Daniel

Dear Friend, What a time to be alive! I hope that this note finds you and your family Covid-19 free. We're doing okay here in Los Angeles, homeschooling our daughter Lavinia until school is back and trying to keep our three-year-old, Imogen from climbing into our chicken coop to “lay an egg”! As you may know, I have been a writer for the last 20 years, garnering three Emmy nominations and have had my work published by Samuel French. But right now is a very interesting time in Hollywood. The pandemic stopped production for 6 months and my friends in the Broadway world haven't been working and won't again until May at the earliest. Production companies and broadcasters like Netflix are focused on producing the work they have stockpiled. Which brings me to the purpose of this letter. I'd like to appeal to you to help me produce and direct a short film. It’s an important time to support the arts. The subject matter is close to my heart. Mental illness is something that touches so many families. Over the course of my life I've had many friends who have battled bipolar disease and schizophrenia. In my experience, one of the most challenging aspects of treating mental illness is what is called Anosognosia, often referred to as "lack of insight." When people suffer manic episodes or psychosis they're often unaware that what they're experiencing constitutes an illness, making it difficult for them to see the purpose of medicating.  My short film is about one such person, a 20-something named Daniel.  The film is a thriller meant to draw attention to the challenges faced by people with mental illness. But here's the catch, it's a musical. As you probably know I have experience with Broadway musicals. The first play I wrote in my career was a rapping version of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors which ran to sold out houses in NYC for nine months! The music in this short film will not be comic; it will be heartfelt, played on piano and guitar. Our main character, Daniel, is a singer-songwriter, and we find him struggling with his own creative process. Daniel associates his mania with his creativity. In the film, his mania is brought to life as a character.  The budget for the film is $40,000. It will be shot in 3 days using Covid-compliant procedures dictated by the labor unions. In order to proceed, we are asking for your contribution. Whatever you can give will be a most welcome donation.  Below is a list of contribution tiers… 0 to $500 - Friends Circle. Will receive an early screener of the film! 500 to $1, 000 - Silver Circle. Will receive invitations to the film festivals and a screener of the film. 1,000 to 5,000 Gold Circle. Will receive invitations to the festivals, a screener of the film, and an invitation to the virtual wrap party, with party favors... $5,000 and above... Producer credit. Anyone who gives $5,000 will receive all the above gifts from the Gold Circle as well as a producer credit on the film. I am very much looking forward to this project and hope that you are willing to give our production a good start! Thank you in advance. Jordan Allen-Dutton