Thank you so much for helping us reach over 100%.

BUT WE'RE NOT DONE YET!

Help us reach for our 1st stretch goal of $8,500 (122%), which would allow expanded locations, and our 2nd stretch goal of $10,000 (143%) for a composer to create a fully original score! More on our stretch goals below ⬇️

Listen to the soundtrack of one of our biggest influences, Searching for Bobby Fisher as you read:

He thought he was painting a painting, but life was painting him:

“We come to love not by finding a perfect person but by learning to see that imperfect person perfectly.” — Sam Keen

(A.I. was used as a previsualization tool for this and other images on this page. The film will have no A.I., made by real artists' hands.)

When a harsh critique shatters painter Adam's confidence, he spirals into obsessive perfectionism, convinced that one flawless masterpiece will prove his worth. But his refusal to let girlfriend Alesha see his unfinished work, or his unfinished self, pushes her away. Only when he stops hiding his flawed hands does he discover that imperfection isn't failure; it's where growth begins. This is a story about the lie that says, “I’ll be worthy once I’m finished.”

THE ARTIST'S HANDS is the story of our hands: Flawed, Imperfect, but the only hands we have. In the struggle for perfection, they always fall short, and no one knows this better than our protagonist, Adam, who, after his best work is verbally ripped to shreds by his favorite living painter, and art critic William Pendylsythe, he decides to paint a masterpiece, a portrait of an old man staring at his hands.

Why Now?

We live in a culture obsessed with polish; curated lives for others, finished products, perfect images. But beneath the polish, more people than ever are burning out, isolated by the belief that they must earn love and worth.

THE ARTIST’S HANDS speaks to this moment. It’s a story about what happens when the need to be perfect costs us our relationships, and how healing begins when we stop hiding our flaws.

This film exists now because the pressure to be flawless has never been louder, and we believe the answer isn’t more achievement. It’s honesty.

Why Us?

We are a passionate crew of young filmmakers, eager to prove our worth, while acepting the work of our hands will not be "perfect"! Our crew has cut our teeth on four short films (watch them at the bottom of the page), and now we are putting that hard-earned chemistry and skill to work on our first feature, THE ARTIST'S HANDS. We are immensely grateful to all who have helped us on our journey, and excited to share in this exciting new chapter with you.

Why You?

This is a story for those who have ever felt broken, with no hope of repair, who always feel like they're coming up short. If that sounds like you, we need your support to bring this message to more like us out there. A message that you're not broken, just unfinished, you're still in the making.

Whether it be like Adam, in the hands that he paints, or like ourselves, in the hands we use every day to craft our own lives, we can't help but see the flaws. What gives life its texture, its shape, its joy, are the things we carry. The hard things. The people we love. The work we throw ourselves into. The things that demand effort and patience and vulnerability, like raising kids, or building a life, or making a film. Those hard things are what make life beautiful!

Thanks to our fiscal sponsor, your donation is tax-deductible: a win for you and us.

STRETCH GOALS:

With $7000 we'll have just enough to get our movie into reality, but if you help us reach a little further, we can achieve the dream we really see:

$7,000: to fund the essentials (breakdown in wish-list tab) — but if we go beyond that, here’s what your extra support unlocks:

$8,500: Expanded Locations

Help us film in more visually rich and story-driven places like:

• Our own custom Art Gallery set

• The Phoenix Art Museum

• The girlfriend Alesha’s apartment

• Adam's workplace, a sprawling and wondrous antique store.

These locations expand and deepen Adam's world, elevating the stakes and emotional impact of the story.

$10,000: Original Music Score 🎵

At this level, we can bring on a professional composer to create a custom soundtrack — enhancing the film’s world: mood, pacing, and emotional tone with music that’s built specifically for The Artist’s Hands.

Imagine sitting in the theater, just having absorbed the story of Adam and Alesha, her trying to tell him his cracks just mean he's unfinished, and him finally learning he's not broken, he's still in the making, and as we cut to black, these words break the silence:

ALL DONATIONS: TAX-DEDUCTIBLE

We are funding this film through a fiscal sponsor, The Funding Studio, a 501 (c) (3), which means any donations given to the campaign will be tax-deductible, just like any other charitable donation.

OUR PAST ACCOLADES:

THE ARTIST'S HANDS is our first feature-length film (90 minutes), but it didn't come from nowhere. Here are all the past projects from TRANSCEND ENTERTAINMENT:

ME or HER (D.I.D Short Film) (2017)

• 10K views on YouTube
• HONORABLE MENTION - Vortex Writing Competition (2017)

TIME HAUNT (2023)

• 8.5K Views on YouTube
• 4 Official Selections
• FINALIST - Los Angeles Cinematography AWARDS
• BEST FILM - Siren by the Sea Film and Screenplay Competition
• BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM - Cuckoo International Film Awards
• BEST SHORT FILM - Manikarnika International Film Festival

UNDERTOW (2024, feature screenplay)

• FESTIVAL: BEST SUSPENSE THRILLER SCREENPLAY - Show Low Film Festival

MAN OF THE GUN (2025)

• 13K Views on YouTube
• 2 Official Selections
• BEST ACTION - Faith in Film: International Film Festival
• NOMINEE for "Best Short Film" at the Chandler International Film Festival
• (still in its festival run)

THE STYLE:

INFLUENCE #1: WHIPLASH (2014)

"The Artsist's Hands" follows in the footsteps of creative obsession films such as "Whiplash" and "Black Swan", especially with the toxic relationship Adam has with his idol Critic/Painter 'William Pendylsythe', but with the gentler storytelling edge of movies such as "Searching for Bobby Fischer":

INFLUENCE #2: SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY:

Hi, my name is Aaron Wilson. When I was eleven, I sat on my Aunt Nellice’s living room couch, trying to draw the cover of a Star Wars book — a young Obi-Wan levitating a lightsaber between his hands. The problem was… I couldn’t get the hands right.

My great-aunt Nellice, who’s always been one of my biggest supporters, noticed my frustration and said, “Let me show you something.” She disappeared into her closet and returned with a painting of a cougar she’d done years before. The detail was beautiful; except for the paws, which were a little rough, almost sketched. She smiled and said, “I was never much good at hands either.” Then she handed me the painting and told me I could keep it. That painting still hangs on my wall today.

This little story became the spark that would light the flame of our story, an artist struggling to paint the hands right.

FILMING METHOD:

As a writer/director, I have been writing screenplays for nearly the past 10 years, and as fulfilling as it was, it seemed like a bit of a dead end, because of the difficulty to get a screenplay picked up, let alone I wanted to direct, and they'd never let me do that. The scripts I'd write, I would ignore budget, almost oblivious to how much they would cost to make. All this in mind, I thought my first feature was years in my future.

Enter A.J. Rome and his company, One Grand Film. His method is to reverse engineer your first feature-length film from only what you have available, before any words are put to page. And what's more, none of those words are the spoken word: No scripted dialogue; The actors completely improvise their words, based off only the beats of the story.

It scared me at first, but after I had a chance to adjust to the idea, that fear became excitement. I could do this! And I did. That first feature film isn't years in my future, it can be now! The script is written, we have practiced the filming method, and it is the most exhilarated I have felt than any other time in my filmmaking career, so far.

Like my main character, Adam, eventually does, I have abandoned my perfectionism. The written words are not precious. I don't worry that we won't get the story, because the actors are my co-writers, and if the track I've laid for them is strong, they can't help but make it stronger, and more than that, make it real.

THE ARTIST'S HANDS is a tale I'm passionate about telling for those like me, who have ever strived for perfection, questioned themselves at every turn, or second-guessed the best work of their hands.

REVIEWS OF THE SCREENPLAY:

"A touching look at self-acceptance and the role outside perspectives play into it. This film is a comforting embrace to all who feel broken." 

- David Kelly

“A spectacular script! The story of one person’s growth as they learn that love and acceptance aren’t found through being perfect, but through vulnerability. Relatable and leaves an impression on your soul.”

- Jacob Moench

“The Artist’s Hands puts us in the passenger seat of painter Adam, who gets lost in the details while his girlfriend and family remind him of the bigger picture. Can he realign himself and reclaim the true purpose of his gift, or will he be lost to perfectionism and the world’s demands? Wilson’s script brings you into the artist’s studio and into deep reflection on Christ and His artistry in our creation.”

- Diana Tolman

“As an artist myself, a great portrayal of how obsessive you can become over your art, forgetting that you actually enjoy it. It has happened to me more times than I’d like to admit. THE ARTIST'S HANDS is a deep and emotionally investing character study.”

- Matthew Martinez

"The dread of self-doubt is something that all too many people know well, especially those who have tried their hands at creating something new. "The Artist's Hands" poignantly examines this struggle, while offering a glimpse of hope that can guide us through. The characters are charming, and their growth through the story makes for a heartwarming end."

- Emma Preston Hankins

OUR PREVIOUS WORK:

(Please watch in full screen for the full experience!)

Thank you for your support!