The Library at the End of the Universe
Asheville, North Carolina | Film Short
Drama, Sci-Fi
In The Library at the End of the Universe, we follow the story of Mildred, who must choose between authenticity and safety when the only world she knows is the inside of a library. A film by Missy Bell.
The Library at the End of the Universe
Asheville, North Carolina | Film Short
Drama, Sci-Fi
2 Campaigns | North Carolina, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $15,144 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
164 supporters | followers
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In The Library at the End of the Universe, we follow the story of Mildred, who must choose between authenticity and safety when the only world she knows is the inside of a library. A film by Missy Bell.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mildred lives inside The Library: the only thing remaining in a desolate Universe. She moves through a scheduled routine commanded by a bell that triggers the citizens of The Library to rotate to the next section. They may only ever spend five minutes on any one subject at a time.
Relationships are cultivated in spite of restricted speaking and forbidden affection.
Her friend, Philip, has a secret.
He has found a resistance: a group of people who believe there is something outside the library and that the Librarians are holding them hostage.
As the pair navigate their fear of change and of the Librarians alongside their growing feelings for each other, Mildred must make a choice: stay in the Library - the only home she’s ever known - or go out The Door, which may lead to freedom or to the end of everything.
Our stellar cast includes Ava Atwood (MTV's Finding Carter, SiREN), Carson Blyskal (Hope Lives), Molly Graves (The Good Lord Bird, MacGyver), and Strother Stingley (Cold Storage). Jennifer Trudrung (Halloween Kills, The Vampire Diaries, Goosebumps) joins for the prologue above as Mildred's Mother.
Joining our wonderful cast, Executive Producer/Writer/Director Missy Bell and Producer Madeline Tesh lead a highly experienced and award-winning production team including Director of Photography Brad Hoover (recently: Compassion parts 2 and 3, Magic Camera), Composer Neil Lee Griffin (The Nest, The Good Things Devils Do), and Editor/Colorist Michael Bell (The Woodsman, Ink). Additional crew members include Sound Engineer Bill Pivetta (Here There Be Tygers, The Night Courier).
Libraries are places both of nostalgia and mystery. They encompass worlds within worlds - whether you enter the realm of a library for research or escape, there are many paths within you can take.
Capturing the nostalgia of worn pages, muted colors, and hours spent walking through the shelved books is vital to our story. While our library may be at the end of the universe, it is a library after all.
But along with this very potent nostalgia is also a mystery - both of what is between the covers of the books on the shelves, but also between our two characters, and what does (or doesn't?!) exist outside of those book-lined walls.
Our visual inspiration for The Library at the End of the Universe comes from the dusty muted colors of the libraries we grew up in, greens, and browns, and golden reading lamps. But it also leans into the mysteries that this library in particular holds. The shadows have something to say, and the well-worn fabrics of the character's clothes evoke memories of our own daydreams of a world within a world.
Our production staff's goal is to balance frugality with our strong belief that people deserve to be paid for their work. With your help, we can accomplish both! See below for a breakdown of our budgeted costs. If we are able to raise more than our goal, we will be able to host a screening as well as submit the film to festivals (and even attend them!).
We have already locked our shoot dates, locations, cast, and crew. We will be filming overnights from Jan 6 to Jan 10 to make the best use of our actors' time off school and the extended darkness the winter provides. We won't get another chance with this combination for another year! In order to keep to this timeline while keeping everyone safe, we're taking many extra precautions for covid, including requiring masks and negative covid tests for everyone on set. Once we hit our goal, we'll hit the ground running and have cameras rolling only a few days later. You can expect to see a finished product by the late spring or early summer; we work efficiently!
Our society preaches that we have opportunities to do whatever we choose if we put our minds to it, but then does not give us ample time to explore what this actually means. We must work, maintain our homes, raise children, etc.
It is as if we are constantly moving through the library on a 5-minute timer with the inability to ever fully digest anything. We are forced to digest knowledge as quickly as we can: TikTok, Instagram, and other media because we are constantly grinding.
We don’t have time to question, because we don’t have time to learn, explore, and grow.
In 2020 many of us were able to break out of this cycle. While we were confined to our homes, (like Mildred was confined to the library) so many of us realized what is important to us, and began seeking a new path, breaking free of the traditional grind. In the library, Mildred is doing just that.
In additional to the story being important, our approach to it is as well; filmmaking is one of the truly collaborative art forms, where to create a fully realized vision, many minds and voices must come together. Each aspect of filmmaking requires different skills and viewpoints, and talents.
In the traditionally male-dominated world of cinema - women, queer, transgender, and non-binary persons deserve more opportunities for their voices to be heard. The Library at the End of the Universe inspires just that. Our crew is made of a diverse group of people who are passionate about collaborative storytelling, and education.
Follow our campaign here on Seed&Spark so you can stay updated on the latest happenings with The Library at the End of the Universe. Even if you don’t do anything else, this helps us because Seed&Spark has tiered rewards based on how many followers we get; the more followers, the more products, services, and festival fee waivers we get.
Pledge to make a monetary contribution to our film. We get to keep our funds only when we have collected 80% of our goal. There are lots of ways to pledge: you can pledge toward a wishlist item, pick an incentive to cash in on, or you can simply pledge whatever amount fits your budget. Even small donations make a difference!
Share our campaign with your networks. We don’t know enough people to make this work with the people we already know, so take a moment to share the campaign with your social media circles, your email contacts, your neighbors over the fence, or anyone else you can think of. We simply cannot do this without you!
Have writer’s block? Just copy and paste one of the paragraphs below, or use them as inspiration.
Help @libraryattheend create the short fim “The Library at the End of the Universe”. The story follows Mildred, who must choose between authenticity and safety when the only world she knows is the inside of a library. Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/libraryattheend.
I just watched the prologue of “The Library at the End of the Universe” on @seedandspark. It’s beautiful and moving and you should take a look! You can also help this female-led production team bring more of the story to life at: bit.ly/libraryattheend.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast/Crew
Costs $5,350
We want to make sure our talented cast and crew are able to keep doing what they love!
Production Staff
Costs $3,650
The heartbeat of the production is our talented production team!
Props
Costs $100
Chocolate milk cartons, paper flowers, lunch trays, and all we need to create the world of the film.
Miniatures
Costs $950
We don't want to give away too much, but you'll know once you see the film!
Hair, Makeup, Wardrobe
Costs $800
We want to make sure our actors look their best and match the vision of the film.
Insurance and Overhead
Costs $2,050
This includes protection for our personnel, equipment, and locations as well as overhead expenses.
Locations
Costs $300
We want to make sure we get the best location available and pay the overnight supervision!
Meals!
Costs $600
We want to make sure the on-set experience for this film is caring and nurturing (and yummy!).
Post Production
Costs $875
Picture editing, scoring, sound editing and more will all be accomplished by seasoned professionals.
Share this update!
About This Team
Our campaign team is comprised of passionate, experienced filmmakers from various genres and life experiences. With multiple successful campaigns under our belts, we are ready to take on the unique challenges the campaign for The Library at the End of the Universe presents. With this team comprised mostly of production staff for the film itself, we are personally invested in the success of this campaign, this project, and all the future possibilities this project will generate. Join us in this endeavor by donating to the campaign and follow along as we build the world of The Library at the End of the Universe together.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mildred lives inside The Library: the only thing remaining in a desolate Universe. She moves through a scheduled routine commanded by a bell that triggers the citizens of The Library to rotate to the next section. They may only ever spend five minutes on any one subject at a time.
Relationships are cultivated in spite of restricted speaking and forbidden affection.
Her friend, Philip, has a secret.
He has found a resistance: a group of people who believe there is something outside the library and that the Librarians are holding them hostage.
As the pair navigate their fear of change and of the Librarians alongside their growing feelings for each other, Mildred must make a choice: stay in the Library - the only home she’s ever known - or go out The Door, which may lead to freedom or to the end of everything.
Our stellar cast includes Ava Atwood (MTV's Finding Carter, SiREN), Carson Blyskal (Hope Lives), Molly Graves (The Good Lord Bird, MacGyver), and Strother Stingley (Cold Storage). Jennifer Trudrung (Halloween Kills, The Vampire Diaries, Goosebumps) joins for the prologue above as Mildred's Mother.
Joining our wonderful cast, Executive Producer/Writer/Director Missy Bell and Producer Madeline Tesh lead a highly experienced and award-winning production team including Director of Photography Brad Hoover (recently: Compassion parts 2 and 3, Magic Camera), Composer Neil Lee Griffin (The Nest, The Good Things Devils Do), and Editor/Colorist Michael Bell (The Woodsman, Ink). Additional crew members include Sound Engineer Bill Pivetta (Here There Be Tygers, The Night Courier).
Libraries are places both of nostalgia and mystery. They encompass worlds within worlds - whether you enter the realm of a library for research or escape, there are many paths within you can take.
Capturing the nostalgia of worn pages, muted colors, and hours spent walking through the shelved books is vital to our story. While our library may be at the end of the universe, it is a library after all.
But along with this very potent nostalgia is also a mystery - both of what is between the covers of the books on the shelves, but also between our two characters, and what does (or doesn't?!) exist outside of those book-lined walls.
Our visual inspiration for The Library at the End of the Universe comes from the dusty muted colors of the libraries we grew up in, greens, and browns, and golden reading lamps. But it also leans into the mysteries that this library in particular holds. The shadows have something to say, and the well-worn fabrics of the character's clothes evoke memories of our own daydreams of a world within a world.
Our production staff's goal is to balance frugality with our strong belief that people deserve to be paid for their work. With your help, we can accomplish both! See below for a breakdown of our budgeted costs. If we are able to raise more than our goal, we will be able to host a screening as well as submit the film to festivals (and even attend them!).
We have already locked our shoot dates, locations, cast, and crew. We will be filming overnights from Jan 6 to Jan 10 to make the best use of our actors' time off school and the extended darkness the winter provides. We won't get another chance with this combination for another year! In order to keep to this timeline while keeping everyone safe, we're taking many extra precautions for covid, including requiring masks and negative covid tests for everyone on set. Once we hit our goal, we'll hit the ground running and have cameras rolling only a few days later. You can expect to see a finished product by the late spring or early summer; we work efficiently!
Our society preaches that we have opportunities to do whatever we choose if we put our minds to it, but then does not give us ample time to explore what this actually means. We must work, maintain our homes, raise children, etc.
It is as if we are constantly moving through the library on a 5-minute timer with the inability to ever fully digest anything. We are forced to digest knowledge as quickly as we can: TikTok, Instagram, and other media because we are constantly grinding.
We don’t have time to question, because we don’t have time to learn, explore, and grow.
In 2020 many of us were able to break out of this cycle. While we were confined to our homes, (like Mildred was confined to the library) so many of us realized what is important to us, and began seeking a new path, breaking free of the traditional grind. In the library, Mildred is doing just that.
In additional to the story being important, our approach to it is as well; filmmaking is one of the truly collaborative art forms, where to create a fully realized vision, many minds and voices must come together. Each aspect of filmmaking requires different skills and viewpoints, and talents.
In the traditionally male-dominated world of cinema - women, queer, transgender, and non-binary persons deserve more opportunities for their voices to be heard. The Library at the End of the Universe inspires just that. Our crew is made of a diverse group of people who are passionate about collaborative storytelling, and education.
Follow our campaign here on Seed&Spark so you can stay updated on the latest happenings with The Library at the End of the Universe. Even if you don’t do anything else, this helps us because Seed&Spark has tiered rewards based on how many followers we get; the more followers, the more products, services, and festival fee waivers we get.
Pledge to make a monetary contribution to our film. We get to keep our funds only when we have collected 80% of our goal. There are lots of ways to pledge: you can pledge toward a wishlist item, pick an incentive to cash in on, or you can simply pledge whatever amount fits your budget. Even small donations make a difference!
Share our campaign with your networks. We don’t know enough people to make this work with the people we already know, so take a moment to share the campaign with your social media circles, your email contacts, your neighbors over the fence, or anyone else you can think of. We simply cannot do this without you!
Have writer’s block? Just copy and paste one of the paragraphs below, or use them as inspiration.
Help @libraryattheend create the short fim “The Library at the End of the Universe”. The story follows Mildred, who must choose between authenticity and safety when the only world she knows is the inside of a library. Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/libraryattheend.
I just watched the prologue of “The Library at the End of the Universe” on @seedandspark. It’s beautiful and moving and you should take a look! You can also help this female-led production team bring more of the story to life at: bit.ly/libraryattheend.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast/Crew
Costs $5,350
We want to make sure our talented cast and crew are able to keep doing what they love!
Production Staff
Costs $3,650
The heartbeat of the production is our talented production team!
Props
Costs $100
Chocolate milk cartons, paper flowers, lunch trays, and all we need to create the world of the film.
Miniatures
Costs $950
We don't want to give away too much, but you'll know once you see the film!
Hair, Makeup, Wardrobe
Costs $800
We want to make sure our actors look their best and match the vision of the film.
Insurance and Overhead
Costs $2,050
This includes protection for our personnel, equipment, and locations as well as overhead expenses.
Locations
Costs $300
We want to make sure we get the best location available and pay the overnight supervision!
Meals!
Costs $600
We want to make sure the on-set experience for this film is caring and nurturing (and yummy!).
Post Production
Costs $875
Picture editing, scoring, sound editing and more will all be accomplished by seasoned professionals.
Share this update!
About This Team
Our campaign team is comprised of passionate, experienced filmmakers from various genres and life experiences. With multiple successful campaigns under our belts, we are ready to take on the unique challenges the campaign for The Library at the End of the Universe presents. With this team comprised mostly of production staff for the film itself, we are personally invested in the success of this campaign, this project, and all the future possibilities this project will generate. Join us in this endeavor by donating to the campaign and follow along as we build the world of The Library at the End of the Universe together.