Summer Reign - A Short Film
Support Simon Tolman, Gracie McCallum, and Kenji Chong in the creation of their undergraduate thesis film Summer Reign.
This is our final production before we, Simon and Gracie, graduate, and we truly want to make it the best film experience for everyone involved. To do that, we need your help!
THE STORY
Summer Reign is a film about an 10 year old boy, Eli, who struggles to find his inner confidence and balance his desire to win with his friendships. The logline is as follows: After another day of losing to his neighbors during their daily summer activities (sudoku, paper airplanes, and British theatre), Eli seeks help from his recluse older brother in the form of a mysterious homemade concoction, upending the dynamics of the friend group.
For some more information on the story, take a look at our film’s deck: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l1lNO1lhcOsYWTv1gCt21pqSkTIDXOz2/view?usp=sharing
THE TEAM
Simon Tolman (Director) is a filmmaker from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has a passion for film directing, with years of experience creating both narrative and documentary films. Some of Simon’s previous work includes Wave (Director, Cinematographer, Editor), Swindle (Director, Editor), Black & Blue (Writer, Director, Editor), Lola (Writer, Director, Editor), and Buck Finkelstein (Writer, Director, Cinematographer). He has won awards for his films at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival and the EDU Film Festival. Currently, Simon is a fourth-year student at UT Austin, majoring in Radio-Television-Film and earning a certificate in Human Rights & Social Justice, with an expected graduation date of May 2021. Afterwards, he hopes to teach English in South Korea as well as pursue a career in film. Simon's previous work can be seen on his website: www.simontolman.wixsite.com/film
Gracie McCallum (Producer) is a producer and editor from Cypress, Texas. Gracie aspires to help tell stories that highlight the importance of the human experience - for all kinds of people. Some of her previous work includes Pequeña Ballerina (Producer, Director, Editor), Anamnesis (Producer, Editor), Godspeed (Producer, Cinematographer, Editor), Script to Screen Masterclass Series (Editor), and A Journey of a Thousand Miles (Production Designer). Currently, Gracie is a fourth-year student at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Radio-Television-Film and minoring in Business Administration, with an expected graduation date of May 2021. Following college, she plans to do volunteer work abroad and pursue a career in film development and/or casting.
Kenji Chong (Director of Photography) is a cinematographer based in Austin, Texas. Kenji is a recent graduate from UT Austin’s Radio-Television-Film program and is now freelancing around America shooting documentaries and music videos. With his work, he desires to blend beautiful images with moving stories with the goal of inciting conversations. Some of Kenji’s work cam be seen on his website: www.kenjichong.com
OUR GOALS
Pre-Production Expenses: $100
Camera: $1,000
Equipment Rentals: $650
Food and Crafty: $800
Cast: $700
PD and Wardrobe: $650
Post-Production Expenses: $130
Festival Entry Fees: $500
Contingency and Platform Fees: $470
OUR PROGRESS
Our shooting dates were April 2nd - April 5th, 2021. After that, we went through a detailed post-production process. Now, we are in the finalizing and distribution stage! Currently, we are finalizing music licenses, creating marketing materials, and submitting the short to festivals worldwide. We are so excited for what is to come, and it would mean the world to us to have your help!
If you donate to our film, we would like to give back with various levels of perks! $10+ donations will receive a special thanks credit, $25+ donations will receive early digital access to the film, $50+ donations will receive exclusive BTS content, $100+ donations will receive a poster signed by the producer and the director, and $250+ donations will receive an associate producer credit.
If you have any questions about the film or want to learn more, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email redacted] !