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Night Terror - A BA Thesis Film

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Night Terror follows the story of May, a television superhero actress at a moment of doubt in her career. One night she wakes up to find herself transported to a mysterious house, where a terrible creature lurks in the shadows. Chancing upon a survivor named Greg, the pair have to discover the secret of the house and escape.

Image reference: Suspiria  (1977)

Themes


The film deals with themes of passion and doubt, and the struggle between the two. Though she loves her role as the star of the superhero show, May is at a point where she is unsure of her life choices, and has to discover what is right for her as she escapes the house. Her efforts to escape might just bring her closer to the answers she’s looking for.

Image reference: Ultraman Orb (2016)

Inspirations

When I was young, I watched a lot of campy, over-dramatic sci-fi, which was awesome. These shows have been important to my development not only as a filmmaker, but a person in general. For me, movies have not only been a way of connecting through these shared stories, but also a means to have fun, and I think that there is a wonderful balance of both aspects in the campy B-movie style. The film is a mix of Eastern and Western sci-fi traditions, like the lovechild of Doctor Who and Ultraman. There will be creepy darkness as well as giant monsters, and I can't wait to show you how it all unfolds!

The themes of passion and doubt in the film are also things that hit very close to home in my life right now. I found myself, as well as many close to me, questioning what our next step forward is. I feel like now, more than ever, we should embrace our experiences and what makes us unique, and let that guide us on our way.

These sci-fi shows were integral to my personality, and this film is an ode to these things that have made me what I am today. I hope that it can capture the same things that I loved growing up, for me to share with all of you.

I saw Step Brothers a long time ago, which was pretty bad, but there was a line there that really stuck with me. To paraphrase the character: “When I was young, I wanted to be a dinosaur...but one day they said it’s time to throw childish things aside...and I forgot how to do it. The point is - Don’t lose your dinosaur.”

And so I’m trying my best not to. 

Image: Ultraman Orb (2016)

Image: Youth Machine - Collecting Faces (2017)

Why we need your support!



Your financial support helps us fully realize this film by covering parts of the production costs. 

Production costs include the production design of the film. As a sci-fi monster movie, the production design is paramount in creating a whole other world. We need to create a house that feels alive and sinister, as well as construct our own miniatures and models for certain scenes.  We are also constructing the costumes ourselves, which include the monster and hero costumes. All this will require a sizable amount of our budget, as we wish to bring you the best possible world we can make!

Next, the budget would cover gear costs. Making a scene look good is deceptively hard, and it takes more than just a good camera to do so. We will also be needing extensive lighting to support the production design of the film, and thus will have to spend on the necessary equipment. 

Another important aspect is the score. Original music will be composed for the film, and a good composer does not come cheap. It is important to us that professional artists do not get shortchanged for their hard work and creativity, and we want to be able to support them just as they are supporting us.

Additionally, some of the funds will be used for transportation of the gear and crew. Transport options are more expensive than meets the eye, and we would like to be able move our equipment and people to and from location, especially after a long 12-hour day.

Your support means a lot to the entire team behind this project.  We truly cannot do it without you.  Any amount of financial support, big or small, makes a difference! If you cannot support us financially, telling others about this project is more than any of us could ask for. The goal is to raise awareness for this project by finding the largest audience possible. 

Thank you for your consideration!


UPDATE (9/25): Thanks to your overwhelming support, we've already hit our goal in less than a day! Because of this, we'd like to push our goal a little more to include the costs for our VFX. Reaching our new target will allow us to acquire the necessary effects and footage needed for FX composition, and also help our VFX team live slightly healthier lives. Thank you all for your support once again, we are truly grateful!


Update (9/27): Hi again everyone!

We are truly humbled by all of you! It has been so invigorating to see all your support and read your words of encouragement. Never did we expect to hit our goal so quickly, let alone a second target. Thank you, truly.

We've been hard at work in pre-production and making headway in our various departments. Hopefully we will have some new updates to show you the new developments!

We're also increasing our goal one last time to address the traveling costs of our talented cast. They will be coming in from California and New York, and the fees will allow us to secure the best and most timely means of travel for them. Our actors are spending a lot of time for our production, and we would love to take care of them appropriately.

Thank you to everyone again who has donated to and shared our campaign. Your trust in us has been absolutely inspiring, and we are working hard to ensure that your faith is not misplaced!



Reward Tiers:

$5: Thank You!

Thank you email, and Special Thanks in credits!

$10: Poster

Previous rewards and digitally signed poster (Your choice of Monster or Hero poster)

$15: Script

Previous rewards, digital copy of concept art and finished script (digitally signed)

$35: Film

Previous rewards and Digital Copy of Film

$50: Blooper Reel

Previous rewards + Blooper Reel and access to any deleted scenes.

$75: Music

Previous rewards + Original Composed Score

$100: Commentary

Previous rewards + Film Crew and Cast Commentary

$150: PA Credit (limit to 10)

Previous rewards + Production Assistant Credit (also on IMDB)

$250: AP Credit (limit to 5)

Previous rewards (except 150 level) + Associate Producer Credit (also on IMDB)



Meet the team!

Ben Cher
Writer/Director

Ben is the Writer and Director (and also Editor!) of Night Terror. Born and raised in Singapore, he is now a senior Visual and Media Arts Production major at Emerson College. Ben’s earliest experience was as a PA with Moving Visuals on a Singaporean television series. In the decade since, he has worked in various departments for multiple short films, music videos, and commercials. Ben recently worked as the editor for Guo Guo (Dir. Wenqing Zhang), which was nominated for the Chinese American Film Festival’s Golden Angel Award. He is currently interning at Brickyard VFX in Boston, and is serving as the marketing co-chair for Frames Per Second, Emerson’s oldest film organisation.


Wooho Kim
Director of Photography

Wooho Kim is the cinematographer on Night Terror. Growing up in Malaysia and Singapore, Wooho discovered his love of storytelling at an early age initially through performance, writing, and eventually filmmaking. He began freelancing as a videographer at age 13 and worked as an assistant editor at a content marketing agency in his senior year of high school. Now on his senior year at Emerson, Wooho has worked on over 60 projects mostly involving lighting and camera work, and recently wrapped up an independent film in China. He also interned at Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), one of the biggest radio and television networks in South Korea as a translator, camera operator and research assistant for a feature documentary that filmed all over Korea, Japan and Italy.


Cecilia O'Rollins
Production Designer

Cecilia is the Production Designer of Night Terror. She is a second year Visual and Media Arts Production major at Emerson College and is from Seattle, Washington. Since her junior year of high school, Cecilia has been working in art departments for advertisements, web series, and features, as well as producing, directing, and writing her own short films. One of her most recent projects, On the Backs of Salmon, received a grant from IMAX InFocus (a program created by IMAX and the United Nations), as well as won a Northwest High School Emmy. It will be screening at NFFTY (the National Film Festival for Talented Youth) in October. When she is not making giant monster costumes Cecilia enjoys drawing, looking longingly into the mountains, and watching Naruto.


Justus Wrede
Producer

Justus is one of the Producers on Night Terror. Born in Frankfurt, Justus grew up in Paris, Tokyo as well as his home country of Germany. He is currently a senior enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Production program at Emerson College. He has directed/produced four short films in the past two years. The Boston Short Film Festival nominated his latest short In This Place Where We Lie. Justus has also produced two short films: Louder Than Words (dir. Julio Dowansingh), which was nominated at the Boston Independent Film Festival, and Si No Te Vas (dir. Pablo Vaca), which was nominated at the Boston Latino International Film Festival. He is currently in post-production for his upcoming short film Aseman, a film that follows an Iranian political refugee as he attempts to assimilate into American society.


Anabelle Porio
Producer

Anabelle is one of the Producers on Night Terror. She is a senior Visual and Media Arts Production major at Emerson and is originally from Westport, Connecticut. Since freshman year of college, Anabelle has been involved in pre-production and producing with multiple film projects including TV productions on The Emerson Channel and EIV, as well as multiple student BA productions such as Nice n Easy in Spring 2018. She was also the head producer on the independent film The Hun that has since been accepted into multiple film festivals including New Filmmakers New York. She was also an associate producer on the documentary Editing Propaganda, which won Best Documentary in the Top Shorts Film Festival. Anabelle plans to further her career post-graduation in Boston and New York working in pre-production and film business. When she’s not behind-the-scenes, she is a musician as well as a disc jockey on WECB Emerson Radio.


Saksham Gumber
Gaffer

Saksham Gumber is the Gaffer on Night Terror. Originally from New Delhi, India, Saksham is a senior Visual and Media Arts student at Emerson college. Since his freshman year, Saksham has worked on countless sets, working his way up from grip to gaffer, and sometimes Director of Photography. He has also held positions at Emerson’s in-house production company and Equipment Center, and is currently a part of the senior staff at its Soundstage and Darkroom. He was also the President of Frames Per Second, and currently serves as the Vice President to guide the newer generation. All these experiences have given him a well-rounded knowledge of filmmaking and working on set. He is currently working on his BFA thesis, a multi-media visual installation about his life and how he perceives the world. In his free time he likes to think, even though sometimes he thinks that he thinks too much. His favourite colour is pink.
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Donations 

  • James Cher
    • $200 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Ben Cher
Organizer
Cambridge, MA

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