A new plague has arrived…

The Prairie Dog is a dark comedy short film by Writer/Director Caleb LaClear. Set in rural Michigan, it follows a young boy desperately competing to win his neglectful father’s attention and approval. When their land is suddenly overrun by a prairie dog infestation, their father-son bond will be put to the ultimate test.

This film will explore themes of jealousy, religious paranoia, and the distinction between man and animal. LaClear and his usual cul-de-sac of filmmakers are setting out to explore a sense of brutality which only sometimes pops its head out to disrupt the mundanity of midwestern life.

LaClear’s previous works as writer/director include Nolan the Forest-Dwelling Samurai (2023), Out on Vacation (2023) and No Loitering, Please (2024).

Meet the Cast.

Grant Griffin, Henry

Josh Leeper, Matthew

Filmmaking is the most expensive art form, tenfold. Creating props and costumes costs money, making sure everybody on set is properly fed costs money, transport and wages for cast and crew costs money. Point being – as important as ideas are, they’re totally stagnant without the proper amount of support and energy backing them.

This doesn’t have to be a project that you throw a few bucks at and then forget about, we would like this to be a collaborative experience that you can keep up on every week, if you please. We don’t just want donors - we want community members. We’re gonna be keeping every single one of you updated each step of the way, both on our Instagram account (@theprairiedogmovie) and here on GoFundMe.

We are shooting from August 8-10, which leaves us 5 weeks to hit our goal. While it is an ambitious timeline, we believe it’s more than possible to reach thanks to your direct support and influence.

Any ounce of help will be fondly appreciated!

Comparisons/Inspiration. The Lobster, Holes, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, GUMMO, No Country for Old Men

Director’s Yap:

The Prairie Dog is both a natural next step for me as a filmmaker and a total 180 degree shift. It’s bigger and bolder than ever, while at the same time presenting much more complex emotional situations and themes. The idea of making this is both exhilarating and absolutely terrifying, which to me is an indicator I’m moving in the right direction. This script is very distinct tonally and will take a lot of rehearsal to get just right, but luckily our cast is fantastic and knows exactly what we’re going for. Grant and Josh are such naturals and just nail the tone - I was so excited when I discovered the two of them, they’re just total fireworks together. I sent a voice message to my girlfriend immediately after finishing their audition just giggling like a little boy because I knew I found the guys for the job.

This is one of those ideas that I was immediately attracted to, and I haven’t been able to focus on anything else since it came to me 6 months ago. The rural Michigan setting has always given me mixed emotions - it’s a mix of blissful peace/serenity and filthy, humid misery. And it just stretches on forever. I want to capture that. It’s one of those movies that you’ll either really love or really hate, but at least you won’t be bored by it. That’s all my favorite stuff.

There’s a lot of childhood anxieties and experiences I’m putting into this, even though I’m a city slicker. Even down to the equipment, we’re primarily using a lens that my late Grandpa LaClear passed onto me, and it fills me with a lot of pride and excitement that I get to use it for something that means so much to me. The landscape shots in the promo video were shot on it, it’s got such a distinct look that I love. I want this to be a film that feels hot and sweaty, and that lens has such a long focal length that it can distinctly pick up the heat waves in the air. That was really important to us when figuring out what we’re gonna use. Kaela and I are big on developing specific visual languages and styles for films, and we’ve got a really cool plan for this one. I’ll move on from the nerd stuff.

The bottom line is – we can’t make this without support from the people reading this message. Like any film, it’s going to be very expensive to produce (for us young indie darlings, at least). We are looking to raise $4000 for this film, which will cover everything from cast/crew wages to film festival submissions. Even if you can’t donate, spreading the word is just as valuable.

Yours truly,

Caleb LaClear

Writer/Director: Caleb LaClear

Producers: Georgia Hessel and Alejandro Cid

Director of Photography: Kaela Sherk

Production Designer: Logan Vales

1st AD: Nevin Hooper

Sound: Jared Hogan

Gaffer: Patrice Scott

1st AC: Preston Kodet

2nd AC: Len Tran

Props/Stunt Coordinator: Andrew Schreur

Art Assistants: Cam Layson and Maddy Powers

Grip: Jacob Lapa

Grip: Devan Shulman

Script Supervisor: Miles Toriani

Editor/BTS Documentary: Irene Kuperus

Original music by Dan Paris and Caleb LaClear

No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.