New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Comedy
Two friends with a turbulent history escape to the woods in order to find their way back to one another.
Mission Statement: This is a coming of age story about the complexities of deep friendship, learning to love, growing up, and feeling both incredibly big and incredibly small at once, as you find your way in the world. We hope this film gives you your own moment of running away to the woods to see what you can find.
The Story: Our $10,000 goal is the absolute minimum we need to raise to go into production. This will allow the project to begin to take shape in terms of location, equipment & basic crew hires.
This coming of age film is about a moment in time between longtime friends and tumultuous flames Rose and Alex, who meet each other for a camping trip in the woods. Overnight the pair navigates their undeniable chemistry while struggling to break their patterns of avoiding their relationship and running from themselves. This film explores friendship, romance, queerness, anxiety and what it means to let your walls down.
This film is led by a team of young, dedicated female filmmakers who are eager to share this project with the world. We (writer Talia and director Wylie) met in college and immediately connected over our creative ideas, ambitions, and shared passion for storytelling (specifically the messy, bizarre, beautiful and complicated). We are beyond excited to be working together along with a team of incredibly talented collaborators that we have met along the way.
This story deserves to be told now, as it addresses feelings, issues, and moments that are universally experienced, though particularly relevant for young adults. The audience will join the protagonist's journey as they find their way in the world, stumble through relationships, explore their identities, and grow up.
This story is centered around a queer relationship and in doing so breaks free of the binary canon of love stories, explores gender and gender expression, and presents a unique experience shared by these two characters free of typical cliched tropes. We are eager to put forward a story about the messiness of love, in all its forms.
We need and would love your support to bring this story to life. Films are costly and require sufficient funds to be able to make this the best it can be. With this campaign, we are aiming to raise money to pay our crew, secure a location that will double as housing for the team, arrange food, and secure a lighting and camera package from a rental house that will aid in creating our desired look and feel for the film.
We plan to film in late summer/early fall, and are currently in full on pre-production mode. Once finished, we plan to submit this film to festivals across the country! This piece also serves as a proof of concept for a larger screenplay & story being written (so stay tuned for more of this world) and along with that there will be more opportunities for actors, crew and general involvement. We will have a screening premiere of the film which you are all invited to! Down the line we will make it accessible for people to view online as well as search for a streaming platform.
Stretch goals: If this project surpasses 100% funded, this money will go towards higher pay rates for the crew, renting better equipment, and perhaps adding an additional production day.
This is the most direct way to support the film at this time. We appreciate anything you are able to contribute! Every bit helps.
Have friends, family or colleagues who might be interested in helping the story come to life? Share this page with them - either on social media, email, or by word of mouth. We can't do this without you! Also follow along on our instagram @stickbug.film and @stickbug.film on tik tok!
Have a connection to a restaurant? Coffee plug? Event space? Merch company? You never know what will come in handy! All ideas are welcome :) Also! Stay tuned for merch as well as fundraising events !
If you need to contact us, feel free to reach out to stickbugfilm@gmail.com
Director: Wylie Anderson
Screenwriter/Executive Producer/Actor: Talia Frank-Stempel
Producers: Maddy Pomilla and Lindsay Bergman
Associate Producer: Emma Suits
Director: Wylie Anderson. With a background in visual storytelling, Wylie brings an eye for detail and emotional depth to the screen.
Screenwriter/Executive Producer/Actor: Talia Frank-Stempel. Talia's passion for complex narratives and character-driven stories is the driving force behind Stick Bug. She will also be bringing one of the film's main characters to life on screen.
Producers: Maddy Pomilla and Lindsay Bergman. Maddy and Lindsay have years of experience in production and will be ensuring that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
Associate Producer: Emma Suits. Emma has been tirelessly working on the project from the start, coordinating everything from logistics to funding.
Director of Photography: Jordan Lee. Known for his cinematic eye and ability to capture intimate moments, Jordan will be leading the visual team in creating this film's unique aesthetic.
Production Designer: Monica Williams. Monica's creativity and design sensibilities will be vital in creating the physical world of Stick Bug.
Sound Designer: Theo Balcomb. Theo's skill at crafting immersive soundscapes will be instrumental in making the film as engaging as possible.
Music Composer: Leah Smith. Leah's beautiful and emotive compositions will provide the film with its unique sound, underlining and enhancing the emotional journey of the characters.
With just over a week left in our campaign, we're thrilled to announce that we have raised 83% of our goal, with 87 individuals generously contributing so far!
We are incredibly thrilled to share that we have secured an in-kind donation from Panavision! This means we will have access to high-quality filmmaking equipment that will greatly enhance our production quality. Additionally, an anonymous donor has generously offered to match all contributions made in the next 48 hours, up to $5,000! So, your donation could have twice the impact!
Thanks again for your support, and stay tuned for more exciting updates from Stick Bug!
PLEASE NOTE: If you did not receive a confirmation email then it did not go through. Feel free to reach out to taliameri.fs@gmail.com or stickbug.film@gmail.com if you need help troubleshooting.
Xo, The Stick Bug Team