The Birds Don't Sing
Madison, Wisconsin | Film Short
Horror, Drama
As danger looms over an old family farm, a devoted daughter must decide if love and loyalty are worth her life. The Birds Don’t Sing is an apocalyptic horror film that dissects the pains of willful ignorance and the inheritance of responsibility across generations.
The Birds Don't Sing
Madison, Wisconsin | Film Short
Horror, Drama
3 Campaigns | Wisconsin, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $4,000 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
19 supporters | followers
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As danger looms over an old family farm, a devoted daughter must decide if love and loyalty are worth her life. The Birds Don’t Sing is an apocalyptic horror film that dissects the pains of willful ignorance and the inheritance of responsibility across generations.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Story
Love, despite.
Too often, the hardest people to love are those we love most.
The Birds Don’t Sing follows Zoe as she grapples with this very thing.
A sinister rot spreads across rural Wisconsin, eventually reaching the family farm Zoe runs with her father Otis. Not wanting to uproot his life, he refuses to acknowledge the obvious signs of danger.
When Dex, an old friend, shows up and warns of the apocalypse, things begin to spin out of control. Otis refuses to accept it—or can’t—but even in the face of his stubbornness, an unbreakable familial love holds Zoe to him. She is faced with an impossible choice: hold on to her father, home, and legacy, or let go to protect herself.
Director's Statement
'My mom’s parents struggled to accept their age. Each step away from independence was like forcing children to take bitter medicine, and who could blame them? It’s difficult to imagine the longing they must have felt for the home they had to leave after decades of tending to it; the guilt of being unable to help people in the ways they used to, and the creeping fear that built up as they relied on others to manage their health, money, and even memory.
Despite their reluctance, my grandparents needed help. So, my mom started visiting them every day. First, it was paperwork. Then cooking. Then taking care of the cat, doing laundry, sending letters, and cleaning the house. She gave, and gave, and gave until her life blurred into theirs. I stopped seeing her much, and every time I did, she was exhausted. It was maddening watching her wear so thin, but I never had to question why she was doing it. The exact thing I was experiencing, the pain of seeing someone you love run themselves into a wall, she felt tenfold with her parents.
I don’t aim to tell my mom’s story; it’s not really mine to tell. I do, however, want to tap into what I believe is the more universal experience. We all have to take up the mantle of ‘caretaker’ as the people around us grow old and stubborn, and someday, we’ll all grow old and stubborn too. The Birds Don’t Sing isn’t about moving your aging parents, but it is about stubbornness in the face of unavoidable change. It’s about the cost of loyalty, and the things we’re willing to give up for the people we love.'
- Noah Giesler
Why Now?
Now more than ever, we see people living in divergent realities shaped by the echo chambers and epistemic bubbles of their social media feeds. It can seem difficult—nay, impossible—to change the minds of people, even those close to us, who don’t believe in the same ground-level facts we do.
This can be disheartening in the face of current events. For example, unlike the fictional apocalypse of The Birds Don’t Sing, we are hurtling toward a very real climate apocalypse that many people refuse to believe in.
However, this stubbornness isn’t new. The reflex that would lead a person to argue over Thanksgiving dinner that “the world is actually cooling down” is the very same reflex that leads a grandparent to decide they don't need to move into a nursing home until it is far too late. Sometimes, your emotional reality does not accommodate factual reality, and this isn’t going to change anytime soon.
There is no better time than now to tell a story about this universal human folly. This thing we all experience as the people around us grow old or otherwise stubborn is now the political zeitgeist.
Culture has set the stage; let's put on a show about it.
Genre
There is inherent horror in aging. As your body fails you, you have to give up things that you love, and there is no way to stop it.
What better symbol for this than an apocalypse?
Like the passage of time, an apocalypse is inescapable. It necessitates attention, but it's so terrifying that we may not want to accept it.
Time is the monster that comes for us all.
The Production
The script is locked, the creative teams are in full swing, and everything is going smoothly! With a crew of 10-12 of the most talented filmmakers in the area, we’ll be shooting over six days at farms around the beautiful and haunting driftless region of Wisconsin.
Timeline:
Pre-Production: August-October 2025
Filming: October 2025
Post-Production: October-December 2025
Festival Releases: Spring 2026
Release to the Public: Winter 2026
The Cast
Zoe - Amelie Rosenhagen
Practical, loyal, reserved. She’d rather take on the burdens of others than rock the boat by putting herself first.
Although Amelie is way too much of a scaredy-cat to watch horror films herself, she is beyond stoked to be in one! However, if her acting during this armageddon horror story seems overly realistic...it's probably not acting--she is probably just genuinely scared.
Otis - David James Slama
Proud, old-fashioned, paranoid. He won’t change, or can’t, even if his world is crumbling around him.
David has been acting, writing, and directing since 2002 and has appeared in various commercials, TV shows, and films. He loves working in a variety of films from student to indie to big budget. He is definitely excited to be part of this project to showcase his talents and bring Otis to life.
Dex - Luca Clesceri
Sharp, nervous, selfish. He thinks he’s in control and a step ahead, but everyone else can tell he’s not.
Luca is a Milwaukee based actor who followed his dream and made it a reality. He’d like to thank everyone involved for their collaboration and for letting him be apart of this project!
The Budget
We need your help to give this story the craftsmanship it deserves.
From creating the ambiance of a dystopian farm to building a monster, production design needs some serious money.
Our camera and lighting team needs support, too! A hazer, dolly, and grip gear will help them craft atmospheric visuals befitting the horror genre.
Most importantly, we need to feed our hard-working cast & crew and help with travel expenses so everyone can enjoy their time on set and give their entire heart to the production.
Filmmaking is expensive, but with your support, this story can see the silver screen and have an effect on audiences around the state and the world!
Breakdown:
Production Design: $800
Food: $900
Travel/Lodging: $500
Media/Equipment: $950
Insurance: $200
Locations: $200
Post-Production: $450
Total: $4000
If we raise more than we expect, we plan to use the budget in post-production for festival submissions, sound design/coloring, and paying Noah back for any out-of-pocket expenses he accrues past the budget.
Your Support
Any contribution is sincerely appreciated! It will directly help us get the best footage we possibly can.
If you aren’t able to donate, no worries! All the emotional support you can give is enough.
We have an Instagram and Facebook where we’ll post updates that you can follow along with. Any sharing you can do also helps us tremendously!
If there’s anything else you think you can help with, drop us a line at [email protected] and let’s get a conversation going!
Let’s make this movie.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Design
Costs $800
An old truck, guns, 90s farm design, the monster, gore, and ooze are all wrapped into this - All crucial to the story and its presentation.
Food
Costs $900
We gotta keep our cast & crew fueled up for our long shoot days!
Travel/Lodging
Costs $700
Between the gas mileage to our distant farm location, and potential hotel stays for out of town actors, this adds up.
Media/Equipment/Insurance
Costs $1,200
We need to insure our current equipment and secure other things like a hazer, dana dolly, hard drives, and grip equipment.
Locations
Costs $200
To compensate for our very hospitable location patrons!
Post-Production
Costs $200
This includes entry to some festivals and any assets we might need.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Noah Giesler - Director
Noah Giesler is a photographer, gaffer, mixer, and composer. His background in diverse below-the-line positions gives him unique insight into the marriage of technical and story elements as a director.
Corey Holl - Producer / Production Designer
Corey is a passionate producer with a good deal of experience in shorts. He's been excited about this script since the first draft and has loved seeing everything come together.
William James Kovaleski - Producer / Sound Designer
James is a UW-Madison graduate who is trying really hard to find a job, but will do this instead, I guess. He specializes in producing and sound design because he's not skilled enough to do anything else.
Madi Lewis - Assistant Director
Madi is a UW Madison graduate who enjoys filmmaking with her friends and former classmates. The Birds Don’t Sing is extremely different from anything else Madi has worked on, so it’ll be a fun challenge!
David Guenthner - Director of Photography
David is a growing DP/AC/Gaffer/Producer for films and other media for over four years. He couldn't be more thrilled to join the crew to bring The Birds Don't Sing's dramatic, Midwestern style to the screen!
Jonathan Purnell - Production Design (Props and FX)
Jonathan is a 2024 Communication Arts graduate from UW-Madison, who enjoys and draws inspiration from a variety of films and video games. He especially enjoys practical effects for the authenticity that it brings to a production.
C Kessler - Set Designer
C is like a magpie that loves movies. They fit naturally into the Set Designer role.
Grace Koenig - Costume Designer
Grace fell in love with film, and the way it can provide an escape to those who need it, at an early age. She found a life through filmmaking and is so excited to be able to work with such an incredible crew on such a fun project!
Alejandro Dominguez - Editor
Alejandro is an up-and-coming editor who’s worked on documentaries, promo content, and short films. He’s excited to once again work with Noah and the crew to bring The Birds Don’t Sing to life!
Kristyn Dallmann - Assistant Camera
Kristyn loves filmmaking and working with this team! This project has so many opportunities for creative distinction, and she can't wait to see what the team comes up with!
Shamit Topiwala - Assistant Camera
Shamit is a freelance videographer who loves telling stories and conveying emotions through captivating visuals.
Olivia Cozzini - Production Designer/Production Assistant
Driven by a deep passion for storytelling and expression, Olivia is drawn to film as a powerful medium to explore emotion, identity, and human connection. She is excited to be part of “The Birds Don’t Sing,” supporting the production design team with the visuals that create the story’s world.
Hannah Beck - Marketing/ Social Media
Hannah is a UW-Madison Communication Arts graduate currently living in Chicago pursuing her career in the film industry. She is super excited to be involved in this project.
Savanna Lee - PA / BTS photographer
Savanna has worked on many film projects throughout her academic and professional journey and is excited to help out on set again!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Story
Love, despite.
Too often, the hardest people to love are those we love most.
The Birds Don’t Sing follows Zoe as she grapples with this very thing.
A sinister rot spreads across rural Wisconsin, eventually reaching the family farm Zoe runs with her father Otis. Not wanting to uproot his life, he refuses to acknowledge the obvious signs of danger.
When Dex, an old friend, shows up and warns of the apocalypse, things begin to spin out of control. Otis refuses to accept it—or can’t—but even in the face of his stubbornness, an unbreakable familial love holds Zoe to him. She is faced with an impossible choice: hold on to her father, home, and legacy, or let go to protect herself.
Director's Statement
'My mom’s parents struggled to accept their age. Each step away from independence was like forcing children to take bitter medicine, and who could blame them? It’s difficult to imagine the longing they must have felt for the home they had to leave after decades of tending to it; the guilt of being unable to help people in the ways they used to, and the creeping fear that built up as they relied on others to manage their health, money, and even memory.
Despite their reluctance, my grandparents needed help. So, my mom started visiting them every day. First, it was paperwork. Then cooking. Then taking care of the cat, doing laundry, sending letters, and cleaning the house. She gave, and gave, and gave until her life blurred into theirs. I stopped seeing her much, and every time I did, she was exhausted. It was maddening watching her wear so thin, but I never had to question why she was doing it. The exact thing I was experiencing, the pain of seeing someone you love run themselves into a wall, she felt tenfold with her parents.
I don’t aim to tell my mom’s story; it’s not really mine to tell. I do, however, want to tap into what I believe is the more universal experience. We all have to take up the mantle of ‘caretaker’ as the people around us grow old and stubborn, and someday, we’ll all grow old and stubborn too. The Birds Don’t Sing isn’t about moving your aging parents, but it is about stubbornness in the face of unavoidable change. It’s about the cost of loyalty, and the things we’re willing to give up for the people we love.'
- Noah Giesler
Why Now?
Now more than ever, we see people living in divergent realities shaped by the echo chambers and epistemic bubbles of their social media feeds. It can seem difficult—nay, impossible—to change the minds of people, even those close to us, who don’t believe in the same ground-level facts we do.
This can be disheartening in the face of current events. For example, unlike the fictional apocalypse of The Birds Don’t Sing, we are hurtling toward a very real climate apocalypse that many people refuse to believe in.
However, this stubbornness isn’t new. The reflex that would lead a person to argue over Thanksgiving dinner that “the world is actually cooling down” is the very same reflex that leads a grandparent to decide they don't need to move into a nursing home until it is far too late. Sometimes, your emotional reality does not accommodate factual reality, and this isn’t going to change anytime soon.
There is no better time than now to tell a story about this universal human folly. This thing we all experience as the people around us grow old or otherwise stubborn is now the political zeitgeist.
Culture has set the stage; let's put on a show about it.
Genre
There is inherent horror in aging. As your body fails you, you have to give up things that you love, and there is no way to stop it.
What better symbol for this than an apocalypse?
Like the passage of time, an apocalypse is inescapable. It necessitates attention, but it's so terrifying that we may not want to accept it.
Time is the monster that comes for us all.
The Production
The script is locked, the creative teams are in full swing, and everything is going smoothly! With a crew of 10-12 of the most talented filmmakers in the area, we’ll be shooting over six days at farms around the beautiful and haunting driftless region of Wisconsin.
Timeline:
Pre-Production: August-October 2025
Filming: October 2025
Post-Production: October-December 2025
Festival Releases: Spring 2026
Release to the Public: Winter 2026
The Cast
Zoe - Amelie Rosenhagen
Practical, loyal, reserved. She’d rather take on the burdens of others than rock the boat by putting herself first.
Although Amelie is way too much of a scaredy-cat to watch horror films herself, she is beyond stoked to be in one! However, if her acting during this armageddon horror story seems overly realistic...it's probably not acting--she is probably just genuinely scared.
Otis - David James Slama
Proud, old-fashioned, paranoid. He won’t change, or can’t, even if his world is crumbling around him.
David has been acting, writing, and directing since 2002 and has appeared in various commercials, TV shows, and films. He loves working in a variety of films from student to indie to big budget. He is definitely excited to be part of this project to showcase his talents and bring Otis to life.
Dex - Luca Clesceri
Sharp, nervous, selfish. He thinks he’s in control and a step ahead, but everyone else can tell he’s not.
Luca is a Milwaukee based actor who followed his dream and made it a reality. He’d like to thank everyone involved for their collaboration and for letting him be apart of this project!
The Budget
We need your help to give this story the craftsmanship it deserves.
From creating the ambiance of a dystopian farm to building a monster, production design needs some serious money.
Our camera and lighting team needs support, too! A hazer, dolly, and grip gear will help them craft atmospheric visuals befitting the horror genre.
Most importantly, we need to feed our hard-working cast & crew and help with travel expenses so everyone can enjoy their time on set and give their entire heart to the production.
Filmmaking is expensive, but with your support, this story can see the silver screen and have an effect on audiences around the state and the world!
Breakdown:
Production Design: $800
Food: $900
Travel/Lodging: $500
Media/Equipment: $950
Insurance: $200
Locations: $200
Post-Production: $450
Total: $4000
If we raise more than we expect, we plan to use the budget in post-production for festival submissions, sound design/coloring, and paying Noah back for any out-of-pocket expenses he accrues past the budget.
Your Support
Any contribution is sincerely appreciated! It will directly help us get the best footage we possibly can.
If you aren’t able to donate, no worries! All the emotional support you can give is enough.
We have an Instagram and Facebook where we’ll post updates that you can follow along with. Any sharing you can do also helps us tremendously!
If there’s anything else you think you can help with, drop us a line at [email protected] and let’s get a conversation going!
Let’s make this movie.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Design
Costs $800
An old truck, guns, 90s farm design, the monster, gore, and ooze are all wrapped into this - All crucial to the story and its presentation.
Food
Costs $900
We gotta keep our cast & crew fueled up for our long shoot days!
Travel/Lodging
Costs $700
Between the gas mileage to our distant farm location, and potential hotel stays for out of town actors, this adds up.
Media/Equipment/Insurance
Costs $1,200
We need to insure our current equipment and secure other things like a hazer, dana dolly, hard drives, and grip equipment.
Locations
Costs $200
To compensate for our very hospitable location patrons!
Post-Production
Costs $200
This includes entry to some festivals and any assets we might need.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Noah Giesler - Director
Noah Giesler is a photographer, gaffer, mixer, and composer. His background in diverse below-the-line positions gives him unique insight into the marriage of technical and story elements as a director.
Corey Holl - Producer / Production Designer
Corey is a passionate producer with a good deal of experience in shorts. He's been excited about this script since the first draft and has loved seeing everything come together.
William James Kovaleski - Producer / Sound Designer
James is a UW-Madison graduate who is trying really hard to find a job, but will do this instead, I guess. He specializes in producing and sound design because he's not skilled enough to do anything else.
Madi Lewis - Assistant Director
Madi is a UW Madison graduate who enjoys filmmaking with her friends and former classmates. The Birds Don’t Sing is extremely different from anything else Madi has worked on, so it’ll be a fun challenge!
David Guenthner - Director of Photography
David is a growing DP/AC/Gaffer/Producer for films and other media for over four years. He couldn't be more thrilled to join the crew to bring The Birds Don't Sing's dramatic, Midwestern style to the screen!
Jonathan Purnell - Production Design (Props and FX)
Jonathan is a 2024 Communication Arts graduate from UW-Madison, who enjoys and draws inspiration from a variety of films and video games. He especially enjoys practical effects for the authenticity that it brings to a production.
C Kessler - Set Designer
C is like a magpie that loves movies. They fit naturally into the Set Designer role.
Grace Koenig - Costume Designer
Grace fell in love with film, and the way it can provide an escape to those who need it, at an early age. She found a life through filmmaking and is so excited to be able to work with such an incredible crew on such a fun project!
Alejandro Dominguez - Editor
Alejandro is an up-and-coming editor who’s worked on documentaries, promo content, and short films. He’s excited to once again work with Noah and the crew to bring The Birds Don’t Sing to life!
Kristyn Dallmann - Assistant Camera
Kristyn loves filmmaking and working with this team! This project has so many opportunities for creative distinction, and she can't wait to see what the team comes up with!
Shamit Topiwala - Assistant Camera
Shamit is a freelance videographer who loves telling stories and conveying emotions through captivating visuals.
Olivia Cozzini - Production Designer/Production Assistant
Driven by a deep passion for storytelling and expression, Olivia is drawn to film as a powerful medium to explore emotion, identity, and human connection. She is excited to be part of “The Birds Don’t Sing,” supporting the production design team with the visuals that create the story’s world.
Hannah Beck - Marketing/ Social Media
Hannah is a UW-Madison Communication Arts graduate currently living in Chicago pursuing her career in the film industry. She is super excited to be involved in this project.
Savanna Lee - PA / BTS photographer
Savanna has worked on many film projects throughout her academic and professional journey and is excited to help out on set again!