We are producing the upcoming short film ACID TEST about a teenage girl who drops acid at a concert only to go home and confess to her parents what she’s done with four more hours to go in her “trip.” Set in 1992, the story is about teenage rebellion and parents’ unconditional love and was inspired by difficult personal experiences.
The project is challenging in several ways and in order to succeed, we need your help. The concert scene alone will be a large production requiring a concert venue, a band to play and license music, and lots of extras. The film is set in the 90’s so it’s also a period piece: No cell phones, no laptops, just lots of flannel and Doc Martens. The visual effects are also their own challenge and we don’t want to rely solely on digital effects, which often look fake or cheesy. We plan to shoot as if we won’t have any digital effects added, meaning that everything will have to be done in-camera, requiring special equipment to help achieve the desired effects.
ACID TEST is fiscally sponsored by Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP) and contributions made to our project are tax deductible. SWAMP is a 38 year-old non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources, education, and support for independent filmmakers and fans of independent films.
The budget to film ACID TEST is $30,000 and any contribution, large or small, helps us reach our goal. ACID TEST is a passion project that I am doing outside of my day job, using my savings, and working with others who are either volunteering or discounting their rates in order to see this film come to life. Your contribution would help us pay and feed our actors and crew-members, allow us to rent the equipment needed and find the right locations to make ACID TEST an authentic and moving film.
If you would like to help out with a donation, please contact SWAMP to use your credit card or mail a check addressed to “Southwest Alternate Media Project” with the memo “Acid Test.” Currently, the SWAMP website is unable to take credit card donations online, but hopefully that will be up and running soon as well! SWAMP will provide you with the tax information you need for the deduction.
We will be shooting over two weekends: January 22 – 25 and January 29 – February 1. The film is slated to finish sometime in June. Stay tuned HERE for updates on casting, location, production, and more!
As a token of our appreciation for your support of the project, we will provide a thank you credit in the film and you will be invited to the Houston cast and crew premiere. SWAMP often showcases its fiscally sponsored projects throughout Houston and our goal is to show the film at film festivals throughout the nation.
Please support our project! Your donation will help support not just this one project, but the independent filmmakers in the Houston area.
Thank you for your time and generosity. And please share your support with your friends!
Sincerely,
Jenny Waldo, Writer/Director Jason A. Raschen, Producer
Southwest Alternate Media Project 3400 Main St., #284, Houston, TX 77002 Cybil Pallugna-Saenz, General Manager P: 713-522-8592 / E: cybil@swamp.org
BIOS:
Jenny Waldo, Writer/Director A native from Washington, DC, Jenny Waldo graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA in Film Production where she won a coveted Directing scholarship and focused on writing, directing, and producing fictional and documentary films. Jennifer most recently wrote and directed the short film SISTERS which screened at the Alamo Drafthouse and produced the short film NEXT EXIT which was selected for the 2015 Cannes Short Film Corner. Previous credits include associate producing THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER, an independent feature which sold to Lifetime, and THE CUTTING EDGE: THE MAGIC OF MOVIE EDITING, a feature documentary on the art of editing. She recently wrapped production on another short she’s producing, MEGGAN’S JOURNEY, about a young woman’s experience with cancer. She teaches fictional and documentary film at HCC’s Audio and Filmmaking Program and will be teaching screenwriting this spring at Houston School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA).
Jason A. Raschen, Producer Jason A. Raschen is a Houston-based award-winning film producer and a permanent fixture in the Houston independent film scene. He has created an impressive body of work in a very short period of time including Two Star Symphony’s critically acclaimed and awarding winning music video “The Ninth Level,” the web series CLUBMATES, the short film MY BULLY, and Katanah’s very popular music video “Y Aqui Estoy.” Finally, and most importantly, Jason began work on a feature length documentary on his Mother and her experience as the wife of a soldier during the Vietnam Conflict.
Sharad Patel, DP/Editor/VFX As a writer/director/DP, Sharad Kant Patel has previously screened experimental and art oriented short films at SXSW (SNAIL, 2008), and Raindance (THE BUBBLE, 2013). He makes a living creating commercial work such as animations, documentaries, and 30-second television spots for museums, and businesses. Sharad recently completed his own first feature narrative film SOMEBODY’S DARLING in 2015. He has taught film and video art at Eastern Michigan University and The University of Houston. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the RTF program at The University of Texas.
Comments