TURN UP THE NIGHT
Buffalo, New York | Film Feature
Drama, Music
TURN UP THE NIGHT is a film that takes place in 1987-1988 in Los Angeles at the heart of the wild and “decadent” heavy metal era. Think "The Social Network" meets "Purple Rain".
TURN UP THE NIGHT
Buffalo, New York | Film Feature
Drama, Music
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $760 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
17 supporters | followers
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TURN UP THE NIGHT is a film that takes place in 1987-1988 in Los Angeles at the heart of the wild and “decadent” heavy metal era. Think "The Social Network" meets "Purple Rain".
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
TURN UP THE NIGHT is a film that takes place in 1987-1988 in Los Angeles at the heart of the wild and “decadent” heavy metal era. It focuses on the protagonist, guitarist Derek Carver, who moves from Grand Rapids, MI to pursue a music career in L.A. There he connects with the band, Boy Elroy, led by charismatic (and problematic) front-man, Kimmi Gaines. The story explores their quick rise and fall through stardom, the shady side of the music business, and self-destruction - but deeper than that, it confronts the idea of identity; we explore an idea called “the golden prison”, where you’ve gotten everything you’ve ever wanted - yet you're shackled by it! I.E. At what point do you become a “product”? Simultaneously, Derek meets an aspiring actress named Iona. Though their relationship is romantic, it avoids the normal troupes you’d see in a guy-meets-girl film. Iona is very much a lead, and her character is not beholden to anyone. We think the audience will appreciate the kind of real life honesty their relationship represents.
Directing TURN UP THE NIGHT is Melodie Roehrig - who also stars as Iona in the film. We think having a female director - taking on such a often viewed “misogynistic” era of music was extremely important in telling the story. The film doesn’t shy away from the excess or now problematic social norms of the 80’s - we shine a light on them; call them out. And a character like Iona also represents the liberating parts of the era: goal-oriented and self-awareness;helping Derek search for the best version of himself.
When we started preproduction in 2018, we obviously didn't think that something like a global pandemic in 2020 would be the thing that would slow us down. We figured "the usual" - inclement weather, uncontrollable background noise, rental fees, etc. Like many, we had no idea what we were in for with 2020.
BUT, it is 2021 and we are still here - tooth and nail this movie got made. As of June 2021 this film has been in production and we have finally been able to successfully bring to life what we've been imagining and planning for years. And here we are... we're approaching the finish line heading into 2022. We can see it just off yonder in the horizon - and we're ready to go full-throttle and cross it to begin the next phases: giving this film life after production wraps!! We're asking you to take that ride with us!!
Though we paused filming in 2020, we did not stop… in fact, we shifted gears and hit accelerate. In 2020, we had 3 main goals:
First, we needed to build our brand. Through an aggressive marketing effort and careful planning - we have built our TURN UP THE NIGHT empire from 1500 followers in March 2020, to 22,000 Facebook followers as of December 2021.
Secondly, we needed to shift gears and focus heavily on the music from the film. In March 2021 we released the lead single from the film, a power ballad, named “The Only”. It was met with an overwhelming positive response - so much so that we asked people to participate in a first time “reaction” video. As of the beginning of this campaign, you can find the official music video which will be seen in its entirety in the film on both Youtube and our Facebook page (Currently about 80,000 views), as well as the song release’s reaction video.
Thirdly, we needed to prepare the film to be re-introduced in a Covid-present world. That meant refining the script and adapting to a whole new set of changes and challenges. By doing this, we were able to ensure that when we picked-up filming that we were well equipped and prepared to finish the film as planned during 2021 - and aim to have an aggressive push/release thereafter completion.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Mixing and Mastering
Costs $250
The soundtrack needs to be properly mixed and mastered to achieve the highest quality!
Musician's Wages
Costs $250
This will apply towards wages for the musicians on the soundtrack!
Studio Rental
Costs $250
The studio rental space is $250 for 8 hours! This will give us the amount of time we need to finish!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Directing TURN UP THE NIGHT is Melodie Roehrig - who also stars as Iona in the film. We think having a female director - taking on such a often viewed “misogynistic” era of music was extremely important in telling the story. The film doesn’t shy away from the excess or now problematic social norms of the 80’s - we shine a light on them; call them out. And a character like Iona also represents the liberating parts of the era: goal-oriented and self-awareness;helping Derek search for the best version of himself.
The songs were written by writer and executive producer, Rick Masi- and performed by Ed Wyner (vocals), Eric Rovner (lead guitars), Kevin Sampson (guitars, additional instruments).
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
TURN UP THE NIGHT is a film that takes place in 1987-1988 in Los Angeles at the heart of the wild and “decadent” heavy metal era. It focuses on the protagonist, guitarist Derek Carver, who moves from Grand Rapids, MI to pursue a music career in L.A. There he connects with the band, Boy Elroy, led by charismatic (and problematic) front-man, Kimmi Gaines. The story explores their quick rise and fall through stardom, the shady side of the music business, and self-destruction - but deeper than that, it confronts the idea of identity; we explore an idea called “the golden prison”, where you’ve gotten everything you’ve ever wanted - yet you're shackled by it! I.E. At what point do you become a “product”? Simultaneously, Derek meets an aspiring actress named Iona. Though their relationship is romantic, it avoids the normal troupes you’d see in a guy-meets-girl film. Iona is very much a lead, and her character is not beholden to anyone. We think the audience will appreciate the kind of real life honesty their relationship represents.
Directing TURN UP THE NIGHT is Melodie Roehrig - who also stars as Iona in the film. We think having a female director - taking on such a often viewed “misogynistic” era of music was extremely important in telling the story. The film doesn’t shy away from the excess or now problematic social norms of the 80’s - we shine a light on them; call them out. And a character like Iona also represents the liberating parts of the era: goal-oriented and self-awareness;helping Derek search for the best version of himself.
When we started preproduction in 2018, we obviously didn't think that something like a global pandemic in 2020 would be the thing that would slow us down. We figured "the usual" - inclement weather, uncontrollable background noise, rental fees, etc. Like many, we had no idea what we were in for with 2020.
BUT, it is 2021 and we are still here - tooth and nail this movie got made. As of June 2021 this film has been in production and we have finally been able to successfully bring to life what we've been imagining and planning for years. And here we are... we're approaching the finish line heading into 2022. We can see it just off yonder in the horizon - and we're ready to go full-throttle and cross it to begin the next phases: giving this film life after production wraps!! We're asking you to take that ride with us!!
Though we paused filming in 2020, we did not stop… in fact, we shifted gears and hit accelerate. In 2020, we had 3 main goals:
First, we needed to build our brand. Through an aggressive marketing effort and careful planning - we have built our TURN UP THE NIGHT empire from 1500 followers in March 2020, to 22,000 Facebook followers as of December 2021.
Secondly, we needed to shift gears and focus heavily on the music from the film. In March 2021 we released the lead single from the film, a power ballad, named “The Only”. It was met with an overwhelming positive response - so much so that we asked people to participate in a first time “reaction” video. As of the beginning of this campaign, you can find the official music video which will be seen in its entirety in the film on both Youtube and our Facebook page (Currently about 80,000 views), as well as the song release’s reaction video.
Thirdly, we needed to prepare the film to be re-introduced in a Covid-present world. That meant refining the script and adapting to a whole new set of changes and challenges. By doing this, we were able to ensure that when we picked-up filming that we were well equipped and prepared to finish the film as planned during 2021 - and aim to have an aggressive push/release thereafter completion.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Mixing and Mastering
Costs $250
The soundtrack needs to be properly mixed and mastered to achieve the highest quality!
Musician's Wages
Costs $250
This will apply towards wages for the musicians on the soundtrack!
Studio Rental
Costs $250
The studio rental space is $250 for 8 hours! This will give us the amount of time we need to finish!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Directing TURN UP THE NIGHT is Melodie Roehrig - who also stars as Iona in the film. We think having a female director - taking on such a often viewed “misogynistic” era of music was extremely important in telling the story. The film doesn’t shy away from the excess or now problematic social norms of the 80’s - we shine a light on them; call them out. And a character like Iona also represents the liberating parts of the era: goal-oriented and self-awareness;helping Derek search for the best version of himself.
The songs were written by writer and executive producer, Rick Masi- and performed by Ed Wyner (vocals), Eric Rovner (lead guitars), Kevin Sampson (guitars, additional instruments).