The Cutting Room Floor
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Drama, Romance
The Cutting Room Floor is a feature film that explores a dilemma many women face: career vs. relationships. With themes of catharsis, fiction vs. reality, & coming of age from a new point of view: a female film editor. As Kate edits a romance movie, she imagines how she would recut her relationship.
The Cutting Room Floor
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Drama, Romance
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $33,201 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
331 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
The Cutting Room Floor is a feature film that explores a dilemma many women face: career vs. relationships. With themes of catharsis, fiction vs. reality, & coming of age from a new point of view: a female film editor. As Kate edits a romance movie, she imagines how she would recut her relationship.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We have reached our initial goal of $30,000!
We are blown away by your support! Your belief in this film means the world to us! We had originally set our goal to $30,000 in order to shoot only a portion of the film but honestly were not expecting to reach our minimum funding target so quickly. Due to your generosity, we can stretch past our goal and shoot even more of this feature film sooner. We are so excited to bring this project to life and share it with you! We have 3 days left and are excited to use this time to aim for our stretch goals:
Kate is an assistant editor working on a Hollywood romance film. When she is unexpectedly promoted to lead editor, she finds herself editing her first feature under an impossibly tight deadline. As Kate steps up to this huge undertaking, her personal life falls to pieces. She is faced with the choice between her relationship and her career. She chooses her career. As she edits the film, the romantic footage triggers intense memories, replaying them in flashbacks that become muddled with the movie’s footage. Under the pressure of the Director and Producers conflicting notes, sleep deprivation and heartbreak, Kate's struggles to hold onto what is reality and what is fiction.
Many of us have felt a lack of work-life-balance before. We’ve felt overwhelmed by work while our personal life falls by the wayside. The Cutting Room Floor zeros in on a moment in a young woman’s life where the best day of her career is the worst day of her personal life. From here she embarks on a second coming-of-age as she transitions into the next phase of her life. Many films show female characters in this phase as a “hot mess” or simply a “strong woman” but there is so much more than these two archetypes. By exploring this moment through the lens of a film editor, Kate can literally restructure the idealistic rom-com narrative into something relatable.
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Like Black Swan, this film explores the high price tag of artistic ambition. As Kate’s health nosedives, her work thrives.
BUT there are often moments of humor and lightheartedness which are inherent within the "characters'' in the world of movie-making. Such as: the charismatic up-and-coming Hollywood director, the hyper producers, the quirky eager production assistant. The office dynamics and the world provide moments of levity and context, similar to The Devil Wears Prada.
In contrast to our primary storyline which takes place mostly inside an dark editing room or subway where day and night are interchangeable, the film-within-the-film (titled SMALL WONDER) takes place mostly outdoors in summertime. It is a bright, upbeat romance film set in a small rural town. It's tone is reminiscent of The Notebook, Endless Love, or The Last Song. We will use what we raise here on Seed&Spark to fund this part of our story!
WRITER & DIRECTOR
Victoria deMartin is a New York based writer & director. She has written and directed five short films and recently directed her sixth. Each of her short films has screened at festivals nationwide, notably Austin Film Festival in 2021. Her historical short film, WINTER RYE (starring Laura Piccoli) aired on PBS-KCVR and won Best Short Period Piece at The Garden State Film Festival.
Victoria's screenwriting has garnered attention and accolades from: The Sundance Episodic Lab, The New York TV Festival, BluCat Screenplay Competition, Launch Pad Pilot Competition, Final Draft - Big Break, Austin Film Festival, Cinequest, The Script Lab Screenplay Contest, Outstanding Screenplays TV pilot competition, Emerging Screenwriters Genre Screenplay Competition, The Golden Script Competition (Winner, pilot category), Script Pipeline, Screencraft, JHRTS Script Competition (Winner, pilot category), Sun Valley Film Festival (High Scribe Finalist), & Stowe Story Labs.
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" To those unfamiliar with Victoria DeMartin’s work, it does not take more than a few seconds into Skindiving to recognize that this is the work of an accomplished artist. The 18-minute film follows Caitlin (Laura Piccoli), effortlessly conveying her inner state through striking, evocative visuals in a way that makes words unnecessary, and the film does indeed make dialogue a secondary concern."
- Indie Shorts Mag
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Learn more about our incredible team here: https://www.thecuttingroomfloorfilm.com/
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
We are raising funds to shoot the film-within-the-film, "Small Wonder". Seed&Spark requires at least 80% of our goal to be reached in 30 days to receive ANY funds. You can either choose from the incentives that fit your budget or make a contribution at the amount of your choosing. No pledge is too small and every dollar helps us reach our goal! Plus your contribution is tax deductible!
Stretch Goals:
If we raise $5,000 more than our goal, that will cover fees and reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses we have incurred so far in development.
If we raise $10,000 more than our goal, we can save some funds for post-production (sound design, color correction, and scoring)
Production Timeline
During production we will be following the current SAG regulations regarding Covid-19 Safety on set
WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED SO FAR:
- We were awarded a Fiscal Sponsorship from Stowe Story Labs! Your contributions are TAX DEDUCTIBLE, thanks to Stowe. Stowe Story Labs is a nonprofit organization helping emerging screenwriters and filmmakers get their work made and seen.
- Our film was hand picked by MovieMaker Magazine as 1 of 10 films in the US to promote and support this year. This includes promotional press releases and production services!
- Partnered with a local rental house for equipment
- Completed test shoots and set the look of the film
- Finished production schedule and currently scouting locations
- Last but not least, casting is in full swing!
 2.jpg)
SPREAD THE WORD
The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you’d like to be a part of supporting female filmmakers and expanding our stories, YOU can directly help our success! Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! We can't do this without you! Feel free to copy and paste:
Help support female filmmakers by bringing the film @thecuttingroomfloor.mov to life! THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR explores a female protagonist from a new point of view: a film editor. Join them on @seedandspark at www.cuttingroomfloorfilm.com and make a pledge to help them reach their goal of filming this summer!
Thank you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Crew
Costs $17,000
We would like to pay our cast and crew for their hard work on set!
Camera Rental
Costs $5,000
We will be renting a high-quality camera to give the film-within-the-film it's "Hollywood" look
Meals
Costs $5,000
Film shoots are long work days and we would like to feed our cast and crew.
Transportation & Lodging
Costs $3,000
Some of our cast and crew are traveling to the location. We want them to arrive safely!
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer & Director - Victoria DeMartin
Victoria is a writer/director from New York with a BFA in Directing from the Film Conservatory at SUNY Purchase College. She has written and directed five short films and recently directed her sixth. Each of her short films has screened at festivals nationwide, most recently screening at Austin Film Festival in 2021.
Her historical short film, WINTER RYE starring Laura Piccoli, aired on PBS-KCVR and won best short period piece at The Garden State Film Festival. As a writer, Victoria's pilot script “En Tournant” has garnered attention from the Sundance Episodic Lab, The New York TV Festival, BluCat Screenplay Competition, Launch Pad Pilot Competition, Script Pipeline, JHRTS Script Competition (winner, pilot category), and one of four High Scribe finalists at the Sun Valley Film Festival in 2021. Her pitch for the series won Lee Daniel's Pitch Please Contest hosted by Ghetto Film School/The Roster at IFP Week (now Gotham Week). In August 2022, Victoria was invited to attend the Stowe Story Labs Narrative Lab. Most recently, her latest pilot, "Hook", was a Semifinalist in the Emerging Screenwriters - Genre Screenplay Competition 2023.
Apart from film and TV, Victoria is a pre-professionally trained ballerina and has been dancing for 25 years now. Her ballet training informs her filmmaking process in terms of her musicality, storytelling through movement, and the choreography found in blocking scenes.
Cinematographer - Jovon Outlaw
Jovon is a New York City-based Interdisciplinary Artist. He specializes in Cinematography and Performance Art. Jovon works as the Manager of Production and Technical Operations at Marvel Entertainment. He and Victoria previously collaborated on her short films SKINDIVING and THE CHAPERONE.
Producer - Jackie Anderson
Jackie is a NYC based Producer, Writer and Production Manager. She Co-Produced the feature film, UNSINKABLE, which tells the untold story of the senate inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic. In addition to features, she has produced three short films. Her shorts OSSOBUCO and TO LIVE & DIE IN BK have both garnered Official Selections and wins in the film festival circuit and her third short, THE BOOTH, is in post-production. She is also the current Production Manager for QUEER EYE and THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY.
Producer - Paul Kmiec
Paul is an award-winning filmmaker and educator from Massachusetts. He received his BFA in Filmmaking from the SUNY Purchase Film Conservatory in New York and his Master's in Film & Television from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Paul's films have screened at festivals and events in Hollywood, Northern California, Chicago, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, France, Italy, Romania, Greece, and the Jacob Burns Film Centre in New York. Recently his short, STAY FOR TEA, was awarded Best Fiction Film at the 2021 Vermont International Film Festival (Made Here Festival) and was featured on Vermont PBS Television. Stay for Tea also won the Audience Favorite Award and the Gondry Award for Best Surrealist Film at the Austin Arthouse Film Festival (2020). Paul's 2019 film, SKYE, also starring Laura Piccoli, won Best Direction and Best Actress at the Symi Int'l Film Festival in Greece.
Co-Producer & Composer - Danielle Schwob
Danielle is an award-winning composer, creative producer, and musician. As a producer, her credits include sixteen music videos which have earned features from Vevo, Apple Music, and PromoNews as well as honors from the Los Angeles Film Festival, Independent Shorts Awards, Spotlight Film Festival, California Music Video and Film Awards, jellyFEST, CARE Awards, Lift Off Paris, Manchester and London, and dozens more. As a musician and composer, her work has credits in various capacities including Darren Aronofsky’s MOTHER!, Sir David Attenborough’s CONQUEST OF THE SKIES, INDIGNATION, MANHATTAN NIGHT starring Adrien Brody, NBC’s SMASH and Shakespeare in the Park. She is also a Sundance Institute Composers Lab Fellow as well as a recipient of honors from New Music USA, The American Composers Forum, ASCAP, The MAP Fund and BMI. Her composing credits include feature HOW TO FOLLOW STRANGERS starring Ilana Glazer, which won the Prix D’or and opened the Lower East Side Film Festival, Francisco Oravanos’ EMILIE, Alec Baldwin’s ART FRAUD podcast for iHeart Media, and upcoming PBS series SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND MOODS.
Co-Producer & Assistant Director - Jessica Gordon
Jess is a director/producer born and raised in New York. She is an alumnus of the BFA program at the Film Conservatory of Purchase College. During her four years at the conservatory, Jessica wrote and directed four thesis films, which screened at festivals throughout the country and won several awards within her program. She also acted as a producer for two international short films which received acclaim worldwide. Since Purchase, she has worked as an Associate Producer for Condé Nast Entertainment, producing videos for publications such as Vanity Fair and Teen Vogue. Her latest film, HATTIE, ABLOOM, is a Official Selection at the Montreal Independent Film Festival.
Co-Producer - Ben Leong
Ben Leong is a development and production executive, with a passion for amplifying underrepresented voices, especially in the AAPI community. Ben has experience bringing stories to screen for both television and film, he was a Producer on Victoria's short film: Knick-Knacks and at BRON Studios worked in Business Affairs on films that included Joker, Bombshell, and Pieces of a Woman. He oversaw the entire BRON TV current and incoming project slate across development, production, delivery, and sales, creating original international programming that aired on AMC+, Sundance Now, RTÉ, Viaplay, ZDF, Amazon UK, and Netflix.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We have reached our initial goal of $30,000!
We are blown away by your support! Your belief in this film means the world to us! We had originally set our goal to $30,000 in order to shoot only a portion of the film but honestly were not expecting to reach our minimum funding target so quickly. Due to your generosity, we can stretch past our goal and shoot even more of this feature film sooner. We are so excited to bring this project to life and share it with you! We have 3 days left and are excited to use this time to aim for our stretch goals:
Kate is an assistant editor working on a Hollywood romance film. When she is unexpectedly promoted to lead editor, she finds herself editing her first feature under an impossibly tight deadline. As Kate steps up to this huge undertaking, her personal life falls to pieces. She is faced with the choice between her relationship and her career. She chooses her career. As she edits the film, the romantic footage triggers intense memories, replaying them in flashbacks that become muddled with the movie’s footage. Under the pressure of the Director and Producers conflicting notes, sleep deprivation and heartbreak, Kate's struggles to hold onto what is reality and what is fiction.
Many of us have felt a lack of work-life-balance before. We’ve felt overwhelmed by work while our personal life falls by the wayside. The Cutting Room Floor zeros in on a moment in a young woman’s life where the best day of her career is the worst day of her personal life. From here she embarks on a second coming-of-age as she transitions into the next phase of her life. Many films show female characters in this phase as a “hot mess” or simply a “strong woman” but there is so much more than these two archetypes. By exploring this moment through the lens of a film editor, Kate can literally restructure the idealistic rom-com narrative into something relatable.
Like Black Swan, this film explores the high price tag of artistic ambition. As Kate’s health nosedives, her work thrives.
BUT there are often moments of humor and lightheartedness which are inherent within the "characters'' in the world of movie-making. Such as: the charismatic up-and-coming Hollywood director, the hyper producers, the quirky eager production assistant. The office dynamics and the world provide moments of levity and context, similar to The Devil Wears Prada.
In contrast to our primary storyline which takes place mostly inside an dark editing room or subway where day and night are interchangeable, the film-within-the-film (titled SMALL WONDER) takes place mostly outdoors in summertime. It is a bright, upbeat romance film set in a small rural town. It's tone is reminiscent of The Notebook, Endless Love, or The Last Song. We will use what we raise here on Seed&Spark to fund this part of our story!
WRITER & DIRECTOR
Victoria deMartin is a New York based writer & director. She has written and directed five short films and recently directed her sixth. Each of her short films has screened at festivals nationwide, notably Austin Film Festival in 2021. Her historical short film, WINTER RYE (starring Laura Piccoli) aired on PBS-KCVR and won Best Short Period Piece at The Garden State Film Festival.
Victoria's screenwriting has garnered attention and accolades from: The Sundance Episodic Lab, The New York TV Festival, BluCat Screenplay Competition, Launch Pad Pilot Competition, Final Draft - Big Break, Austin Film Festival, Cinequest, The Script Lab Screenplay Contest, Outstanding Screenplays TV pilot competition, Emerging Screenwriters Genre Screenplay Competition, The Golden Script Competition (Winner, pilot category), Script Pipeline, Screencraft, JHRTS Script Competition (Winner, pilot category), Sun Valley Film Festival (High Scribe Finalist), & Stowe Story Labs.
" To those unfamiliar with Victoria DeMartin’s work, it does not take more than a few seconds into Skindiving to recognize that this is the work of an accomplished artist. The 18-minute film follows Caitlin (Laura Piccoli), effortlessly conveying her inner state through striking, evocative visuals in a way that makes words unnecessary, and the film does indeed make dialogue a secondary concern."
- Indie Shorts Mag
Learn more about our incredible team here: https://www.thecuttingroomfloorfilm.com/
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
We are raising funds to shoot the film-within-the-film, "Small Wonder". Seed&Spark requires at least 80% of our goal to be reached in 30 days to receive ANY funds. You can either choose from the incentives that fit your budget or make a contribution at the amount of your choosing. No pledge is too small and every dollar helps us reach our goal! Plus your contribution is tax deductible!
Stretch Goals:
If we raise $5,000 more than our goal, that will cover fees and reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses we have incurred so far in development.
If we raise $10,000 more than our goal, we can save some funds for post-production (sound design, color correction, and scoring)
Production Timeline
During production we will be following the current SAG regulations regarding Covid-19 Safety on set
WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED SO FAR:
- We were awarded a Fiscal Sponsorship from Stowe Story Labs! Your contributions are TAX DEDUCTIBLE, thanks to Stowe. Stowe Story Labs is a nonprofit organization helping emerging screenwriters and filmmakers get their work made and seen.
- Our film was hand picked by MovieMaker Magazine as 1 of 10 films in the US to promote and support this year. This includes promotional press releases and production services!
- Partnered with a local rental house for equipment
- Completed test shoots and set the look of the film
- Finished production schedule and currently scouting locations
- Last but not least, casting is in full swing!
SPREAD THE WORD
The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you’d like to be a part of supporting female filmmakers and expanding our stories, YOU can directly help our success! Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! We can't do this without you! Feel free to copy and paste:
Help support female filmmakers by bringing the film @thecuttingroomfloor.mov to life! THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR explores a female protagonist from a new point of view: a film editor. Join them on @seedandspark at www.cuttingroomfloorfilm.com and make a pledge to help them reach their goal of filming this summer!
Thank you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Crew
Costs $17,000
We would like to pay our cast and crew for their hard work on set!
Camera Rental
Costs $5,000
We will be renting a high-quality camera to give the film-within-the-film it's "Hollywood" look
Meals
Costs $5,000
Film shoots are long work days and we would like to feed our cast and crew.
Transportation & Lodging
Costs $3,000
Some of our cast and crew are traveling to the location. We want them to arrive safely!
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer & Director - Victoria DeMartin
Victoria is a writer/director from New York with a BFA in Directing from the Film Conservatory at SUNY Purchase College. She has written and directed five short films and recently directed her sixth. Each of her short films has screened at festivals nationwide, most recently screening at Austin Film Festival in 2021.
Her historical short film, WINTER RYE starring Laura Piccoli, aired on PBS-KCVR and won best short period piece at The Garden State Film Festival. As a writer, Victoria's pilot script “En Tournant” has garnered attention from the Sundance Episodic Lab, The New York TV Festival, BluCat Screenplay Competition, Launch Pad Pilot Competition, Script Pipeline, JHRTS Script Competition (winner, pilot category), and one of four High Scribe finalists at the Sun Valley Film Festival in 2021. Her pitch for the series won Lee Daniel's Pitch Please Contest hosted by Ghetto Film School/The Roster at IFP Week (now Gotham Week). In August 2022, Victoria was invited to attend the Stowe Story Labs Narrative Lab. Most recently, her latest pilot, "Hook", was a Semifinalist in the Emerging Screenwriters - Genre Screenplay Competition 2023.
Apart from film and TV, Victoria is a pre-professionally trained ballerina and has been dancing for 25 years now. Her ballet training informs her filmmaking process in terms of her musicality, storytelling through movement, and the choreography found in blocking scenes.
Cinematographer - Jovon Outlaw
Jovon is a New York City-based Interdisciplinary Artist. He specializes in Cinematography and Performance Art. Jovon works as the Manager of Production and Technical Operations at Marvel Entertainment. He and Victoria previously collaborated on her short films SKINDIVING and THE CHAPERONE.
Producer - Jackie Anderson
Jackie is a NYC based Producer, Writer and Production Manager. She Co-Produced the feature film, UNSINKABLE, which tells the untold story of the senate inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic. In addition to features, she has produced three short films. Her shorts OSSOBUCO and TO LIVE & DIE IN BK have both garnered Official Selections and wins in the film festival circuit and her third short, THE BOOTH, is in post-production. She is also the current Production Manager for QUEER EYE and THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY.
Producer - Paul Kmiec
Paul is an award-winning filmmaker and educator from Massachusetts. He received his BFA in Filmmaking from the SUNY Purchase Film Conservatory in New York and his Master's in Film & Television from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Paul's films have screened at festivals and events in Hollywood, Northern California, Chicago, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, France, Italy, Romania, Greece, and the Jacob Burns Film Centre in New York. Recently his short, STAY FOR TEA, was awarded Best Fiction Film at the 2021 Vermont International Film Festival (Made Here Festival) and was featured on Vermont PBS Television. Stay for Tea also won the Audience Favorite Award and the Gondry Award for Best Surrealist Film at the Austin Arthouse Film Festival (2020). Paul's 2019 film, SKYE, also starring Laura Piccoli, won Best Direction and Best Actress at the Symi Int'l Film Festival in Greece.
Co-Producer & Composer - Danielle Schwob
Danielle is an award-winning composer, creative producer, and musician. As a producer, her credits include sixteen music videos which have earned features from Vevo, Apple Music, and PromoNews as well as honors from the Los Angeles Film Festival, Independent Shorts Awards, Spotlight Film Festival, California Music Video and Film Awards, jellyFEST, CARE Awards, Lift Off Paris, Manchester and London, and dozens more. As a musician and composer, her work has credits in various capacities including Darren Aronofsky’s MOTHER!, Sir David Attenborough’s CONQUEST OF THE SKIES, INDIGNATION, MANHATTAN NIGHT starring Adrien Brody, NBC’s SMASH and Shakespeare in the Park. She is also a Sundance Institute Composers Lab Fellow as well as a recipient of honors from New Music USA, The American Composers Forum, ASCAP, The MAP Fund and BMI. Her composing credits include feature HOW TO FOLLOW STRANGERS starring Ilana Glazer, which won the Prix D’or and opened the Lower East Side Film Festival, Francisco Oravanos’ EMILIE, Alec Baldwin’s ART FRAUD podcast for iHeart Media, and upcoming PBS series SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND MOODS.
Co-Producer & Assistant Director - Jessica Gordon
Jess is a director/producer born and raised in New York. She is an alumnus of the BFA program at the Film Conservatory of Purchase College. During her four years at the conservatory, Jessica wrote and directed four thesis films, which screened at festivals throughout the country and won several awards within her program. She also acted as a producer for two international short films which received acclaim worldwide. Since Purchase, she has worked as an Associate Producer for Condé Nast Entertainment, producing videos for publications such as Vanity Fair and Teen Vogue. Her latest film, HATTIE, ABLOOM, is a Official Selection at the Montreal Independent Film Festival.
Co-Producer - Ben Leong
Ben Leong is a development and production executive, with a passion for amplifying underrepresented voices, especially in the AAPI community. Ben has experience bringing stories to screen for both television and film, he was a Producer on Victoria's short film: Knick-Knacks and at BRON Studios worked in Business Affairs on films that included Joker, Bombshell, and Pieces of a Woman. He oversaw the entire BRON TV current and incoming project slate across development, production, delivery, and sales, creating original international programming that aired on AMC+, Sundance Now, RTÉ, Viaplay, ZDF, Amazon UK, and Netflix.