"Mine" Short Film

Hello!

I'm shooting my short film MINE this summer. I haven't made this level of film production as writer/director in over a decade and it's TIME!

MINE is a tender psychological tale about a grieving man who finds unexpected companionship with an abandoned bird egg. It's about the heaviness of being human, and the resiliency of our spirit, our capacity for hope. I believe it is a story that will resonate with everyone for different reasons.

I've scripted this as a quiet film with little dialogue, leaning on rich visual storytelling to communicate the principal character's interior world. For this reason, shooting on 16mm is essential -- the "aliveness", the subjectivity and intimacy conveyed by film stock feels necessary to capture the truth of the character.

Below is an aspirational visual treatment including shots from some of my favorite directors: Tsai-Ming Liang; Wong-Kar Wai; Jim Jarmusch; Agnes Varda. All of these artists explore the themes of solitude, alienation and desire and celebrate the poetry of everyday life.

While I'm as resourceful as possible -- using my own apartment for the set and doing the work of many production roles myself -- I'm sending out this appeal for funding because I need help covering the costs of the lean and mean, bare bones budget that will allow me to compensate cast and crew fairly for a microsized, but artistically ambitious production.

Your generous support will also cover equipment rental, 16mm film expenses from recans to color grading, production design, props, transportation, post-production and festival submission fees.

A little about me:

I'm a writer, filmmaker and archival producer with over 20 years of experience wearing many different hats in the entertainment industry. Here are a few links to my professional and personal work:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2643531/

https://vimeo.com/cameldragon

https://www.instagram.com/cameldragon/?hl=en

I'm a DIY filmmaker and always will be; I love the creativity that working with no budget demands. But I'm also more than ready to level up with my dramatic filmmaking, and this requires $$$.

Between juggling motherhood and unpredictable/chaotic freelance assignments, time is precious and I'm committed to taking my artistic development seriously. I'm over 40 -- if not now, when?! Equally importantly, I'm passionate about expanding my community and creating an opportunity for others to express and showcase their talents.

And speaking of talent! I'm honored and can't wait to collaborate with the team including:

Lead actor Raj Bhavsar

Raj Bhavsar is a gymnast turned actor. After winning an Olympic medal with Team USA, he discovered a strong passion for storytelling through acting. For him, acting is a way of speaking to the hearts and souls of people. He loves stories that are truthful, and ones that provide a window into the world of a character. He is excited to work with Melissa and the team on this project as it touches on beautiful themes and inner human workings.

Supporting actress Alexandra Ralph

Alexandra Ralph is an audiobook narrator, actor, and devout homebody in the vein of Bilbo Baggins.

Our DP, Freddie Whitman: Freddie is a cinematographer inspired by grounded, organic, and truthful storytelling. Freddie strives to find and shape light in a way that naturally evokes the emotion and intention of the narrative. He is represented by the Murtha Skouras Agency and has shot work featured by Kodak, Director’s Library, booooooom.tv, and various international film festivals, including the Cannes Short Film Festival, Hollyshorts Film Festival, and the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. In his free time, Freddie enjoys biking, climbing, gardening and cooking with his partner.

There's no way around the discomfort I feel asking for $. I just have hope that making art with this talented community and telling this story will inspire, heal and lead to more opportunities for storytelling through the medium of film.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read! There is no donation too small and simply sharing with others would be deeply appreciated!

All donors will have their names in the thanks section of the credits!

$500 + donation - a special thanks

$1000 + donation - a very special thanks

$3000 + donation = Executive Producer credit!

I'm forever grateful for your support and cannot wait to share the film that you made possible!

Love,

Melissa

*Banner photo solely for gofundme and not from production