Daisy is a young woman who is fast approaching her thirties and is desperate to find love. But after hours of aimlessly scrolling through a dating app, she emerges from her room, messy-haired and crazy-eyed, without finding a single guy she likes. After waking up her slightly terrified roommate, Emily, she announces that she’ll be taking matters into her own hands- she’s going to “create” her own perfect boy from scratch! She collects materials from around her house, like wine and books and peppermint tea, and tapes it all together. And just as Emily is thinking that her roomie is nuts, there’s a loud “gasp” and… he lives! Daisy’s perfect boy is better than she could have imagined. He even bakes and sings! But things can’t stay perfect for long, and once word gets out to other lonely-hearted women, chaos ensues. There’s a live band and zombies too! 

"The Perfect Boy" is a surreal horror-comedy. We will build the horror tension and pull the rug on our audience with awkward, well-timed comedy. We build a "perfect world" that gradually turns into a horror film.

A critical aspect of this film's vision will be the contrast between the idyllic scene of perfection set at the beginning of the film versus the final raw, dark, and distorted outcome. This will be done, in part, with contrasting high key lighting at the beginning, to low-key lighting at the end of the film. We will witness the literal destruction of perfection both within the environment and in our main character's mind through tension-building framing, escalated pacing, and extreme close-ups. We will build tension through highlightings poignant moments of pause amidst a progressively frantic world. 

PRODUCTION TIMELINE: Production is slated for mid-May 2022. We have planned a 3-day shoot to maximize our budget while creating enough time and space to shoot safely during the ongoing pandemic.

COVID ACKNOWLEDGMENT & RESPONSE: We will adhere to local mask mandates at the bare minimum and will rely on CDC guidelines in regards to COVID vaccination status and testing while on site. Proper sanitization and hand washing will be available, and, above all else: we will take our time and make personal safety a priority above all else. Additionally, our producer is a Certified COVID Compliance Officer.

POST PRODUCTION: We plan to carry out post-production immediately after production with an August 2022 deadline for a final cut, mix, and color.

DISTRIBUTION: We will begin our festival submission process in August of 2022 with a goal to premiere in early 2023. After a successful festival run, we will distribute digitally.

I wrote this story because, as a single woman in my 30s, I've definitely felt the pressure of trying to find that special someone, as well as the amusing disappointment of having to use dating apps to do it! I think this is a story that a lot of people can relate to and laugh about. Society tells us girls (and boys) from a very early age that we have to find our other half to fully be ourselves. And after being plied with Disney movies about perfect princes, it's hard not to have high expectations. But obviously, no one is perfect. And after 30 years on this planet, I've found that sometimes what we think we want isn't actually what we end up needing. Just find someone who makes you laugh! ~Alex Andreoni

As a filmmaker, I enjoy riding the line between façade and the gritty underbelly of reality. This is increasingly visible in our social media-driven world, where our online persona is never the whole story. What is sold to you and what you think you want are rarely suitable options for you. Regarding love, our generation grew up with romantic comedies and witnessing the perfect meet-cute. They may have a minor stumble along the way, but a happily ever after always followed. In our adult lives, we have difficulty reconciling this need for a fantastical ideal with the not-so-glimmering prospects before us. Even if you are given the ability to make a "perfect" situation, where is the life, the fun, the necessary struggle that makes a relationship work? I want my work to reflect that a highlight reel is not a complete representation of the human experience. An imperfect reality is the most beautiful aspect of life. It is the recognition that, to have light, you must also have dark; to understand happiness, you must experience sadness. The more we accept this dichotomy, the more encompassing our world becomes in the celebration of both struggle and triumph. ~Liz Waters

Here are some copy/pastable social media messages to help us spread the word about the campaign! These pastable texts are short enough even for Twitter (@hachachaprod) and easily copied to Facebook & Instagram Stories (@hachachaproductions).

Help female-led team @hachachaprod by supporting their fun, funny & surprising short film THE PERFECT BOY about a gal who accidentally creates a "perfect boy" from wine, pasta and books only to find out life with him is not the most ideal situation. seedandspark.com/fund/the-perfect-boy

I just watched the pitch video for @hachachaprod next film THE PERFECT BOY and I *cannot wait* to see this film get made. Dating app fails, Harry Styles and Zombies?! Sign me up. seedandspark.com/fund/the-perfect-boy

The @hachachaprod team is bringing the team back together for their 2nd short film, THE PERFECT BOY. I loved their first, DANCERS, and am so excited they're traveling from all over the country to make another film in Austin! seedandspark.com/fund/the-perfect-boy