Turn Out
San Francisco, California | Film Feature
Crime, Drama
TURN OUT is the story of modern human slavery faced by millions of girls and women across America. It's also a coming-of-age story about CLAIRE, a young musician leaving foster care. After being tricked into sex slavery, it's up to her to decide if she will risk someone else’s life to save her own.
Turn Out
San Francisco, California | Film Feature
Crime, Drama
2 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $4,228 for development. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
50 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
TURN OUT is the story of modern human slavery faced by millions of girls and women across America. It's also a coming-of-age story about CLAIRE, a young musician leaving foster care. After being tricked into sex slavery, it's up to her to decide if she will risk someone else’s life to save her own.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Ethan Paisley here! The kid talking in that video up there. When I was 14, myself and a group of 20 teens produced and distributed The Art of Escape - a feature about teen drug addiction. Bringing a socially meaningful story to the big screen demonstrated the power of film as a vehicle for awareness, and inspired my company Take18 Entertainment, the goal being to tell underrepresented stories about teens for teens.
Turn Out is a script I developed with the Take18 team about a colossal problem affecting millions of our peers everyday: the child sex slavery trade.
Our story begins in Oakland, CA. Claire is thrown out of foster care and moves in with her cousin Shawn and his young daughter, Milly. After requesting a raise from her dead end job, her boss harasses her thus triggering a spiral of despair that forces Claire onto the streets. Here, she encounters Anton, who tricks her into a sex trafficking ring overseen by Mark and Alicia.
One day into working, a familiar pimp Kemari tries to buy Claire off Anton, allowing her a chance to escape. Upon catching Claire, Anton threatens to trap her cousin Milly and use her for future work. Desperate to protect her cousin, Claire promises to lure in a different young girl. She breaks in a naive teenager Sasha, who she comes to care about protecting. During Sasha’s first job, Claire’s moral conscience is awakened and she makes the difficult decision to use Sasha as the turn out to escape and save her cousin.
Once escaped, Claire feels guilty upon seeing Milly and turns back to save Sasha. Sasha and Claire now have no choice but to play Anton, Mark and Alicia’s game while hatching a plan to leave for good. Will they return to freedom or remain in bondage for years to come?
Turn Out exposes the raw underbelly of the American sex slavery trade. A $32 billion-a-year industry, sex trafficking is on the rise and is in all 50 states. As of 2012, it was reported that up to 300,000 Americans under 18 were lured into the trade, 91% of which were identified as African American or Latino. The film will highlight on a single one of these teenagers, as she learns how to survive through commiting criminal action.
.jpg)
Our story asks the question: what is the line between victim and criminal? What is right or wrong when you’re trying to save your own life? Turn Out paints a complex portrait of a world where there are no lines of morality and self-preservation is the only game in town. The story challenges society’s definition of evil and provokes our worldview.
I hope this idea also resonates with those championing diversity in film. As women in entertainment protest marginalized female characters in films, we are extending that battle to various minorities who are easily subject to the criminal underworld our film depicts. Additionally, as a minority-female-directed-project, our film contributes to a similar female-led movement behind-the-scenes.
I wish for this film to move audiences to begin a conversation about the status of disenfranchised people and ultimately how that contributes to the issue of sex trafficking.
Woohoo! You made it to the end! You're likely wondering how you can help ...
First, scroll back to the top and click the blue Follow button. The more followers we get, the better. Feel free to sign up for a Seed&Spark account with Facebook!
If you're able to financially support the film, please click the green Make a Pledge button.
And last but not least, tell all your friends about us! Share our Seed & Spark page on social media, and follow us at @TurnOutFilm on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Entertainment Attorney
Costs $1,000
We need an entertainment attorney to oversee the legal attachment of our cast & crew.
Casting Director
Costs $2,000
We need a casting director to cast our three principal roles.
Travel
Costs $500
We need to fly out cast & crew between SF & LA for early script meetings.
Line Producer
Costs $850
A Line Producer will put together a legible budget to use for investor proposals.
Publicist
Costs $650
We need to a pay a publicist to promote our initial casting additions.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
ETHAN PAISLEY
Writer
Ethan Paisley is a globally renowned 17-year-old writer, director, producer, and founder of production company, Take18 Entertainment. His content has garnered over 1 million YouTube views and a social media following of 20K+. His feature film Point 453 premiered at the 70th Cannes Film Festival where it scored four VoD distribution deals. He later spoke at TEDxSonoma and Variety's Digital Hollywood about youth in new media. Paisley has won 20 filmmaking awards worldwide. Most recently he was nominated for the American Red Cross Humanitarian Hero - Youth Award for his commitment to overturning human trafficking.
INDRANI PAL-CHAUDHURI
Director
Across the film, TV, fashion, and music industries, Indrani's multifaceted collaborative approach produces cultural icons, and campaigns that move millions to action. She is known by a single name, for her work with legendary artists from Beyonce to Bowie, and brands from L'Oreal to Pepsi. Indrani's films have won 22 awards including two Gold Lions at Cannes Festival of Creativity. Her short on trafficking, Girl Epidemic, was selected by CNN for their Freedom Project. Indrani’s latest short Bloom will screen at Global Women Empowerment Network at the UN. She is in post for her first feature Singh In the Rain, inspired by her experiences between Hollywood and Bollywood.
ERIC J. ADAMS
Producer
Eric is an award-winning producer, screenwriter, and author. He wrote the screenplay and co-produced the feature film Supremacy (2015), starring Danny Glover and Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, which was the opening night selection of the Los Angeles Film Festival and winner of an African Academy Award. Alongside executive producer Harold Ramis, Eric also co-wrote and produced, Archie’s Final Project (aka My Suicide) (2011), winner of 21 major international film festival awards, including the Crystal Bear in Berlin. He wrote and directed To Save A Child, an award-winning documentary on suicide, as well as a number of other film projects.
SIENA OBERMAN
Producer
While studying business and cinema at USC, Siena was Futurist on board USC’s Cinematic Honors Fraternity, interned at Plan B Entertainment, and had her first three shorts premiere in Cannes. Prior to film she worked for the Red Cross where she won the Volunteer of the Year Award and National Scholarship for Humanitarian Leadership through Media. She produces socially progressive content and values developing young, talented filmmakers. She has worked with multiple student Academy Award and Emmy winning directors. Currently, her first features are beginning festival rounds.
GK REID
Producer
Trusted by high profile artists for their most important projects, his editorial and advertising campaigns are world-renowned. GK is responsible for some of the hottest breakthrough looks for Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and David Bowie among others. Films he has creative produced have won the top 4 awards at the Fashion Film Festival and 2 Gold Lions at Cannes.
RYAN KITTLEMAN
Attorney
Colony Pictura was founded by attorney and author Ryan George Kittleman in 2010 with the goal of creating a law firm 'by artists, for artists' and to help provide an open and cooperative link between the legal world and the arts and entertainment communities. He has joined the Turn Out team at an early stage without regards to compensation due to his belief in the cause against human trafficking.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Ethan Paisley here! The kid talking in that video up there. When I was 14, myself and a group of 20 teens produced and distributed The Art of Escape - a feature about teen drug addiction. Bringing a socially meaningful story to the big screen demonstrated the power of film as a vehicle for awareness, and inspired my company Take18 Entertainment, the goal being to tell underrepresented stories about teens for teens.
Turn Out is a script I developed with the Take18 team about a colossal problem affecting millions of our peers everyday: the child sex slavery trade.
Our story begins in Oakland, CA. Claire is thrown out of foster care and moves in with her cousin Shawn and his young daughter, Milly. After requesting a raise from her dead end job, her boss harasses her thus triggering a spiral of despair that forces Claire onto the streets. Here, she encounters Anton, who tricks her into a sex trafficking ring overseen by Mark and Alicia.
One day into working, a familiar pimp Kemari tries to buy Claire off Anton, allowing her a chance to escape. Upon catching Claire, Anton threatens to trap her cousin Milly and use her for future work. Desperate to protect her cousin, Claire promises to lure in a different young girl. She breaks in a naive teenager Sasha, who she comes to care about protecting. During Sasha’s first job, Claire’s moral conscience is awakened and she makes the difficult decision to use Sasha as the turn out to escape and save her cousin.
Once escaped, Claire feels guilty upon seeing Milly and turns back to save Sasha. Sasha and Claire now have no choice but to play Anton, Mark and Alicia’s game while hatching a plan to leave for good. Will they return to freedom or remain in bondage for years to come?
Turn Out exposes the raw underbelly of the American sex slavery trade. A $32 billion-a-year industry, sex trafficking is on the rise and is in all 50 states. As of 2012, it was reported that up to 300,000 Americans under 18 were lured into the trade, 91% of which were identified as African American or Latino. The film will highlight on a single one of these teenagers, as she learns how to survive through commiting criminal action.
Our story asks the question: what is the line between victim and criminal? What is right or wrong when you’re trying to save your own life? Turn Out paints a complex portrait of a world where there are no lines of morality and self-preservation is the only game in town. The story challenges society’s definition of evil and provokes our worldview.
I hope this idea also resonates with those championing diversity in film. As women in entertainment protest marginalized female characters in films, we are extending that battle to various minorities who are easily subject to the criminal underworld our film depicts. Additionally, as a minority-female-directed-project, our film contributes to a similar female-led movement behind-the-scenes.
I wish for this film to move audiences to begin a conversation about the status of disenfranchised people and ultimately how that contributes to the issue of sex trafficking.
Woohoo! You made it to the end! You're likely wondering how you can help ...
First, scroll back to the top and click the blue Follow button. The more followers we get, the better. Feel free to sign up for a Seed&Spark account with Facebook!
If you're able to financially support the film, please click the green Make a Pledge button.
And last but not least, tell all your friends about us! Share our Seed & Spark page on social media, and follow us at @TurnOutFilm on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Entertainment Attorney
Costs $1,000
We need an entertainment attorney to oversee the legal attachment of our cast & crew.
Casting Director
Costs $2,000
We need a casting director to cast our three principal roles.
Travel
Costs $500
We need to fly out cast & crew between SF & LA for early script meetings.
Line Producer
Costs $850
A Line Producer will put together a legible budget to use for investor proposals.
Publicist
Costs $650
We need to a pay a publicist to promote our initial casting additions.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
ETHAN PAISLEY
Writer
Ethan Paisley is a globally renowned 17-year-old writer, director, producer, and founder of production company, Take18 Entertainment. His content has garnered over 1 million YouTube views and a social media following of 20K+. His feature film Point 453 premiered at the 70th Cannes Film Festival where it scored four VoD distribution deals. He later spoke at TEDxSonoma and Variety's Digital Hollywood about youth in new media. Paisley has won 20 filmmaking awards worldwide. Most recently he was nominated for the American Red Cross Humanitarian Hero - Youth Award for his commitment to overturning human trafficking.
INDRANI PAL-CHAUDHURI
Director
Across the film, TV, fashion, and music industries, Indrani's multifaceted collaborative approach produces cultural icons, and campaigns that move millions to action. She is known by a single name, for her work with legendary artists from Beyonce to Bowie, and brands from L'Oreal to Pepsi. Indrani's films have won 22 awards including two Gold Lions at Cannes Festival of Creativity. Her short on trafficking, Girl Epidemic, was selected by CNN for their Freedom Project. Indrani’s latest short Bloom will screen at Global Women Empowerment Network at the UN. She is in post for her first feature Singh In the Rain, inspired by her experiences between Hollywood and Bollywood.
ERIC J. ADAMS
Producer
Eric is an award-winning producer, screenwriter, and author. He wrote the screenplay and co-produced the feature film Supremacy (2015), starring Danny Glover and Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, which was the opening night selection of the Los Angeles Film Festival and winner of an African Academy Award. Alongside executive producer Harold Ramis, Eric also co-wrote and produced, Archie’s Final Project (aka My Suicide) (2011), winner of 21 major international film festival awards, including the Crystal Bear in Berlin. He wrote and directed To Save A Child, an award-winning documentary on suicide, as well as a number of other film projects.
SIENA OBERMAN
Producer
While studying business and cinema at USC, Siena was Futurist on board USC’s Cinematic Honors Fraternity, interned at Plan B Entertainment, and had her first three shorts premiere in Cannes. Prior to film she worked for the Red Cross where she won the Volunteer of the Year Award and National Scholarship for Humanitarian Leadership through Media. She produces socially progressive content and values developing young, talented filmmakers. She has worked with multiple student Academy Award and Emmy winning directors. Currently, her first features are beginning festival rounds.
GK REID
Producer
Trusted by high profile artists for their most important projects, his editorial and advertising campaigns are world-renowned. GK is responsible for some of the hottest breakthrough looks for Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and David Bowie among others. Films he has creative produced have won the top 4 awards at the Fashion Film Festival and 2 Gold Lions at Cannes.
RYAN KITTLEMAN
Attorney
Colony Pictura was founded by attorney and author Ryan George Kittleman in 2010 with the goal of creating a law firm 'by artists, for artists' and to help provide an open and cooperative link between the legal world and the arts and entertainment communities. He has joined the Turn Out team at an early stage without regards to compensation due to his belief in the cause against human trafficking.