After her best friend, Marina, 26, went missing two years ago, Cami, 26, hasn't been the same. Feeling like the authorities did close to nothing to try to solve Marina's case, Cami feels defeated. Her well-meaning boyfriend, Luke, 27, books them a weekend away hoping Cami can get much needed respite. Only, she now sees the world for what it is; dangerous, unforgiving, and unfair. Her intuition or paranoia, depending on how you see it, makes it impossible for her to enjoy their time away, feeling she's in danger the moment they hit the road. It all comes to a head when she discovers videotapes of what seems like past guests at their vacation rental making her question whether the fear she feels is all in her head or that there's a real danger at play.

In this film, we explore feelings of being ignored or not being taken seriously enough and the disregard society seems to have on violence against women. We also confront what it means to be an ally; how sympathy can do more harm than good especially when paired with indifference.

As a longtime fan of the horror-thriller genre, I was inspired to write a script set in a vacation rental after an airbnb stay in the woods. Seeing the personal belongings of the owners around the house during our stay made me question the safety of staying in strangers' homes, homes they have total access to during your stay. I couldn't help but think of all the potential dangers this presents, that is where Videotape 10 was born.

After many drafts, I knew the script needed something more. Enter: Marina's storyline, Cami's best friend who goes missing. This storyline was born out of seeing missing signs for women frequently come up on my social media feeds and around town, of hearing brief news stories about missing women that inevitably got buried after a celebrity engagement announcement, and from hearing first-person accounts from women in my life about encounters they've had.

The connection between horror and womanhood exists innately and I wanted to explore that. With a genre so male-dominated, we want to create a film that channels those everyday fears into a suspenseful, character-driven horror story.

Our tonal and visual references include Ringu (Nakata, 1998), Caché (Haneke, 2005), Barbarian (Cregger, 2022), Midsommar (Aster, 2019), and I Saw the TV Glow (Schoenbrun, 2024). Each of these films creates unease through restraint, atmosphere, and the feeling that something is quietly wrong long before it reveals itself.

Many of these stories take place in, or evoke, the late '90s and early 2000s - a moment when videotape was giving way to digital media. We want to capture that same liminal quality. As Cami and her boyfriend approach the cabin, the world begins to feel untethered from time. By avoiding modern technologies like smartphones and GPS, the setting becomes isolated and uncanny, as though it exists just outside the present.

As the film progresses, Cami appears increasingly erratic to those around her. Yet internally, she becomes more certain of what she's experiencing. The audience should slowly shift into her perspective, with the film's visual language evolving alongside her.

We plan to shoot in California's San Bernardino National Forest, currently scouting locations around Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, and Idyllwild. The secluded cabins and dense forests provide the perfect backdrop for our story.

Grace Gallagher (Director) - is a filmmaker born and raised in Los Angeles. She has been making films and staging plays with friends since childhood, a passion that grew into a lifelong pursuit of storytelling. After graduating from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Grace was recognized as a National YoungArts winner in Cinematic Arts. She later earned her degree from Sarah Lawrence College, including a year studying abroad in Paris. Grace is drawn to bittersweet, character-driven stories that uncover humor and tenderness in difficult places.

Adriana Hinojosa (Writer/ 'Cami' /Producer) - is an actress and writer from Dallas, TX. For as long as she can remember, she’s been keeping a diary of her thoughts and ideas and has been performing from a very young age. She attended Dallas’ performing arts magnet high school, Booker T., and studied acting and screenwriting at USC. She loves to tell stories that involve complex characters and challenge our worldview. A longtime fan of horror, she’s excited to bring this story that means so much to her to life. 

Kate Hader (Producer) - is a creative producer with a strong background in literary and talent management. She was an Associate Producer on the feature film Forbidden Fruits, starring Lili Reinhart, Victoria Pedretti, Lola Tung, Alexandra Shipp, and Emma Chamberlain, and produced the short film COMBUSTION. Kate has worked at Linden Entertainment and Echo Lake Entertainment.

Stefan Appel (Producer) - was born & raised on Long Island, NY, and now lives & works in Los Angeles. He studied writing at USC & has since amassed a professional background in Film & TV spanning Agency, Business Affairs & Physical Production. He is a lifelong fan of the horror/thriller genre and excited to bring this story to life!

Lexa Krebs (Cinematographer) - is a cinematographer based between NYC and LA, specializing in 16mm and 35mm film. Her narrative work has been recognized by festivals such as Palm Springs International Film Festival, HollyShorts, Directors’ Library, and Nowness, and her commercial work has been featured by The New York Times and The Beyond Noise Magazine. While working with her collaborators, she adores the dreaming stage of prep, the hands-on stage of production, and the polishing phase of post.

How Can You Help?

Seed & Spark requires at least 80% of our goal in 30 days or we don't receive any funds at all. Your pledges go a long way and will go towards cast wages, transportation costs, locations, equipment, insurance, food, and other production expenses. 

CONTRIBUTE: First and foremost we’d love for you to make a pledge. Every dollar counts. Your contributions will positively impact the set experience for all involved and help us see our vision through. No amount is too small. 

SPREAD THE WORD: Please consider sharing our Seed&Spark page: https://seedandspark.com/fund/video-tape-10 to help us build an audience and community and follow us on Instagram @videotape10shortfilm

HOW WE'LL BE USING YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS: Every dollar we raise is going straight back into the production of this film.

• First and foremost, we'd love to compensate our cast & crew for their time.
• Our cast & crew need to eat; filming days are long and require energy!
• We need to secure locations...which are expensive! We have the perfect cabin on hold for our shoot, but it's a little pricey - it makes sense, we and the owners need to be protected by insurance and make sure we have the space for the right amount of time for our shoot.
• We're lucky that our DP has her own camera - but that is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to equipment - and rentals get pricey fast.
• Set operations such as renting a truck, compensating cast/crew for gas, acquiring permits, sourcing art department needs, etc.
• The film does not END at the end of production - we need to get this thing edited, colored, scored, etc. in the post-production stage.

THANK YOU!

Thank you so much for your support! Making a film TAKES A VILLAGE - and to have villagers like you means the world. With your contributions, you're not only taking part in making a little girl's dream come true of making her own movie, but of supporting a female-led production team in creating something we need more of: women-led stories especially in the horror-thriller genre.