Where's Gramps?
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Family
Where's Gramps? is the story of a young boy who doesn't understand the concept of death. Few films, if any, have explored the effects of losing a family member and what that does to children psychologically. We hope to bring awareness to the grief one feels after a beloved person's passing.
Where's Gramps?
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Family
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $21,390 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
54 supporters | followers
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Where's Gramps? is the story of a young boy who doesn't understand the concept of death. Few films, if any, have explored the effects of losing a family member and what that does to children psychologically. We hope to bring awareness to the grief one feels after a beloved person's passing.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Logline:
A young child wanders a small, seaside town's streets in search of the answer to the pressing question: Where’s Gramps?
SYNOPSIS:
Where’s Gramps? is a family-friendly short film, done in the whimsical style of Wes Anderson.
Set in charming Seaside, Oregon, Where’s Gramps follows the journey of a young child as he (or she) wanders the town’s streets in search of the answer to their pressing question: Where’s Gramps?
A must-see for adults and children alike, Where’s Gramps? explores loss, grief, and healing through the perspective of a young child. Filled with love, whimsy, and hope, the film serves as a reminder for people of all ages that, no matter where our loved ones have gone, their memory will forever remain in our hearts, and in the people and places that remind us of them.
The story revolves around a young child who looks to his grandfather, or as they call him, "Gramps," as a father figure. Being raised by a single mother is difficult, and being with Gramps, whether it's performing magic or exploring the town, is their form of escape. Riding the Tilt-A-Whirl or bumper cars, playing the local arcade game Fascination, or putt putting through a game of mini golf is what keeps the child going.
Growing up as a gifted child is often isolating, and they tend to cling to family members and few friends, which let's their naivete get the better of them. When their mother, Jess, tells the child that Gramps is gone, the child doesn't understand where he went. They look around the town for Gramps, remembering the good times they had together. At the funeral, they finally find Gramps, but realize he is truly gone.
What begins as a magical jaunt with Gramps becomes a story of a child's fantasy, that quickly brings the them back to reality.
The style of filming for Where’s Gramps, has an aesthetic, narrative methodology of Wes Anderson with the wonder of the film's Amélie and Hugo.
Wes Anderson films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. Symmetrical framing in shot reverse shot is a crucial part of this style. Unlike a traditional tracking shot, the camera creeps
along to lend subjectivity to the characters while the concept of time slowly recedes into the background.
Hugo is a magical movie directed by Martin Scorsese, and the only family-friendly film he has made to date. The film has a unique perspective of an orphan searching for an old French illusionist, toymaker and director, Georges Méliès, and the journey of finding him. Hugo has a sense of wonder to it that engages the audience, young and old, alike.
Whether it's through a donation here on Seed & Spark, sharing this fundraiser on social media, or sending it to folks with whom this project might resonate with, we can’t do this without you!
Your donation will help us pay for casting, equipment rentals, cast and crew, travel, accomodations, and of course, production design to make this film a true work comparable of Wes Anderson's unique style.
We want to make this family-friendly film as a way for audiences and children alike to understand that remembering those we've lost is a way for them to live on. Even though their passing is heartbreaking, it's the memories we have of family and friends that matters.
With you're involvement, we have a chance to tell a story that has yet to be told.
Thank you for being a part of this special project! And please follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Director's Statement
It is rare to find a story that moves me emotionally, in a good way. Where’s Gramps? did just that when I read the script. It is a gem of a story about the experience of loss and grief through the eyes of a child, and once that realization kicks in, it can be devastating. One of my specialties is working with child actors to pull performances and make them shine. And that will be a necessity on this project.
The stunning locations we have found in Seaside, Oregon, have further led me to embrace directing the story. The locations are timeless, quirky and magical.
Where’s Gramps? will have a feel of drama mixed with a touch of magical realism allowing me to once again become a storytelling conductor, interweaving plot, behaviorism, and startling imagery into a filmic symphony.
Please join us on this exciting journey!
-Barri Chase, Director of Where's Gramps?
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Transportation (Cast, Crew, and Equipment)
Costs $2,000
We need to get from A to B, and your contributions will help get us there!
Equipment Rental (G&E)
Costs $2,500
Lights, C Stands, Tripods....This amount will cover it all!
Production Designer
Costs $2,000
To achieve the Wes Anderson style, we need a production designer to help us keep the aesthetic going
Travel (Flights + Accommodations)
Costs $4,000
This would cover travel for some cast and crew to Seaside, OR for the duration of our shoot.
Camera (Lenses and Body)
Costs $3,500
This will go towards paying our cinematographer and camera/lens rentals for the production.
Hard Drives - Data Storage
Costs $500
Where do we put all the footage from our shoot? On hard drives! These are a necessity on any shoot.
Share this update!
About This Team
Barri Chase
DIRECTOR
Barri Chase is an American director of mixed Indigenous descent who has used her platform to showcase indigenous perspectives and incite conversations on equality. She is an award-winning writer/director and producer of the feature motion picture The Watchman's Canoe, which is currently available on Amazon Prime. In August of 2022, she was awarded a directors lab and mentoring program through a collaboration of A24, Netflix, Portland Art Museum and The National Endowment for the Arts.
Currently, she is working with Helen Mirren in Montana on a the new television series 1923, that also stars Harrison Ford. Barri was highlighted as one of the top 7 female producers and directors to keep your eyes on, alongside Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling:
https://www.yeahflix.com/talented-female-directors/
Caroline Parker Boyd
PRODUCER
Caroline Parker Boyd is the Founder of Parker Pictures, which is based in Brooklyn, New York. She is a graduate of the Columbia University Film MFA Creative Producing program and has worked on several short films during her time there. Caroline is an epileptic entrepreneur, independent producer, and disability advocate.
Those with disabilities are not helpless and can make a difference in cinema and television. There are actors and filmmakers with various disabilities out there, but the majority of them are ignored by Hollywood. She focuses on making invisible stories visible.
Emily Rued
WRITER & ACTRESS
Emily Rued is a Los Angeles based screenwriter, actress, and licensed psychotherapist. Emily has studied acting all over Los Angeles and the Bay Area, including A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, The Beverly Hills Playhouse, Lesly Kahn Studios, Stan Kirsh Studios, UCSB, iO West, and BGB. She is currently in pre-production for her award winning feature film script Good Grief, where she is starring and Emmy Winner Jaclyn Bethany is directing. Shooting will take place in Los Angeles this summer.
Some of Emily's many screenwriting accolades include the Grand Jury Best Feature Screenplay - Sherman Oaks Film Festival, Best Narrative Screenplay - LA Under the Stars Film Festival, Best Drama and Best Horror Screenplays - Los Angeles Film Awards, Quarterfinalist - Scriptapalooza Film Festival, Top 10 - Crimson Screen Horror Fest, and Official Selection - Beverly Hills Film Festival.
Emily is very excited to work with Caroline and Barri on Where's Gramps? and bring the character of Jess to life in this important story. A lot of us just aren't taught how to grieve, or how to even talk about grief, especially to kids. Jess is a loving mom that just keeps saying all the wrong things about the death of her father to her son, who was very close to him. By trying not to upset him, she ends up confusing him and preventing him from grieving. In my work as a therapist, I have seen how difficult it is for kids 5-8, when they are in the magical thinking stage of development, to grasp death when it's not talked about directly, and how painful that can be.
Justin Giddings
EXPERT ADVISOR
Justin Giddings is a classically-trained actor who got tired of waiting for permission to be creative and turned to filmmaking to continue his exploration of the human condition. His films have won multiple festivals around the globe and have received international distribution with companies like Gaiam TV and Gunpowder & Sky. He's also an international speaker & teacher on crowdfunding having raised nearly $9 million for indie film projects through his company The Kickstarter Guy.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Logline:
A young child wanders a small, seaside town's streets in search of the answer to the pressing question: Where’s Gramps?
SYNOPSIS:
Where’s Gramps? is a family-friendly short film, done in the whimsical style of Wes Anderson.
Set in charming Seaside, Oregon, Where’s Gramps follows the journey of a young child as he (or she) wanders the town’s streets in search of the answer to their pressing question: Where’s Gramps?
A must-see for adults and children alike, Where’s Gramps? explores loss, grief, and healing through the perspective of a young child. Filled with love, whimsy, and hope, the film serves as a reminder for people of all ages that, no matter where our loved ones have gone, their memory will forever remain in our hearts, and in the people and places that remind us of them.
The story revolves around a young child who looks to his grandfather, or as they call him, "Gramps," as a father figure. Being raised by a single mother is difficult, and being with Gramps, whether it's performing magic or exploring the town, is their form of escape. Riding the Tilt-A-Whirl or bumper cars, playing the local arcade game Fascination, or putt putting through a game of mini golf is what keeps the child going.
Growing up as a gifted child is often isolating, and they tend to cling to family members and few friends, which let's their naivete get the better of them. When their mother, Jess, tells the child that Gramps is gone, the child doesn't understand where he went. They look around the town for Gramps, remembering the good times they had together. At the funeral, they finally find Gramps, but realize he is truly gone.
What begins as a magical jaunt with Gramps becomes a story of a child's fantasy, that quickly brings the them back to reality.
The style of filming for Where’s Gramps, has an aesthetic, narrative methodology of Wes Anderson with the wonder of the film's Amélie and Hugo.
Wes Anderson films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. Symmetrical framing in shot reverse shot is a crucial part of this style. Unlike a traditional tracking shot, the camera creeps
along to lend subjectivity to the characters while the concept of time slowly recedes into the background.
Hugo is a magical movie directed by Martin Scorsese, and the only family-friendly film he has made to date. The film has a unique perspective of an orphan searching for an old French illusionist, toymaker and director, Georges Méliès, and the journey of finding him. Hugo has a sense of wonder to it that engages the audience, young and old, alike.
Whether it's through a donation here on Seed & Spark, sharing this fundraiser on social media, or sending it to folks with whom this project might resonate with, we can’t do this without you!
Your donation will help us pay for casting, equipment rentals, cast and crew, travel, accomodations, and of course, production design to make this film a true work comparable of Wes Anderson's unique style.
We want to make this family-friendly film as a way for audiences and children alike to understand that remembering those we've lost is a way for them to live on. Even though their passing is heartbreaking, it's the memories we have of family and friends that matters.
With you're involvement, we have a chance to tell a story that has yet to be told.
Thank you for being a part of this special project! And please follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Director's Statement
It is rare to find a story that moves me emotionally, in a good way. Where’s Gramps? did just that when I read the script. It is a gem of a story about the experience of loss and grief through the eyes of a child, and once that realization kicks in, it can be devastating. One of my specialties is working with child actors to pull performances and make them shine. And that will be a necessity on this project.
The stunning locations we have found in Seaside, Oregon, have further led me to embrace directing the story. The locations are timeless, quirky and magical.
Where’s Gramps? will have a feel of drama mixed with a touch of magical realism allowing me to once again become a storytelling conductor, interweaving plot, behaviorism, and startling imagery into a filmic symphony.
Please join us on this exciting journey!
-Barri Chase, Director of Where's Gramps?
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Transportation (Cast, Crew, and Equipment)
Costs $2,000
We need to get from A to B, and your contributions will help get us there!
Equipment Rental (G&E)
Costs $2,500
Lights, C Stands, Tripods....This amount will cover it all!
Production Designer
Costs $2,000
To achieve the Wes Anderson style, we need a production designer to help us keep the aesthetic going
Travel (Flights + Accommodations)
Costs $4,000
This would cover travel for some cast and crew to Seaside, OR for the duration of our shoot.
Camera (Lenses and Body)
Costs $3,500
This will go towards paying our cinematographer and camera/lens rentals for the production.
Hard Drives - Data Storage
Costs $500
Where do we put all the footage from our shoot? On hard drives! These are a necessity on any shoot.
Share this update!
About This Team
Barri Chase
DIRECTOR
Barri Chase is an American director of mixed Indigenous descent who has used her platform to showcase indigenous perspectives and incite conversations on equality. She is an award-winning writer/director and producer of the feature motion picture The Watchman's Canoe, which is currently available on Amazon Prime. In August of 2022, she was awarded a directors lab and mentoring program through a collaboration of A24, Netflix, Portland Art Museum and The National Endowment for the Arts.
Currently, she is working with Helen Mirren in Montana on a the new television series 1923, that also stars Harrison Ford. Barri was highlighted as one of the top 7 female producers and directors to keep your eyes on, alongside Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling:
https://www.yeahflix.com/talented-female-directors/
Caroline Parker Boyd
PRODUCER
Caroline Parker Boyd is the Founder of Parker Pictures, which is based in Brooklyn, New York. She is a graduate of the Columbia University Film MFA Creative Producing program and has worked on several short films during her time there. Caroline is an epileptic entrepreneur, independent producer, and disability advocate.
Those with disabilities are not helpless and can make a difference in cinema and television. There are actors and filmmakers with various disabilities out there, but the majority of them are ignored by Hollywood. She focuses on making invisible stories visible.
Emily Rued
WRITER & ACTRESS
Emily Rued is a Los Angeles based screenwriter, actress, and licensed psychotherapist. Emily has studied acting all over Los Angeles and the Bay Area, including A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, The Beverly Hills Playhouse, Lesly Kahn Studios, Stan Kirsh Studios, UCSB, iO West, and BGB. She is currently in pre-production for her award winning feature film script Good Grief, where she is starring and Emmy Winner Jaclyn Bethany is directing. Shooting will take place in Los Angeles this summer.
Some of Emily's many screenwriting accolades include the Grand Jury Best Feature Screenplay - Sherman Oaks Film Festival, Best Narrative Screenplay - LA Under the Stars Film Festival, Best Drama and Best Horror Screenplays - Los Angeles Film Awards, Quarterfinalist - Scriptapalooza Film Festival, Top 10 - Crimson Screen Horror Fest, and Official Selection - Beverly Hills Film Festival.
Emily is very excited to work with Caroline and Barri on Where's Gramps? and bring the character of Jess to life in this important story. A lot of us just aren't taught how to grieve, or how to even talk about grief, especially to kids. Jess is a loving mom that just keeps saying all the wrong things about the death of her father to her son, who was very close to him. By trying not to upset him, she ends up confusing him and preventing him from grieving. In my work as a therapist, I have seen how difficult it is for kids 5-8, when they are in the magical thinking stage of development, to grasp death when it's not talked about directly, and how painful that can be.
Justin Giddings
EXPERT ADVISOR
Justin Giddings is a classically-trained actor who got tired of waiting for permission to be creative and turned to filmmaking to continue his exploration of the human condition. His films have won multiple festivals around the globe and have received international distribution with companies like Gaiam TV and Gunpowder & Sky. He's also an international speaker & teacher on crowdfunding having raised nearly $9 million for indie film projects through his company The Kickstarter Guy.