Three friends encounter future versions of themselves along a desert highway, but struggle to change the future they witness. The Bootstrap Cafe is a darkly comedic short-film about accepting the imperfect present.
Three friends encounter future versions of themselves along a desert highway, but struggle to change the future they witness. The Bootstrap Cafe is a darkly comedic short-film about accepting the imperfect present.
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Story
Mission Statement
Strange Trio Productions is an unlikely friendship of writers born from the throws of classical theatre. Now we seek to explore stories of our very own, full of questions and wonder. Our aim is for audiences to laugh along with us, embracing the beautiful absurdity of life.About The Project
AS OF MAY 29TH, WE MET OUR INITIAL PRE-PRODUCTION GOAL!
WE NOW NEED HELP MEETING OUR PRODUCTION/POST-PRODUCTION BUDGET.
Here's what we still need!
- Location Scouting
- Art Design
- Props
- Hair and Makeup
- Transportation To/From Set
- Editing Costs
- Automated Dialogue Replacement
- Sound Design and Score
- Film Festival Submission Fees
- Film Festival Travel and Housing
The Bootstrap Paradox (also known as the Grandfather Paradox) states that if time-travel is possible, it follows that something in the future may cause something in the past, which may stop the initial cause. The famous example goes, “if a man goes back in time and accidentally kills his grandfather, how was he born in the first place”?
Our story follows three friends who find themselves trapped in an extraordinary paradox they seem powerless to escape. Encountering future versions of themselves along a desert highway, the trio continues to play out the same mistakes they just witnessed. Even worse, by trying to stop the loop, they may cause it to exist in the first place.
Inspired by the stress of global events over the past few years and a diverse range of work, such as No Country For Old Men, Groundhog’s Day, Back to the Future, the Netflix series Dark, and FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Bootstrap Cafe is a darkly comedic tale that explores themes of being “stuck in an loop”, history repeating itself in similar patterns, and feeling culprit in these cycles of repetition while feeling powerless to stop them repeating.
Our hope is that The Bootstrap Cafe will leave audiences with a cathartic release from the stress of the future and the guilt of the past while inspiring wonder at the beautiful absurdity right in front of them.
The three of us make our living as theatre actors. When the pandemic hit, we each lost theatre work we had lined up. So, we began meeting weekly over Zoom to work on some of our own scripts in an attempt to keep our sanity… at least somewhat… intact. Storytelling remains integral during these isolating times as a way of giving meaning to our narratives, but our traditional avenues had been shut down. What began as a weekly writers room grew into a full-time endeavor that has resulted in many short stories, a full-length movie script, two full-length plays, several one-act plays, and a very special short film script called The Bootstrap Cafe.
Now, over a year later, we have officially incorporated Strange Trio Productions and have opened up our writers' room to help other writers in their creative journeys.
Learn more about our company on our website HERE
Our mission is to uplift and amplify the creative voice, creating stories that expose, explore, and document the strangeness and beauty of life, with the goal of creating dialogue and widening perspectives in the world around us. Art from the heart is a powerful tool to record the consciousness of our time. We see direct parallels between how we inspire through our stories and how we promote diversity within our company. We foster a workplace that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
The Bootstrap Cafe takes place in a car, on a highway, and at a gas station. We are exploring shooting locations near
San Diego...
in Oregon...
and in Utah...
We are searching for a gas station that will let us film near one of these locations! If you have any leads, don't hesitate to let us know!
It is important to stay safe on set! Below are some safety protocols that we have in place to help ensure that filming The Bootstrap Cafe procedes safely.
- Keep the crew small (under 10)
- Maintain social distancing
- Wear masks when not filming
- Encourage cast and crew to receive vaccinations (the three of us already have been vaccinated)
- Disinfect frequently touched items and surfaces
- Avoid sharing phones and equipment
- Use video or teleconferencing
From the beginning, we have been mindful of the safety of shooting a project like The Bootstrap Cafe. We want to do all that we can to keep our community's health moving in the right direction.
The good news is that we are able to keep our budget low because the three of us are volunteering all our time in order to bring this project to life. We've previously made five short films on zero budget, but we want to give this short film a finished look that we feel the script warrants. We're raising a starting budget of $6,000. The three of us will be donating out of our own pockets to help give The Bootstrap Cafe a final budget of $12,000.
The pre-production budget will go toward...
- Location/Revenue Reimbursement
- Crew
- Equipment
- Production Insurance
- Car Rentals
- Food for the crew
- Actors (although we won't pay ourselves, we do believe in paying actors for their work)
- Costumes
What can you do to help?
1. FOLLOW US ON ALL OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
Follow us on Seed & Spark and all our other social media -
https://www.facebook.com/strangetrioproductions/
https://www.instagram.com/strangetrioproductions/
And our website -
http://strangetrioproductions.com/
2. SPREAD THE WORDTell your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, or pets about the Bootstrap Cafe!
3. KEEP FOLLOWING OUR CAMPAIGNRegular visits to our Seed&Spark!
Thank you for joining our filmmaking adventure!
Incentives
$15
Social Media Shout Out
You are the fuel that keeps us going! Receive a personalized shout-out on our social media channels, informing our followers and audience that YOU helped the Bootstrap Cafe come to life! You'll also receive all our updates!
$25
Custom Postcard
Been there, done that, now get the postcard! Send us your photo and we'll email you a virtual BOOTSTRAP CAFE POSTCARD! Share with friends and family and let them know you supported independent filmmaking. You will also receive shout-outs on our social media!
$50
Backstage Bundle
You're part of the team now! Receive access to BEHIND THE SCENES EXCLUSIVES, BLOOPER REELS and a personal SHOUT-OUT VIDEO from the the three of us on set!
$100
Premiere Access
This is your Premiere Ticket for EARLY ACCESS to the show! You will be among the very first to watch the completed Bootstrap Cafe film. Watch it with your friends and let them know you helped make this film a reality! You will also receive all the previous incentives!
$250
Surprise Gift
Surprise! You will receive a special MYSTERY GIFT at the end of filming as a noteworthy thank you for joining us on this unique adventure!
$1,000
Associate Producer Credit & VIP Invites
Your name will appear in the Bootstrap Cafe credits as a testament to your support and you will receive virtual VIP invites to a LIVE TABLE READ and our virtual WRAP PARTY! Raise a glass with us to toast the short film you made possible.
$2,500
Executive Producer Credit & Movie Prop
You will receive Executive Producer Credit on the finished film and get to KEEP A BOOTSTRAP CAFE MOVIE PROP! Choose from the magic ourboros snake bracelet, the smoothie cup Natasha drinks from, or the prop snake that bites Marco's leg! You will also receive access to all the other incentives, including a thank you video from the three of us (where we don't shut up telling you how great you are).
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$15
Social Media Shout Out
You are the fuel that keeps us going! Receive a personalized shout-out on our social media channels, informing our followers and audience that YOU helped the Bootstrap Cafe come to life! You'll also receive all our updates!
$25
Custom Postcard
Been there, done that, now get the postcard! Send us your photo and we'll email you a virtual BOOTSTRAP CAFE POSTCARD! Share with friends and family and let them know you supported independent filmmaking. You will also receive shout-outs on our social media!
$50
Backstage Bundle
You're part of the team now! Receive access to BEHIND THE SCENES EXCLUSIVES, BLOOPER REELS and a personal SHOUT-OUT VIDEO from the the three of us on set!
$100
Premiere Access
This is your Premiere Ticket for EARLY ACCESS to the show! You will be among the very first to watch the completed Bootstrap Cafe film. Watch it with your friends and let them know you helped make this film a reality! You will also receive all the previous incentives!
$250
Surprise Gift
Surprise! You will receive a special MYSTERY GIFT at the end of filming as a noteworthy thank you for joining us on this unique adventure!
$1,000
Associate Producer Credit & VIP Invites
Your name will appear in the Bootstrap Cafe credits as a testament to your support and you will receive virtual VIP invites to a LIVE TABLE READ and our virtual WRAP PARTY! Raise a glass with us to toast the short film you made possible.
$2,500
Executive Producer Credit & Movie Prop
You will receive Executive Producer Credit on the finished film and get to KEEP A BOOTSTRAP CAFE MOVIE PROP! Choose from the magic ourboros snake bracelet, the smoothie cup Natasha drinks from, or the prop snake that bites Marco's leg! You will also receive access to all the other incentives, including a thank you video from the three of us (where we don't shut up telling you how great you are).
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
Strange Trio Productions was born in the summer of 2015 by Natasha Harris, Sam Ashdown and Marco Vega while working as colleagues at the tony-award winning Utah Shakespeare Festival, and has since blossomed into a team of tenacious collaborators.
Incipiently a writers room, Strange Trio has now produced five short films across four different states, including You Suck Natasha, Where’s Marco?, Beach Day, Bears Can’t Smell Air and Couple’a Notes. Inspired by the short films they created, company member Sam Ashdown wrote and directed, BOB, which premiered at the Knoxville Film Festival in 2020.
Sam Ashdown, Co-Writer
Sam Ashdown is an award-winning actor and has played such roles as Henry V for the Tony-award winning Utah Shakespeare Festival and Hamlet for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. Recently, Sam played a leading role in the award-winning feature film, Ruin Me. As a professor, Sam has taught Acting for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has designed and taught various Theatre workshops across the country. Sam has experience working as a camera operating assistant, stunt coordinator, actor, writer, and producer. For more information, visit samashdown.net.
Natasha Harris, Co-Writer
Natasha is a San Diego based actor/singer/dancer, musician, and choreographer. A native of San Francisco, Natasha has performed all over the country most recently as a swing for Pig Pen Theatre Company's The Tale of Despereaux at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and San Diego's Old Globe Theatre. She studied Drama and Informatics at the University of California, Irvine where she received her Bachelor of Arts. In 2016 she, Sam Ashdown, and Marco Vega founded Strange Trio Productions. For more information, visit natasha-harris.com.
Marco Vega, Co-Writer
Originally from Utah, Marco began his classical theatre training with Southern Utah University (BA), followed by acting with The Utah Shakespeare Festival where his credits included Demetrius, Bardolph, and “Self“. With The Utah Shakes Educational Tour, Marco has taught hundreds of students all over the Southwest; workshops included Stage Combat, Improvisation, and Shakespeare Performance. While completing his undergrad, Marco studied with Off the Cuff Comedy Improvisation; gaining years of improvisation training and performance experience. As a Co-Founder of Strange Trio Productions, Marco works as Writer/Collaborator; holding weekly online writing sessions. And now, as a 2020 graduate from the University of San Diego (MFA), Marco is excited to connect and inspire students to see the potential for theatre in real time. For more information, visit marcoantoniovega.com.
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