Mezza Morta: A Twisted Web Series
Donation protected
Mezza Morta is a reanimated corpse created by two Russia scientists to infiltrate YouTube and influence the American public.
Synopsis
Dr. Romanov and Dr. Petrov’s unorganized biohazard of a lab pulsates with electricity in the early hours of the morning. They've been working tirelessly to create the perfect KGBeauty for their manipulative plan--- and they’ve found the ideal specimens for the head of project Mezza Morta.
Tickled with enthusiasm, Dr. Romanov insists that 3 a.m. is the perfect time to conduct a few initial tests. He stands by his vintage technology ready to incorporate various memes into Mezza Morta’s temporal lobe, while Dr. Petrov observes off-camera--filming the experiment.
For a while, the trial goes swimmingly-- but once political discourse gets thrown into the mix...the real madness starts.
Directors Statement
Mezza Morta is a twisted regurgitation of events in my personal life as well as my reaction to the divided world. It’s a representation of sexism and the #MeToo movement, the viral fads that distract us-- and the collision that brings it all together. This female-led production that pays homage to classic horror ushers in a new error of terror and is sure to inspire young female filmmakers everywhere.
The Mezza Morta prequel is a concept piece for the first season of the Mezza Morta web series. I want Mezza Morta to make you laugh, but more importantly--I want it to scare the shit out of you. This four-part horror comedy will satisfy feminists and gore enthusiasts alike with its sharp political humor and classic practical effects provided by special effects makeup artist, Steve Saturn. The script is written, the show is cast, and the crew is standing by--but we need your help to bring Mezza Morta to life.
With $35,000 I can make Mezza Morta the kick-ass web series I know it can be.
I can't create this without your help, so please--donate today.
Follow Us Online:
@MezzaMortaWebSeries on Instagram
@MezzaMortaWebseries on Facebook
Cast
Jo Anna Van Thuyne
Writer, Director, Producer
“Mezza Morta”
Jo Anna Van Thuyne is an actor, comedian, and filmmaker from Philadelphia. She graduated from LaSalle University and is most well-known for her interview series, Creepy Basement on the Scrapple TV YouTube Channel. She is also one of the producers and stars of the horror film, American Exorcist.
Jo Anna produced, wrote, and starred in the comedy news series, Lampoonery News, which was broadcast on the Philadelphia cable access channel, LaSalle TV. She acted as Associate Producer for ShadowBox Pictures where she helped produce a number of television commercials. She also served as a Production Assistant on many independent features including Stuart Connely’s The Suspect. Jo Anna managed and performed in a number of infamous Philadelphia based haunted houses like The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride and Eastern State Pennitetury’s Terror Behind The Walls.
Jo Anna moved to New York in 2016 and completed the core curriculum at the Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center in New York City. She was accepted into the Advanced Program and continues to practice improv regularly. She also trains with Penny Templeton of The Penny Templeton Studio.
After two years of inspiration through education, Jo Anna wrote Mezza Morta as a culmination of all of the skills she has learned over the past decade. Mezza Morta, written, produced, and starring Jo Anna Van Thuyne...is also her directorial debut.
Crew
Steve Saturn
Special Effects Makeup, Producer
Steve Saturn is a practical effects makeup artist from New York and a 2006 graduate of the Drexel University School of Media Arts and Design in Philadelphia. Steve specializes in SFX makeup application, prosthetics, mold making, and prop fabrication.
He is the Co-Owner of the Philadelphia based production company, Federal Film Reserve, LLC where he helped produce the film, Birth of Separation. He also designed effects for the shorts, Monster Party, and Whom God Helps. Since November of 2011, Steve has worked with Brian Spears and Pete Gerner, and has assisted on films like We Are What We Are, Condemned, and Cold in July. He also assisted on the film Epidemic with Sara Poskonka.
Steve has also led and designed the SFX for the film American Exorcist, and Matt Braunsdorf’s short, John The Carpenter
Matt Braunsdorf
Director of Photography, Producer
Matt Braunsdorf is a director, DP, and editor whose body of work includes film, television, Broadway, music videos and web content. His background is in film production and financing, having worked at iDeal Partners Film Fund for 6 years. In his time there he oversaw the production of the films Dirty Girl, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, Pump, and many others.
Since then he has shot and edited TV spots for Broadway shows like Something Rotten, On the 20th Century, Waitress, and many others. He has also edited for television on shows like New York's Funniest and Blissful Thinking. His work in web content includes Saturday Night Live, People Magazine, The Nerdist, Above Average Productions, College Humor, UCBComedy, and Improv Everywhere.
His short film John the Carpenter, which screened at Dances with Films, Hollyshorts, NYC Horror Film Festival, and won awards for best cinematography at the Nightmares Film Festival and best musical score at Other Worlds Austin in 2016, can be seen on Vimeo and YouTube.
Melissa Rodriguez
Producer
Melissa is a passionate and creative director/writer. She received her M.F.A. from Brooklyn College’s Film and Television department. Her feature thesis documentary, The Sambodi Project, was awarded Best Director by the faculty. Her short films have been featured in The 30 Under 30 Film Festival, New Filmmakers New York, & in the Brooklyn College Faculty Select Film Festival. She was awarded a BAFTA scholarship and membership as well as a membership with Film Fatales NYC for her achievements.
Melissa founded and is the director of Riot Girl Productions, a full-service video production and post-production company bringing to life both narrative and documentary content through creative storytelling.
Alexa Rae O’Neill
Costume Designer
Alexa Rae O'Neill is a 28-year-old Costume Designer currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. She originally hails from the suburbs of Philadelphia and has a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from Moore College of Art & Design.
Alexa’s design aesthetic relies heavily on color psychology, and real-life situations. She believes the clothes a person wears always tells a story. She worked on costume design for horror films such as A Place in Hell, American Exorcist, and American Gothic. Alexa’s work can also be seen in music videos for Circa Survive’s Premonition of The Hex, and The Wonder Years’ Sister Cities.
Alexa is a member of IATSE United Scenic Artists Local 829, in the Costume Design & Wardrobe Styling category.
She spends her free time designing t-shirts and cosplaying as her favorite anime character.
Synopsis
Dr. Romanov and Dr. Petrov’s unorganized biohazard of a lab pulsates with electricity in the early hours of the morning. They've been working tirelessly to create the perfect KGBeauty for their manipulative plan--- and they’ve found the ideal specimens for the head of project Mezza Morta.
Tickled with enthusiasm, Dr. Romanov insists that 3 a.m. is the perfect time to conduct a few initial tests. He stands by his vintage technology ready to incorporate various memes into Mezza Morta’s temporal lobe, while Dr. Petrov observes off-camera--filming the experiment.
For a while, the trial goes swimmingly-- but once political discourse gets thrown into the mix...the real madness starts.
Directors Statement
Mezza Morta is a twisted regurgitation of events in my personal life as well as my reaction to the divided world. It’s a representation of sexism and the #MeToo movement, the viral fads that distract us-- and the collision that brings it all together. This female-led production that pays homage to classic horror ushers in a new error of terror and is sure to inspire young female filmmakers everywhere.
The Mezza Morta prequel is a concept piece for the first season of the Mezza Morta web series. I want Mezza Morta to make you laugh, but more importantly--I want it to scare the shit out of you. This four-part horror comedy will satisfy feminists and gore enthusiasts alike with its sharp political humor and classic practical effects provided by special effects makeup artist, Steve Saturn. The script is written, the show is cast, and the crew is standing by--but we need your help to bring Mezza Morta to life.
With $35,000 I can make Mezza Morta the kick-ass web series I know it can be.
I can't create this without your help, so please--donate today.
Follow Us Online:
@MezzaMortaWebSeries on Instagram
@MezzaMortaWebseries on Facebook
Cast
Jo Anna Van Thuyne
Writer, Director, Producer
“Mezza Morta”
Jo Anna Van Thuyne is an actor, comedian, and filmmaker from Philadelphia. She graduated from LaSalle University and is most well-known for her interview series, Creepy Basement on the Scrapple TV YouTube Channel. She is also one of the producers and stars of the horror film, American Exorcist.
Jo Anna produced, wrote, and starred in the comedy news series, Lampoonery News, which was broadcast on the Philadelphia cable access channel, LaSalle TV. She acted as Associate Producer for ShadowBox Pictures where she helped produce a number of television commercials. She also served as a Production Assistant on many independent features including Stuart Connely’s The Suspect. Jo Anna managed and performed in a number of infamous Philadelphia based haunted houses like The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride and Eastern State Pennitetury’s Terror Behind The Walls.
Jo Anna moved to New York in 2016 and completed the core curriculum at the Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center in New York City. She was accepted into the Advanced Program and continues to practice improv regularly. She also trains with Penny Templeton of The Penny Templeton Studio.
After two years of inspiration through education, Jo Anna wrote Mezza Morta as a culmination of all of the skills she has learned over the past decade. Mezza Morta, written, produced, and starring Jo Anna Van Thuyne...is also her directorial debut.
Crew
Steve Saturn
Special Effects Makeup, Producer
Steve Saturn is a practical effects makeup artist from New York and a 2006 graduate of the Drexel University School of Media Arts and Design in Philadelphia. Steve specializes in SFX makeup application, prosthetics, mold making, and prop fabrication.
He is the Co-Owner of the Philadelphia based production company, Federal Film Reserve, LLC where he helped produce the film, Birth of Separation. He also designed effects for the shorts, Monster Party, and Whom God Helps. Since November of 2011, Steve has worked with Brian Spears and Pete Gerner, and has assisted on films like We Are What We Are, Condemned, and Cold in July. He also assisted on the film Epidemic with Sara Poskonka.
Steve has also led and designed the SFX for the film American Exorcist, and Matt Braunsdorf’s short, John The Carpenter
Matt Braunsdorf
Director of Photography, Producer
Matt Braunsdorf is a director, DP, and editor whose body of work includes film, television, Broadway, music videos and web content. His background is in film production and financing, having worked at iDeal Partners Film Fund for 6 years. In his time there he oversaw the production of the films Dirty Girl, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, Pump, and many others.
Since then he has shot and edited TV spots for Broadway shows like Something Rotten, On the 20th Century, Waitress, and many others. He has also edited for television on shows like New York's Funniest and Blissful Thinking. His work in web content includes Saturday Night Live, People Magazine, The Nerdist, Above Average Productions, College Humor, UCBComedy, and Improv Everywhere.
His short film John the Carpenter, which screened at Dances with Films, Hollyshorts, NYC Horror Film Festival, and won awards for best cinematography at the Nightmares Film Festival and best musical score at Other Worlds Austin in 2016, can be seen on Vimeo and YouTube.
Melissa Rodriguez
Producer
Melissa is a passionate and creative director/writer. She received her M.F.A. from Brooklyn College’s Film and Television department. Her feature thesis documentary, The Sambodi Project, was awarded Best Director by the faculty. Her short films have been featured in The 30 Under 30 Film Festival, New Filmmakers New York, & in the Brooklyn College Faculty Select Film Festival. She was awarded a BAFTA scholarship and membership as well as a membership with Film Fatales NYC for her achievements.
Melissa founded and is the director of Riot Girl Productions, a full-service video production and post-production company bringing to life both narrative and documentary content through creative storytelling.
Alexa Rae O’Neill
Costume Designer
Alexa Rae O'Neill is a 28-year-old Costume Designer currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. She originally hails from the suburbs of Philadelphia and has a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from Moore College of Art & Design.
Alexa’s design aesthetic relies heavily on color psychology, and real-life situations. She believes the clothes a person wears always tells a story. She worked on costume design for horror films such as A Place in Hell, American Exorcist, and American Gothic. Alexa’s work can also be seen in music videos for Circa Survive’s Premonition of The Hex, and The Wonder Years’ Sister Cities.
Alexa is a member of IATSE United Scenic Artists Local 829, in the Costume Design & Wardrobe Styling category.
She spends her free time designing t-shirts and cosplaying as her favorite anime character.
Organizer
Jo Anna Van Thuyne
Organizer
New York, NY
