The Doppelgänghair
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Romantic Comedy
The Doppelgänghair is a heartfelt absurd comedy about early-onset male pattern baldness. A handsome young man’s downward spiral about losing his hair causes his insecurities to take shape as his doppelgänger who is covered in hair from head to toe and mocks and torments him about going bald.
The Doppelgänghair
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Romantic Comedy
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $34,785 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
113 supporters | followers
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The Doppelgänghair is a heartfelt absurd comedy about early-onset male pattern baldness. A handsome young man’s downward spiral about losing his hair causes his insecurities to take shape as his doppelgänger who is covered in hair from head to toe and mocks and torments him about going bald.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
When Noah (a charming, handsome, 30-something-year-old musician) realizes he’s losing his hair, his fears of going bald manifest into his Doppelganghair: a hairier (much hairier), funnier, better-at-guitar, and better-at-getting-girls version of himself that mocks and torments him about going bald. The Doppelganghair is that harsh voice that many of us have experienced within our own heads, and he must outgrow it (pun intended) to reconnect with his friends and his life.
DISCLAIMER:
*The above photos are not the actual costume.*
I met The Doppelganghair's writer, Owen Danoff, just a few months after directing my comedic short film Everything is Disconnected. When he pitched me his script, I fell in love with it because it's hilarious, heartfelt, and exactly the kind of absurd comedy I want to be known for as I build my career as a comedic director.*
*Scroll to the bottom to see more details about my credentials and the story of how Owen and I met!
Comparisons to the kind of artistic & absurd comedy we'll be making include movies like:
Swiss Army Man
Adaptation
Being John Malkovich
We'll need a talented Special Effects Hair & Makeup and Costume team to do this right!!
In order for both the sincere vulnerability and the comedy of this film to hit we need:
A custom made hair suit for the Doppelganghair, created by Rob Johnston
(Rob's work has been featured in Disney Parks, The Jim Henson Company, Target, & more!)
And multiple realistic bald caps to show the progression of the main character's hair loss, made by Chelsea Paige
(You may have seen her work on Saturday Night Live!)
This film is heavy on the Special Effects, and we need your help to make it happen.
Like I said, the hair suits pictured above were purchased just to give you an idea of what we mean when we describe this wacky plot. With your help we'll handcraft something more visually unique and aesthetically pleasing that feels like our main character is TRULY balding and like his doppelgänger is TRULY made out of the hairs fallen from his head.
I've got 15+ years of professional experience on major studio productions like I Love You Phillip Morris (Jim Carey, hello!), Jurassic World (fun fact, I put my grandpa in that movie), Synchronic (I shared a two page scene with Anthony Mackie), and Apple TV+'s Black Bird (I was Director's Assistant to an Oscar nominated director and Producer's Assistant to a head HBO exec of 25+ years). Over the past few years I've found my own artistic voice as a comedic filmmaker by creating independent short films.
I co-wrote Slow Motion Adults
(a comedy about a grown up party from the perspective of a kid)
and we won Audience Choice Award!
I co-wrote and directed Everything is Disconnected
(a comedy about an indie band whose van breaks down in the middle of nowhere)
and we won Audience Choice Award... again!
This one also got nominated for Best Director, Best Editor, Best Cinematographer, Best Ensemble Cast and got us into an international filmmaking competition where we made Ghostwriter and placed top 15 in the world.
After the success of those films I moved to NYC to take my career to the next level. I met The Doppelganghair's writer, Owen Danoff, by chance through friends a month after my move at a little Italian restaurant in Brooklyn. We spoke about my experience in the film industry, and he passionately expressed wanting to write for film. He was a talented journalist (did I mention he recently interviewed Rob Reiner and the cast of Spinal Tap II?) and had written some short films, but didn't know how to get his work produced. So, I asked what kind of stuff he likes to write to which he said... absurd comedy. When I then asked him to tell me about something he's written he told me the plot of The Doppelganghair...
And the rest is history. I knew immediately that I had to make this film.
We've been developing the script together ever since we met, and are THRILLED to be filming this November with your support. We cannot thank you enough!
Thank you.
Thank you.
THANK YOU!!!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Design
Costs $3,000
Look good feel good, am I right? They don't have a whole category of awards dedicated to set design for nothing.
Camera & Lighting Equipment
Costs $4,500
We’ll be renting an Arri Mini & the lenses, lighting, battery packs, and everything else needed to capture the film at industry standards.
SFX Bald Caps & Hair Suit
Costs $4,000
Our SFX artists require materials & time to make believable bald caps and to cover the Doppelganghair in hair. So. Much. Hair.
Location Location Location
Costs $4,000
Your contribution will help us rent spaces to make this a professional film, rather than one shot at our own apartments.
Crew
Costs $16,500
Cinematographer, Gaffer, Camera Operator, Production Assistant, Production Designer, Costume Designer, etc... It takes a village!
Cast
Costs $8,000
This is a SAG-AFTRA union film, meaning we've cast the best of the best. They're talented and have some major credits.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
THE CREW
SOPHIE HOWELL's artistic vision blends absurdity with sincerity, using movies like Swiss Army Man and The Substance as inspiration. After 15+ years of production experience on studio projects like I Love You Phillip Morris, Jurassic World, and Apple TV+’s Black Bird, her directorial debut short film Everything is Disconnected swept multiple awards - including Audience Choice Award and a nomination for Best Director. She directs for both film and theatre and currently serve as Assistant Director on the new off-Broadway play House of McQueen. She's trained in comedic writing & improvisation at Upright Citizens Brigade and Second City, and has high ambitions for a professional career as a comedic storyteller. IG: @sophietellsstories
OWEN DANOFF is a screenwriter whose approach is so method that he lost all of his hair just so he could tell this story. He’s also an entertainment journalist and an award-winning songwriter. Owen’s musical comedy Catholic School was a finalist in the Final Draft Big Break screenwriting contest and his dark political comedy, By the People, was a finalist in the TSL Free Screenwriting Contest. As a journalist he has recently interviewed Rob Reiner, the cast of Spinal Tap II, Josh Gad, and Tony Hawk (just to brag on him and name a few). IG: @owendanoff
ANDI AVERY is a multimedia artist and filmmaker currently based in NYC. Their narrative film credits include Leaving Charlie and Eighty Twenty, both based on their experience as a queer person and sex worker, and both shot by a crew comprised entirely of women and gender expansive folks. Their most recent film, Mishpucha, was awarded the Black Family Film Prize in 2023 and is currently in post-production. Andi’s film work has been exhibited at Atlanta Film Festival, Nitehawk Cinema, and London International Film Festival, among others. IG: @mandamotormouth
ASHTON C. GREEN is a director of photography and filmmaker residing in Brooklyn, NY. Her work includes documentary, video installation, narrative, and music videos. Ashton is a member of IATSE Local 600. Her installation work was featured at the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland. Before establishing herself as a cinematographer, she spent over a decade working as a Camera Assistant and Operator on major studio productions, including the Emmy-winning comedy Hacks, where she honed her craft alongside some of the industry’s top DPs and directors. IG: @ashton_green
STEVE VOSS is a talented editor and musician who has previously edited two short films directed by Sophie Howell, Everything is Disconnected and Ghostwriter, both of which were nominated for Best Editing. Beyond his editing skills, he is an accomplished & talented musician. He has been the drummer for the acclaimed indie-pop band Tennis since 2015. He was the frontman and creative force behind Tetherball, and has also played drums for Michael Marcagi and the TV show Rick and Morty. IG: @steve_voss_
ROB JOHNSTON is custom designing the hair suit for the Doppelganghair - the hair covered embodiment of our main character's insecurities about going bald. Although Rob started making costumes for his own homemade movies at 5 years old, it wasn't long before his creative work was being featured in high-profile campaigns for brands such as Disney Parks, The Jim Henson Company, Target, and the Netflix docuseries The Andy Warhol Diaries). Rob’s quirky creations feature both handmade props and costumes and long were a popular staple on Vine, amassing more than 4 billion views and solidifying his stardom as the guy in the bath robe who poured coffee on his head in that one viral gif...which he resents. IG: @robontherun
CHELSEA PAIGE is a highly skilled IATSE Local 798 Special FX Makeup Artist of 13+ years. She combines her love for comedy and surreal artistic storytelling to create chaotic and beautiful fantasy come to life. You might have even seen her work on Saturday Night Live, Death Becomes Her the Musical, Dr.Death, BlindSpot, and her most recent Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Special FX Makeup on The Kelly Clarkson Show. She's meticulously constructing multiple bald caps for our short film to show the passage of time between when Noah first notices his slight receding hairline to when he's lost so much hair that he starts to get tormented by the mean inner voice in his head: The Doppelganghair. IG: @chelseapaigemedia
MARINE ASSAIANTE is a NY-based film producer. She created two web series, "Check Please" which won 22 awards worldwide and "Mom to Be" which received the NYC Women’s Fund for Media in 2022. More recently, she co-produced her first feature film called "Her Song", a comedy-drama Executive-Produced by Oscar-winner James Ivory. And she just produced a new feature film called "A dream for Amy", a female vampire movie. She's created 3 successful crowdfunding campaigns for her own projects on Seed&Spark as well as a successful fundraising campaign on WeFunder (245K raised) and helped other filmmakers achieve their campaign goals. IG: @marine.assaiante
BRADLEY GREER is a film colorist who runs Kyotocolor, a highly specialized boutique dedicated to delivering major studio level digital intermediate color grading to independent feature films. Bradley is an award winning content producer and post-production specialist. From production to post, Bradley’s 30 year career has spanned multiple disciplines allowing him to cultivate a holistic perspective of both the technical and artistic process of making movies. Attracted to the black box of filmmaking, he began his post-production career in the negative processing department of a film lab, ambitiously worked his way up the ranks to becoming a photochemical color timer, and eventually a highly sought after digital colorist. IG: @kyotocolor
THE CAST
RUBEN CABALLERO is a versatile actor, director, writer, and photographer, and a recent graduate of the Terry Knickerbocker Acting Studio. His stage credits include Cracked Open (Billy) at Theatre Row, The Waverley Gallery (Daniel), Phoenix (Bruce), Victory Gardens (Larry), and I Must Be Going (Jules). On screen, he has appeared in Robert Rodriguez’s Hypnotic (Detective Watkins), a reoccurring role on Law & Order: SVU (Brandon Chestnut), Walker (Dru), and Tangled (Billy). He can currently be seen in Theaters and Apple+ as Detective Kipp in Vertical Entertainment’s Hierarchy. Ruben brings a luscious head of hair which will be slowly taken away from him through the use of special effects bald caps. IG: @rubenjaviercaballero
DAN DOMENECH is a New York native whose career spans more than 25 years of stage and screen. He was most recently seen in Celine Song’s Materialists and has contributed to the development of major motion pictures including Tropic Thunder, Step Brothers, and Semi-Pro. On Broadway, Domenech starred in the hit musical Rock of Ages, and Off-Broadway he earned acclaim for his performances in Heathers and Smokey Joe’s Café. Domenech has performed across all 50 states and in more than a dozen countries, bringing his dynamic talent to audiences worldwide. His television credits include Pose, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and a forthcoming Marvel series slated for 2026. IG: @dan_domenech
JETTA JURIANSZ is an actor and comedian most known for sketch comedy tv series, Studio C. She was featured in the 2023 CBS Showcase, has been seen on shows like ABC Station 19, CBS S.W.A.T. and most recently worked on feature film, You Deserve Each Other. You can also find her frequently performing at UCB NY, Brooklyn Comedy Collective or improvising at The Pit. She’s got big camp counselor energy. IG: @Shmetta TikTok: @jettashmetta
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
When Noah (a charming, handsome, 30-something-year-old musician) realizes he’s losing his hair, his fears of going bald manifest into his Doppelganghair: a hairier (much hairier), funnier, better-at-guitar, and better-at-getting-girls version of himself that mocks and torments him about going bald. The Doppelganghair is that harsh voice that many of us have experienced within our own heads, and he must outgrow it (pun intended) to reconnect with his friends and his life.
DISCLAIMER:
*The above photos are not the actual costume.*
I met The Doppelganghair's writer, Owen Danoff, just a few months after directing my comedic short film Everything is Disconnected. When he pitched me his script, I fell in love with it because it's hilarious, heartfelt, and exactly the kind of absurd comedy I want to be known for as I build my career as a comedic director.*
*Scroll to the bottom to see more details about my credentials and the story of how Owen and I met!
Comparisons to the kind of artistic & absurd comedy we'll be making include movies like:
Swiss Army Man
Adaptation
Being John Malkovich
We'll need a talented Special Effects Hair & Makeup and Costume team to do this right!!
In order for both the sincere vulnerability and the comedy of this film to hit we need:
A custom made hair suit for the Doppelganghair, created by Rob Johnston
(Rob's work has been featured in Disney Parks, The Jim Henson Company, Target, & more!)
And multiple realistic bald caps to show the progression of the main character's hair loss, made by Chelsea Paige
(You may have seen her work on Saturday Night Live!)
This film is heavy on the Special Effects, and we need your help to make it happen.
Like I said, the hair suits pictured above were purchased just to give you an idea of what we mean when we describe this wacky plot. With your help we'll handcraft something more visually unique and aesthetically pleasing that feels like our main character is TRULY balding and like his doppelgänger is TRULY made out of the hairs fallen from his head.
I've got 15+ years of professional experience on major studio productions like I Love You Phillip Morris (Jim Carey, hello!), Jurassic World (fun fact, I put my grandpa in that movie), Synchronic (I shared a two page scene with Anthony Mackie), and Apple TV+'s Black Bird (I was Director's Assistant to an Oscar nominated director and Producer's Assistant to a head HBO exec of 25+ years). Over the past few years I've found my own artistic voice as a comedic filmmaker by creating independent short films.
I co-wrote Slow Motion Adults
(a comedy about a grown up party from the perspective of a kid)
and we won Audience Choice Award!
I co-wrote and directed Everything is Disconnected
(a comedy about an indie band whose van breaks down in the middle of nowhere)
and we won Audience Choice Award... again!
This one also got nominated for Best Director, Best Editor, Best Cinematographer, Best Ensemble Cast and got us into an international filmmaking competition where we made Ghostwriter and placed top 15 in the world.
After the success of those films I moved to NYC to take my career to the next level. I met The Doppelganghair's writer, Owen Danoff, by chance through friends a month after my move at a little Italian restaurant in Brooklyn. We spoke about my experience in the film industry, and he passionately expressed wanting to write for film. He was a talented journalist (did I mention he recently interviewed Rob Reiner and the cast of Spinal Tap II?) and had written some short films, but didn't know how to get his work produced. So, I asked what kind of stuff he likes to write to which he said... absurd comedy. When I then asked him to tell me about something he's written he told me the plot of The Doppelganghair...
And the rest is history. I knew immediately that I had to make this film.
We've been developing the script together ever since we met, and are THRILLED to be filming this November with your support. We cannot thank you enough!
Thank you.
Thank you.
THANK YOU!!!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Design
Costs $3,000
Look good feel good, am I right? They don't have a whole category of awards dedicated to set design for nothing.
Camera & Lighting Equipment
Costs $4,500
We’ll be renting an Arri Mini & the lenses, lighting, battery packs, and everything else needed to capture the film at industry standards.
SFX Bald Caps & Hair Suit
Costs $4,000
Our SFX artists require materials & time to make believable bald caps and to cover the Doppelganghair in hair. So. Much. Hair.
Location Location Location
Costs $4,000
Your contribution will help us rent spaces to make this a professional film, rather than one shot at our own apartments.
Crew
Costs $16,500
Cinematographer, Gaffer, Camera Operator, Production Assistant, Production Designer, Costume Designer, etc... It takes a village!
Cast
Costs $8,000
This is a SAG-AFTRA union film, meaning we've cast the best of the best. They're talented and have some major credits.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
THE CREW
SOPHIE HOWELL's artistic vision blends absurdity with sincerity, using movies like Swiss Army Man and The Substance as inspiration. After 15+ years of production experience on studio projects like I Love You Phillip Morris, Jurassic World, and Apple TV+’s Black Bird, her directorial debut short film Everything is Disconnected swept multiple awards - including Audience Choice Award and a nomination for Best Director. She directs for both film and theatre and currently serve as Assistant Director on the new off-Broadway play House of McQueen. She's trained in comedic writing & improvisation at Upright Citizens Brigade and Second City, and has high ambitions for a professional career as a comedic storyteller. IG: @sophietellsstories
OWEN DANOFF is a screenwriter whose approach is so method that he lost all of his hair just so he could tell this story. He’s also an entertainment journalist and an award-winning songwriter. Owen’s musical comedy Catholic School was a finalist in the Final Draft Big Break screenwriting contest and his dark political comedy, By the People, was a finalist in the TSL Free Screenwriting Contest. As a journalist he has recently interviewed Rob Reiner, the cast of Spinal Tap II, Josh Gad, and Tony Hawk (just to brag on him and name a few). IG: @owendanoff
ANDI AVERY is a multimedia artist and filmmaker currently based in NYC. Their narrative film credits include Leaving Charlie and Eighty Twenty, both based on their experience as a queer person and sex worker, and both shot by a crew comprised entirely of women and gender expansive folks. Their most recent film, Mishpucha, was awarded the Black Family Film Prize in 2023 and is currently in post-production. Andi’s film work has been exhibited at Atlanta Film Festival, Nitehawk Cinema, and London International Film Festival, among others. IG: @mandamotormouth
ASHTON C. GREEN is a director of photography and filmmaker residing in Brooklyn, NY. Her work includes documentary, video installation, narrative, and music videos. Ashton is a member of IATSE Local 600. Her installation work was featured at the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland. Before establishing herself as a cinematographer, she spent over a decade working as a Camera Assistant and Operator on major studio productions, including the Emmy-winning comedy Hacks, where she honed her craft alongside some of the industry’s top DPs and directors. IG: @ashton_green
STEVE VOSS is a talented editor and musician who has previously edited two short films directed by Sophie Howell, Everything is Disconnected and Ghostwriter, both of which were nominated for Best Editing. Beyond his editing skills, he is an accomplished & talented musician. He has been the drummer for the acclaimed indie-pop band Tennis since 2015. He was the frontman and creative force behind Tetherball, and has also played drums for Michael Marcagi and the TV show Rick and Morty. IG: @steve_voss_
ROB JOHNSTON is custom designing the hair suit for the Doppelganghair - the hair covered embodiment of our main character's insecurities about going bald. Although Rob started making costumes for his own homemade movies at 5 years old, it wasn't long before his creative work was being featured in high-profile campaigns for brands such as Disney Parks, The Jim Henson Company, Target, and the Netflix docuseries The Andy Warhol Diaries). Rob’s quirky creations feature both handmade props and costumes and long were a popular staple on Vine, amassing more than 4 billion views and solidifying his stardom as the guy in the bath robe who poured coffee on his head in that one viral gif...which he resents. IG: @robontherun
CHELSEA PAIGE is a highly skilled IATSE Local 798 Special FX Makeup Artist of 13+ years. She combines her love for comedy and surreal artistic storytelling to create chaotic and beautiful fantasy come to life. You might have even seen her work on Saturday Night Live, Death Becomes Her the Musical, Dr.Death, BlindSpot, and her most recent Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Special FX Makeup on The Kelly Clarkson Show. She's meticulously constructing multiple bald caps for our short film to show the passage of time between when Noah first notices his slight receding hairline to when he's lost so much hair that he starts to get tormented by the mean inner voice in his head: The Doppelganghair. IG: @chelseapaigemedia
MARINE ASSAIANTE is a NY-based film producer. She created two web series, "Check Please" which won 22 awards worldwide and "Mom to Be" which received the NYC Women’s Fund for Media in 2022. More recently, she co-produced her first feature film called "Her Song", a comedy-drama Executive-Produced by Oscar-winner James Ivory. And she just produced a new feature film called "A dream for Amy", a female vampire movie. She's created 3 successful crowdfunding campaigns for her own projects on Seed&Spark as well as a successful fundraising campaign on WeFunder (245K raised) and helped other filmmakers achieve their campaign goals. IG: @marine.assaiante
BRADLEY GREER is a film colorist who runs Kyotocolor, a highly specialized boutique dedicated to delivering major studio level digital intermediate color grading to independent feature films. Bradley is an award winning content producer and post-production specialist. From production to post, Bradley’s 30 year career has spanned multiple disciplines allowing him to cultivate a holistic perspective of both the technical and artistic process of making movies. Attracted to the black box of filmmaking, he began his post-production career in the negative processing department of a film lab, ambitiously worked his way up the ranks to becoming a photochemical color timer, and eventually a highly sought after digital colorist. IG: @kyotocolor
THE CAST
RUBEN CABALLERO is a versatile actor, director, writer, and photographer, and a recent graduate of the Terry Knickerbocker Acting Studio. His stage credits include Cracked Open (Billy) at Theatre Row, The Waverley Gallery (Daniel), Phoenix (Bruce), Victory Gardens (Larry), and I Must Be Going (Jules). On screen, he has appeared in Robert Rodriguez’s Hypnotic (Detective Watkins), a reoccurring role on Law & Order: SVU (Brandon Chestnut), Walker (Dru), and Tangled (Billy). He can currently be seen in Theaters and Apple+ as Detective Kipp in Vertical Entertainment’s Hierarchy. Ruben brings a luscious head of hair which will be slowly taken away from him through the use of special effects bald caps. IG: @rubenjaviercaballero
DAN DOMENECH is a New York native whose career spans more than 25 years of stage and screen. He was most recently seen in Celine Song’s Materialists and has contributed to the development of major motion pictures including Tropic Thunder, Step Brothers, and Semi-Pro. On Broadway, Domenech starred in the hit musical Rock of Ages, and Off-Broadway he earned acclaim for his performances in Heathers and Smokey Joe’s Café. Domenech has performed across all 50 states and in more than a dozen countries, bringing his dynamic talent to audiences worldwide. His television credits include Pose, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and a forthcoming Marvel series slated for 2026. IG: @dan_domenech
JETTA JURIANSZ is an actor and comedian most known for sketch comedy tv series, Studio C. She was featured in the 2023 CBS Showcase, has been seen on shows like ABC Station 19, CBS S.W.A.T. and most recently worked on feature film, You Deserve Each Other. You can also find her frequently performing at UCB NY, Brooklyn Comedy Collective or improvising at The Pit. She’s got big camp counselor energy. IG: @Shmetta TikTok: @jettashmetta