Terminal
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama
As a daughter sits in the hospital waiting for news of her father, her emotions- Denial, Anger, Guilt, and Despair- conflict on how to best accept the situation and process their shared grief. This short is dedicated to all people struggling with illness & grief, and to those who help support them.
Terminal
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $11,810 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
121 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
As a daughter sits in the hospital waiting for news of her father, her emotions- Denial, Anger, Guilt, and Despair- conflict on how to best accept the situation and process their shared grief. This short is dedicated to all people struggling with illness & grief, and to those who help support them.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
STRETCH GOALS
Our $10,000 goal is the minimum we needed to make Terminal a reality, and we are so thrilled to say that we've met that goal! But we could always use more support. If we raise...
-$12,000.00, we'll have the opportunity to pay our cast and crew industry standard rates. Our friends have all given us generous deals to work on this project, but we'd love to reward them if we're able to raise more than our goal.
-$14,000.00, we'll be covered for a large portion of our post-production expenses, ensuring that everything with Terminal goes as smoothly as possible in time for film festival submissions
-$15,000.00, we'll use these extra funds to submit to the film festivals we are targeting. Festival costs add up quickly, so a little love here goes a long way!
SYNOPSIS
Terminal tells the story of a daughter sitting in a hospital waiting for news of her father. It is a family drama within her mind, with each of her emotions coming to life as their own character. These emotions embody four of the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Guilt, and Despair. Trapped in the daughter's mental representation of a waiting room, these emotions talk, fight, and ultimately find a way to coexist in this world as they must do inside ourselves.
This short is dedicated to all people struggling with illness and grief, and to the loved ones who help support them.
MY STORY
The story of Terminal is deeply rooted in my personal experience. I was twelve when my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer, and twenty-six when he passed away. Sorting through that grief has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, and it's barley begun.
Somewhere along this fourteen year journey, I started resenting the way society dealt with grief. The common myth of progressing through stages of grief wasn't at all true to my experience. Instead of moving through each stage one at a time, I instead felt all these "stages" simultaneously. In any given moment, I could be both in denial about my father's illness, and angry at myself for not dealing with it properly. I could be crying my eyes out over the situation, and feel also guilty for wasting my time with tears when I could be spending those moments with my father. These emotions influenced each other, constantly developing and finding new ways to coexist. I never stopped being in denial. I never stopped being angry. I never stopped feeling guilty. I never stopped feeling sad.
Something had to be wrong with me. I was grieving wrong, and the more I looked around the lonelier I felt. I couldn't find my story anywhere out there.
So I wrote down my story. And I found out I wasn't alone.
Terminal is for those who do not yet have the words for their grief, but knows that it needs to be honored. It is for anyone searching for community and connection in a period of loneliness. There is no right way to process grief. It's chaotic, and complex, and hard. This short film honors that messy, intense process. By contributing to our film, you are joining us in the struggle to create a community out of individuals. Terminal aims to connect us all in our grief, eliminate shame from sorrow, and celebrates the fragility at the heart of us all.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Insurance
Costs $1,750
People need health insurance, and so do film sets! Help get us covered!
Props & Set Dressing
Costs $750
Help us elevate the world of TERMINAL by contributing to our prop and set design!
Grip Equipment Rental
Costs $600
Because hospital fluorescent lights need a little help to look good on camera.
Food/Crew Catering
Costs $800
Feed our crew, and I guarantee you'll be making a whole bunch of new friends.
Camera Package
Costs $1,200
We can't film anything without a camera. Help us make TERMINAL a reality by funding this item.
Sound Equipment Rental
Costs $600
Good sound quality is essential to a production. You can't love the dialogue if you can't hear it!
Hair/Make Up/Wardrobe
Costs $500
Unfortunately, we can't all be Beyonce- we need a little help to look our best!
Lighting Rental
Costs $400
Good lighting design tells a story and underscores the emotional journey of the script.
Production Supplies
Costs $250
Many supplies get used during production, and the cost adds up. A little love here goes a long way!
Share this update!
About This Team
Marta Roncada (Director/Writer) is a first-generation American that followed in her parents' footsteps by packing up and moving far from home (although not quite as far). Since moving to LA in 2017, Marta has worked as a commercial coordinator for Arts & Sciences, Mistress Productions, and others. Before she started writing and directing screenplays, she graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Theater and worked for various companies such as The Public Theater, The Atlantic Theatre Company, and the Blue Man Group. She lives in Hollywood with her boyfriend and xbox.
Dan Finlayson (Director of Photography) grew up in Massachusetts loving Star Wars. The son of an engineer and a painter, he took an early interest in special effects that would develop into a love of cinematography. After earning his B.A. in filmmaking at Emerson College in Boston, he has relocated to sunny Southern California to pursue a career in cinematography and avoid the winter entirely. Some of Dan's credits include Home: The Series, 我走了, 再见 (Goodbye), and Wings.
Paul Young (Executive Producer) is an Emmy-winning producer who founded Principato-Young Entertainment in 2000, which he sold in 2017. Paul has produced more than 30 films and television shows, including “Reno 911”and “Key & Peele.” In January 2018 Paul started a management-production company called MAKE GOOD. Its inaugural production, "This Close," is the first-ever show created by and starring people who are deaf. Paul previously wrote for Variety and was an executive at Paramount.
Mike Griffin (Executive Producer) is a manager and producer at MAKE GOOD Content, a talent management and TV/Film production company in Los Angeles. Under the tutelage of Paul Young, Mike works in artist management and development where his specific focus is stand-up comedians, writers, and actors. His clients include comedians Byron Bowers, Jamar Neighbors, and Joe Dosch, film and TV stars Calum Worthy, Austin Fryberger, and Groundling Harrison Lampert.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
STRETCH GOALS
Our $10,000 goal is the minimum we needed to make Terminal a reality, and we are so thrilled to say that we've met that goal! But we could always use more support. If we raise...
-$12,000.00, we'll have the opportunity to pay our cast and crew industry standard rates. Our friends have all given us generous deals to work on this project, but we'd love to reward them if we're able to raise more than our goal.
-$14,000.00, we'll be covered for a large portion of our post-production expenses, ensuring that everything with Terminal goes as smoothly as possible in time for film festival submissions
-$15,000.00, we'll use these extra funds to submit to the film festivals we are targeting. Festival costs add up quickly, so a little love here goes a long way!
SYNOPSIS
Terminal tells the story of a daughter sitting in a hospital waiting for news of her father. It is a family drama within her mind, with each of her emotions coming to life as their own character. These emotions embody four of the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Guilt, and Despair. Trapped in the daughter's mental representation of a waiting room, these emotions talk, fight, and ultimately find a way to coexist in this world as they must do inside ourselves.
This short is dedicated to all people struggling with illness and grief, and to the loved ones who help support them.
MY STORY
The story of Terminal is deeply rooted in my personal experience. I was twelve when my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer, and twenty-six when he passed away. Sorting through that grief has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, and it's barley begun.
Somewhere along this fourteen year journey, I started resenting the way society dealt with grief. The common myth of progressing through stages of grief wasn't at all true to my experience. Instead of moving through each stage one at a time, I instead felt all these "stages" simultaneously. In any given moment, I could be both in denial about my father's illness, and angry at myself for not dealing with it properly. I could be crying my eyes out over the situation, and feel also guilty for wasting my time with tears when I could be spending those moments with my father. These emotions influenced each other, constantly developing and finding new ways to coexist. I never stopped being in denial. I never stopped being angry. I never stopped feeling guilty. I never stopped feeling sad.
Something had to be wrong with me. I was grieving wrong, and the more I looked around the lonelier I felt. I couldn't find my story anywhere out there.
So I wrote down my story. And I found out I wasn't alone.
Terminal is for those who do not yet have the words for their grief, but knows that it needs to be honored. It is for anyone searching for community and connection in a period of loneliness. There is no right way to process grief. It's chaotic, and complex, and hard. This short film honors that messy, intense process. By contributing to our film, you are joining us in the struggle to create a community out of individuals. Terminal aims to connect us all in our grief, eliminate shame from sorrow, and celebrates the fragility at the heart of us all.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Insurance
Costs $1,750
People need health insurance, and so do film sets! Help get us covered!
Props & Set Dressing
Costs $750
Help us elevate the world of TERMINAL by contributing to our prop and set design!
Grip Equipment Rental
Costs $600
Because hospital fluorescent lights need a little help to look good on camera.
Food/Crew Catering
Costs $800
Feed our crew, and I guarantee you'll be making a whole bunch of new friends.
Camera Package
Costs $1,200
We can't film anything without a camera. Help us make TERMINAL a reality by funding this item.
Sound Equipment Rental
Costs $600
Good sound quality is essential to a production. You can't love the dialogue if you can't hear it!
Hair/Make Up/Wardrobe
Costs $500
Unfortunately, we can't all be Beyonce- we need a little help to look our best!
Lighting Rental
Costs $400
Good lighting design tells a story and underscores the emotional journey of the script.
Production Supplies
Costs $250
Many supplies get used during production, and the cost adds up. A little love here goes a long way!
Share this update!
About This Team
Marta Roncada (Director/Writer) is a first-generation American that followed in her parents' footsteps by packing up and moving far from home (although not quite as far). Since moving to LA in 2017, Marta has worked as a commercial coordinator for Arts & Sciences, Mistress Productions, and others. Before she started writing and directing screenplays, she graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Theater and worked for various companies such as The Public Theater, The Atlantic Theatre Company, and the Blue Man Group. She lives in Hollywood with her boyfriend and xbox.
Dan Finlayson (Director of Photography) grew up in Massachusetts loving Star Wars. The son of an engineer and a painter, he took an early interest in special effects that would develop into a love of cinematography. After earning his B.A. in filmmaking at Emerson College in Boston, he has relocated to sunny Southern California to pursue a career in cinematography and avoid the winter entirely. Some of Dan's credits include Home: The Series, 我走了, 再见 (Goodbye), and Wings.
Paul Young (Executive Producer) is an Emmy-winning producer who founded Principato-Young Entertainment in 2000, which he sold in 2017. Paul has produced more than 30 films and television shows, including “Reno 911”and “Key & Peele.” In January 2018 Paul started a management-production company called MAKE GOOD. Its inaugural production, "This Close," is the first-ever show created by and starring people who are deaf. Paul previously wrote for Variety and was an executive at Paramount.
Mike Griffin (Executive Producer) is a manager and producer at MAKE GOOD Content, a talent management and TV/Film production company in Los Angeles. Under the tutelage of Paul Young, Mike works in artist management and development where his specific focus is stand-up comedians, writers, and actors. His clients include comedians Byron Bowers, Jamar Neighbors, and Joe Dosch, film and TV stars Calum Worthy, Austin Fryberger, and Groundling Harrison Lampert.