Tell me when you get home. | Animated Short Film by StudioTshay
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Film Short
Animation, Family
Tell me when you get home. is an animated short about Honest, a 15 year-old girl who over the course of an evening discovers that her late mother’s spirit is calling to her from the other side. We are seeking funds to support the animation of this magical short film about a Caribbean family.
Tell me when you get home. | Animated Short Film by StudioTshay
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Film Short
Animation, Family
1 Campaigns | Pennsylvania, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $27,550 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
254 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Tell me when you get home. is an animated short about Honest, a 15 year-old girl who over the course of an evening discovers that her late mother’s spirit is calling to her from the other side. We are seeking funds to support the animation of this magical short film about a Caribbean family.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Film Synopsis
To guide animation, images of key scenes were created in Midjourney. Image Source: Tshay Williams
A jubilant and raucous party roars to life in the living room, but upstairs 15 year-old Honest Cardamom is cooped up in bed. She scribbles down her thoughts, reflecting on the summer without her best friend, before sliding into the function where her folks are about to break bread.
Our concept artist Danski Tang created initial visual concept images to set the tone and style of the film. Source: Danski Tang
Though she’s lived here her entire life, something about tonight feels off. There is an otherworldly presence lurking around. This is Song, Honest’s late mother, whose spirit intently follows her daughter throughout the evening.
Director’s Statement
Director, Tshay, 2023. Photographed by Naomieh Jovin
Tell me when you get home. is a 7 min animated short film that is a testament to love and a testament to family. I want this film to reach young people who are living with loss and grief and trying to find a way through. I wrote the script after losing my older sister, Sonja, and watching my parents take care of her two children in the wake of her death. My hope is that whoever watches this film can feel how important it is to be loved, and how love stays with us no matter the conditions.
I also want this film to reflect the inner life of a 15-year-old girl. I want it to feel as specific to my experience as a Jamaican-American girl from New York as Moesha felt to teenagers in Leimert Park. There’s something so special about this time in your life: it’s when you’re beginning to decide who you are.
Our storyboard artist Julia Velarde has translated the full script into a visual representation of the film’s narrative. Source: Julia Velarde
Honest Cardamom, the lead character, is a regular Black teenager who is growing up without her biological parents, and has to learn about herself through stories from other family members. It reflects the stories of many Black families whose histories are riddled with so much loss and grief.
Inspiration & Approach
Image Credit: Danski Tang
I knew that in order to address loss, grief, and the spiritual nature of our connections I needed to build this world through animation. TMWYGH is set in a land of my own imagination. There’s three moons in the sky, a sentient power source, and homes that float on top of water. I want to immerse viewers in a visual world that is whimsical and surreal, like Spirited Away or Midnight Gospel. My hope is that the short film can be a window into a cinematic universe that includes a feature film–currently in development–a tv series, and a video game.
Though the world is fantastical, we are also creating an experience that is grounding and culturally relevant for Black audiences. Like Small Axe: Lover’s Rock, I want to immerse audiences in a movie that looks, sounds, tastes and smells like a reggae party. We’re working with an incredible artist, Black Buttafly, to create an original soundtrack that’s inspired by the Caribbean parties I attended as a child.
The world feels full of the magic and whimsy and silliness that’s inside of me, and is also infused with the deeper lessons that I’ve learned about what’s valuable to me: our connections with each other, the importance of teaching young people about where they come from, and the role that grief plays in allowing us to connect with our loved ones. The story is steeped in my love for family and wider community, and a sense of curiosity about the world and how we live in it.
Audience
The film is intended to be appropriate for teenagers and young adults who are still developing language for processing big emotions. I’ve worked with many youth organizations in Philadelphia who are open to having workshops and events that deal with these themes.
I see a wide audience engaging with this: young people who are dealing with grief, nerds on the internet who are geeked out by fantasy, and music/theatre nerds who love a good soundtrack.The film has the potential for many programming opportunities, from being screened in schools, record shops, film festivals, and also on online blogs. It is also my intention to screen the work in a planetarium.
Team
I am working with an incredible team of producers including Jackie Payton, who produced Blues Clues and other animated projects and Sydney Rodriguez and Patrice Worthy, who I have collaborated with for many years at BlackStar Projects. We have hired Alexa Lim Haas, an award-winning animator who worked on Random Acts of Flyness on HBO, as our Animation Director, Danski Tang as our Concept Artist, and Julia Velarde as our Storyboard Artist.
Your support would ensure that we can continue animation for the short, and also provide support for my salary and the production team, which will bring us closer to realizing this vibrant and necessary story.
Campaign Goals
Our ask of $25,000 will support hiring our animation department, a team that will be essential to developing the visual elements of the film.
This includes:
- Two lead animators who will establishes the film’s cohesive animation vision for the creative direction of the project and also manage the animation team and animation assets
- And two supporting animators who will support creating animation frames
Any additional support will go towards paying for the time and effort of our production team, as all have generously donated additional time and effort to this project to see us to completion.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Two Lead Animators
Costs $16,000
This is our budgeted amount for onboarding two lead animators.
Two Supporting Animators
Costs $7,000
This is the budgeted amount for onboarding two supporting animators
Production
Costs $2,000
This amount will go towards supporting the continued work of our production team!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Production
Jackie Payton, Producer
Photo: Naomieh Jovin
New Jersey born and Pennsylvania raised, Jackie Payton is a three-time Daytime Emmy nominated children's television producer, writer, editor, and retired puppeteer based in Philadelphia and New York City. Alongside producing television and writing podcasts for kids, Jackie has worked on content geared toward adults such as the award-winning 2021 PBS docu-series Philly D.A. and, most recently, the short film The Love Machine for BlackStar Film Festival's inaugural 2022 Lab Program.
In her free time, she's gaming, learning to cook, playing softball, trying to find friends to go bowling, moviegoing, traveling, cat-loving, and laughing at TikTok, sometimes all at once.
Sydney Rodriguez, Producer
Photo: Naomieh Jovin
Sydney Alicia Rodriguez (they/she) is an Afrolatinx producer, cultural worker, and former theater kid from PG County, MD focused on resourcing the emerging generation of Black and Brown worldbuilders. As the Artist Programs Manager at BlackStar Projects, Sydney has co-produced seven short films as part of the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab and currently spearheads the program of the William & Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar. They produced the short narrative film gales. which premiered at the 2021 BlackStar Film Festival, and went on to play at American Black Film Festival, the 30th Anniversary Pan African Film Festival, and more. Sydney’s film programming work includes curating the BlackStar Film Festival program in collaboration with the festival director and selection committee, serving as a juror for the TriCo Film Festival and the Diamond Screen Film Fest at Temple University and serving on the Cinema Eye Feature Film Nominations Committee for the past three years.
Outside of work hours (whatever those are), you can find Sydney wandering the trails of a local park, tending to their garden, attending screenings and local art shows, perusing a craft market, traveling the world, skating, writing, or cozying up with a book. If it’s warm out, catch them on the tennis courts or your neighborhood swimming hole.
Patrice Worthy, Engagement Producer
Photo: Naomieh Jovin
Patrice Worthy is a producer, consultant, and owner of Cathect Management, a consulting and management agency for artists and creatives. Originally trained as a biochemist, her career over the past decade has shifted to the intersection of arts, culture, and community. Patrice has worked with BlackStar Projects in various capacities since 2012, most prominently as operations director. She has also worked as a fundraising consultant for large and small businesses, including Picture Motion and The Sable Collective. Patrice excels at mobilizing resources and identifying and executing creative solutions for arts organizations and creatives.
Art
Alexa Lim Haas, Animation Director
Alexa Lim Haas (they/she) is a Filipino American artist from New York City. Alexa was selected by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film." Alexa’s films, GLOVE (2016) co-directed with Bernardo Britto, and her solo films AGUA VIVA (2018) and ODE TO OCEAN (2020) each premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. GLOVE and AGUA VIVA were awarded Grand Jury Prizes at SXSW. Alexa’s work has been exhibited at film festivals worldwide and at MoMA, BAM, The Brooklyn Museum, and The New York Times. Alexa has directed animations for Planned Parenthood, Beach House, HBO’s RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS, and the Netflix documentary MUCHO MUCHO AMOR. She is the screenwriter for RACHEL IN LOVE currently in development with Department of Motion Pictures and Park Pictures. Alexa received her BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Danski Tang, Concept Artist
Originally from China, Danski Tang is an animation filmmaker and artist now based in Los Angeles.
Specializing in 2D hand-drawn animation, visual art, and experimental documentary, Danski uses animation as a means to investigate themes of memories, subconscious, cultural indoctrination, and body politics. Her work has been shown in numerous international film festivals such as MoMA DocFortnight, Melbourne International Film Festival,Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Annecy International Animated Film Festival, New Chitose Animation Festival, Hiroshima International Animation Festival, Vienna Shorts Festival. Her latest film “Umbilical” won the Pardino d’argento (Silver Leopard) International Competition at the 72 Locarno Film Festival, the Eileen Maitland Award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the Best Animated Short at San Diego Asian Film Festival, and Honorable Mention for Documentary Short at Slamdance, the Best Short Documentary at DOXA Documentary Film Festival.
Danski holds an MFA in Experimental Animation from California Institute of the Arts.She currently teaches at CalArts and Cal State University Los Angeles.
Julia Velarde, Storyboard Artist
Julia Velarde received a BFA in Traditional Animation at the Pratt Institute in 2014 and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. She's worked, since then, as an Animator and Compositor for several Nick Jr. productions, The Dodo, and assorted Documentaries and Non-Profits. With her roots in puppet making and painting, she brings a hand crafted touch to her animation to create all-encompassing pieces filled with emotion.
Gabrielle Patterson, Animation Consultant
Gabrielle Patterson is an animator, motion designer, and multidisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia. She is passionate about telling stories through animation and strives to always bring a sense of humanity and a hand-made touch to an ever-increasingly digital medium. Gabrielle holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and has experience working in a variety of creative settings. For three years, she was an in-house motion designer for the Philadelphia creative agency MOD, and in 2020 she decided to take the leap into freelancing full-time. In 2022, Gabrielle became a worker-owner member of Bonfire Media Collective, a video production cooperative dedicated to telling human stories that
catalyze social change. As the newest member of Bonfire, she has been able to expand the co-op’s capabilities in motion design and animation while also learning more about live-action video production.
Outside of work, you can often find Gabrielle gardening, practicing piano, or watching the latest season of one of her favorite reality TV shows.
Music/Original Soundtrack
Black Buttafly, Composer
Photo: Bob Sweeney
Kayla Childs, also known as “Black Buttafly”, is a 27, year old New Jersey native hailing from New Brunswick. Her musical roots are in Gospel, Jazz, and Soul music with influences ranging from Patrice Rushen, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, J Dilla, and Ahmad Jamal. She is a rising pianist, songwriter, and producer attending Rutgers University pursuing her degree in Jazz Performance and Music Technology while currently living and playing in Philadelphia, PA.
Kayla has performed in venues such as World Cafe Live, Keystone Corner, Pitchfork Festival (Chicago, London, Paris), The Beacon Theatre, and Nublu Jazz Festival. She is a band member of Omar’s Hat, UPENDO, & Instrumental band “Astrium”. Kayla has traveled the Across the U.S. and Europe touring professionally. She has played and recorded with artists Ms. Lauryn Hill, Pete Rock, Lenny White, KeiyaA, RES, Ivy Sole, Orion Sun, Duendita, Hannibal Burress & Grammy Award Winning Artist, Jermaine Holmes. She is an inspiring artist looking to impact the world through her soulful sounds and vulnerable vibes.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Film Synopsis
To guide animation, images of key scenes were created in Midjourney. Image Source: Tshay Williams
A jubilant and raucous party roars to life in the living room, but upstairs 15 year-old Honest Cardamom is cooped up in bed. She scribbles down her thoughts, reflecting on the summer without her best friend, before sliding into the function where her folks are about to break bread.
Our concept artist Danski Tang created initial visual concept images to set the tone and style of the film. Source: Danski Tang
Though she’s lived here her entire life, something about tonight feels off. There is an otherworldly presence lurking around. This is Song, Honest’s late mother, whose spirit intently follows her daughter throughout the evening.
Director’s Statement
Director, Tshay, 2023. Photographed by Naomieh Jovin
Tell me when you get home. is a 7 min animated short film that is a testament to love and a testament to family. I want this film to reach young people who are living with loss and grief and trying to find a way through. I wrote the script after losing my older sister, Sonja, and watching my parents take care of her two children in the wake of her death. My hope is that whoever watches this film can feel how important it is to be loved, and how love stays with us no matter the conditions.
I also want this film to reflect the inner life of a 15-year-old girl. I want it to feel as specific to my experience as a Jamaican-American girl from New York as Moesha felt to teenagers in Leimert Park. There’s something so special about this time in your life: it’s when you’re beginning to decide who you are.
Our storyboard artist Julia Velarde has translated the full script into a visual representation of the film’s narrative. Source: Julia Velarde
Honest Cardamom, the lead character, is a regular Black teenager who is growing up without her biological parents, and has to learn about herself through stories from other family members. It reflects the stories of many Black families whose histories are riddled with so much loss and grief.
Inspiration & Approach
Image Credit: Danski Tang
I knew that in order to address loss, grief, and the spiritual nature of our connections I needed to build this world through animation. TMWYGH is set in a land of my own imagination. There’s three moons in the sky, a sentient power source, and homes that float on top of water. I want to immerse viewers in a visual world that is whimsical and surreal, like Spirited Away or Midnight Gospel. My hope is that the short film can be a window into a cinematic universe that includes a feature film–currently in development–a tv series, and a video game.
Though the world is fantastical, we are also creating an experience that is grounding and culturally relevant for Black audiences. Like Small Axe: Lover’s Rock, I want to immerse audiences in a movie that looks, sounds, tastes and smells like a reggae party. We’re working with an incredible artist, Black Buttafly, to create an original soundtrack that’s inspired by the Caribbean parties I attended as a child.
The world feels full of the magic and whimsy and silliness that’s inside of me, and is also infused with the deeper lessons that I’ve learned about what’s valuable to me: our connections with each other, the importance of teaching young people about where they come from, and the role that grief plays in allowing us to connect with our loved ones. The story is steeped in my love for family and wider community, and a sense of curiosity about the world and how we live in it.
Audience
The film is intended to be appropriate for teenagers and young adults who are still developing language for processing big emotions. I’ve worked with many youth organizations in Philadelphia who are open to having workshops and events that deal with these themes.
I see a wide audience engaging with this: young people who are dealing with grief, nerds on the internet who are geeked out by fantasy, and music/theatre nerds who love a good soundtrack.The film has the potential for many programming opportunities, from being screened in schools, record shops, film festivals, and also on online blogs. It is also my intention to screen the work in a planetarium.
Team
I am working with an incredible team of producers including Jackie Payton, who produced Blues Clues and other animated projects and Sydney Rodriguez and Patrice Worthy, who I have collaborated with for many years at BlackStar Projects. We have hired Alexa Lim Haas, an award-winning animator who worked on Random Acts of Flyness on HBO, as our Animation Director, Danski Tang as our Concept Artist, and Julia Velarde as our Storyboard Artist.
Your support would ensure that we can continue animation for the short, and also provide support for my salary and the production team, which will bring us closer to realizing this vibrant and necessary story.
Campaign Goals
Our ask of $25,000 will support hiring our animation department, a team that will be essential to developing the visual elements of the film.
This includes:
- Two lead animators who will establishes the film’s cohesive animation vision for the creative direction of the project and also manage the animation team and animation assets
- And two supporting animators who will support creating animation frames
Any additional support will go towards paying for the time and effort of our production team, as all have generously donated additional time and effort to this project to see us to completion.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Two Lead Animators
Costs $16,000
This is our budgeted amount for onboarding two lead animators.
Two Supporting Animators
Costs $7,000
This is the budgeted amount for onboarding two supporting animators
Production
Costs $2,000
This amount will go towards supporting the continued work of our production team!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Production
Jackie Payton, Producer
Photo: Naomieh Jovin
New Jersey born and Pennsylvania raised, Jackie Payton is a three-time Daytime Emmy nominated children's television producer, writer, editor, and retired puppeteer based in Philadelphia and New York City. Alongside producing television and writing podcasts for kids, Jackie has worked on content geared toward adults such as the award-winning 2021 PBS docu-series Philly D.A. and, most recently, the short film The Love Machine for BlackStar Film Festival's inaugural 2022 Lab Program.
In her free time, she's gaming, learning to cook, playing softball, trying to find friends to go bowling, moviegoing, traveling, cat-loving, and laughing at TikTok, sometimes all at once.
Sydney Rodriguez, Producer
Photo: Naomieh Jovin
Sydney Alicia Rodriguez (they/she) is an Afrolatinx producer, cultural worker, and former theater kid from PG County, MD focused on resourcing the emerging generation of Black and Brown worldbuilders. As the Artist Programs Manager at BlackStar Projects, Sydney has co-produced seven short films as part of the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab and currently spearheads the program of the William & Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar. They produced the short narrative film gales. which premiered at the 2021 BlackStar Film Festival, and went on to play at American Black Film Festival, the 30th Anniversary Pan African Film Festival, and more. Sydney’s film programming work includes curating the BlackStar Film Festival program in collaboration with the festival director and selection committee, serving as a juror for the TriCo Film Festival and the Diamond Screen Film Fest at Temple University and serving on the Cinema Eye Feature Film Nominations Committee for the past three years.
Outside of work hours (whatever those are), you can find Sydney wandering the trails of a local park, tending to their garden, attending screenings and local art shows, perusing a craft market, traveling the world, skating, writing, or cozying up with a book. If it’s warm out, catch them on the tennis courts or your neighborhood swimming hole.
Patrice Worthy, Engagement Producer
Photo: Naomieh Jovin
Patrice Worthy is a producer, consultant, and owner of Cathect Management, a consulting and management agency for artists and creatives. Originally trained as a biochemist, her career over the past decade has shifted to the intersection of arts, culture, and community. Patrice has worked with BlackStar Projects in various capacities since 2012, most prominently as operations director. She has also worked as a fundraising consultant for large and small businesses, including Picture Motion and The Sable Collective. Patrice excels at mobilizing resources and identifying and executing creative solutions for arts organizations and creatives.
Art
Alexa Lim Haas, Animation Director
Alexa Lim Haas (they/she) is a Filipino American artist from New York City. Alexa was selected by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film." Alexa’s films, GLOVE (2016) co-directed with Bernardo Britto, and her solo films AGUA VIVA (2018) and ODE TO OCEAN (2020) each premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. GLOVE and AGUA VIVA were awarded Grand Jury Prizes at SXSW. Alexa’s work has been exhibited at film festivals worldwide and at MoMA, BAM, The Brooklyn Museum, and The New York Times. Alexa has directed animations for Planned Parenthood, Beach House, HBO’s RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS, and the Netflix documentary MUCHO MUCHO AMOR. She is the screenwriter for RACHEL IN LOVE currently in development with Department of Motion Pictures and Park Pictures. Alexa received her BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Danski Tang, Concept Artist
Originally from China, Danski Tang is an animation filmmaker and artist now based in Los Angeles.
Specializing in 2D hand-drawn animation, visual art, and experimental documentary, Danski uses animation as a means to investigate themes of memories, subconscious, cultural indoctrination, and body politics. Her work has been shown in numerous international film festivals such as MoMA DocFortnight, Melbourne International Film Festival,Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Annecy International Animated Film Festival, New Chitose Animation Festival, Hiroshima International Animation Festival, Vienna Shorts Festival. Her latest film “Umbilical” won the Pardino d’argento (Silver Leopard) International Competition at the 72 Locarno Film Festival, the Eileen Maitland Award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the Best Animated Short at San Diego Asian Film Festival, and Honorable Mention for Documentary Short at Slamdance, the Best Short Documentary at DOXA Documentary Film Festival.
Danski holds an MFA in Experimental Animation from California Institute of the Arts.She currently teaches at CalArts and Cal State University Los Angeles.
Julia Velarde, Storyboard Artist
Julia Velarde received a BFA in Traditional Animation at the Pratt Institute in 2014 and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. She's worked, since then, as an Animator and Compositor for several Nick Jr. productions, The Dodo, and assorted Documentaries and Non-Profits. With her roots in puppet making and painting, she brings a hand crafted touch to her animation to create all-encompassing pieces filled with emotion.
Gabrielle Patterson, Animation Consultant
Gabrielle Patterson is an animator, motion designer, and multidisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia. She is passionate about telling stories through animation and strives to always bring a sense of humanity and a hand-made touch to an ever-increasingly digital medium. Gabrielle holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and has experience working in a variety of creative settings. For three years, she was an in-house motion designer for the Philadelphia creative agency MOD, and in 2020 she decided to take the leap into freelancing full-time. In 2022, Gabrielle became a worker-owner member of Bonfire Media Collective, a video production cooperative dedicated to telling human stories that
catalyze social change. As the newest member of Bonfire, she has been able to expand the co-op’s capabilities in motion design and animation while also learning more about live-action video production.
Outside of work, you can often find Gabrielle gardening, practicing piano, or watching the latest season of one of her favorite reality TV shows.
Music/Original Soundtrack
Black Buttafly, Composer
Photo: Bob Sweeney
Kayla Childs, also known as “Black Buttafly”, is a 27, year old New Jersey native hailing from New Brunswick. Her musical roots are in Gospel, Jazz, and Soul music with influences ranging from Patrice Rushen, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, J Dilla, and Ahmad Jamal. She is a rising pianist, songwriter, and producer attending Rutgers University pursuing her degree in Jazz Performance and Music Technology while currently living and playing in Philadelphia, PA.
Kayla has performed in venues such as World Cafe Live, Keystone Corner, Pitchfork Festival (Chicago, London, Paris), The Beacon Theatre, and Nublu Jazz Festival. She is a band member of Omar’s Hat, UPENDO, & Instrumental band “Astrium”. Kayla has traveled the Across the U.S. and Europe touring professionally. She has played and recorded with artists Ms. Lauryn Hill, Pete Rock, Lenny White, KeiyaA, RES, Ivy Sole, Orion Sun, Duendita, Hannibal Burress & Grammy Award Winning Artist, Jermaine Holmes. She is an inspiring artist looking to impact the world through her soulful sounds and vulnerable vibes.