Athena

THE STORY
Art was the last thing people thought that technology could not replace, boy, were they wrong.

Can technology create original thought? Art is supposedly a unique expression of your emotions and personal experience-but a computer has neither of those things. Athena explores what will happen should technology continue to advance at its current rate. With a deadline steadily approaching, a famous screenwriter is caught off guard when his self-autonomous computer software threatens to out him as a fake.

THE PLAN
Athena is currently in Pre-Production as part of the Senior Thesis program at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. The short is slated to begin principal photography on November 3rd with screening occurring at the end of April. 

We are striving to shoot on complex built sets, extravagant locations, and utilize incredible visual effects. This will be no easy feat and this is why we are seeking your help. 

THE GOAL
Our goal with this project is to make the audience think twice and consider the repercussions of our progressive jumps in technology. We hope this piece will stand as a warning against being taken advantage of by things that are far more complex than us.

In order to do this, we want to create a narrative indicative of Black Mirror and Ex Machina. Utilizing a mix of lavish locations, immersive production design, and groundbreaking visual effects to warn society of a seemingly inevitable future.


MEET THE CREW!

Nick Walker (Director)
Nick is a senior Film Production major at Chapman University. A local of Orange, California, Nick started acting at a young age, but by high school realized his true passion was working with actors instead of working as one, so he made the switch over to directing. Nick is an alumnus of FilmEd* Academy of the Arts, and has trained under some of the top directors, actors, and filmmakers in Hollywood, both privately and at Chapman. He is so thankful for your help in making his dream project a reality.

Daniel Dabach (Co-Producer/1st AD)
Hailing from Calabas, CA Daniel is currently a Senior at Chapman University pursuing a degree in Creative Producing with minors in Television and Entrepreneurship. He is excited to work on the project alongside such an amazing crew and appreciates any and all support you can give!

Griffin Kabus (Co-Producer)
Live from the SF Bay Area, Griffin studies Creative Producing and Advertising at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. He loves traveling the world and telling its stories. He's also in charge of this gofundme campaign and would absoltuely love any and all contributions, as failing will result in severe consequences. 

Michael Rosner-Hyman (Cinematographer)
Michael grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and has practiced photography as a hobby from a young age. Discovering film production and the realization that the two could earn a living changed his life. Michael has always loved movies, finding great meaning and endless possibility in cinematography. He has crewed countless other Chapman student and proffesional films and has shot films such as When Wigs Fly and Out Of Character.

Olivia Dadgari (Unit Production Manager)
Olivia is a senior producing major at Dodge College. She was born in an unidentified town in Nebraska and raised on the railroad. Growing up on a train has opened her eyes to the world and has enhanced her creative talents tenfold. She hopes to return to the train life and create a 10 part documentary about trains and their inhabitants. She's a wildcard but we're glad to have her. 

Nate Friend (Writer)
Nate grew up in Northern California near San Francisco and enjoyed writing from an early age. He worked in journalism, with poetry, and finally found a passion for screenwriting in high school. Nate loves discovering new music, playing guitar with friends, and hiking in the scenic hills of Northern California with his dog Jem.

Marc de Bertier (Production Designer)
Marc is in his senior year at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts majoring in Production Design. Born in Milan, Italy and raised in Paris, France. He is always looking for new challenges and has been in several films overseas including Japan, Australia, and Zambia. He has designed over 10 student films and is looking forward to his most challenging build yet!

Anita Foroughi (Editor)
Anita is currently a senior at Chapman majoring in Film Production with an emphasis in post production. She was born in Paris, France, and raised in California with an Iranian family background. Her passion shines most in video editing. While a full time student at Chapman, she has managed to work actively in the film industry the last three years. From interning, freelancing, to now working as an in house assistant video editor at electronic dance music company, Insomniac. She hopes to continue cutting short-form content throughout her career, specializing within the commercial and electronic music industry of videography. If she’s not cooped up editing in her string light filled cave, she’s probably at a music festival or underground techno gathering.


Bobby Cary (VFX Artist)
Bobby is a Junior at Chapman University and the Visual Effects Supervisor for Athena. He is from Roseville, California and has been studying Visual Effects since his freshman year of high school. Outside of film, Bobby’s interests include Theatre and Lacrosse.