We've made our film, now help us get it seen! This project started as a way to make short, quality films with my friends to showcase the talent of Nashville filmmakers. We succeeded, and now we need your help to take it to festivals and share it around the country!
We've made our film, now help us get it seen! This project started as a way to make short, quality films with my friends to showcase the talent of Nashville filmmakers. We succeeded, and now we need your help to take it to festivals and share it around the country!
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Story
Mission Statement
I, Sandrene Mathews, am a writer/director/producer who also happens to be an African-American female. We shot this with a 55% female crew and, without giving away our 3 minute film, my motivation in writing it was to challenge our first impressions rooted in stereotypes.About The Project
The Prologue
If you are unfamiliar with my work and would like to see another project I've done, please check out https://www.youtube.com/lessthansuper.
The Back Story
It started out simple enough.
One night I went to a party and made a new friend. After the appropriate amount of time I found him on Facebook and soon our friendship was official. So naturally I did what anyone does when they meet someone they find interesting: I skimmed through his profile.*
I quickly found myself on his actor page and hovering over the link to watch his reel. I hesitated for a moment, and then clicked.
Fast forward a couple months and one of my super talented friends asked me to check out his reel and give him feedback.
A few months later and I found myself editing reels for friends. Suddenly my life was consumed by reels. It was like a really strange YouTube rabbit hole that lasted for a very long time (and hasn't really stopped).
So wait. Let's go back. Why did I hesitate? And what is the point to this story?
Well, reels can be really boring. And after the second or third reel I watched I realized that although I'm surrounded by amazing talent, it often doesn't get showcased very well, since many of the clips in their reels are from poorly made student films, timed competition films, independent films or clips from really big projects in which they had not so big roles. In short, they were rather underwhelming.
Being an Assistant Director myself, which isn't really a role that lends itself to even making a reel, I decided it would be great to get people together and shoot quick 1-3 page scenes that will help promote everyone involved. I put the idea out to our community and everyone loved it, but no one took action on finding or creating material to write. So since I fancy myself a screenwriter, I decided to come up with some scripts on my own. And so it began.**
The Film
The idea for this scene came about after watching a number of film festival submissions. Indie filmmakers love to explore the nuances of sex and relationships so this short is my my "what if?" take on familiar ideas. Honestly, I can't go too much into it, since the film is only three minutes long, including credits, so you'll just have to take my word on it. It's really funny. Here's what some people are saying about it.
"I LOVE [this]" - Dean S.
"[It's] amazing!" - Katie C.
"I like it!" - Shannon F.
"It's really really funny!" - probably someone at some point
Now, usually my plan for films is to make them and immediately release them online. And, really, that was the original plan. But the more I thought about it, the more I decided to try a festival run with it. Why? Because it's a quick, quirky rom-com and everyone needs more of that in their life. And by traveling around with it at festivals, it will give me and my team a chance to travel with it and talk about what we're doing in Nashville.
As much as I want people to see what I can do and what my cast and crew can do, I really want people to be see and hear about what our community is doing. And that is why we need you!***
The Ask
Submitting to festivals can be really expensive, and every little bit helps! By contributing to this campaign you not only give us the financial support to apply to these festivals, you also show the festivals that you believe in us and our community and want to see us on the circuit. Numbers talk.
We have a list of about 25 places we'd like to submit to, including the Nashville Film Festival and several other highly regarded festivals. If you know anything about film festivals you know there's never a guarantee, and while we don't feel like it's beneficial to submit to any and every festival, the law of averages tells us that the more we can submit to, the greater our chances of being accepted.
That being said, the decision to do a festival run was not made lightly. Our film has a high production value, stellar performances, a solid script and is short enough that it is easily programmable, all of which increases our likelihood of being accepted. We wouldn't waste our
time or your money if we didn't think we had a really good chance of getting in a good number of them.
The Need
- $500 - This is how much we need to submit to 12 festivals we know we can attend in person. This includes ones within driving distance like Nashville, New Orleans, Atlanta and Austin and more prestiged ones that are further away but many Nashville filmmakers still attend, like Sundance and TIFF.
- Everyone worked on this project because they believe in me and believe in my vision. That means more to me than I can express. But I also believe in paying my cast and crew, even a little, so when we exceed our goal I'd like to give back to them.
- $400 - Once my team is taken care of, the money we raise will go to the remaining 13 festivals I'd like to apply to, including LA Shorts and AFI as well as a few International festivals like Leeds and Cork.
- If we are blessed with an overwhelming amount of support to get us this far, I will cry, and then put the rest of the money aside to help with travel expenses to these festivals so more of us can go and talk on the red carpet about how amazing you are!
The Epilogue
Want to know more ways you can help? Here are a few options! Feel free to get creative with your own.
- Share this campaign with all your friends. And I do mean ALL of them. If you like them, we'll like them too.
- Click the Follow button. Remember, numbers count. Woah, unintentional joke there! But seriously, folks, if we get 500 or more followers Seed & Spark gives us their gift box, which includes waivers for certain festival fees, which is exactly what we need!
- Tell us where you'll be! We aren't just limited to the festivals on my list. We want to go where our audience is. So if there's a great festival near you, let us know and we'll try to make it there!
- Speaking of knowing about great festivals, if you're involved with any and want to give us a waiver, we'll gladly take that too!
*It's not really stalking when it's now the norm, right?
**Did I win the award for using the word reel the most times in a crowdfunding campaign?
***How many of you said finally? I know I did. I can be a little long winded. Writer, remember?
Incentives
$1
Updates
You are the best! Seriously, highest of fives to you for adding yourself to our list of supporters. For your contribution you'll be the first to know when we're accepted to festivals, where to find us and how to see The American Mistake once the festival run is over. We'll also let you know when there are opportunities to follow other projects our cast and crew are doing, although you'll only hear about outside projects once. We respect your time and your inbox.
$5
Name in Lights
We will make a swell graphic that says something cool like "I Made The American Mistake" or possibly even more clever (suggestions appreciated) and then list the names of all of our contributors at this level or higher. There will be a digital version, which you can share for bragging rights, as well as a physical version which we will take with us to festivals and take a photo with on the red carpet!
Plus the Updates package.
$25
Video Message
Sandrene, Dean and Chelsey will send you a personalized video message thanking you for your support and contribution. It may be sweet, it may be weird. It'll probably be both. And long winded. Because that's how we roll.
Plus everything from the Name in Lights package.
$50
Walk the Carpet
We'll bring YOU with us on the red carpet! Whenever possible, we'll arrange a time for you to take a photo with us in person, but if that's not an option, whether due to distance or festival policy, we will make another one of those nifty signs that just has your name on it.
Plus everything from the Video Message package.
$100
Your Story
Sandrene will write a script just for you! You can choose the plot, location and characters (up to 3) or just pick some of that and she'll choose the rest. We can't make any guarantees of what happens AFTER it's written, other than you'll get a copy to read, obviously. But it's a way cooler bragging right than saying someone wrote a song or poem for you, right?*
Plus the Walk the Carpet package.
*All we ask is that you do not use this perk to have Sandrene do your homework assignment.
Claimed: 0 of 20
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$1
Updates
You are the best! Seriously, highest of fives to you for adding yourself to our list of supporters. For your contribution you'll be the first to know when we're accepted to festivals, where to find us and how to see The American Mistake once the festival run is over. We'll also let you know when there are opportunities to follow other projects our cast and crew are doing, although you'll only hear about outside projects once. We respect your time and your inbox.
$5
Name in Lights
We will make a swell graphic that says something cool like "I Made The American Mistake" or possibly even more clever (suggestions appreciated) and then list the names of all of our contributors at this level or higher. There will be a digital version, which you can share for bragging rights, as well as a physical version which we will take with us to festivals and take a photo with on the red carpet!
Plus the Updates package.
$25
Video Message
Sandrene, Dean and Chelsey will send you a personalized video message thanking you for your support and contribution. It may be sweet, it may be weird. It'll probably be both. And long winded. Because that's how we roll.
Plus everything from the Name in Lights package.
$50
Walk the Carpet
We'll bring YOU with us on the red carpet! Whenever possible, we'll arrange a time for you to take a photo with us in person, but if that's not an option, whether due to distance or festival policy, we will make another one of those nifty signs that just has your name on it.
Plus everything from the Video Message package.
$100
Your Story
Sandrene will write a script just for you! You can choose the plot, location and characters (up to 3) or just pick some of that and she'll choose the rest. We can't make any guarantees of what happens AFTER it's written, other than you'll get a copy to read, obviously. But it's a way cooler bragging right than saying someone wrote a song or poem for you, right?*
Plus the Walk the Carpet package.
*All we ask is that you do not use this perk to have Sandrene do your homework assignment.
Claimed: 0 of 20
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
This project was all about pushing ourselves and accomplishing more. Dean and Chelsey let their comedic chops shine as our leads. Our camera and electrical team was comprised of recent and soon to be film school graduates. Mia, a seasoned AD, kept everything running smoothly with a new-to-her crew, as this was one of her first films since moving to Nashville. And although Sandrene has previous credits as a writer, director and producer, this is her first time since returning to filmmaking that she's done all three. And on her birthday, no less!
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Community
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