Capturada Film Fundraiser
Donation protected
Introduction
We’re Isabela Paiao, Ryan Rivera, and Sophie Gould.
We’re senior film majors at Connecticut College, and have been lucky to produce over eighteen short films together since our freshman year. Our work ranges from documentaries on the reconstruction of local landmarks to narrative fiction that explores the taste of desire. Many of these films have already been internationally recognized, garnering official selections and awards from over twenty-seven festivals. We're proficient in film theory as well as production, and have studied representation and ideology in cinema alongside our advanced screenwriting, cinematography, and documentary courses. In the past year, we have each directed ten minute short films, managing student crews and planning fourteen hour shoot days down to the minute.
This course, the most advanced motion picture production class at Connecticut College, gives us the opportunity to integrate all the skills we’ve accumulated since we began making films. In April, we’ll have two days to shoot the culminating project of our college careers: Capturada. The short will be screened at Connecticut College’s film showcase at the end of the year and submitted to festivals after its completion. We’re incredibly thankful for your support and look forward to sharing this journey with you.
Capturada Story
Capturada is a short dramedy film centered around Alma, a 71 year old woman rediscovering her identity through her secret online relationship. Alma lives with her cherished daughter, Rosario, and her spirited granddaughter, Maya-–-who are lovingly oblivious to the person Alma seeks to become-–-or perhaps, the person she already is. This story explores Alma's journey with self-love, desire, and liberation. She’s more than just a grandmother: Alma is a woman far from finished with the allure of new relationships and pleasure. Capturada locates a critical turning point in Alma’s life: the reigniting of a passion she believed was long gone.
Budgeting
Your support is crucial for us to be able to bring our final film to life. In the past several months, we’ve written countless drafts of our script, locked our crew, have begun storyboarding and scheduling each shot of the film, and have drawn up a complete budget to make Capturada possible. This film will be funded exclusively by the donations that we are able to raise. We believe in complete transparency surrounding our donation goal. So, here’s a little more information on where your investment in our film will go.
Feeding our Cast and Crew:
In order to build Alma's world, we are reliant on our volunteer crew. Each of the crew and cast members will be taking time off from their own work to support us; so, we need to thank them for their participation with a safe and comfortable set. This means supplying our shoot with two days of catering for fifteen people, in addition to craft services and drinks to keep them nourished in between meals. Good food may seem like a minor need—but to our generous cast and crew, who will be working long, weekend hours, it makes all the difference to have a warm meal in between takes.
Location:
Our film takes place in one location: Alma’s home. The house itself is a character in our story; it’s the space that holds all of Alma’s legacy and has seen her and her family through many seasons of life. It is critical that the house we choose not only suits Alma and her loved ones, but has sufficient room for our cast and crew. This means having a full house to store our equipment, relax during meals, and shoot the entirety of our film. We’ll need to rent a local AirBnB that meets our needs for at least four nights—this time not only includes the days of the shoot, but the days of advance set decoration as well.
Props:
This shoot is not only dependent on having a house, but on creating a home. Once we’ve locked in an AirBnB, we’ll need to fill it with framed photos, art, memorabilia, and all the rest of Alma’s ephemera. To make this house look and feel lived in, we’ll need to track down not only specific props that are required for this story, but a collection of items that visualize a well-loved home. Props are a tremendously influential factor in generating a vivid, cinematic experience for our audience.
Transportation:
At least two of our crew members will not only be responsible for their on-set roles, but will also be transporting our cast and crew from their schools and homes to our set location. We’ll be using part of your donations to reimburse them for gas money spent while on our shoot.
Festivals:
Finally, your kind support of our film will contribute to paying the fees for festival applications. After our film is shot and edited, we’ll be submitting to festivals for the opportunity to screen our work to a wider audience, and for the chance to win awards that aid us in furthering our careers. However, these festivals are not only valuable for us, but for every crew and cast member involved in our film. If we’re successful, they can publicize those achievements to advance their own careers too.
Donation Reward Tiers
We’re thankful to have a community of people who are willing to support our work—and we’d like to express our gratitude. Below are the reward tiers for donation options.
Any donation: Viewing link to the final film
$25: Your name in a special thanks section of the film
$50: Personal thank you video from the filmmakers
$125: Executive producer credit
Thank You!
We cannot thank you all enough. Your donations make this film possible and will help kickstart our careers as filmmakers. We can't wait to share Alma's story with you in the coming months. If you're interested in seeing our previous work, there are links to our most recent films below.
Co-organizers (3)
Sophie Gould
Organizer
New London, CT
Ryan Rivera
Beneficiary
Isabela Paiao
Co-organizer
Ryan Rivera
Co-organizer