Thunderbolt In Mine Eye

Portland, Oregon | Film Feature

Drama, Teen

Sarah Sherman

1 Campaigns | Oregon, United States

Green Light

This campaign raised $15,270 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

169 supporters | followers

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We're a sibling team seeking to honor the unique, blemish-filled experience of first love. Our story depicts teenagers in a refreshingly un-glamorized light, and with a perceptive humor and voice that spits you straight into the butterflies-in-your-stomach of finding connection at a young age.

About The Project

  • The Story
  • Wishlist
  • Updates
  • The Team
  • Community

Mission Statement

This film gives credit to today's youth as they REALLY are — intelligent, thoughtful and not just obsessed with their phones. Our lead actress is a person of color, DP from Portugal and 50% of our team is female including writer/co-director. Most parts are played by teens their actual ages!

The Story

 

Harper and Tilly have lived across the street from each other since they were kids. Harper is 14; Tilly is 15 and his best friend is Adam, Harper's older brother. Harper is in her first few weeks of high school when one afternoon, she and Tilly find themselves in an unexpected dialog that incites ...


everything.

 

 

This story is about that pit in your gut kind of fascination with someone who only weeks/months/years ago, you saw completely differently or didn't even know. It's about the ache and intoxication of deep connection with someone, particularly at an age when there's so much noise (friends/teachers/family/THE INTERNET) and the funny little steps that go into a relationship becoming "a thing" — and then sometimes, unraveling back to strangers.

 

 

We're the people to make this because our first and foremost goal in any work we undertake is authenticity and truth. We've written a from-the-heart script that's been certified "SAME" by many a bonafide teen, but we're also willing to throw that to the wind if on any given day, what our actors bring to the table is something entirely different that proves more truthful and real to the characters and teenagers at large. 

 

 

We care about this story because movies and shows about teenagers so often resort to hyped-up storylines that we find insulting and only temporarily entertaining at best. (We also believe that these glamorized depictions of what relationships, and even teenagers themselves, look like set unfair — and often unattainable — precedents for young people.)

 

 

We love stories that surprise us, or make us feel uncomfortable or nostalgic because what we're witnessing is so reminiscent of real life. We hope you'll join us on this journey!

 

 

Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

G&E Package

Costs $4,000

Grip & Electric two week rental

Sound Gear / Operator

Costs $4,200

Sound gear and operator for two week shoot

Lunch/Dinner/Craft Services

Costs $1,500

two week shoot worth of meals and supplies

Studio Teacher

Costs $2,800

School teacher requirement per union & state laws

Wardrobe & Hair

Costs $2,500

Prep, assembly & rate per two week shoot

About This Team

Sarah Sherman: Writer/Director

 

Sarah was raised in Portland, Oregon where she mostly read books and wrote poems about cats and flowers. She moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000's to pursue a career in dance, only wound up quitting to return to words. Eventually she began penning screenplays while working on film projects with her brother Zachary; her work has since caught the attention of industry insiders for its unique voice and authentic dialog. Sarah now lives in Portland with her two children + partner Nolan and is currently at work on a documentary series on sexual assault, as well as another feature film about hyper masculinity in America.

 

Zachary Ray Sherman: Director 

 

Zachary Ray Sherman lived in Portland, Oregon until age twenty one when he was cast in a western shot in New Mexico called The Far Side of Jericho (directed by River's Edge's Tim Hunter.) Credits since then include Netflix's Everything Sucks!, the CW's 90210, independent films West Virginia, Archie's Final Project and upcoming film Cuck which is a character study examining the rise of emboldened hate-filled white young men in America. Zachary's directorial debut Barbie's Kenny will begin its festival journey in 2019 and he's looking forward to shooting Thunderbolt in Mine Eye back in his hometown. Zachary resides in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and dog.

 

Elise O'Brien: Producer

 

Elise transitioned from the world of psychology research into filmmaking. Since then, she has been lucky enough to work with a number of different types of productions over the years. The most challenging was a western called The Timber, which was shot in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania in minus 35 degree weather! After living in L.A. and abroad for about ten years, she is happy to be back home in Portland, making a film about growing up, in the place where she grew up.

 

Martim Vian: Director of Photography

 

Martim grew up in Lisbon, Portugal, where he studied Cinematography at the National Film School Conservatory. He continued his education at FAMU (the Czech National Film School) and AFI, where he completed a Masters in Cinematography. His short-film Equestrian Sexual Response was selected for several festivals and nominated for a Student Academy Award. As a Director of Photography Martim has shot a variety of commercials, music videos, shorts and feature films. His credits include national and international broadcast commercials for clients like Axe, Purina, Skittles, Disney, Sony, Energizer and Levis, and music videos for bands such as Haim, Ms. Mr., Bastille, Jeremih and Weird Al. He recently shot the Sundance selected High & Mighty directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada and the feature-film In a Relationship (Tribeca 2018) directed by Sam Boyd and starring Emma Roberts. His 2018 pilot Elemental can also be seen on National Geographic. He is a member of the Portuguese Society of Cinematography - AIP.

 

Quinn Liebling: Actor

 

Quinn played Tyler on Netflix's Original Series Everything Sucks! He acted in a 2017 short film called Halfway House and has had roles in a number of stage productions including The Village Theatre’s Billy Elliot and for the Academy of Performing Arts Cape Cod and Bainbridge Performing Arts, including Oliver!, Les MiserablesThe Jungle BookAnother Letter to Father Christmas, and A Christmas Story the Musical.

 

Anjini Taneja Azhar: Actor

 

Born and raised in Shoreline, Washington, I have ventured through my childhood (and teenagehood) searching for something I was passionate enough about to not quit after two months. I wanted a "thing." As a young girl, I was always fascinated with writing and storytelling, however the thought of creating cinema hadn’t crossed my mind- not even the slightest bit. I was always in love with films and stories, but I never connected the two. I always filled my spare time with writing and the exploration of storytelling; I wrote short stories, attempted scripts for fun, wrote storybooks, and more.

          Nonetheless, I tried every possible hobby in the book. At the age of eleven, I stumbled upon an agent in Los Angeles who offered to sign me as a client, to which I agreed since trying new things seemed to be my only "thing" so far.  It all happened so quickly  I fell in love with acting immediately, starting small with independent films such as Smashed by James Ponsoldt and, again, accidentally, stumbling upon roles in large productions such as Star Trek Into Darkness by JJ Abrams and HBO's The Brink with Jack Black. Acting was not just a hobby, but a passion. I flew to LA during the day for auditions and flew home a few hours later, doing my homework to maintain my 3.9 GPA between the hours of 11PM and 1AM on a redeye. 4 hours of a powernap later, I'd wake up and go to school. I loved every minute of it. I thrived on it. I grew a deep adoration for film: watching it, understanding it, becoming a part of it.

          And here I am now. I am an actress and venturing into the mysterious world of filmmaking. 

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