They Came From Dansville
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
A satire about an emotionally fraught postal worker who gets caught up in election fraud after an amoral acquaintance from his hometown takes up residence on his couch.
They Came From Dansville
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $12,737 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
49 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
A satire about an emotionally fraught postal worker who gets caught up in election fraud after an amoral acquaintance from his hometown takes up residence on his couch.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
An acquaintance from elementary school finds you in a brand new town, out of the blue. He mentions a trip you half-remember to a science museum, and asks to stay on your couch for a night or two while he visits his son. But...
Earlier that day, he was chased out of a home wielding a baseball bat, which he tossed to the side to cover his tracks...
SYNOPSIS
A postal worker named Clay is talked into letting Danny, a mysterious drifter from his home town, crash under his roof. A series of escalations follow, as Clay's emotional distress from a recent break-up and abortion continues to mount amidst Danny's constant humiliation and prodding. After Danny identifies Clay's USPS bag, and his access to the labyrinthian delivery routes of electoral ballots, Danny befriends a rogue councilman and slowly dominates Clay's life to a disastrous and darkly funny climax.
CHARACTERS
Danny: 175 pounds of nihilist terror. An aggressive musclebound scam artist who uses his intellect to justify absolute moral indifference. A drifter in a shroud of philosophical ambiguity, he loves the sound of his own voice, and uses the history of ethical and spiritual introspection as weapons against others. Alleged father to a son never seen, Danny’s life is largely a mystery. Despite all this, somehow, he’s a mineral deposit of charisma and HGH, a source of humor at the cost of integrity, a gravitational object unto himself, Nietzsche's abomination and the deranged production of a self-interested century.
Clay: A crestfallen postal worker, mourning the end of a long term relationship which he once hoped would have led to fatherhood. Certain and steadfast in his commitment to American democracy; Clay is a proud moderate who prides himself on voting in every election, no matter how small. But beneath a thin veneer of civic excitement, Clay is extremely insecure about the direction of his life, his own virility, and the threat of impotence. NPR, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert are but wooden planks laid over an open cloying void. That void is Clay.
TONE/STYLE
Filth.
The madcap dramatic energy of a John Cassavettes film. Still, claustrophobic, and combustible. Vacuum-sealed electricity. Murky, dirty, grime leaking off the screen.
Some of our comp titles are Mikey and Nicky, Naked, Husbands, and True West.
COST BREAKDOWN/TIMELINE
This is a microbudget film - the bulk of our costs are going directly to paying for professional crew for a 3-and-a-half day shoot. In order to light, shoot, and hear this movie at a level of quality that will be competitive with the best of the best, we'll be paying our crew (and feeding them) exactly what they need to bring the equipment and the labor required to bring this vision to life.
Our cost breakdown is as follows:
67% Cost of labor for a professional crew
22% Cost of all equipment (sound, lighting, camera, lenses, and much more)
4% Cost of catering for entire set
4% Cost of mandatory production insurance
3% Cost of prop and set decoration budget
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Follow us on Instagram @TheyCameFromDansvilleMovie and Twitter @DansvilleMovie!
We'll be submitting the film to festivals, and every donation, no matter how small, helps us reach our ultimate goal. Everyone involved in this production is young and hungry and this is the moment where we put down the pens and bring the page onscreen! Even if you're unable to support us financially, spreading the word on social media is a fantastic way to back our film!
Should we surpass our fundraising goal, any donations beyond the 100% mark will be used to compensate our actors, pay editing fees, and finance film festival submissions down the line!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Catering
Costs $525
We need to feed an entire film set for 3.5 days - breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
Crew
Costs $8,300
The pillar of our production - labor costs for our crew to work for 3.5 days!
Lighting Package
Costs $1,400
It's really hard to make films look good. That's where the pricey equipment comes in (rentals for 3.5 days).
Camera, Grips, Sound, all Other Equipment
Costs $1,380
The total cost of all needed equipment to make this film look and sound awesome (rentals for 3.5 days).
Production Insurance
Costs $550
We're mandated to have it, and if anything goes wrong, we'll be glad to have it!
Props and Set Decoration
Costs $300
We've got lawn signs, reefer, guns, and an election to operate - we'll need to design some sets and buy some props!
Share this update!
About This Team
Logan Robinson is a prolific writer and director from Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Bennington College in 2019, released his directorial short film debut One Hit in 2020, and, most recently, directed and starred in a production of Sam Shepard’s True West alongside They Came From Dansville's own Daniel Flores and Grace Rolek. Last year his script Charlie's Eye made semifinalist in the Fresh Voices 12th annual screenplay competition. Some pull quotes from the comment section of One Hit include: “This was cool! Made me feel like I was going insane,” "I can't quite put into words why I like this so much, but it's really good," and "Yes!" He hopes to achieve a similar effect with They Came From Dansville.
Alexander Blum is an Indian-American screenwriter who moved from Dansville, New York, to the city of Los Angeles - much like the protagonist of our short film. He was a finalist in the 2022 BlueCat Screenplay Competition for his 1-hour science fiction pilot, LOGOS, and wrote dialogue for the videogame God of War Ragnarök. Alex enjoys writing comedies about cynical, overly-educated ne’er-do-wells who use their intellect to make the world a worse place. He is inspired by the portrayal of fevered nihilists in Dostoevsky novels and faithless preachers in Flannery O'Connor. In the past, he has published short stories in online journals including Soft Cartel, New Pop Lit, and Eclectica Magazine.
Victim to countless vacancies of mind and wallet, Daniel Flores began acting in his final year with The UPS Store in Toluca Lake in a small production of True West, shortly before beginning a quick and fruitless attempt at USPS mail delivery. His constant fascination with politics stems from a much more voyeuristic place than most who stay involved with government appointment; 2020 would see both abandonment of ballot as well as adoption of 2nd Amendment procurements as a way to both maintain a hobby and bleed out bank accounts. He currently works for a different UPS Store after being unemployed for two and a half months, during which he would finally begin buying health insurance. After completing this film, Daniel hopes to return to CSUN so he can complete his masters degree and eventually beat the epileptic seizures he began having in October of 2023.
Clay Hollander is an actor born, raised, and based in Los Angeles, California. He is a recent graduate of the CalArts BFA acting program, and has been seen in various productions around Los Angeles, including the world premieres of Marabella (CalArts), and The Beautiful People (Rogue Machine Theatre Company), as well as countless staged readings. He is a proud supporter of the Los Angeles Theatre community, and a member of Rogue Machine Theatre Company, and the Road Theatre Company. Recent TV and Film appearances include: Catamount (Apple TV+), Ray Donovan (Showtime), The Affair (Showtime), and Backbone (AFI). Gratitude to the entire Dansville team!
While Grace Rolek is best known for playing Connie on Cartoon Network’s hit show Steven Universe, she’s been a working actress since she was 5 years old. You may have heard her lend her voice to many characters in film, television, and video games, including the iconic Lucy van Pelt in Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown—a role that earned Grace a Young Artist Award! In 2019, Grace Rolek made her directorial debut with the short film Mailboxes, which she also wrote and starred in alongside her Steven Universe co-star Zach Callison. Since being uploaded, it has garnered over 300,000 views on YouTube. More recently, she became a post-apocalyptic DJ known as Julie in the newest installment of the popular video game series Fallout. Even with two decades of experience behind her, Grace Rolek continues to embrace new opportunities to express herself artistically.
James Abroms, a third-generation filmmaker, immersed himself in the cinematic art during his formative years as he observed his parents at work. Since graduating from Columbia College Hollywood, James continues to direct, write, edit, and produce various projects amassing a wide-ranging portfolio. Member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, James has worked as an Assistant Editor on such projects as Grassland, Teen Wolf: The Movie, and the indie horror film, The Mad Hatter. In 2021, He Produced and Edited the upcoming indie feature Bad Generation. James is excited to collaborate with the immensely talented Dansville team to execute Logan’s vision for the film.
Matt Somogyi is a producer and director from Los Angeles. He loves expressing strange, specific, and uncomfortable stories people often have to go through. He is incredibly excited to collaborate with his longtime friends on a dramedy that reflects common anxieties and concerns, told through the lens of Alex and Logan.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
An acquaintance from elementary school finds you in a brand new town, out of the blue. He mentions a trip you half-remember to a science museum, and asks to stay on your couch for a night or two while he visits his son. But...
Earlier that day, he was chased out of a home wielding a baseball bat, which he tossed to the side to cover his tracks...
SYNOPSIS
A postal worker named Clay is talked into letting Danny, a mysterious drifter from his home town, crash under his roof. A series of escalations follow, as Clay's emotional distress from a recent break-up and abortion continues to mount amidst Danny's constant humiliation and prodding. After Danny identifies Clay's USPS bag, and his access to the labyrinthian delivery routes of electoral ballots, Danny befriends a rogue councilman and slowly dominates Clay's life to a disastrous and darkly funny climax.
CHARACTERS
Danny: 175 pounds of nihilist terror. An aggressive musclebound scam artist who uses his intellect to justify absolute moral indifference. A drifter in a shroud of philosophical ambiguity, he loves the sound of his own voice, and uses the history of ethical and spiritual introspection as weapons against others. Alleged father to a son never seen, Danny’s life is largely a mystery. Despite all this, somehow, he’s a mineral deposit of charisma and HGH, a source of humor at the cost of integrity, a gravitational object unto himself, Nietzsche's abomination and the deranged production of a self-interested century.
Clay: A crestfallen postal worker, mourning the end of a long term relationship which he once hoped would have led to fatherhood. Certain and steadfast in his commitment to American democracy; Clay is a proud moderate who prides himself on voting in every election, no matter how small. But beneath a thin veneer of civic excitement, Clay is extremely insecure about the direction of his life, his own virility, and the threat of impotence. NPR, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert are but wooden planks laid over an open cloying void. That void is Clay.
TONE/STYLE
Filth.
The madcap dramatic energy of a John Cassavettes film. Still, claustrophobic, and combustible. Vacuum-sealed electricity. Murky, dirty, grime leaking off the screen.
Some of our comp titles are Mikey and Nicky, Naked, Husbands, and True West.
COST BREAKDOWN/TIMELINE
This is a microbudget film - the bulk of our costs are going directly to paying for professional crew for a 3-and-a-half day shoot. In order to light, shoot, and hear this movie at a level of quality that will be competitive with the best of the best, we'll be paying our crew (and feeding them) exactly what they need to bring the equipment and the labor required to bring this vision to life.
Our cost breakdown is as follows:
67% Cost of labor for a professional crew
22% Cost of all equipment (sound, lighting, camera, lenses, and much more)
4% Cost of catering for entire set
4% Cost of mandatory production insurance
3% Cost of prop and set decoration budget
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Follow us on Instagram @TheyCameFromDansvilleMovie and Twitter @DansvilleMovie!
We'll be submitting the film to festivals, and every donation, no matter how small, helps us reach our ultimate goal. Everyone involved in this production is young and hungry and this is the moment where we put down the pens and bring the page onscreen! Even if you're unable to support us financially, spreading the word on social media is a fantastic way to back our film!
Should we surpass our fundraising goal, any donations beyond the 100% mark will be used to compensate our actors, pay editing fees, and finance film festival submissions down the line!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Catering
Costs $525
We need to feed an entire film set for 3.5 days - breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
Crew
Costs $8,300
The pillar of our production - labor costs for our crew to work for 3.5 days!
Lighting Package
Costs $1,400
It's really hard to make films look good. That's where the pricey equipment comes in (rentals for 3.5 days).
Camera, Grips, Sound, all Other Equipment
Costs $1,380
The total cost of all needed equipment to make this film look and sound awesome (rentals for 3.5 days).
Production Insurance
Costs $550
We're mandated to have it, and if anything goes wrong, we'll be glad to have it!
Props and Set Decoration
Costs $300
We've got lawn signs, reefer, guns, and an election to operate - we'll need to design some sets and buy some props!
Share this update!
About This Team
Logan Robinson is a prolific writer and director from Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Bennington College in 2019, released his directorial short film debut One Hit in 2020, and, most recently, directed and starred in a production of Sam Shepard’s True West alongside They Came From Dansville's own Daniel Flores and Grace Rolek. Last year his script Charlie's Eye made semifinalist in the Fresh Voices 12th annual screenplay competition. Some pull quotes from the comment section of One Hit include: “This was cool! Made me feel like I was going insane,” "I can't quite put into words why I like this so much, but it's really good," and "Yes!" He hopes to achieve a similar effect with They Came From Dansville.
Alexander Blum is an Indian-American screenwriter who moved from Dansville, New York, to the city of Los Angeles - much like the protagonist of our short film. He was a finalist in the 2022 BlueCat Screenplay Competition for his 1-hour science fiction pilot, LOGOS, and wrote dialogue for the videogame God of War Ragnarök. Alex enjoys writing comedies about cynical, overly-educated ne’er-do-wells who use their intellect to make the world a worse place. He is inspired by the portrayal of fevered nihilists in Dostoevsky novels and faithless preachers in Flannery O'Connor. In the past, he has published short stories in online journals including Soft Cartel, New Pop Lit, and Eclectica Magazine.
Victim to countless vacancies of mind and wallet, Daniel Flores began acting in his final year with The UPS Store in Toluca Lake in a small production of True West, shortly before beginning a quick and fruitless attempt at USPS mail delivery. His constant fascination with politics stems from a much more voyeuristic place than most who stay involved with government appointment; 2020 would see both abandonment of ballot as well as adoption of 2nd Amendment procurements as a way to both maintain a hobby and bleed out bank accounts. He currently works for a different UPS Store after being unemployed for two and a half months, during which he would finally begin buying health insurance. After completing this film, Daniel hopes to return to CSUN so he can complete his masters degree and eventually beat the epileptic seizures he began having in October of 2023.
Clay Hollander is an actor born, raised, and based in Los Angeles, California. He is a recent graduate of the CalArts BFA acting program, and has been seen in various productions around Los Angeles, including the world premieres of Marabella (CalArts), and The Beautiful People (Rogue Machine Theatre Company), as well as countless staged readings. He is a proud supporter of the Los Angeles Theatre community, and a member of Rogue Machine Theatre Company, and the Road Theatre Company. Recent TV and Film appearances include: Catamount (Apple TV+), Ray Donovan (Showtime), The Affair (Showtime), and Backbone (AFI). Gratitude to the entire Dansville team!
While Grace Rolek is best known for playing Connie on Cartoon Network’s hit show Steven Universe, she’s been a working actress since she was 5 years old. You may have heard her lend her voice to many characters in film, television, and video games, including the iconic Lucy van Pelt in Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown—a role that earned Grace a Young Artist Award! In 2019, Grace Rolek made her directorial debut with the short film Mailboxes, which she also wrote and starred in alongside her Steven Universe co-star Zach Callison. Since being uploaded, it has garnered over 300,000 views on YouTube. More recently, she became a post-apocalyptic DJ known as Julie in the newest installment of the popular video game series Fallout. Even with two decades of experience behind her, Grace Rolek continues to embrace new opportunities to express herself artistically.
James Abroms, a third-generation filmmaker, immersed himself in the cinematic art during his formative years as he observed his parents at work. Since graduating from Columbia College Hollywood, James continues to direct, write, edit, and produce various projects amassing a wide-ranging portfolio. Member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, James has worked as an Assistant Editor on such projects as Grassland, Teen Wolf: The Movie, and the indie horror film, The Mad Hatter. In 2021, He Produced and Edited the upcoming indie feature Bad Generation. James is excited to collaborate with the immensely talented Dansville team to execute Logan’s vision for the film.
Matt Somogyi is a producer and director from Los Angeles. He loves expressing strange, specific, and uncomfortable stories people often have to go through. He is incredibly excited to collaborate with his longtime friends on a dramedy that reflects common anxieties and concerns, told through the lens of Alex and Logan.