Sheet Music Short Film- Production

Welcome to 1934....

Sheet Music is a short period drama set in 1934 Harlem that follows two black jazz musicians preparing to perform in front of a segregated audience at a world-famous jazz club. When one of them forgets their sheet music, it ensues an argument that could put their careers and their freedom on the line.

Why Are We Fundraising?

Sheet Music is our BFA thesis film. This is the time we've been waiting for since our freshman year, to create a film that is the product of all our hard work at Temple. We are running this crowdfunding campaign in order to reach our goal of $8,500 for our production budget. Temple has graciously given us a start to our goal, but we are asking for your help to get us the rest of the way.

Every contribution truly does help this film to be the best it can be! Since the film is a period piece, it is a large undertaking, and we want to make sure we are doing the world we've built justice. Your pledge will go towards every aspect of the production of this film. It will ensure that everything on screen can be period accurate, that we can find that perfect location, and that our crew has good and safe working conditions, etc. To break it down:

With each contribution, you are improving not only the quality of the story on screen, but also the quality of our set behind the scenes. Our first priority is the comfort, health, and safety of our crew members and with your help we will be able to foster a great experience for everyone involved. No contribution is too small!

Why This Film?

Sheet Music is a film about how even in the most limiting of circumstances, you can find freedom within yourself. It’s a story about two black musicians getting ready to perform in front of a live white audience for the first time despite being subjected to the treatment that comes with the territory in the 1930’s. Within the story, Adryan Coogan Jr. insists that in order to succeed as a musician in that particular type of environment, he and his partner must “play their part”. His rebellious counterpart, J.C. Willis, disagrees rather insisting that they play their own music as opposed to the song they are expected to perform.

Although the story takes place in the 1930s, these themes of identity, self-expression, and freedom are still incredibly relevant today. This film is important for the discussion of black artistry in America and we want you to be a part of that discussion.

Director's Statement

What I admire most about art is the unlimited opportunity it brings. Regardless of who you are or where you come from, the most powerful tool we have as humans is our ability to communicate because that’s what art is: it’s communication. It’s the freedom that African-Americans and other marginalized groups hold on to in the face of discrimination and inequality.

For me, it’s my reason to create. My creative journey began at an extremely early age when I started playing piano at age four. It was my parents’ attempt to make my older brother and I more well-rounded. What I didn’t expect is how much of an impact that decision would ultimately make in shaping my life and who I am today. My biggest struggle early on with learning music was in fact the sheet music itself. I wanted to get to a point where I didn’t need music to play and I could just be free to play anything I wanted to. Knowing this, my piano teacher at the time introduced me to jazz. The freedom and self-expressiveness it embraced was something I immediately fell in love with and inspired me to start playing the saxophone at age ten. These experiences ultimately led me to filmmaking: the ultimate communicator.

What I struggled with early on in my artistry was the idea of perfection and expectation. Was perfection some sort of trap set by those secretly wanting you to fail? Were expectations of others more important than the expectations you set for yourself? Regardless of the answers, I came to recognize the “why”. That is, why I create, why I want to tell the stories I want to tell, why me. The “why” often gets lost in the pursuit of excellence. This is what Sheet Music is all about. Even though I was not living in the 1930’s, I want to exploit the relationships and expectations put on black musicians in this time period. The obligations they thought they had to their community weighed against the burdens put on them by the white audiences is something I want to explore. I ask myself, what were they feeling? What were they saying to each other? What if Ella Fitzgerald just walked out of the Cotton Club? Ultimately, just like I found my freedom in art, I want to show how Adryan and J.C. find their own freedom within themselves despite being expected to play from the sheet music.

-Jaran Huggins, Director

Meet The Team

Jaran Huggins- Director

Jaran is a senior film & media arts major (directing concentration) and musician at Temple University from Nashville, TN. As an award-winning director, Jaran tells encapsulating stories that always read deeper beyond the surface, challenging our perceptions at every turn. His work highlights that of his own experiences and the surreal experiences of those around him while making sure representation across cast and crew is accounted for. Highly prolific on piano and alto/tenor saxophone, Jaran’s creativity stretches far beyond belief and he’s just getting started.

Kayla Casey- Producer

Kayla is currently a senior at Temple University studying Film & Media Arts with a concentration in producing and is an independent producer based in Philadelphia with experience working on short form content for the past 3 years. She originally fell in love with film because of the way it can bring people together with stories, and since then, she aims to produce projects that do the same. She is currently producing anything from short films, to music videos, to specs, and in her free time, writes a script or two. In the past year, Kayla has had the chance to work on horror feature film "FREAK" (2021) as assistant director for Santa Mira Pictures and more recently, she has interned for Neighborhood Film Company, the company behind "Concrete Cowboy" (2020) on Netflix, where she worked closely with the team of producers on various projects from pre-production to shoot and really learned the ropes of filmmaking.

Katie Harkins- Cinematographer

Katie is a Philadelphia based Director of Photography. She is currently pursuing a BA in Film at Temple University with a concentration in Cinematography. She is proud to be a part of the growing film community in Philadelphia. Katie enjoys the responsibilities and challenges that come with being a DP, but mostly working with the director to create a unique and thought-provoking visual language for the film. Her love for cinema stems from growing up watching movies, and as a filmmaker she aims to convey the same feeling and emotions she experienced as a child, in her own work. Katie is currently working on her senior thesis, Sheet Music, while also working as a freelance DP and crewing on local films.

Kimberly Redman- Production Designer

Kimberly is a multifaceted artist and production designer based in Philadelphia. She was once described as a “renaissance woman” for her range of work and skills. During her studies at the University of the Arts from 2014-2018 pursuing theater and performance/design, she interned for Barrymore Award winning set designer, Kristen Robinson during the summer of 2017. Since then, she has taken a pause from the theater world and emerged herself into film and photography. Hopping onto the scene as a makeup artist; she quickly started getting work as a stylist and as a production designer. Her recent works include “KIM”, (2020), a documentary directed by Maria Vattimo and, “See Us in the Wildfire”, (2020), a fashion film directed by Jason Chen and executively produced by Ayumi Perry and Sophie Xu. Both films were presented in the 30th annual Philadelphia Short Film Festival this past year. Currently, Redman is continuously taking on creative production work, starting the processes to self produce her own directorial work, and about three days a week can be found steaming clothes down at the Navy Yard for Anthropology E-Comm shoots. Ultimately, Redman is a self determined and hardworking woman that knows what she wants, everything.

Rachel Washington- Editor

Rachel is a video editor and a music technician, proficient in the Adobe Suite and Pro Tools. She is part of the Post Production Concentration at Temple University in Philadelphia. Rachel hails from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where she created award winning documentaries for the National History Day Competition. Rachel specializes in montage, documentarian style editing and loves to adapt to any form of editing. Previously, Rachel has edited video and sound for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue and Temple University. Currently, while working on her thesis film, Sheet Music, Rachel is also working on freelance editing for video and sound design all while being a member of the video production team at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. In addition to all of this, Rachel is a member of the Temple University Diamond Marching band playing the alto saxophone. Evidently, besides editing, music is one of Rachel’s passions and she is super excited to take Sheet Music to a new dynamic!

Where Can You See It When It's Done?

We want you along for the whole journey! We are heading into four days of principal photography in mid-January, 2022. Once we have a completed film, we will be hosting special screenings for the film with everyone who made a contribution to the project, because you are a big part of this process! By the end of 2022, we plan on submitting the film to multiple regional and national film festivals.

Where You Can Donate

If you would like to donate directly to this campaign through GoFundMe, there is a 'Donate Now' button to the right or the top of the screen.

If for any reason you would like to donate elsewhere, you can reach us through our other payment methods for the film:

PayPal- paypal.me/sheetmusicfilm

Zelle- Jaran Huggins

Venmo- @sheetmusicfilm

Share Our Project

Donations are not the only way to help our project! The more people that hear about the film, the more likely it is that we will reach our goal. We would be incredibly appreciative if you took a few minutes to share our fundraiser with your networks!

To stay up to date on the film, follow us on Instagram @sheetmusicthefilm !

Thank you in advance for your contribution! You have no idea how much it means to us to have your support!