The Ascent
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Crime, Fantasy
The Ascent is a compelling and terrifying story rendered by a fantastic cast of diverse and talented actors in a story that blends the detective noir and the supernatural genres, seasoned with a dash of singing. A micro-budget Supernatural Thriller Feature Film shot on location in Los Angeles(!).
The Ascent
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Crime, Fantasy
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $6,785 for festivals. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
33 supporters | followers
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The Ascent is a compelling and terrifying story rendered by a fantastic cast of diverse and talented actors in a story that blends the detective noir and the supernatural genres, seasoned with a dash of singing. A micro-budget Supernatural Thriller Feature Film shot on location in Los Angeles(!).
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We won Best North American Feature Film Award at 19th Annual Nevermore Film Festival!
We just premiered at the Nevermore and won our first award.
It took a few years, but we finished our feature film, The Ascent. It was shot on a budget just south of $20k. The script was written with a small budget in mind, and features minimal locations and several very talented actors. A brilliant homicide detective interrogates a bloody suspect claiming supernatural origins. We wanted to bring the cosmos into a small space via imagination.
The protagonist, Henry Cardenas is a masterful detective known for his ability to elicit confessions in interrogations. His background ranges from the East LA punk rock scene in the 1980's through a sophisticated understanding of history, music, art and above all, human psychology.
Tom Murtagh the writer-director has been writing for years, and decided that with the digital revolution, it was time to create a film. He thought he understood the process. He was wrong, but he learned a great deal.
Producer Matt Renoir was the first person to come along, and he has been working hard for years to bring the film to completion. You name the task; he has done it. He is also an accomplished DP and filmmaker in his own right.
Our fantastic crew included Christina Marin, Daniel Hubbard, Justin Dobson, Victoria Pitt, John Bennett, Gina Bracamonte, and numerous others who helped out in ways big and small. Anyone who's made a film knows it's a team effort.
One strategy we employed in pre-production was to emphasize casting. As we lived in Los Angeles, we had the certainty that a great cast of actors lurked nearby. It took some time and tough decision making, but we love our cast and believe the quality of their performances bring the film to a higher level. Miguel Perez, Stephen Buchanan, David Castaneda, Amber Waller, Anisha Adusumilli, Sam Rodd, Zelda Adams, and Armando Broncas all brought their A game to the film, and we are lucky to have them.
The film deals primarily with Latino characters, though that is incidental to the story. It was just a choice made early in the writing process.
We think the film is good not just compared to other micro-budget films, but is a good film period. We learned how hard it is to make a feature film (Especially without a trust fund...hehe.) and are duly humbled by the process.
As of this writing, we premiered the film at Nevermore Film Festival, in Nevermore in Durham, NC. We also won the Audience Award for BEST NORTH AMERICAN FEATURE!
The Other Venice Film Festival in Los Angeles just accepted us an an Official Selection too!
Festival Fees add up incredibly fast, at $50-$100 per submission. Getting a publicist, as well as marketing materials is imperative for the success of any film, especially an indie film.
We owe it to everyone who made this film possible to get The Ascent out to the world.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Festival Fees
Costs $3,000
Submission Fees average $50 per Festival. This adds up way too fast.
Publicist
Costs $2,000
A Publicist for Festivals is key for getting press to attract distributors.
Marketing Materials
Costs $1,000
We are in need of a new poster! Festivals require stills, postcards, mini-posters, etc.
Festival Travel Expenses
Costs $2,000
Getting both into, and to a Festival is our goal! We need to attend, to get this film released!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Tom Murtagh met Matt Renoir way back in 2011. The two worked together on two Doritos Crash the Super Bowl commercial shoots. After narrowly missing out on the 1 Million Dollar Prize, the two teamed up for the short film Through the Night, a dark action thriller. When contemplating their next collaboration, Matt had the brilliant and really practical idea of making a Feature Film, which luckily Tom had already written, initially entitled Awash. Going through development, and months of preproduction, the Awash script was re-titled The Ascent.
After one abysmal IndieGoGo campaign, the two scraped together what resources they had, and crewed/ cast up for the feature film The Ascent. Along with Gina Bracamonte, Christina Marin, Daniel Hubbard, John Bennett, Justin Taylor Dobson, Victoria Pitt, Kim Distel, and many more people made this film possible.The Ascent is complete, and being submitted to Film Festivals now (26 so far).
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We won Best North American Feature Film Award at 19th Annual Nevermore Film Festival!
We just premiered at the Nevermore and won our first award.
It took a few years, but we finished our feature film, The Ascent. It was shot on a budget just south of $20k. The script was written with a small budget in mind, and features minimal locations and several very talented actors. A brilliant homicide detective interrogates a bloody suspect claiming supernatural origins. We wanted to bring the cosmos into a small space via imagination.
The protagonist, Henry Cardenas is a masterful detective known for his ability to elicit confessions in interrogations. His background ranges from the East LA punk rock scene in the 1980's through a sophisticated understanding of history, music, art and above all, human psychology.
Tom Murtagh the writer-director has been writing for years, and decided that with the digital revolution, it was time to create a film. He thought he understood the process. He was wrong, but he learned a great deal.
Producer Matt Renoir was the first person to come along, and he has been working hard for years to bring the film to completion. You name the task; he has done it. He is also an accomplished DP and filmmaker in his own right.
Our fantastic crew included Christina Marin, Daniel Hubbard, Justin Dobson, Victoria Pitt, John Bennett, Gina Bracamonte, and numerous others who helped out in ways big and small. Anyone who's made a film knows it's a team effort.
One strategy we employed in pre-production was to emphasize casting. As we lived in Los Angeles, we had the certainty that a great cast of actors lurked nearby. It took some time and tough decision making, but we love our cast and believe the quality of their performances bring the film to a higher level. Miguel Perez, Stephen Buchanan, David Castaneda, Amber Waller, Anisha Adusumilli, Sam Rodd, Zelda Adams, and Armando Broncas all brought their A game to the film, and we are lucky to have them.
The film deals primarily with Latino characters, though that is incidental to the story. It was just a choice made early in the writing process.
We think the film is good not just compared to other micro-budget films, but is a good film period. We learned how hard it is to make a feature film (Especially without a trust fund...hehe.) and are duly humbled by the process.
As of this writing, we premiered the film at Nevermore Film Festival, in Nevermore in Durham, NC. We also won the Audience Award for BEST NORTH AMERICAN FEATURE!
The Other Venice Film Festival in Los Angeles just accepted us an an Official Selection too!
Festival Fees add up incredibly fast, at $50-$100 per submission. Getting a publicist, as well as marketing materials is imperative for the success of any film, especially an indie film.
We owe it to everyone who made this film possible to get The Ascent out to the world.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Festival Fees
Costs $3,000
Submission Fees average $50 per Festival. This adds up way too fast.
Publicist
Costs $2,000
A Publicist for Festivals is key for getting press to attract distributors.
Marketing Materials
Costs $1,000
We are in need of a new poster! Festivals require stills, postcards, mini-posters, etc.
Festival Travel Expenses
Costs $2,000
Getting both into, and to a Festival is our goal! We need to attend, to get this film released!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Tom Murtagh met Matt Renoir way back in 2011. The two worked together on two Doritos Crash the Super Bowl commercial shoots. After narrowly missing out on the 1 Million Dollar Prize, the two teamed up for the short film Through the Night, a dark action thriller. When contemplating their next collaboration, Matt had the brilliant and really practical idea of making a Feature Film, which luckily Tom had already written, initially entitled Awash. Going through development, and months of preproduction, the Awash script was re-titled The Ascent.
After one abysmal IndieGoGo campaign, the two scraped together what resources they had, and crewed/ cast up for the feature film The Ascent. Along with Gina Bracamonte, Christina Marin, Daniel Hubbard, John Bennett, Justin Taylor Dobson, Victoria Pitt, Kim Distel, and many more people made this film possible.The Ascent is complete, and being submitted to Film Festivals now (26 so far).