The Intensive
New York City, New York | Series
Thriller, Horror
Five young actors arrive at an elite acting retreat hoping to push their craft, meet new people, and learn new skills. But as the exercises grow increasingly invasive, they begin to question their mentor’s intentions, and whether they can trust one another.
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$3,400
Goal: $10,600 for post-production
Five young actors arrive at an elite acting retreat hoping to push their craft, meet new people, and learn new skills. But as the exercises grow increasingly invasive, they begin to question their mentor’s intentions, and whether they can trust one another.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Acting -> Filmmaking
As an actor first, I wanted to create something that felt relavent and personal to me. I’m fascinated by how vulnerable this industry asks people to be. Actors are constantly told to open themselves up, trust the process, take risks, be emotionally available, and prove how badly they want an opportunity. Most of the time, that vulnerability can be an amazing part of making art. The Intensive explore what happens when someone in a position of power takes advantage of it.
This is my first film as a writer and director, and making it has beenone of the most ambitious things I’ve ever done. I didn’t want to wait until I had permission to make something on this scale. I wanted to take the kind of psychological thriller I would genuinely want to watch and figure out how to make it ourselves. And that's EXACTLY what we did!!
When Jack, Alicia, Taylor, Mikey, and Carla arrive at The Intensive hoping to start fresh from their pasts, they meet acclaimed acting coach Melissa Benette, who promises to push their abilities to the next level through her specialized techniques.
But as the retreat progresses, strange coincidences, unsettling behavior, and increasingly personal exercises begin to make the actors question what is really happening around them. Tensions rise as secrets from their pasts come to the surface, trust within the group begins to fracture, and the line between performance and reality becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish.
As the weekend spirals further out of control, the five actors are forced to confront one another, and decide who they can actually trust.
In terms of tone, I want the audience to feel like they’re at the retreat with the characters, trying to understand what's going on, why it feels so off, and trying to decide who they trust with the characters. I’ve always been obsessed with stories that start in a world that feels completely normal and slowly reveal that something is very, very wrong.
Visually, the retreat initially feels warm, elevated, and almost idyllic, beautiful natural light, rich greens, warm skin tones, and the sense that these people are genuinely having a great weekend together. I don’t want the film to announce itself as a thriller too early.
As things start to unravel, the world shouldn’t suddenly become “horror.” I want the shift to be subtle. Frames can linger a little too long, silences can become uncomfortable, spaces that once felt inviting can start to feel isolating, and the same beautiful house can gradually feel claustrophobic.
Tension should come more from behavior, performance, and uncertainty than from obvious scares. I want the audience constantly questioning whether something is actually wrong or whether they’re reading too much into it, until eventually there’s no denying it.
At its darkest, I want the film to feel grounded and controlled rather than flashy or overly stylized. The unsettling quality should creep up on you.
Each of the characters comes into The Intensive with a different goal, each determined to experience an incredible weekend of growth, learning, and good company. Melissa has hand-picked her participants carefully, bringing together five people with very different personalities, histories, and reasons for being there.
As the weekend unfolds, those differences begin to matter. Friendships form, tensions rise, and each character is forced to decide how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal, and how much they can really trust the people around them, as well as themselves.
With incredible passion and determination, we’ve completed production, bringing together a cast and crew who gave so much of themselves to this project. Every person showed up with an amazing attitude, patience, and a genuine belief in the story we were telling!! Despite our 12 hour days, we had so much fun creating The Intensive.
It was truly a team effort, and the care, energy, and talent of everyone involved can be felt in every frame.
NOW, the goal is to give the film the best post-production it deserves.
WE WANT TO PREMIER AT THE TRIBECA 2027 TV PROGRAM. 🎉
Your support will go directly toward professional editing, sound design, an original score, color grading, and the final pieces that will allow us to bring The Intensive fully to life and get it in front of audiences.
THANK YOU! 💜
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Sound Design
Costs $5,000
Professional sound design will build tension, enhance atmosphere, and give the film a polished, immersive final mix.
Editing
Costs $5,000
Professional editing will shape the film’s pacing, performances, and suspense, creating a cohesive and polished final cut.
Color Grading
Costs $600
Professional color grading will unify footage, enhance the film’s cinematic look, and deepen its dark, unsettling atmosphere.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
We could not have done this without our amazing cast & crew, who worked long days and kept a positive attitude throughout the entire week of shooting!
THE TEAM BEHIND THE PILOT:
Ashley Pokorski (Writer, Director & Producer): Ashley wrote, directed, and produced The Intensive, taking the project from an idea on the page through an ambitious independent production.
Arlo Lachenmeyer (Assistant Director): Arlo helped keep an incredibly ambitious shoot moving, working closely with the team to manage our schedule and keep each day on track, solving new problems quickly and efficiently.
Christopher Bean (Director of Photography): Christopher brought the visual world of The Intensive to life, helping shape the film’s dark, cinematic look from beginning to end.
Kevin Turkheimer (2nd Camera Operator): Kevin brought an incredible eye and technical skill to the camera team, helping us capture additional coverage throughout the shoot, and plan the main coverage.
John Lepes (Grip): John was our only grip and did an outstanding job, constantly helping us shape shots, move quickly, and solve problems throughout production.
Noelle Wood (Script Supervisor): Noelle kept a close eye on continuity and details throughout production, helping everything stay consistent across an extremely packed shoot.
Bentley Elderidge (Boom Operator & Production Sound Mixer): Bentley handled production sound throughout the film, working through every setup to capture clean dialogue and bring the world of the film to life.
Diego Olivares (Gaffer): Diego helped create the film’s lighting and atmosphere, adapting constantly to give each scene the look and mood it needed.
Alex Bebawi (Craft Services): Alex kept our cast and crew fed, caffeinated, and taken care of through long shooting days, an incredibly important job on any set!
THANK YOU to our team.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Acting -> Filmmaking
As an actor first, I wanted to create something that felt relavent and personal to me. I’m fascinated by how vulnerable this industry asks people to be. Actors are constantly told to open themselves up, trust the process, take risks, be emotionally available, and prove how badly they want an opportunity. Most of the time, that vulnerability can be an amazing part of making art. The Intensive explore what happens when someone in a position of power takes advantage of it.
This is my first film as a writer and director, and making it has beenone of the most ambitious things I’ve ever done. I didn’t want to wait until I had permission to make something on this scale. I wanted to take the kind of psychological thriller I would genuinely want to watch and figure out how to make it ourselves. And that's EXACTLY what we did!!
When Jack, Alicia, Taylor, Mikey, and Carla arrive at The Intensive hoping to start fresh from their pasts, they meet acclaimed acting coach Melissa Benette, who promises to push their abilities to the next level through her specialized techniques.
But as the retreat progresses, strange coincidences, unsettling behavior, and increasingly personal exercises begin to make the actors question what is really happening around them. Tensions rise as secrets from their pasts come to the surface, trust within the group begins to fracture, and the line between performance and reality becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish.
As the weekend spirals further out of control, the five actors are forced to confront one another, and decide who they can actually trust.
In terms of tone, I want the audience to feel like they’re at the retreat with the characters, trying to understand what's going on, why it feels so off, and trying to decide who they trust with the characters. I’ve always been obsessed with stories that start in a world that feels completely normal and slowly reveal that something is very, very wrong.
Visually, the retreat initially feels warm, elevated, and almost idyllic, beautiful natural light, rich greens, warm skin tones, and the sense that these people are genuinely having a great weekend together. I don’t want the film to announce itself as a thriller too early.
As things start to unravel, the world shouldn’t suddenly become “horror.” I want the shift to be subtle. Frames can linger a little too long, silences can become uncomfortable, spaces that once felt inviting can start to feel isolating, and the same beautiful house can gradually feel claustrophobic.
Tension should come more from behavior, performance, and uncertainty than from obvious scares. I want the audience constantly questioning whether something is actually wrong or whether they’re reading too much into it, until eventually there’s no denying it.
At its darkest, I want the film to feel grounded and controlled rather than flashy or overly stylized. The unsettling quality should creep up on you.
Each of the characters comes into The Intensive with a different goal, each determined to experience an incredible weekend of growth, learning, and good company. Melissa has hand-picked her participants carefully, bringing together five people with very different personalities, histories, and reasons for being there.
As the weekend unfolds, those differences begin to matter. Friendships form, tensions rise, and each character is forced to decide how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal, and how much they can really trust the people around them, as well as themselves.With incredible passion and determination, we’ve completed production, bringing together a cast and crew who gave so much of themselves to this project. Every person showed up with an amazing attitude, patience, and a genuine belief in the story we were telling!! Despite our 12 hour days, we had so much fun creating The Intensive.
It was truly a team effort, and the care, energy, and talent of everyone involved can be felt in every frame.
NOW, the goal is to give the film the best post-production it deserves.
WE WANT TO PREMIER AT THE TRIBECA 2027 TV PROGRAM. 🎉
Your support will go directly toward professional editing, sound design, an original score, color grading, and the final pieces that will allow us to bring The Intensive fully to life and get it in front of audiences.
THANK YOU! 💜
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Sound Design
Costs $5,000
Professional sound design will build tension, enhance atmosphere, and give the film a polished, immersive final mix.
Editing
Costs $5,000
Professional editing will shape the film’s pacing, performances, and suspense, creating a cohesive and polished final cut.
Color Grading
Costs $600
Professional color grading will unify footage, enhance the film’s cinematic look, and deepen its dark, unsettling atmosphere.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
We could not have done this without our amazing cast & crew, who worked long days and kept a positive attitude throughout the entire week of shooting!
THE TEAM BEHIND THE PILOT:
Ashley Pokorski (Writer, Director & Producer): Ashley wrote, directed, and produced The Intensive, taking the project from an idea on the page through an ambitious independent production.
Arlo Lachenmeyer (Assistant Director): Arlo helped keep an incredibly ambitious shoot moving, working closely with the team to manage our schedule and keep each day on track, solving new problems quickly and efficiently.
Christopher Bean (Director of Photography): Christopher brought the visual world of The Intensive to life, helping shape the film’s dark, cinematic look from beginning to end.
Kevin Turkheimer (2nd Camera Operator): Kevin brought an incredible eye and technical skill to the camera team, helping us capture additional coverage throughout the shoot, and plan the main coverage.
John Lepes (Grip): John was our only grip and did an outstanding job, constantly helping us shape shots, move quickly, and solve problems throughout production.
Noelle Wood (Script Supervisor): Noelle kept a close eye on continuity and details throughout production, helping everything stay consistent across an extremely packed shoot.
Bentley Elderidge (Boom Operator & Production Sound Mixer): Bentley handled production sound throughout the film, working through every setup to capture clean dialogue and bring the world of the film to life.
Diego Olivares (Gaffer): Diego helped create the film’s lighting and atmosphere, adapting constantly to give each scene the look and mood it needed.
Alex Bebawi (Craft Services): Alex kept our cast and crew fed, caffeinated, and taken care of through long shooting days, an incredibly important job on any set!