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Cost of Living (2017) - Short Film


THE FILM Four people, four stories, and a five dollar bill.

Cost of Living (2017) is a 23 minute dramatic anthology film. *An anthology film is a movie that contains multiple short stories, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event.

The film revolves around the lives of four people connected by a five dollar bill and with each story, we get a glimpse of their individual struggles. As they progress through their day to day life, we see how connected they are to themselves and those around them.

Cost of Living (2017) is composed of four stories that emphasize the daily struggles many people face in modern society. It features five to six minute stories, each revolving around a different character who represents a marginalized group in society. The movement of a five dollar bill which passes from one person to the next connects these characters and their stories. Each character’s story begins when they receive the bill and comes to a conclusion the moment they pass it on.

THE CREATORS We are "Plan [e] Productions"


We are 6 passionate students from the Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson University that came together with a wide range of skills to create a production group called Plan [e] Productions. With the goal of developing a meaningful, thought-provoking and entertaining thesis project, our first production is titled “Cost of Living” (2017).

Plan [e] Productions includes (from left to right):
Soroush Ghafari Audio Lead
Tameika Ashmeade Producer & Co-Writer
Shantel Sobaram Art Director and Creative Lead
Lydia Lee Production Manager
Zachary Ceolin Director & Co-Writer
Liz Thurairajasingham Prop Master and Marketing

We are a diverse group of young media professionals that hope to harness each of our unique skills to bring this project to life. With the shared desire to make this film the best it can be, each member of production has unique motivations for developing this project.

THE FUNDING 
While we’ve achieved the necessary skills to accomplish our goal, we’re in need of financial assistance to help us make our thesis reach its full potential. With contributions from generous individuals, we can cover the cost of:
- Location Rentals
- Permits
- Props
- Wardrobe
- Transportation
- Food for Cast and Crew
- Marketing
- Future endeavours
- More!

Relying primarily on crowdfunding, sponsorships, donations, and support from kind individuals, we hope to make our dreams a reality! We appreciate anything you have to offer, no matter the size of the donation. To emphasize our appreciation, we offer a variety of incentives!

THE PURPOSE

The objective of this film is to highlight and promote altruistic behaviour within society in two major ways. The first way we plan on accomplishing this is by telling stories that focus on issues in our modern society that are frequently overlooked in the ones currently being told. These four tales will revolve around issues such as loneliness, sexual violence/abuse, immigration challenges and homophobia. As future content creators we know that it is up to us to shift the narrative to showcase representation and share a deeper message. We want to show that although we each live different lives, they are all intertwined in some way. The second is by encouraging the audience to support others dealing with these issues and erase the stigma. Although these issues may not disappear, the lives of people dealing with them can become better understood.

By contributing to the production of Cost of Living through support and donations, you’re allowing us to spread the overarching message of our film which is that life goes on beyond these circumstances. Everyone has issues in their life they are dealing with, but they should not let these things stop them from living the best life possible. When it comes to challenges discussed in this film, they don’t have easy fixes. They don’t conclude with a happy ending where everything turns out for the best and is resolved. Due to this, all of the stories have open endings. We don’t see anyone's issues go away. What we see is a change in their attitudes and behaviours towards the problems. They become stronger as a result.

In addition to donating, feel free to share our promotional video, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram. Thanks for your time!

Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $1,000 
    • 6 yrs

Organizer

Tameika Ashmeade
Organizer
Toronto, ON

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