PORTRAITS: Chelsea Eisen's latest short film

Logline: 
Portraits  follows 22-year-old Tess as she anxiously returns to a party in her hometown after removing herself from her friends for the past year.



Why We're Fundraising:
While Portraits has secured partial funding to begin the production process, we are looking for additional contributions to cover the safety protocols necessary to protect our crew during the ongoing pandemic as well as to ensure we can bring on artists throughout the crew at professional rates reflecting their importance to the project, simultaneously guaranteeing the final product’s production value matches our standards and ability.

More About Our Film:
The world of the film is a whirlwind achieved in one shot with seamlessly hidden cuts, mimicking our protagonist’s feelings as she struggles to find ground in the chaos she is thrown into. The turbulent environment increases throughout, enhanced by the fluid camera movement and fast dialogue between the characters. Although it is tense and anxiety-inducing, our main characters are consistently funny and witty. It’s sometimes hard to distinguish whether they are fighting each other or laughing together.

Our Crew:
Chelsea Eisen is an LA-based writer and director whose academic focuses and previous work have distinctly prepared her for a project of this logistical and creative complexity. She has been recognized as National YoungArts Foundation Finalist in Cinematic Arts and is currently continuing her education at Wesleyan Univesity. Anyone familiar with Chelsea's existing portfolio and work ethic will confirm that she possesses not only the capability but the unique talent to lead this project’s striking pace and style.

To execute Chelsea’s vision we have compiled a production team with over 15 years of combined experience. These Producers have backgrounds in not only short and feature films but live theater as well, a crucial ingredient considering the extensive rehearsals and play-like production process necessary to pull off Portraits as a one-shot film.

Additionally, our Cast comes from similarly diverse theater and film backgrounds with many classically trained at institutions like Carnegie Mellon University, University of Michigan, USC, and DePaul University.