Help Bring a Meaningful Film to Life

Learn more about Kaitlyn and this project here!

Hi! I'm Kaitlyn Hannan, a writer/director working on her final, defining short film at Elon University. This is her Bachelor of Fine Arts thesis project, which she has worked diligently on developing over the last 8 months.

The story follows two brothers, Joey and Peter, who leave a funeral dissatisfied, claiming the by-the-books service didn't properly honor their wild card brother. They then spend the rest of the night trying to honor him in a way he would appreciate.

Kaitlyn has experienced a lot of grief in the last year and a half, having lost both of her grandfathers, and as such, this story of grief and brotherhood is very important to her.

If you've followed Kaitlyn's career so far, you'll notice she's working with a reliable crew of familiar faces. Producing the project is Jenivee Bevan, the producer of Delivery and cinematographer of Dusty's Revenge. Jacob Sarver was the cinematographer of Delivery and will be the cinematographer on this film. Starring in the project is Frank McMahan, who Kaitlyn describes as the DeNiro to her Scorsese. He has starred in three of Kaitlyn's other productions, which has cemented him as an A-list celebrity within the Hannan family. In total, there will be 15 crew and cast members on this project, who are all going to sacrifice their time and provide their talents just because they believe in the film.

If you are not familiar with film production, it can be confusing why it costs so much to make a 15 minute long short. I'll break down some of the major costs of this production.

1. Food

It's a little frustrating that the biggest cost on any production is almost always something you never see on screen: food for the cast and crew. Every five hours on set equals a meal. Because the cast and crew are volunteering for this project, the least we can do for them is provide meals, snacks, and refreshments. With 15 mouths to feed, we need all the help we can get!

2. Locations

Movies have to take place somewhere, and one of the easiest ways to take a film from "whatever" to "wow!" is by filming in cinematic locations. We have some great locations lined up for this film, such as a gorgeous vintage movie theater, a local pharmacy, and a cozy motel. The owners of the these places have been so gracious as to allow us to film there, but because it needs to be done after operating hours, we have to pay people for their time to keep it open and watch over their property. We have negotiated a price with each of them that feels reasonable for a student project, but it still adds up to quite a bit. If you enjoyed the gorgeous diner location in Kaitlyn's film Delivery or the full-fledged Western town in Dusty's Revenge, consider donating so we can rival those locations with this production.

3. Props and Costumes

Similarly to locations, props and costumes help with the immersion of the film. If you're watching a student film, and one of the props obviously poorly made by a bunch of amateur students, it immediately takes you out of the film. When making a film with such a serious subject matter and tone, I want to make sure the props are realistic enough to keep the audience engaged. It's also just important to the plot that we are able to afford all the props that move the story forward.

Don't worry, we don't expect you to donate without getting anything in return. We've created a tier list of thank you gifts that correlate to amounts donated. Check it out:

$10 - a shout out on the @funeralpart2film Instagram page and Kaitlyn's Instagram story.

$20 - a personalized thank you note from Kaitlyn Hannan.

$50 - early access to a behind the scenes documentary/vlog that covers the making of this film.

$100 - associate producer credit on the film. Imagine seeing your name in giant letters on the big screen!

$300 - executive producer credit on the film.

$500 - a signed, full sized poster of the film. signed by Kaitlyn, Jenivee, Sarver, Frank (playing Joey in the film), and Nick (playing Peter in the film).