Bench Park Films with the UW-Madison Communication Arts Dept. presents 'JoyRide' a short film that dives into the lives of Joy, Veronica, & Topher as a grandmother takes her grandson on an unexpected joy ride.
Who are we?
Bench Park Films is a ten-person crew of student filmmakers producing our first short film as a team! 'JoyRide' is our final capstone project at UW-Madison in the Communication Arts Dept. Together we are working tirelessly to see this project succeed from beginning to end. Each of us brings a special set of skills, but we still have so much to learn. 'JoyRide' gives us the opportunity to practice & refine the techniques of pre-production planning, the shooting process, and post-production in an intensive, hands-on course. This is an invaluable experience that will help us grow as filmmakers and teammates helping us to find success in our careers.
Producer - Chloe Wallschlaeger
Director - Isaac Izard
Assistant Director - Mickey Shao
Story Editor - Kari Hernandez
Production Designer - Cece Zhang
Director of Photography - Wei Wei Li
Assistant Camera - Seoyeon Kim
Gaffer - Cate Desens
Sound Designer - Michael Nunley
Editor/Boom Operator - Cooper Olson
What's this film all about?
Joy, a young grandmother who finds out her daughter got called into work, decides to visit her 10 year-old grandson.The pair's disconnect to the rest of the world grows more apparent, as they bond over a day of misadventures and major mishaps.
What do we need?
We’re asking for $7,000 to see this film completed to its full potential. This money will go to:
~Paying our actors
~Securing locations, set design, costumes, and art direction
~Meals and snacks for the cast and crew on all of our shooting days
~Miscellaneous expenses, including production insurance and festival entry fees
~Renting safety equipment, specialty lenses, and camera equipment
~If we end up under budget, the remaining money will be donated to the Nietzchka Keene Fund, which offers scholarships to student filmmakers.
All contributors will receive a short thank you in our credits. Contributors of $100 or more will receive a special thank you in the credits and official 'JoyRide' & Bench Park Films stickers.
Can't contribute?
We are so grateful to all our contributors and the incredible support of our community! Even if you cannot contribute financially, you can help support this film by sharing the link to our GoFundMe page with your friends, family & co-workers. We want to share this film with as many movie-lovers as we can, so the more people supporting our campaign, the closer we’ll be to bringing ‘JoyRide’ to life.

