
"The Man Who Once Owned The Sky" at UC San Diego
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Ludwing Fino. I am a fourth year Visual Arts in Media undergraduate student at UC San Diego and my dream is to become a filmmaker whose stories can reach audiences all over the world, inspiring them to collectively make social justice by presenting them with films that explore the many social, economic and political issues taking place in North America, allowing viewers to connect and sympathize with the themes, situations and characters presented throughout my filmography. I am currently working on what will be my first independent short film and thesis project, a 20 minute drama/tragedy baptized as "The Man Who Once Owned The Sky".
This short film follows a simple question: Is success worthy if it means losing those you love? Set in modern corporate America and inspired by the greatest stories that analyze the relationship between the individual and capitalism - The Sopranos, Breaking Bad and Succession -, this film dives into the actions a man is willing to make in order to achieve his dreams, even if it means losing everything he constructed throughout his entire life.
Tragic, emotional, powerful and rooted-in-character, The Man Who Once Owned The Sky explores the psyche of a tragic hero who, in the need for proving himself worthy of the world around him, will end up betraying those he loves while finding regret, misery and loneliness as the ultimate consequence of his own decisions.
Vincent Duchamp is a successful businessman who, on a quest to gain power and recognition, begins to destroy the world around him, including his connections with the people he esteems: his enthusiastic and challenging wife, Madison, and his two estranged children, Michael and Anthony. As an unexpected opportunity to globalize his tech company, Tetra, emerges, Vincent will have to make a decision: to satisfy his personal aspirations by reaching the darkest and most outrageous places within his persona, or to support his family during their most vulnerable moment: the potential death of a family member. Whatever he decides, however, will result in tragedy.
I am creating this GoFundMe because making a student short film set in corporate America means going against the norms and expectations, taking high risks that can not be supported without having a great amount of labor in regards to logistics and financing research behind. One of the most difficult things when trying to produce a short film as a student is being able to secure the means that will cover the costs that a competent production entails: it requires paying for location fees, transportation, catering services, renting camera equipment, amongst many other essential filmmaking aspects demanding financial support.
With that said, the money acquired in this fundraiser will be used solely for the production costs this short film requires: location, transportation, catering, equipment and, possibly, talent fees. I want all of you to know that donating your money for this project is something I do not take for granted. You are all helping me bring my vision into reality. You are all allowing me to do what I love to do: to inspire others by creating art. This story is something I am committed to create and finish, no matter what the obstacles are. Again, I understand that your money is something you have to work for very hard - even more so in our current economy -, money you could easily use to spend on something else, but you're instead choosing to support my dreams. Because of that, donors for this short film will be included in the credits, no matter what the amount is. Of course, there's a difference between being a donor and an executive producer, so people donating the most amount of money will receive production credits whereas casual donors will be listed in the credits. No matter what the amount is, each of you will be pivotal in making this short film happen. This is OUR short film, and I will make sure to make a good use of the resources you are providing me with. Thank you very, very much!
Let's make this short film happen! The Man Who Once Owned The Sky!
Organizer

Ludwing Fino
Organizer
San Diego, CA