The Adulterer

New Orleans, Louisiana | Series

Drama, Film-Noir

Gian Smith

1 Campaigns | Louisiana, United States

Green Light

This campaign raised $13,200 for development. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

94 supporters | followers

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Welcome to "The Adulterer" fundraising campaign. I truly believe "The Adulterer" is a fascinating, and genuine project. I wish to continue to make thoughtful, interesting content for this series but I need the support of the audience I hope to serve. You! Join me and we'll make art together!

About The Project

  • The Story
  • Wishlist
  • Updates
  • The Team
  • Community

Mission Statement

The entire team is made up of a diverse and talented group, including our Asian-American director, and a few of the women in our art department with direct lineage to Africa. All of the moving parts behind the camera will be people of color and on screen our two female leads are also black women.

The Story

About the project: 

 

 The Adulterer Short Film Watch film here!

 

“The Adulterer” is a visual novel about monogamy, identity, expectations, and the choices we make in service to those qualities… or in spite of them. Each player in “The Adulterer” wants something their vows are keeping them from. Simultaneously they want to placate the needs they feel their vows entitle them to, and the wants to which they feel their partners are betrothed. The story begins with a seemingly happenstance meeting between Hugh and the woman that will change things for his family. By the time the tale is unraveled, monogamy, identity, and expectations will take on new meanings for the characters as well as for us viewing at home. The film does a lot of the work that this statement intends to do, so your best bet is to give it a watch. Just know that when you reach the final credits we’re only at the beginning.

 

“The Adulterer” began it’s festival run at Los Angeles Black Film Fest and then a few weeks later jumped coasts to the 30th Ft. Lauderdale international Film Fest. Along the way several stops and many screenings took place. “The Adulterer” won the coveted Remi award at 49th annual Worldfest Houston International Film festival in the category ‘Dramatic Original series’, an award shared by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Ang Lee. “The Adulterer” capped its festival run with screenings in Chicago For Black Harvest film festival at the Gene Siskel center  and Atlanta for Bronzelens film festival where it shared a premiere with Issa Rae’s “Insecure” and “Queen Sugar.” In total “The Adulterer” Screened at 12 Festivals in all regions of the country.

 

What I wish, is to realize the full potential of this series which I cannot do alone. Far too often our best ideas are at the whims of the powers already established... But institutions are not the end all. There is power in numbers as well. And with your help we can create something special. The goal is to produce a completed narrative over a three season seven episode per season arc. This will come at no small cost and that’s why I need you. There are more technical flaws in the original short film version than I would like due to my minimal budget. This time, with more resources we will make the visual experience match the narrative’s explosive potential. 

 

Filmmaker's Statement:  

I screened “The Adulterer” for a fellow film maker I was intending to work with on an altogether different project. His immediate response after watching the film was “So what’s next?” In my own mind, I had already conceived of the ‘next’ and arrived at my own conclusions for the outcomes of these characters I hoped the audience would also be able to reach within the film content. But I hadn’t yet thought of putting it to screen.

 

These days, completing the story of “The Adulterer” is the only thing I think about.

 

This will be the second series for distribution on my YouTube network P.B.E: S.Ou.L following a completed season of the groundbreaking franchise "open mike", a look at the subculture of poetry and jazz in New Orleans. As an artist I’m most notable for my appearances and work on the second season of HBO’s series "Treme"

I wrote for and was featured in several promotional trailers as well as an appearance on the show. I’m growing as an artist everyday and with your help I believe this first season of three of “The Adulterer” will be a great step.

 

I hope the possibilities are intriguing to you, and I hope you want to see them enough to help support this vision with your feedback, contributions and shares. Please continue reading and find out what we need to do and how we can make this a reality. Thanks in advance.

Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

Music

Costs $500

Monica Mcintyre is a talented cellist and composer. This is a small price to pay for access to her.

talent

Costs $3,000

This is not nearly enough for the intense 10 day shoot I'm asking of these actors. They deserve more

Crew

Costs $8,000

To make quality film, there must be specialists. Specialists don't work for free or favor.

food

Costs $1,000

Again.. stretching it thin. Trying to feed 15 person set for $100/day. Probably need like twice this

locations

Costs $1,000

This isn't the Cosby show. We gotta move around... spread our wings. don't y'all want to see NOLA?!

post production

Costs $1,500

I need a few other things to spruce up the picture as well as some equipment to make it happen.

Miscellaneous

Costs $1

The wish list is the bare necessities. But $5K more would make it a lot easier on us all, mostly me!

About This Team

I have recruited some very talented artists and specialists for "The Adulterer" I have worked on different projects with most of these individuals. I know their commitment to doing good work and I know their talents will do this project justice. 

 

Producers 

Leonard Stewart is my oldest and best friend. He and I have been creating stories since our days playing with Gi. Joe's and Construx. These days he's an intellectual property lawyer at a Fortune 500 company as well as a husband and father of two young boys. He has more natural talent than anyone I know and it's truly a blessing that he has agreed to join me in this campaign as well as future film & television endeavors. 

 

Alphonse Smith is a one man artist incubator. He holds many important seats within the New Orleans arts community including his position as Place and Civic Design Director at Arts Council of New Orleans. For years his service to the arts community has been integral to a cultural renaissance in New Orleans performance art post Katrina. 

 

Jonathan Isaac Jackson is an accomplished filmmaker for his production company The Colored Section featuring films screened on both coasts and several spots in between. Jonathan's service to this project as a consultant and advisor will be key to production.

 

Crew 

Bobby Yan, a graduate in digital design from NYU, is an accomplished entitiy in the world of film and television. This five time emmy winner has worked with some of the biggest musical acts in the world on music video production. His first narrative production "Marz" (a film about an aspiring rapper trying to navigate identity and past) is currently in the film festival circuit and has already screened in over a dozen festivals throughout the United States. 

 

Adrione Domino is a prolific film maker in New Orleans through her production company 3517Law St. She has produced an episodic series as well as several film shorts. Adrione's background in acting has proven to be a true asset to her behind the camera skills working on many "Hollywood" productions filmed in New Orleans. 

 

That's me, Gian Francisco Smith. I created "The Adulterer" short film and series concept. I'll be writing all the episodes and doing the final edits along with all the grunt work in between. I could carry on about my accomplishments, but as you can see by all of the amazing people I'm working with, my best talent is convincing better people than me to support my vision. 

 

Kinitra Brooks, PhD is a television and film scholar. An associate professor of African-American and Afro-Caribbean literature and culture, Kinitra is most notable for her instruction on a course in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.” Kinitra has become a significant voice championing women in film, art and music. Her presence as a script advisor and consultant will be instrumental in capturing the complexity of the Adulterer character. 

Art

Ayo Scott is a prolific, accomplished visual artist in New Orleans. He bears the legacy of his father, MacArthur fellow, John T. Scott. But Ayo's brilliance is not simply captured on canvas. Every environment Ayo enters becomes his canvas and everyday he collaborates with friends and strangers to make art come to life in the world. World building will be essential for this project and his insight and talents will prove to be invaluable. Visit him Here.

 

Tiffani Sherriff has a keen eye for style. As a stylist she has an impecable repuatation with her clients which has landed her in all the biggest markets managing everything from runway shows to art exhibitions. 

 

Jewel Emefa is an activist for public interest while managing her own design and branding company. Jewel constructed the PBE website which you can visit at www.pbesoul.com

 

Music

Spirit Mcintyre is a cellist in New Orleans. Spirit's soulful melodies speak poingantly as a culture bearer and liasion to our ancestors. Spirit's music is as moving as it is narrative, and fits perfectly with the tone and mood of 'The Adulterer" 

 

Outreach

Quincy Williams is a social media savant. His popular, yet controversial blog http://www.thevitaminq.com/ has gained him many titles (some endearing, some not) and many followers (some endearing, some not) but make no mistake he’s good at what he does! 

 

I would love to tell you about all the actors working on this film, but their participation is contingent on this film's budget beign acheived. Talent isn't free and your contributions will do a great deal towards putting the best people in place for this project. 

Current Team

Supporters

Followers

Incentives