The Girl in the Woods
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Experimental
The Girl in the Woods explores the oft-unseen shame, self-loathing, and "not enough-ness" experienced by many women, and the self-forgiveness needed to break these cycles. It's a deeply personal film, born out of a letter our co-writer Rachel wrote to her younger self several years ago.
The Girl in the Woods
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Experimental
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $10,240 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
116 supporters | followers
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The Girl in the Woods explores the oft-unseen shame, self-loathing, and "not enough-ness" experienced by many women, and the self-forgiveness needed to break these cycles. It's a deeply personal film, born out of a letter our co-writer Rachel wrote to her younger self several years ago.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A Note From the Writer
I began writing The Girl in the Woods during a particularly difficult time in my life. My world had turned upside down and I had lost my mooring, not recognizing the person I had become. The realization that I hadn't kept my promises to myself was incredibly painful. It took a long time to admit just how much I had let myelf down; to look at my younger self, all full of hopes and dreams, and say, "I messed it all up."
The Girl in the Woods came out of this realization. My hope is that this story will bring comfort and healing to others who find themselves in need of self-forgiveness.
Why Contribute?
We believe in paying artists for their work, and your contribution ensures that our cast and crew are paid, fed, and reimbursed for their travel. We also believe that anything worth doing is worth doing right. With your contribution, we’ll be able to rent equipment, pay for insurance, hire a post production team, and submit the finished film to festivals.
About Covid
We will be filming in mid-May, and while we hope that vaccines will be much more widely available before production, we understand that not everyone will be protected by then. We’re prepared to follow all Covid precautions in order to keep our cast and crew as safe as possible. This includes testing, temperature checks, social distancing, individually packaged food, and the required wearing of PPE by everyone on set. Implementing these standards incurs extra cost, which is reflected in our budget.
The graph below illustrates how our budget is broken down:
Our Location
During our shoot, we’ll have the good fortune of being able to house our production team at an urban farm on Long Island. Its proximity to wooded state parks makes this an ideal location. Not having to travel out of the city every morning allows us to get an early start without losing sleep. We want to extend our deepest thanks to Iona Homestead, and can’t wait to play with some chickens during our lunch breaks!
Join Our Team!
We want to thank you in advance for contributing to The Girl in the Woods. Because of your generosity and belief in both us and this film, we'll be able to share this important story of self-forgiveness. You're an incredibly important part of our team, and we're forever grateful for your support.
Check out the tabs under our pitch video to stay updated during our campaign and to learn more about our all-female production team.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Equipment, Location, and Insurance
Costs $2,400
Needed to rent equipment, pay for insurance, and cover location costs
Post-Production & Marketing
Costs $1,800
Needed to pay for post-production, festival submissions, and marketing materials
Contingency & Misc.
Costs $1,400
Needed to cover random expenses and any surprises (and with a film, there are always surprises!)
Share this update!
About This Team
Rachel Lauren James
Co-Writer, Producer, Lead Actor
Rachel began producing in 2012. Her first film was a super-low-budget horror indie with a budget of only $300… and it showed! That film led to others (with progressively larger budgets) and led her to co-found an independent film company in Austin, TX, where she produced several short films, including the internationally award-winning stop motion short, Action Bill.
After moving to NYC, Rachel joined the producing team for the world premiere of a major musical in Chicago, where she secured investments, oversaw the production, and worked as the company manager. On her return to NYC, she produced the trailer for Turf, a pilot written by award-winning screenwriter Isaac Hirotsu Woofter.
Rachel was recently named Associate Artistic Director of Combustion Collective, an NYC-based interdisciplinary theater company, where she produced the Off-Off-Broadway world premiere of The Floorshow in 2019, which she also starred in. This fall, Rachel is teaming up with Turf’s Woofter again to produce her first feature film, Bound.
As an actor, Rachel has performed in numerous independent films and professional theatre productions in both Texas and NYC. The Girl in the Woods will mark Rachel’s writing and directorial debut.
Claudia Pak
Co-Producer, Director
Claudia is the Director of Development for mm2 Entertainment, a leading media entertainment and content company headquartered in Singapore with regional offices in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and the United States.
She is also a Director for REELARC, a company that films original scenes for actors. There, Claudia leverages her background in acting and her eye for truthful and moving moments to ensure clients look and sound their best.
Claudia was born in Brazil to Korean parents and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She moved to New York to study International Business with a double specialization in Finance and Marketing from Fordham University, and has made NYC her home ever since. From her background in international finance at Morgan Stanley and most recently in fundraising for The Korea Society, Claudia has a natural edge in spotting business opportunities as well as leading a team to execute a business plan and transform a vision into tangible results.
Her experiences at both mm2 Entertainment and Reelarc confirmed that she thrives in a fast-paced environment where the whole team comes together to make things happen. It is the pursuit of capturing the magic on screen that fuels her journey.
Britain Lonie
Director of Photography
The film industry has been a part of Britain’s life for as long as she can remember. Her father is a film editor, and her childhood was steeped in the culture of cinema. She has always been passionate about the medium and has pursued a career in the industry since she was old enough to fetch coffee.
As a teen she worked as a runner at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom, where she learned the fundamentals of film and television. Following her stint at Pinewood, she was offered a role as a production assistant for TwoFour Group, where she learned the etiquette and discipline required for larger scale productions, such as Born to Kill and Ibiza Weekender.
When she returned to NYC, she interned at REELARC, a scene creation production company for actors. She was soon hired as the lead DOP and has been creating scenes for them ever since, solely responsible for the technical aspects of the scenes: setting the lights, designing the sets, camera operation, and editing.
Outside of REELARC, Britain has also worked as an editor on commercial jobs such as “Deal or No Deal UK” and non-commercial, independent projects in LA, and recently filmed NYC stock footage for a Hallmark movie.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A Note From the Writer
I began writing The Girl in the Woods during a particularly difficult time in my life. My world had turned upside down and I had lost my mooring, not recognizing the person I had become. The realization that I hadn't kept my promises to myself was incredibly painful. It took a long time to admit just how much I had let myelf down; to look at my younger self, all full of hopes and dreams, and say, "I messed it all up."
The Girl in the Woods came out of this realization. My hope is that this story will bring comfort and healing to others who find themselves in need of self-forgiveness.
Why Contribute?
We believe in paying artists for their work, and your contribution ensures that our cast and crew are paid, fed, and reimbursed for their travel. We also believe that anything worth doing is worth doing right. With your contribution, we’ll be able to rent equipment, pay for insurance, hire a post production team, and submit the finished film to festivals.
About Covid
We will be filming in mid-May, and while we hope that vaccines will be much more widely available before production, we understand that not everyone will be protected by then. We’re prepared to follow all Covid precautions in order to keep our cast and crew as safe as possible. This includes testing, temperature checks, social distancing, individually packaged food, and the required wearing of PPE by everyone on set. Implementing these standards incurs extra cost, which is reflected in our budget.
The graph below illustrates how our budget is broken down:
Our Location
During our shoot, we’ll have the good fortune of being able to house our production team at an urban farm on Long Island. Its proximity to wooded state parks makes this an ideal location. Not having to travel out of the city every morning allows us to get an early start without losing sleep. We want to extend our deepest thanks to Iona Homestead, and can’t wait to play with some chickens during our lunch breaks!
Join Our Team!
We want to thank you in advance for contributing to The Girl in the Woods. Because of your generosity and belief in both us and this film, we'll be able to share this important story of self-forgiveness. You're an incredibly important part of our team, and we're forever grateful for your support.
Check out the tabs under our pitch video to stay updated during our campaign and to learn more about our all-female production team.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Equipment, Location, and Insurance
Costs $2,400
Needed to rent equipment, pay for insurance, and cover location costs
Post-Production & Marketing
Costs $1,800
Needed to pay for post-production, festival submissions, and marketing materials
Contingency & Misc.
Costs $1,400
Needed to cover random expenses and any surprises (and with a film, there are always surprises!)
Share this update!
About This Team
Rachel Lauren James
Co-Writer, Producer, Lead Actor
Rachel began producing in 2012. Her first film was a super-low-budget horror indie with a budget of only $300… and it showed! That film led to others (with progressively larger budgets) and led her to co-found an independent film company in Austin, TX, where she produced several short films, including the internationally award-winning stop motion short, Action Bill.
After moving to NYC, Rachel joined the producing team for the world premiere of a major musical in Chicago, where she secured investments, oversaw the production, and worked as the company manager. On her return to NYC, she produced the trailer for Turf, a pilot written by award-winning screenwriter Isaac Hirotsu Woofter.
Rachel was recently named Associate Artistic Director of Combustion Collective, an NYC-based interdisciplinary theater company, where she produced the Off-Off-Broadway world premiere of The Floorshow in 2019, which she also starred in. This fall, Rachel is teaming up with Turf’s Woofter again to produce her first feature film, Bound.
As an actor, Rachel has performed in numerous independent films and professional theatre productions in both Texas and NYC. The Girl in the Woods will mark Rachel’s writing and directorial debut.
Claudia Pak
Co-Producer, Director
Claudia is the Director of Development for mm2 Entertainment, a leading media entertainment and content company headquartered in Singapore with regional offices in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and the United States.
She is also a Director for REELARC, a company that films original scenes for actors. There, Claudia leverages her background in acting and her eye for truthful and moving moments to ensure clients look and sound their best.
Claudia was born in Brazil to Korean parents and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She moved to New York to study International Business with a double specialization in Finance and Marketing from Fordham University, and has made NYC her home ever since. From her background in international finance at Morgan Stanley and most recently in fundraising for The Korea Society, Claudia has a natural edge in spotting business opportunities as well as leading a team to execute a business plan and transform a vision into tangible results.
Her experiences at both mm2 Entertainment and Reelarc confirmed that she thrives in a fast-paced environment where the whole team comes together to make things happen. It is the pursuit of capturing the magic on screen that fuels her journey.
Britain Lonie
Director of Photography
The film industry has been a part of Britain’s life for as long as she can remember. Her father is a film editor, and her childhood was steeped in the culture of cinema. She has always been passionate about the medium and has pursued a career in the industry since she was old enough to fetch coffee.
As a teen she worked as a runner at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom, where she learned the fundamentals of film and television. Following her stint at Pinewood, she was offered a role as a production assistant for TwoFour Group, where she learned the etiquette and discipline required for larger scale productions, such as Born to Kill and Ibiza Weekender.
When she returned to NYC, she interned at REELARC, a scene creation production company for actors. She was soon hired as the lead DOP and has been creating scenes for them ever since, solely responsible for the technical aspects of the scenes: setting the lights, designing the sets, camera operation, and editing.
Outside of REELARC, Britain has also worked as an editor on commercial jobs such as “Deal or No Deal UK” and non-commercial, independent projects in LA, and recently filmed NYC stock footage for a Hallmark movie.