The Church of Tim (Short Film)
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Fantasy
Gene (God) summons Stan (Satan) to the heavenly void with terrible news. The world's first bona fide atheist - Tim - has been discovered on Earth. He insists they stage an emergency conversion, lest they spend eternity in arbitration with the other religious pantheons debating who claims this loser.
The Church of Tim (Short Film)
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Fantasy
2 Campaigns |
69 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$10,250
Goal: $14,100 for production
Gene (God) summons Stan (Satan) to the heavenly void with terrible news. The world's first bona fide atheist - Tim - has been discovered on Earth. He insists they stage an emergency conversion, lest they spend eternity in arbitration with the other religious pantheons debating who claims this loser.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
SUMMARY
Heaven and Hell are timeless figures of story-telling, and each generation of filmmakers seems to reimagine their dynamic.
Since the 2000s, these worlds have shifted toward far more comical, bureaucratic renditions of God and Satan when compared to their counterparts in The Bible or works like Paradise Lost. Simply look to shows like Good Omens, Miracle Workers, or The Good Place to see inept, business-like caricatures of the titans once invoked with equal fear and awe.
Gene (God) and Stan (Satan), and the comedy of errors in The Church of Tim is a continuation of this trend. When the world's first "bona fide" atheist is discovered on Earth, Gene summons Stan to the heavenly void to sound the alarm. He's already "checked" with the other pantheons ("Thena, 'Siris, Quetzalcoatl, even the flying spaghetti guy") and they've all confirmed a dismal reality: this guy — Tim — is a true "free agent."
Stan can't care less of course, because "neutrality is technically a win for me," but Gene points out that an influx of non-believers means an eternity spent in arbitration, haggling over which pantheon will claim these god-less losers. Even to Satan himself that sounds like torture, so the two agree to stage a conversion with the lackluster non-believer.
We won't spoil the otherworldly shenanigans that ensue, but Gene will end up wishing he'd never opened this theological can of worms (even Stan feels a little bad for him, given how things turn out)
IMAGE: Good Omens Season 1 (Source: Amazon Prime)
INSPIRATIONS
As we've already said, there's a healthy trove of media from which this short draws its inspiration. The bad-cop, good-cop dynamic of the overeager Azirophale and sardonic Crowley in Good Omens, the fumbling anarchy of Michael and his minions in The Good Place, and the fantastical absurdism of Steve Buscemi's God in Season 1 of Miracle Workers have all contributed to the canon of the script.
IMAGE: Miracle Workers Season 1 (Source: TBS)
WHY THIS SCRIPT, AND WHY NOW?
Our director and screenwriter's previous short, Show & Tell, was about a father desperate to impress his son's playground bully. In crafting his directorial debut, he wanted to revisit those character flaws (desperation, mania, fixation, and ego) and apply them to something higher concept, with greater imagined "stakes." Our production team felt compelled, too, to make "Tim" a true comedy, as opposed to S&T which blended dark comedy with drama.
IMAGE: The Good Place Season 2 (Source: NBCUniversal)
Importantly, this project didn't burst from the ether. The script for "Tim" was written in August 2025; a shortlist of prospective cast was drafted in November; and a preliminary shot list was compiled in February 2026.
It was only in screening Show & Tell that the crew recalled what a joy the past collaboration had been, and Carter re-approached the team with a request to help with his subsequent directorial debut.
To emphasize the time and care taken in developing the project over the past year, take a look at our Storyboard below, which features a start-to-finish breakdown of every shot envisioned for Scenes 1 + 2:
TIMELINE & LOGISTICS
We anticipate an August 15-16 shooting schedule, with post-production to ensue immediately afterward. Our picture-lock on the film should be complete by the end of September, with sound completed by the end of October. Funds raised for cast, crew, locations, props and equipment rentals will go toward two weeks of prep and our shoot dates, whereas funds for Post-Production (sound, music, coloring) will cover services rendered the following month.
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR & WRITER
I realized in producing Show & Tell that I could envision myself behind the camera for the first time, something for which I lacked the confidence before making my first short. I found myself imparting notes on costumes, production design, dialogue and stunts in ways that are under the director's purview; I was only lucky to have a director (Asad Bokhari) who trusted my input and who was willing to incorporate such notes where feasible.
I think The Church of Tim is an excellent opportunity for me to formally take the reins as a director, with a script that was intentionally tailored toward logistical minimalism. Four locations, three cast members, and only twelve pages, mostly dialogue. If ever there was a script to dip one's toe into the waters of directing, I believe it's this one, and I believe I wrote it hoping I would muster the confidence to do so.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations (Cyclorama )
Costs $1,400
We'll be renting a Bushwick-based studio with a Cyclorama wall to recreate the "heavenly void."
Cast & Crew Hires
Costs $7,100
We'll have a skeleton crew for this project: these funds will cover crew roles like DP, Camera Op, Key Grip and Sound Mixer, as well as cast
Equipment (Camera, Grip, Electric) + Insurance
Costs $2,800
These funds will cover camera equipment, dollies, C-Stands, diffusions, and other necessary Grip & Electric materials, as well as insurance.
Set Decorations + Props
Costs $1,000
Anything we can build or borrow, we'll do so. These funds will cover items like Gene's antique desk, and "satanic" contact lenses for Stan.
Post Production
Costs $1,800
Carter is directing *and* editing on "Tim", but we still need a stellar Colorist and Sound team. These funds also cover festival submissions
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our team is a rag-tag group of angels and hellions assembled from across the NYC metro area.
Max Lichtenstein is a writer and producer making his producer debut on The Church of Tim. No stranger to the film and television world, Max is on the Talent team at Nebula, where he works with independent filmmakers to advance their careers. He's written several well-received screenplays, including Blood Boys, Bleeker, and Power Play, and plays an active role in indie film-making around Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Carter L. Paterson is a writer, producer and production coordinator making his directorial debut with The Church of Tim. He has experience running production offices for Marvel, NBCUniversal, Amazon Prime, and Condé Nast. His feature script Matchbreaker was a 2025 Austin Film Festival "Second Rounder," and his television pilot Pack Rats was a 2022 Screencraft "Semi-Finalist." His first short film Show & Tell debuted at the 2026 Big Apple Film Festival.
Giovanni Alfonzetti is a veteran cinematographer and steadicam operator with a decade of experience in visual story-telling. His work on the short film Der Platz received the "Best Cinematography" award at the London Indie Short Festival, and his contributions to NYC-based television, short and feature film projects place him among the most in-demand indie Directors of Photography.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
SUMMARY
Heaven and Hell are timeless figures of story-telling, and each generation of filmmakers seems to reimagine their dynamic.
Since the 2000s, these worlds have shifted toward far more comical, bureaucratic renditions of God and Satan when compared to their counterparts in The Bible or works like Paradise Lost. Simply look to shows like Good Omens, Miracle Workers, or The Good Place to see inept, business-like caricatures of the titans once invoked with equal fear and awe.
Gene (God) and Stan (Satan), and the comedy of errors in The Church of Tim is a continuation of this trend. When the world's first "bona fide" atheist is discovered on Earth, Gene summons Stan to the heavenly void to sound the alarm. He's already "checked" with the other pantheons ("Thena, 'Siris, Quetzalcoatl, even the flying spaghetti guy") and they've all confirmed a dismal reality: this guy — Tim — is a true "free agent."
Stan can't care less of course, because "neutrality is technically a win for me," but Gene points out that an influx of non-believers means an eternity spent in arbitration, haggling over which pantheon will claim these god-less losers. Even to Satan himself that sounds like torture, so the two agree to stage a conversion with the lackluster non-believer.
We won't spoil the otherworldly shenanigans that ensue, but Gene will end up wishing he'd never opened this theological can of worms (even Stan feels a little bad for him, given how things turn out)
IMAGE: Good Omens Season 1 (Source: Amazon Prime)
INSPIRATIONS
As we've already said, there's a healthy trove of media from which this short draws its inspiration. The bad-cop, good-cop dynamic of the overeager Azirophale and sardonic Crowley in Good Omens, the fumbling anarchy of Michael and his minions in The Good Place, and the fantastical absurdism of Steve Buscemi's God in Season 1 of Miracle Workers have all contributed to the canon of the script.
IMAGE: Miracle Workers Season 1 (Source: TBS)
WHY THIS SCRIPT, AND WHY NOW?
Our director and screenwriter's previous short, Show & Tell, was about a father desperate to impress his son's playground bully. In crafting his directorial debut, he wanted to revisit those character flaws (desperation, mania, fixation, and ego) and apply them to something higher concept, with greater imagined "stakes." Our production team felt compelled, too, to make "Tim" a true comedy, as opposed to S&T which blended dark comedy with drama.
IMAGE: The Good Place Season 2 (Source: NBCUniversal)
Importantly, this project didn't burst from the ether. The script for "Tim" was written in August 2025; a shortlist of prospective cast was drafted in November; and a preliminary shot list was compiled in February 2026.
It was only in screening Show & Tell that the crew recalled what a joy the past collaboration had been, and Carter re-approached the team with a request to help with his subsequent directorial debut.
To emphasize the time and care taken in developing the project over the past year, take a look at our Storyboard below, which features a start-to-finish breakdown of every shot envisioned for Scenes 1 + 2:
TIMELINE & LOGISTICS
We anticipate an August 15-16 shooting schedule, with post-production to ensue immediately afterward. Our picture-lock on the film should be complete by the end of September, with sound completed by the end of October. Funds raised for cast, crew, locations, props and equipment rentals will go toward two weeks of prep and our shoot dates, whereas funds for Post-Production (sound, music, coloring) will cover services rendered the following month.
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR & WRITER
I realized in producing Show & Tell that I could envision myself behind the camera for the first time, something for which I lacked the confidence before making my first short. I found myself imparting notes on costumes, production design, dialogue and stunts in ways that are under the director's purview; I was only lucky to have a director (Asad Bokhari) who trusted my input and who was willing to incorporate such notes where feasible.
I think The Church of Tim is an excellent opportunity for me to formally take the reins as a director, with a script that was intentionally tailored toward logistical minimalism. Four locations, three cast members, and only twelve pages, mostly dialogue. If ever there was a script to dip one's toe into the waters of directing, I believe it's this one, and I believe I wrote it hoping I would muster the confidence to do so.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations (Cyclorama )
Costs $1,400
We'll be renting a Bushwick-based studio with a Cyclorama wall to recreate the "heavenly void."
Cast & Crew Hires
Costs $7,100
We'll have a skeleton crew for this project: these funds will cover crew roles like DP, Camera Op, Key Grip and Sound Mixer, as well as cast
Equipment (Camera, Grip, Electric) + Insurance
Costs $2,800
These funds will cover camera equipment, dollies, C-Stands, diffusions, and other necessary Grip & Electric materials, as well as insurance.
Set Decorations + Props
Costs $1,000
Anything we can build or borrow, we'll do so. These funds will cover items like Gene's antique desk, and "satanic" contact lenses for Stan.
Post Production
Costs $1,800
Carter is directing *and* editing on "Tim", but we still need a stellar Colorist and Sound team. These funds also cover festival submissions
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our team is a rag-tag group of angels and hellions assembled from across the NYC metro area.
Max Lichtenstein is a writer and producer making his producer debut on The Church of Tim. No stranger to the film and television world, Max is on the Talent team at Nebula, where he works with independent filmmakers to advance their careers. He's written several well-received screenplays, including Blood Boys, Bleeker, and Power Play, and plays an active role in indie film-making around Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Carter L. Paterson is a writer, producer and production coordinator making his directorial debut with The Church of Tim. He has experience running production offices for Marvel, NBCUniversal, Amazon Prime, and Condé Nast. His feature script Matchbreaker was a 2025 Austin Film Festival "Second Rounder," and his television pilot Pack Rats was a 2022 Screencraft "Semi-Finalist." His first short film Show & Tell debuted at the 2026 Big Apple Film Festival.
Giovanni Alfonzetti is a veteran cinematographer and steadicam operator with a decade of experience in visual story-telling. His work on the short film Der Platz received the "Best Cinematography" award at the London Indie Short Festival, and his contributions to NYC-based television, short and feature film projects place him among the most in-demand indie Directors of Photography.