The View From Upstairs
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Family
My film tells the story of a girl who dreams of being an architect, puts the work in, and gets there. Yet she isn’t happy and must open up to her mother about feeling like a failure. This is a film about coming of age, mother daughter relationships, and what success really means.
The View From Upstairs
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Family
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $2,536 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
16 supporters | followers
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My film tells the story of a girl who dreams of being an architect, puts the work in, and gets there. Yet she isn’t happy and must open up to her mother about feeling like a failure. This is a film about coming of age, mother daughter relationships, and what success really means.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The View From Upstairs is a coming-of-age story about Cleo, a young Asian American woman whose life goal since she was a child has been to become an architect. A dream her mom, Eleanor, has pushed her to achieve.
As Cleo enters adulthood, and achieves this dream she questions if it's what she really wants. If it isn't then what was this all for? We follow Cleo throughout her life, from being a 10 year old with a big dream, to an architect in her brand new apartment, and all the late nights studying during high school in between.
We see as Cleo makes it up the stairs to her so called dream, but is The View From Upstairs really what she imagined. This is a film told through a non-linear narrative structure that explores mother and daughter bonds, the pressure of expectations, and what it means to redefine success on your own terms.
Why me? Why this? Why now?
I'm Rachel Kelly, a Film Production major at Loyola Marymount University.
As a student and filmmaker I often feel the pressure to do everything I can to achieve success. Yet, sometimes we can be swept up in the hustle that we forget to appreciate whats right in front of us. This film is an ode to this feeling. These feeling are becoming ever more present with social media becoming an instant dopamine hit.
About the project
The View From Upstairs is a student short film that will complete post production in mid December of 2025. Your support will help us develop this world and create this project we care so much about.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Studio Teacher
Costs $280
Due to having a child actor on set we will have a studio teacher for one day. The studio teacher costs $250 per day.
Santa Monica Permit
Costs $50
We are shooting one day outside a Santa Monica train station which requires us to purchase a permit of $50.
Follow Focus
Costs $15
In order to keep our shot's focus sharp we would love to be able to use a Nucleus, a wireless follow focus tool.
Wardrobe
Costs $500
In order to make the characters appear real and fleshed out we need to buy items for them to wear!
Production Design
Costs $1,200
We want to make the spaces Cleo lives in to feel as real as the story itself.
Crafty
Costs $200
Everyone loves crafty (all the snacks on set) and our crew is not an exception. This money will go towards having snacks for all three days.
Lunch for cast and crew
Costs $510
Working hard makes any good crew work up an appetite, and we intend to feed our crew delicious and nutritious meals!
Headsets and CRLS
Costs $110
We got a great deal on headsets so our crew can communicate with one another and CRLS to control light in exterior scenes.
Hard drives
Costs $200
In order to make sure our footage is safe and secure we will need two 4 tb hard drives that will be stored in separate places.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The View From Upstairs consists of a mainly LMU undergrad crew! Through studying at a top 5 film school we are knowledgable about our craft and passionate to create a film that inspires others.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The View From Upstairs is a coming-of-age story about Cleo, a young Asian American woman whose life goal since she was a child has been to become an architect. A dream her mom, Eleanor, has pushed her to achieve.
As Cleo enters adulthood, and achieves this dream she questions if it's what she really wants. If it isn't then what was this all for? We follow Cleo throughout her life, from being a 10 year old with a big dream, to an architect in her brand new apartment, and all the late nights studying during high school in between.
We see as Cleo makes it up the stairs to her so called dream, but is The View From Upstairs really what she imagined. This is a film told through a non-linear narrative structure that explores mother and daughter bonds, the pressure of expectations, and what it means to redefine success on your own terms.
Why me? Why this? Why now?
I'm Rachel Kelly, a Film Production major at Loyola Marymount University.
As a student and filmmaker I often feel the pressure to do everything I can to achieve success. Yet, sometimes we can be swept up in the hustle that we forget to appreciate whats right in front of us. This film is an ode to this feeling. These feeling are becoming ever more present with social media becoming an instant dopamine hit.
About the project
The View From Upstairs is a student short film that will complete post production in mid December of 2025. Your support will help us develop this world and create this project we care so much about.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Studio Teacher
Costs $280
Due to having a child actor on set we will have a studio teacher for one day. The studio teacher costs $250 per day.
Santa Monica Permit
Costs $50
We are shooting one day outside a Santa Monica train station which requires us to purchase a permit of $50.
Follow Focus
Costs $15
In order to keep our shot's focus sharp we would love to be able to use a Nucleus, a wireless follow focus tool.
Wardrobe
Costs $500
In order to make the characters appear real and fleshed out we need to buy items for them to wear!
Production Design
Costs $1,200
We want to make the spaces Cleo lives in to feel as real as the story itself.
Crafty
Costs $200
Everyone loves crafty (all the snacks on set) and our crew is not an exception. This money will go towards having snacks for all three days.
Lunch for cast and crew
Costs $510
Working hard makes any good crew work up an appetite, and we intend to feed our crew delicious and nutritious meals!
Headsets and CRLS
Costs $110
We got a great deal on headsets so our crew can communicate with one another and CRLS to control light in exterior scenes.
Hard drives
Costs $200
In order to make sure our footage is safe and secure we will need two 4 tb hard drives that will be stored in separate places.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The View From Upstairs consists of a mainly LMU undergrad crew! Through studying at a top 5 film school we are knowledgable about our craft and passionate to create a film that inspires others.