The Rise and Fall of Starboy - an indie trans-led short film

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Rise and Fall of Starboy is a 15-minute short film directed by Jay Shepherd, a senior Film and Digital Media student at UC Santa Cruz.

ABOUT THE STORY

The plot follows an aimless, adrift video store clerk who jumps at the first opportunity to become someone new - a chance to transform, to step into the spotlight, to become a STAR™. As he immerses himself in the role of STARBOY, he loses a self that he didn’t even know existed.

It's about being an outsider, someone who never fits in, finally being given the opportunity to become someone who does. It’s about what you sacrifice to become an “insider” when given the chance, and how precious that sacrifice ends up being.

Taking inspiration from films like I Saw The TV Glow (2024) and The Truman Show (1998), the story explores themes of exclusion, visibility, and assimilation. Drawing on the transmasculine queer experience, Starboy embodies the absurdist yet normalized forms of exclusion that transgender and genderqueer people face on a daily basis. The constant desire to assimilate into society and break under the pressure, to give in and become what “they” want you to be.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Hi, I'm Jay! I'm a senior Film major, graduating this June! This is my senior narrative film project. I have to finish this film in order to graduate, but Starboy is so much more than that to me. I've been working on this project for close to a year now, and it all started when I realized that I have always felt like an outsider. As a queer/fat/poor/trans person, I’ve always been seen as an outsider. Here at UC Santa Cruz (and especially in the film industry as a whole), it’s difficult to feel like I belong when I’m usually the only trans person in the room. It’s an uphill battle to be recognized, to be seen, to be heard.

As a trans person, I know that we are not treated equitably, especially under the new administration. Every day, my right to exist is debated by the people in power. Even in California, I face discrimination, anger, hatred, just for existing in my body as I want to. We deserve to be represented fairly in the media in films for us, by us. In addition to being a trans allegory, the film will feature a primarily queer cast and crew. A trans story cannot be told without trans people in front of and behind the camera.

Since I was twelve years old, I’ve been creating short films with a budget of exactly 0 dollars. Financial constraints have definitely resulted in some interesting creative workarounds: buying crew food with food stamps, using friends' apartments for sets, handmaking and reusing costumes and props. However, this project is impossible to attempt without outside support, especially given the tight budget I’m already on as a student. Your donated funds would go towards all the things needed to make a movie: equipment rentals, set construction, costuming, and sustenance (pizza) for the cast and crew of volunteers who are helping to make this story happen.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I would really appreciate any support you can give - whether it's $5 or just sharing this fundraiser with your friends and family.