-fi/thriller about the current dangers of AI, trauma, and the private prison system in the U.S. We've got an incredible team behind us that have worked on some of the biggest movies and TV shows on the planet, but we need your help to make this film a reality!
System Failure
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Sci-Fi, Thriller
1 Campaigns | Georgia, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,418 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
33 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
System Failure is a proof of concept sci-fi/thriller about the current dangers of AI, trauma, and the private prison system in the U.S. We've got an incredible team behind us that have worked on some of the biggest movies and TV shows on the planet, but we need your help to make this film a reality!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Jerome is a convicted criminal trying to get his life back on track. During a court ordered therapy session, glitches in reality, unexplained happenings, and his therapist all begin putting him on edge. ..."Something is off with this place, the way people talk, the way my skin feels, even the smells. As tension builds, the world itself begins to unravel leading to a complete System Failure.
Inspiration
Films and shows like Severence, Westworld, Person of Interest, Blade Runner, Minority Report, iRobot, Ex Machina, and The Matrix, etc., have given glimpses into what our future with AI might look like, however this film aims to shine a light on what could be happening, like tomorrow. Here's a quote from a 2020 paper from the National Institute of Justice on AI and our prisons. "The NIJ continues to support a portfolio of AI research projects in areas such as public safety video and image analysis, DNA analysis, gunshot detection, and crime forecasting." CRIME FORECASTING!? WTF. I know! Watch this ↓
Why this project? Why now?
We're planning to use this short film as a proof of concept/initial entry for a feature anthology similar to Love, Death, & Robots. So you'll have a chance to not just see the film at a screening or online, but hopefully on your favorite large streaming network. Ground floor baby! We've already cast the film, secured locations, and put offers out to our crew.
Also, we're not alone! As you can tell from our pitch video, we've already got an incredible team behind us at The Film Ensemble. Success is inevitable! We're so fortunate to be a part of the collective, and want to help introduce their work to the masses.
Tension isn't just a seasoning in sci-fi; it's a foundational element that grips us and propels us through the narrative. Think about the gnawing unease in Severance as Mark navigates the fractured realities of his innie and outie lives, the constant question of what's truly happening fueling our need to know more. Or consider the relentless pursuit of replicants in Blade Runner, each encounter crackling with the potential for violence and the weight of existential questions.
In these and countless other sci-fi stories, tension acts as the invisible thread connecting plot points, character motivations, and thematic explorations. It forces us to lean in, to question the fabric of the fictional world, and to invest emotionally in the characters' fates.
Jerome Benson is hardcase with a soft interior. Shaped by trauma and driven by a desire to overcome it, he finds himself questioning his reality. Family is everything to him, the cure and the disease. It's possible that his trauma is what allows him to see through what's happening to him. "When you grow up like I did, you get good hiding from monsters."
Dr. Smith is "multifaceted" to say the least. He seems both kind and cruel in his interactions with Jerome. There is something strange about this man, something... broken. A searching, probing core is what drives this being.
Tina is Jerome's sister. Throughout their lives, Tina has served as Jerome's protector, his light in a dark world. Recently though, her personality seems different to Jerome. In his words, "I go over there when I can. It’s not the same since I got out. She just seems off. Something in her eyes."
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We hope to raise our goal of $10,000 through a dedicated audience on Seed & Spark to cover the bare minimum costs of shooting the film. We're taking the experience we've gained from years in the industry and assembling a team of passionate, talented collaborators to bring this project to life.
Principal photography for System Failure will take place in Peachtree City, GA (at Matt's house!) and is scheduled for May, 2025.
Please Follow & Share!
Sharing our campaign on your social media is as helpful as a donation. And doing BOTH goes a long way to helping bring 'SYSTEM FAILURE' to life!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONSIDERING OUR PROJECT
P.S. I would like to send a HUGE special thank you to Film Ensemble members Brian Rosso, Charity Hitchcock, Charlie Fisk, Emily Lane, and Erica Arvold for helping to shoot this campaign video. Thank you! :)
-Matt & Team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Department
Costs $4,000
We have access to some incredible artists behind the lens, but they don't come cheap!
VFX
Costs $3,000
While we don't plan on using a ton of VFX, the shots that we do need will seriously elevate this piece. Unreality takes work!
Location Rental
Costs $1,000
The final scene of our film takes place in an ominous warehouse, where the product is people! This location really fits the bill.
Sound
Costs $1,000
No matter how beautiful the cinematography, how brilliant the acting, without professional audio recording, it's all for naught.
Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe
Costs $1,000
Looking good is about more than just lighting. Having professional Hair, Makeup, and Wardrobe will make our characters really pop!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Matt Fowler- Writer/Co-Director/Actor
Matt Fowler is a father, husband, actor, writer, director, and producer with more than 70 appearances spanning the last decade. He enjoys being a catalyst for creative output in any form. Favorite onscreen experiences include being directed by Regina King while working opposite Leslie Odom Jr. in the Academy Award nominated film One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios) and a recurring role in MacGyver (CBS). Behind the mic, Matt originated voices for the animated series Legend Quest: Masters of Myth (Netflix) and Dynasty Warriors 9 (Koei Tecmo). He current voices a recurring character Karasu in the long running anime series One Piece (Funimation).
As a narrator, Matt has voiced audio descriptions for notable titles such as The Godfather Part II, The Blair Witch Project, Encore!, Disney’s The Imagineering Story, Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts, and more. He has also acted in and directed more than 40 dubbing titles including Hunt, Ip Man: Kung Fu Master and the slavic series Sloborn. As a writer, Matt has penned several feature films, shorts, and showrun two popular audio dramas: Space Ward and The Veil. His feature screenplay Europa Ascending was in the top 10 percentile of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in 2024 and was a finalist in the Stowe Story Labs Studio Skyfire Fellowship. He is also currently workshopping a pilot based on the universe of Stephen King's The Dark Tower.
Frances Dell Bendert- Actress
Frances Dell Bendert is best known for her work in well over 50 television, film, commercial, and theatre projects. Most recently, she has appeared in The Night Agent (Season 2), recurred on Law & Order SVU, 2 Lifetime Movies, performed for the Umbria Playwrights Program for La MaMa in NYC, and the world premiere of the play Papa (NYC/Pittsburgh). She has also worked in regional theatres in Maine, Pennsylvania, and North & South Carolina. She is a lover of contemporary playwrights, historical fiction, trail running, and exploring in the mountains. She graduated from Clemson University and works in NYC as well as the southeast
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Jerome is a convicted criminal trying to get his life back on track. During a court ordered therapy session, glitches in reality, unexplained happenings, and his therapist all begin putting him on edge. ..."Something is off with this place, the way people talk, the way my skin feels, even the smells. As tension builds, the world itself begins to unravel leading to a complete System Failure.
Inspiration
Films and shows like Severence, Westworld, Person of Interest, Blade Runner, Minority Report, iRobot, Ex Machina, and The Matrix, etc., have given glimpses into what our future with AI might look like, however this film aims to shine a light on what could be happening, like tomorrow. Here's a quote from a 2020 paper from the National Institute of Justice on AI and our prisons. "The NIJ continues to support a portfolio of AI research projects in areas such as public safety video and image analysis, DNA analysis, gunshot detection, and crime forecasting." CRIME FORECASTING!? WTF. I know! Watch this ↓
Why this project? Why now?
We're planning to use this short film as a proof of concept/initial entry for a feature anthology similar to Love, Death, & Robots. So you'll have a chance to not just see the film at a screening or online, but hopefully on your favorite large streaming network. Ground floor baby! We've already cast the film, secured locations, and put offers out to our crew.
Also, we're not alone! As you can tell from our pitch video, we've already got an incredible team behind us at The Film Ensemble. Success is inevitable! We're so fortunate to be a part of the collective, and want to help introduce their work to the masses.
Tension isn't just a seasoning in sci-fi; it's a foundational element that grips us and propels us through the narrative. Think about the gnawing unease in Severance as Mark navigates the fractured realities of his innie and outie lives, the constant question of what's truly happening fueling our need to know more. Or consider the relentless pursuit of replicants in Blade Runner, each encounter crackling with the potential for violence and the weight of existential questions.
In these and countless other sci-fi stories, tension acts as the invisible thread connecting plot points, character motivations, and thematic explorations. It forces us to lean in, to question the fabric of the fictional world, and to invest emotionally in the characters' fates.
Jerome Benson is hardcase with a soft interior. Shaped by trauma and driven by a desire to overcome it, he finds himself questioning his reality. Family is everything to him, the cure and the disease. It's possible that his trauma is what allows him to see through what's happening to him. "When you grow up like I did, you get good hiding from monsters."
Dr. Smith is "multifaceted" to say the least. He seems both kind and cruel in his interactions with Jerome. There is something strange about this man, something... broken. A searching, probing core is what drives this being.
Tina is Jerome's sister. Throughout their lives, Tina has served as Jerome's protector, his light in a dark world. Recently though, her personality seems different to Jerome. In his words, "I go over there when I can. It’s not the same since I got out. She just seems off. Something in her eyes."
We hope to raise our goal of $10,000 through a dedicated audience on Seed & Spark to cover the bare minimum costs of shooting the film. We're taking the experience we've gained from years in the industry and assembling a team of passionate, talented collaborators to bring this project to life.
Principal photography for System Failure will take place in Peachtree City, GA (at Matt's house!) and is scheduled for May, 2025.
Please Follow & Share!
Sharing our campaign on your social media is as helpful as a donation. And doing BOTH goes a long way to helping bring 'SYSTEM FAILURE' to life!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONSIDERING OUR PROJECT
P.S. I would like to send a HUGE special thank you to Film Ensemble members Brian Rosso, Charity Hitchcock, Charlie Fisk, Emily Lane, and Erica Arvold for helping to shoot this campaign video. Thank you! :)
-Matt & Team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Department
Costs $4,000
We have access to some incredible artists behind the lens, but they don't come cheap!
VFX
Costs $3,000
While we don't plan on using a ton of VFX, the shots that we do need will seriously elevate this piece. Unreality takes work!
Location Rental
Costs $1,000
The final scene of our film takes place in an ominous warehouse, where the product is people! This location really fits the bill.
Sound
Costs $1,000
No matter how beautiful the cinematography, how brilliant the acting, without professional audio recording, it's all for naught.
Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe
Costs $1,000
Looking good is about more than just lighting. Having professional Hair, Makeup, and Wardrobe will make our characters really pop!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Matt Fowler- Writer/Co-Director/Actor
Matt Fowler is a father, husband, actor, writer, director, and producer with more than 70 appearances spanning the last decade. He enjoys being a catalyst for creative output in any form. Favorite onscreen experiences include being directed by Regina King while working opposite Leslie Odom Jr. in the Academy Award nominated film One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios) and a recurring role in MacGyver (CBS). Behind the mic, Matt originated voices for the animated series Legend Quest: Masters of Myth (Netflix) and Dynasty Warriors 9 (Koei Tecmo). He current voices a recurring character Karasu in the long running anime series One Piece (Funimation).
As a narrator, Matt has voiced audio descriptions for notable titles such as The Godfather Part II, The Blair Witch Project, Encore!, Disney’s The Imagineering Story, Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts, and more. He has also acted in and directed more than 40 dubbing titles including Hunt, Ip Man: Kung Fu Master and the slavic series Sloborn. As a writer, Matt has penned several feature films, shorts, and showrun two popular audio dramas: Space Ward and The Veil. His feature screenplay Europa Ascending was in the top 10 percentile of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in 2024 and was a finalist in the Stowe Story Labs Studio Skyfire Fellowship. He is also currently workshopping a pilot based on the universe of Stephen King's The Dark Tower.
Frances Dell Bendert- Actress
Frances Dell Bendert is best known for her work in well over 50 television, film, commercial, and theatre projects. Most recently, she has appeared in The Night Agent (Season 2), recurred on Law & Order SVU, 2 Lifetime Movies, performed for the Umbria Playwrights Program for La MaMa in NYC, and the world premiere of the play Papa (NYC/Pittsburgh). She has also worked in regional theatres in Maine, Pennsylvania, and North & South Carolina. She is a lover of contemporary playwrights, historical fiction, trail running, and exploring in the mountains. She graduated from Clemson University and works in NYC as well as the southeast