'The Lives We Make' - A Short Film by Poser

Emmanuel Terrell and I (Jake Vriezelaar) are excited to announce the official fundraising campaign for our short film 'The Lives We Make' — A story about grappling with the reality of what it takes to be satisfied in the absurdity of everyday life. In spite of the logistical hoops and mental battle of producing a film, we are dedicated to partnering with each other and people like you to make this a reality.

In the film, we follow our main character, Adrienne, as she faces an existential crisis in the midst of her boyfriend's nephew's chaotic baptism. She is met by an angel-like janitor, known as 'Mouse,' as he does his routine caretaking of the church. His old-aged wisdom and embodiment of commitment forces Adrienne to look at life in a way she hasn't before. Blending the comedic rawness of Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird and the painting-like cinematography of Jean-Luc Godard, we're aiming to ride the line between life's messiness and beauty.

Why Make This Film?

After working alongside my co-director Emmanuel on numerous commercials and visual sketches, we found ourselves time and time again on the cusp of creating things that felt true to our collective voice. While we're grateful to have worked with so many lovely artists and brands, we’ve always felt a little boxed in by creating content focused on generating views and sales.

After dreaming over a few long-winded phone calls, we decided it was time for us to take the leap of faith and make something that is fully ours. We formed a duo known as 'Poser' and started building this project. Pulling from our real-life experiences of growing up in church and the shared angst of being a twentysomething, this story feels like one of our most personal pieces to date. Crystalizing our present moment as we struggle to find our place in the sometimes overwhelming nature of our respective cities (Chicago and New York).

Why Crowdfund?

In the past, I'd typically just try and make a passion project on my own dime and ask for a bunch of favors to cut costs. It's easier that way. You bear the risk all by yourself, you can't let anyone down if it sucks, yada yada. But, to echo the words of Mouse in our story, we have to “do this thing right.”

We believe that we have something to say with this film and want to tell it with as few compromises as possible. These funds will go directly towards making this film better than it could have ever been if we just relied on ourselves.

Emmanuel and I are not receiving any payment from this dollar amount at all. Instead, we'll be using every penny to support our cast/crew, rent industry-standard production equipment, acquire our main shooting location, provide food to our extras, and rent a U-Haul to carry a bunch of gear through the streets of Brooklyn.

Please join us in giving breath to this project. And if you're unable to support financially, please share with as many people as you can — it helps a ton. We can't wait to see what we make alongside each one of you.

With deep gratitude,

Jake & Emmanuel

(Poser)