//THIS CAMPAIGN IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR LOVELY DONORS\\

'1995' is a heartfelt coming of age short film following a self-absorbed teenage photographer named Kaja.  Her elderly and excitable neighbor Amelia has decided to give filmmaking a try and seeks out Kaja's assistance.  Together, the unlikely duo set out to make a movie.

As the title implies, '1995' is set in the 90s in small-town Nebraska.  Our team has grown to love the beauty of the Nebraska countryside and we plan to showcase it front and center throughout the film.  This project is being produced as our capstone film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and will be the last film we make as Film & New Media students.  As such, it is effectively the culmination of our studies over the last four years!

Since this is our final film at the University, we all wanted to challenge ourselves to produce something bigger and better than anything that we've done before.  The script presents unique challenges for every department and our crew is ready and excited to take those challenges on.  Anything you can give will be extremely helpful to us as we work to achieve our vision for '1995'.


-Why do we need funding? The money from our GoFundMe will be used in several ways during our shoot.  Because the film is set in the 1990s, a substantial amount will go toward production design with the goal of keeping everything period appropriate.  Other funds will be allocated to help us feed our cast and crew.  We will be shooting for six days over the course of two weekends in October.  Throughout that time our cast and crew will be working extremely hard and we want to be able to feed them filling and delicious meals.  Because our crew will need to travel out of Lincoln to the smaller towns that we are featuring in the film, we are also setting aside money to reimburse them for their traveling expenses.

-Budget Breakdown:
       -$2000 Total
            -$800 - Craft Services and Meals
            -$1000 - Production Design
            -$200 - Travel Reimbursement

-Our main crew has been working together on short films for the last three years. Most recently producing  'Saving Throw' and 'Negative Spaces'. 'Saving Throw' has shown at The Black Hills Film Festival, Sioux Empire Film Festival, and The Prairie Lights Film Festival. 'Negative Spaces' just started it's film festival run, premiering at the Open World Animation Film Festival. It is set to premiere next at The Sioux City Film Festival and is a Semifinalist for the Adobe Design Achievement Awards. These films were made without any crowd funding and we are hoping to set a bigger scope with '1995'.


As a thank you for supporting us we will be giving back to you! See the descriptions below:

$10 or More
 -Thank you
-Special Thanks in Credits

$25 or More
-Thank you
-Special Thanks in Credits
-Preview Screener or Digital Copy of Film

$50 Or More
-Thank you
-Special Thanks in Credits
-Preview Screener or Digital Copy of Film
-Digital Download of the Soundtrack
-Behind the Scenes Footage

$100 or More
-Thank you
-Special Thanks in Credits
-Preview Screener or Digital Copy of Film
-Digital Download of the Soundtrack
-Behind the Scenes Footage
-Autographed Movie Poster
-Hat

$250 or More
-Thank you
-Associate Producer Credit
-Preview Screener or Digital Copy of Film
-Digital Download of the Soundtrack
-Behind the Scenes Footage
-Autographed Movie Poster
-Hat
-Water Bottle
-Original Painting by the Director

$1000 or More
-Executive Producer Credit
-Thank you
-Preview Screener or Digital Copy of Film
-Digital Download of the Soundtrack
-Behind the Scenes Footage
-Autographed Movie Poster
-Hat
-Water Bottle
-Autographed Movie Poster
-Original Painting by the Director
-A prop from the movie - Of your choice!
-Dinner with the Main Crew, We take you out!

A few notes on the rewards:
-Hat: A baseball cap with the '1995' logo.
-Water Bottle: We want to help make our set as environmentally conscious as possible. Our first step is to cut back on the amount of plastic water bottles that are used and thrown away on sets. We plan on providing all of our main cast and crew with a reusable water bottle that will feature the '1995' logo. Using refill stations rather than stocking up on throw away plastic bottles will help cut down on the amount of waste we are producing.
-Original Painting by Director: Michaela Wadzinski will paint you anything of your choice! You can check out her artwork on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mnwadzinski/ 


Mackenzie Grell (Producer): 
Mackenzie is a senior at UNL double majoring in Film and New Media and Spanish. Most of her time is spent working various roles on film sets, but she has found her passion in producing. Beyond The Johnny Carson School, Mackenzie spent the summer in Chattanooga, TN interning at a small production company called Atomic Films. In her final year, Mackenzie will be producing 3 films, along with directing and writing another. 

Beyond her love of film, Mackenzie also loves traveling. She spent last fall studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Mackenzie used her time abroad to document several of her travels and meet other filmmakers. Though she misses Spain, she is very happy to be home, working with her best friends. '1995' is an exciting project for her and Mackenzie can't wait to share it with her friends and family. 

Michaela Wadzinski (Director/Co-writer): 
Michaela is a Senior Film and New Media Major at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Her two biggest passions are directing and animating. She loves the collaborative nature of film making and is excited to direct her team in creating a fun, heart-felt, 90's coming of age story.

Michaela spent her last summer as a traditional animation intern with the Television Academy at Bento Box Entertainment. Being at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has helped cultivate her love for both live action and animation, and as a result she likes to mix the two mediums whenever possible. Michaela is extremely excited that '1995' will be her last big project as at student at UNL.

Reed Ellefson (Director of Photography): 
Reed is a senior film and new media major at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Reed comes to UNL by way of Rapid City, South Dakota, where he was born and raised. He started shooting stop motion animations in high school, which lead him into shooting short films, commercials and music videos in college. His past film credits as a Director of Photography include Negative Spaces and Saving Throw. 

When not shooting films and music videos, he enjoys watching sports, shooting photography and running. His favorite movie is Skyfall (2012) for it's incredible visual style. As the Director of Photography, Reed will work with Director Michaela Wadzinski to create a visual style that compliments the unique nature of 1995's script. What he looks forward to most about this film is the chance to showcase rural Nebraska and explore different communities outside of Lincoln.

Ethan Grafton (Co-Writer/Editor/Sound Editor/Composer):
Ethan Grafton is a Senior Film & New Media Production student at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film.  He spends most of his time working in the sound department of live-action shorts, but has also had the pleasure of designing audio for animations, podcasts, and interactive media in his time at the Carson School.  A life-long lover of music and sound, Ethan will be giving '1995' an audible hit of 90s flare and a poppy, punky, nostalgia-laced score.

Apart from preparing for his Senior year and '1995', Ethan is a Junior Contributor at Designing Sound, a site dedicated to the art and technique of sound design, and an avid field recordist.  He's also been known to write music on occasion and released an EP of his own back in March.  He cannot wait to see what unique challenges '1995' brings to the table.

Caroline White (Production Designer):
Caroline White is a Senior Film and New Media student at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Interested in art and design from a young age, Caroline has been spending her college tenure working in and heading the Product Design departments for a variety of student films. Most recently she served as Production Designer for Saving Throw and Left Field.   Forever fascinated by the unique style and energy of the 90’s, Caroline is looking forward to translating these ideas into an incredible world for '1995'. 

Along with pursuing a degree in Film and New Media, Caroline is pursuing a BA in Studio Art at the Hixon Lied School of Fine and Performing Arts.  She hopes a well-rounded background in traditional art, design, and art history will better inform her designs for live-action film.  Apart from her academics, Caroline is a Senior Manager at Paint Yourself Silly, a popular locally owned paint-your-own-pottery studio. As a Nebraska native, Caroline can’t wait to bring the insular aesthetic of small-town-living to the screen in '1995'.


Thank you for taking the time to check our project out, and we can't wait to show you '1995'!