I do lots of things associated with writing but never considered I might produce one of my stories to a short film.
I also can't imagine becoming a lion tamer. That's how outlandish it seemed a year ago when I was looking for a filmmaker to take my script CHAT and make a short film. I wrote it contained (few locations) with a small cast so it would be an easy shoot and was sure I could give this script to a deserving creative and get a free pass to watch the filming. Win win.
Several filmmakers read it. I was surprised that only one woman came forward. She was interested in directing and would have been awesome but was a very long plane ride away and she wasn't offering to take the whole package, just direct the film.
I needed someone to produce my award-winning script and that meant casting, money, finding crew, heading up everything because Indie Filmmaking is a big deal with lots of moving parts. Another director reached out to me who lived closer and was a friend with production experience and loved the script. Giving it to him meant a woman would not direct but as a producer, I'd be involved in a BIG way.
I mulled it over for several months waiting to see if I got any traction from CHAT's contest placement at Austin Film Festival. There was interest but nothing more concrete than the final realization that I wanted to produce this myself with Brad Johnson directing.
I'd produced stage plays, convention shows and had done a fundraising campaign for a friend's dog's surgery. And had managed a HUGE campaign to achieve USA Today Bestselling Author status. I felt ready to take this on.
November 2021, Brad and I started casting CHAT with both of us producing, him directing. You know when you fret over buying something big, pull the plug, buy it and the relief and excitement takes over? That's how I felt. I knew I'd made a great decision once Brad and I started working together.
We cast CHAT, brought on an AD who would be able to catch us if we fell, added a top shelf DOP, Sound Director, Composer (all women) and a Gaffer who worked on Emmy winning films as well as a PA who was overqualified for the job. We would've felt unworthy of all this talent but were too busy moving forward with production.
Cut To: February 2022 and the project had cast and crew, the fundraising efforts at Seed & Spark were ready to go. I'd designed what I hoped would be a successful crowdfunding campaign, appealing to the fact that no one needed to join our team but there was fun to be had during the process and you might want to get on board the Chat Train. I knew this feeling from pledging to about 20 other Indie Films over the last year and feeling excitement to be involved. What had us push back the fundraising campaign several times was making a video to promote the film. Brad and I did not have a camera, it's a pandemic, our DOP was not available, it being football season and her being the videographer for the Seattle Seahawks and then when we did find a wonderful person with a camera, we didn't like being outside or what we said on camera. Take Two had us filming at Brad's house with a generous friend who borrowed equipment and took the day to help us. Then took the next day to edit and work on the video splicing it together with the concept trailer another generous friend had made. When the video was finished, Brad and I still wished we'd done a lot differently but it was time to launch this thing or pull the plug.
In the meantime, on a personal note, my husband's battle with cancer took a turn for the worse and he had to begin chemo again. Luckily, my ducks were in a row for the most part. And like he said, I couldn't just sit around and stare at him as he began chemo again. While he slept or rested, I worked on CHAT. I tell you this with nervousness at revealing we didn't shut things down when my husband was hospitalized, but by February, this project was so much bigger than just me. Had this happened in November, I would have postponed the project. But things were ready to go, Brad was storyboarding, the location was secured, actors were ready to go and crew was already planning their contribution to the project.
Our crowdfunding campaign reached 32% of it's goal the first week which is AMAZING!!! We hope to reach at least 80% in 30 days at which time our supporters will be charged for their pledges. If we don't reach 80%, no one will get charged and the possibility of filming will be lost this year. Crowdfunding is a risk. I'm living with a sense of fear and hope about many aspects in my life right now but like my sister said recently, I function well under pressure.
If you're considering a contribution to join TEAM CHAT find us at Seed & Spark, a reputable crowdfunding site made by women screenwriters for filmmakers. You'll see photos of the cast, information about budget, and our mission statement about making a film to highlight online predators.
Even $10 helps and believe me, we appreciate every dollar! Also, by hitting FOLLOW, you'll get updates weekly on how we progress as we head into our first day of the film shoot May 20th.
Or Tweet/Post this on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram:
My friends are making a film in Seattle!
Be part of their impressive little circle by giving a dollar or two so you can put film supporter in your bio!
@Chat_shortfilm #filmmaking #giveback
RT please https://seedandspark.com/fund/chat#story
Thanks for reading and we hope you'll take the CHAT train with us all the way to Film Festivals and help build awareness of online predatory behavior.
Kim Hornsby
