Our story is fascinating and ambitious in the scope of its world and events, and emotionally compelling in the intimate journey of our characters. We hope this story, from a time 80 years past, finds relevance today as humanity struggles through chaos and the unknown to find hope and friendship.
Our story is fascinating and ambitious in the scope of its world and events, and emotionally compelling in the intimate journey of our characters. We hope this story, from a time 80 years past, finds relevance today as humanity struggles through chaos and the unknown to find hope and friendship.
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Story
Mission Statement
While WWII America is often seen as nostalgic and idyllic, this USC MFA Thesis film reflects the paranoia that can grow from fear and pain, and how letting it take root drives otherwise good people to do bad things. But in the end, we can and must express our shared humanity.About The Project
April 1942: Months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, fear looms over coastal Californians, terrified of another attack, and the forced removal of Japanese Americans has begun. Following a string of unidentified aircraft sightings over Los Angeles, a determined and paranoid journalist investigating the occurrences reluctantly teams up with a Japanese American photographer in an attempt to capture photographic evidence to identify these aircraft.
On February 25, 1942 radar picked up unidentified aircraft approaching the Los Angeles airspace. The city was on blackout, air raid sirens awakened sleeping citizens, and searchlights swept the skies. After supposedly sighting an object, anti aircraft guns began to fire, ultimately firing around 1400 rounds of flak into the sky for an hour straight with shrapnel raining down on residents. After an hour, the aircraft mysteriously disappeared. Interpretations of this event have varied from nothing but mass hysteria, to military weather balloons, and in later decades - UFO's. For some, the event heightened the paranoia Angelenos had around being attacked or invaded by Japan, something that was reflected in the mass incarceration and relocation of Japanese Americans at the time. For others it revealed the fragile mental state of a country still recovering from the unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor.
I have always been a fan of history; not as much as an academic study, but as a look into the intriguing lives of those who lived through it. There is a sense that I owe something to honor those of the past and to avoid the pitfalls they did or did not. When I first saw the images of the Battle of Los Angeles, I knew there was a compelling story behind this peculiar event. Los Angeles has been my home for over a decade, and being able to connect with Angelenos who lived through these events 80 years ago and transport a modern audience to their world is a true honor. This story is one of intrigue and mystery, while also revealing the unfortunate results of unchecked grief and fear. It is a film about unlikely friendship, and I hope it provides a semblance of peace to our world today. - Luke
Already Raised: $10,000
Crowdfunding Goal: $12,000
Total Film Budget: $22,000
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OUR CAMPAIGN PAGE
Seed&Spark rewards us for building our audience.
The more followers we get, the more prizes we unlock for our film - products, services, and festival fee waivers, courtesy of Seed&Spark!
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WITH A PLEDGE
We have to collect 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds.
You can choose an incentive, a specific wishlist item, or fit your pledge to your specific budget.
No pledge is too small. Every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible.
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GEAR, PROPS, FOOD, or LOCATIONS
Want an alternative to a monetary pledge?
Check out our Wishlist! We can offer credit and/or advertising. Feel free to make a loan request in our "Wishlist" tab or email us at [email protected] with "TLA WISHLIST" in the subject line.
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THE WORD WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks.
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! We can't do this without you!
Help filmmaker @lukejsalewski by supporting his historical fiction/sci-fi film "THE LIGHTS ABOVE" about the real UFO sightings that took place over LA during WW2. Join them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/the-lights-above
I'm so excited to see the MFA thesis film THE LIGHTS ABOVE by USC students and director/writer @lukejsalewski! Support them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/the-lights-above
Incentives
$15
Social Media Shout-Out!
Enjoy a public profession of our eternal gratitude as we shout your name from the (internet) rooftops with a social media shout-out.
$25
1940s Video News Report
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! We will create and share a 1940s inspired personalized news video announcing that you, a movie mogul, have helped finance an up and coming filmmaker.
$50
Complete Digital Film Package
Turn down the lights and pop some corn - watch the finished film from the comfort of your own home with an e-link screener!
Also includes:
- digital copy of the script
- digital copy of the poster
- download of the original soundtrack
- all previous incentive perks
$100
Special Thanks in the Credits (+ a Post Card!)
See your name on the big screen with a "Special Thanks" credit in the film.
Also includes:
- a post card with the film's original art, with a signed thank you note from the director
- all previous incentive perks
$200
Be an Extra in the Film!
Jump back in time and join us for a day on set as a featured extra in the film! Our wardrobe stylist will get you gussied up in 1940s garb to join the fun in our "newsroom" set. OR, tune in for a private virtual tour on set during filming.
Also includes all previous incentive perks.
*Must provide own transportation and lodging
Sold Out!
$200
Film Press Kit Design
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Are you a filmmaker yourself? Our team will design a digital press kit for your film for usage at festivals and beyond!
Includes all previous incentives.
$250
Production Package
Help our film and we'll help yours! Choose one of the following:
- written short film script feedback
- private meeting with the filmmakers (industry advice, festival strategy, pre-pro feedback - pick our brains for an hour!)
- actor demo reel editing services
Also includes all previous incentive perks.
*Can meet in person if in LA or over zoom
$350
Private Tour of USC's School of Cinematic Arts with the Filmmakers
Walk the same halls as George Lucas, Ron Howard, Will Ferrell, and more with a private tour of the #1 Film School in the world led by our director or producer. Also includes all previous incentive perks.
*must provide own transportation and lodging
$500
Associate Producer Credit
Associate producer credit in the film and 2 tickets to a future screening of the film.
Also includes all previous incentive perks.
*Must provide own transportation and lodging
Sold Out!
$1,500
Executive Producer Package
Roll out the red carpet! Get the whole shabang! Your name will be listed on an Executive Producer Title Card in the credits, and you will be given 2 tickets to the film's premiere in LA (or other screening of your choice). We hope you'll join us!
Also includes:
- a private tour of the School of Cinematic Arts
- your choice of the perks provided in the "Production Package"
- your name in the film's credits under "special thanks"
- a post card with the film's original art, with a signed thank you note from the director
- a private link to the finished film
- a 1940s Video News Report
*Must provide own transportation and lodging
Sold Out!
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$15
Social Media Shout-Out!
Enjoy a public profession of our eternal gratitude as we shout your name from the (internet) rooftops with a social media shout-out.
$25
1940s Video News Report
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! We will create and share a 1940s inspired personalized news video announcing that you, a movie mogul, have helped finance an up and coming filmmaker.
$50
Complete Digital Film Package
Turn down the lights and pop some corn - watch the finished film from the comfort of your own home with an e-link screener!
Also includes:
- digital copy of the script
- digital copy of the poster
- download of the original soundtrack
- all previous incentive perks
$100
Special Thanks in the Credits (+ a Post Card!)
See your name on the big screen with a "Special Thanks" credit in the film.
Also includes:
- a post card with the film's original art, with a signed thank you note from the director
- all previous incentive perks
$200
Be an Extra in the Film!
Jump back in time and join us for a day on set as a featured extra in the film! Our wardrobe stylist will get you gussied up in 1940s garb to join the fun in our "newsroom" set. OR, tune in for a private virtual tour on set during filming.
Also includes all previous incentive perks.
*Must provide own transportation and lodging
Sold Out!
$200
Film Press Kit Design
Are you a filmmaker yourself? Our team will design a digital press kit for your film for usage at festivals and beyond!
Includes all previous incentives.
$250
Production Package
Help our film and we'll help yours! Choose one of the following:
- written short film script feedback
- private meeting with the filmmakers (industry advice, festival strategy, pre-pro feedback - pick our brains for an hour!)
- actor demo reel editing services
Also includes all previous incentive perks.
*Can meet in person if in LA or over zoom
$350
Private Tour of USC's School of Cinematic Arts with the Filmmakers
Walk the same halls as George Lucas, Ron Howard, Will Ferrell, and more with a private tour of the #1 Film School in the world led by our director or producer. Also includes all previous incentive perks.
*must provide own transportation and lodging
$500
Associate Producer Credit
Associate producer credit in the film and 2 tickets to a future screening of the film.
Also includes all previous incentive perks.
*Must provide own transportation and lodging
Sold Out!
$1,500
Executive Producer Package
Roll out the red carpet! Get the whole shabang! Your name will be listed on an Executive Producer Title Card in the credits, and you will be given 2 tickets to the film's premiere in LA (or other screening of your choice). We hope you'll join us!
Also includes:
- a private tour of the School of Cinematic Arts
- your choice of the perks provided in the "Production Package"
- your name in the film's credits under "special thanks"
- a post card with the film's original art, with a signed thank you note from the director
- a private link to the finished film
- a 1940s Video News Report
*Must provide own transportation and lodging
Sold Out!
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
Luke J. Salewski
WRITER/DIRECTOR
Born in Boise, ID and growing up making home videos at a young age, Luke J. Salewski has now worked as a filmmaker in LA for over a decade. He has a passion for stories that stand the test of time, that are imaginative and large in scope and yet focused on the intimate inspiring and redeeming aspects of humanity.
Luke's film career has crossed fiction narrative, commercial and non-fiction, and he has worked on projects for many major studios and TV networks including Warner Bros, Disney, Netflix, Animal Planet, NatGeo Wild, and SYFY amongst others.
Luke is a 2023 MFA candidate at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts.
Avo John KambourianPRODUCER
Avo John Kambourian is a filmmaker and editor from Los Angeles, who is currently earning his Master of Fine Arts in Film & TV Production, at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he is also a George Lucas and Mary Pickford Scholar.
In his career, he has worked for companies such as Vice Media, Walt Disney Pictures, National Geographic, Hulu, and HitRecord. His most recent credits include the feature documentaries Bad Reputation and The Untitled Steve Martin Documentary, Directed by Academy Award Winner Morgan Neville. His thesis film Echoes of Kef Time was one of three documentary projects selected to be produced by USC in the Spring 2022 semester, during which he also was nominated for the American Cinema Editors (ACE) Anne V. Coates Student Editing Award.
Alex ChangPRODUCER
Alex Chang is a rather unremarkable filmmaker from Tualatin, Oregon. Born in Key West, Florida to Korean immigrant parents, he served an undistinguished 8.5 years in the US Army, spending some uneventful time in Afghanistan and Iraq. He left the Army in August of 2017 to study creative writing at Columbia University in New York City, where he graduated in 2020 while dressed in pajamas in his parents’ living room. During his time in New York, Alex also studied at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop as a lyricist, failing to win any awards or accolades.
After graduating, Alex moved to Los Angeles to attend the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he is beginning his third and final year of the MFA Production program. He has continued his journey of mediocrity by applying for and being rejected from a distinguished lineup of USC scholarships and awards and thesis proposals, but amazingly enough he still hopes to make fun movies someday. And yes, Alex did write this.Young Li
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
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Young Li is a cinematographer from Guangzhou, China. He graduated from the Boston University film & tv program and is currently pursuing an MFA degree at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He has been working as a cinematographer for 6 years.
Young started with landscape photography at an early age. After making numerous travel films, he decided to go into narrative filmmaking, attracted by the ability to tell stories with a camera. His cinematography experience ranges from numerous commercials, music videos, short films, and feature films. Now, he is excited to go on a new journey with his latest cinematography project, "The Lights Above".
Dasha Pimenov
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Dasha Pimenov is a second-year MFA Film & TV Production student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She hails from Los Angeles, CA, though her wanderlust spirit must confess that she considers the entire world to be her home. Dasha is a first-generation college grad and the first in her family to pursue a master’s degree. Her studies at Middlebury College primarily focused on Cold War culture, European and Eurasian affairs, and the history of the ancient Mediterranean world. She re-discovered her passion for mass media and filmmaking while working on her recently published thesis on consumer culture and juvenile propaganda — “The Grade School Brigade.” From dramas to tragicomedies, this Trojan is now finding ways to externalize the inner world of her characters through caméra-stylo (shout- out to the Cahiers du Cinéma lovers). She plans to make more accurate, female-centered narratives for the big screen and bring her cultural heritage stories to life.
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