INTRODUCTION:

Ayla Cuddihy, writer/director, I am a current student at New York Film Academy. After nearly three years of hard work and dedication to making short films and learning all there is to filmmaking. Graduation is right around the corner, and so is the final project every film student dreams of making - the Thesis Short Film. It is what will define us as artist before we go out and search for jobs in a career I've dreamed of being in since I was a 10 years old. I'm shooting my thesis in March with my Producer Leonardo Daccarett, Cinematographer Bryan Lopez, and starring such talent actors like Austin Basis known for his performance in 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'. I am so thankful for the help everyone has given and am excited to start shooting in March.

STORY & THEME:

In the story of Ballad of a Broken String, we follow our protagonist, Sadie who struggles with the aftermath and ptsd of a nearly fatal car accident. Rather than focusing on healing, she is intensely focused on her cello, specifically the final solo. Throughout the film, we witness Sadie’s reality begin to fall apart through more of a surrealistic approach as her mentality falls with it.

This is a story that I’ve told over and over again for the past five years, as it stems from my own experience. In the middle of my senior year of high school, I was in a car accident consisting of three cars, including my own. I broke all of the fingers in my left hand and had to have immediate surgery in order to maintain most of my mobility. As the first chair cellist in my orchestra, the news shifted my mindset on everything. I was broken and everything that made me who I was in that moment had been stripped away from me just as quickly as I was hit. I felt raw and burned from the inside. The thought of, “will I ever be able to play again?” and “they’re going to replace me for someone better” constantly ran through my mind. This mentality and the trauma from the accident brought me to a darker place where I felt isolated, even from myself. Nearly every night was a sleepless night to the point where my days and dreams blurred into one. I stopped recognizing people for their faces and rather as uncanny figures sharing my space. I was losing myself and I needed to do something about it.

Unlike the story, I had loads of support from everyone. My family and Mr. Jones brought me back to where I needed to be in no time. They pushed me to continue practicing and playing. When I would feel down on my abilities, they would bring me up. Although it would be nice for Sadie to have the same amount of support, it’s not the story that I want to tell because it’s not what impacted me the most. I speak of the accident, often with a light hearted tone but in reality, it was one of the most challenging things that I’ve had to push through. It brought me to my lowest low and showed me how hard I can work to reach the potential that I see myself at. Without showing the struggles of what Sadie is really going through, not only in the real world, but also in her mind, the story wouldn’t be true to me.

I want to create this film to represent my personal traumas and struggles through my own eyes.

FUNDING USE:

As filmmaking has now been a huge part of my life, it has become apart that it is more expensive than we could have imagined. The funds I receive from here will not only go to making the movie itself, it will go to every aspect of the production. From getting the lenses and camera gear needed for my vision, to the locations, and finally the editing process of using the latest software bring my world to life. I want to create a psychological thriller properly and the money I receive will be used for coloring and licensing on music. I also will use the funding for submissions into film festivals who require a fee before submission. However much we raise I'm grateful to the help everyone has given. Thank you.