Abortifacient
by Fatima Hye
Abortifacient
by Fatima Hye
A passionate young man takes a darkly obsessive turn when he discovers that his ex-wife is pregnant with his child.
A passionate young man takes a darkly obsessive turn when he discovers that his ex-wife is pregnant with his child.
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Story
About The Project
Part I: The Dream
The story behind this idea is an artist's dream: a series of serendipitous events flowed together and gave birth to an original vision - an "operatic" psychological horror film.
The idea for the story hit me unexpectedly. I was watching an old cult classic called "Black Christmas", when a situation in that movie inspired a conversation in my head: a man and a woman arguing about who has what say in the event of an unplanned pregnancy. I built the story around that conversation. It was a complete coincidence that recently, there has also been a debate going on about federal funds going to Planned Parenthood. Although this isn't a political film, the issues that are explored (gender and family roles in our time) are more relevant than ever. But remember, it's ultimately just a creepy story about obsession and control that will be rich in music and art. :)
Then, while writing the script, I was listening to a lot of classical music (since I was set on a classical score). As I was writing, a lot of the words just seemed to flow naturally with the music. I figured, why not just use these standard classics that we all know and love, to give the scenes dramatic tension? And furthermore, let's have the actors' words (spoken, not sung) ebb and flow along with the music in a semi-choreographed fashion! Arranging a track list and securing the rights to the music was one of the first things I ended up doing.
Next, I got together key cast and crew. I'm not really an online person (I prefer real life and real accomplishments), but I do see the value of using some online sources to team up with like-minded individuals. In that sense, I've been very lucky. I've never had a problem attracting people to a project, starting with my classmates and extending outward to professional cast and crew as I finished school. People are dying to work on stuff that excites and inspires them!
Part II: The Reality
Of course, once the idea was born, I then had to embark upon an artist's nightmare: getting the funds to make it happen. My previous works were shorter and less ambitious, and I was able to manage things myself. But the time has come for me to cross that bridge as I begin to establish myself as a serious filmmaker. My first attempt at crowdfunding (through Kickstarter) did not go well. I had done my research and knew that to be successul, you must first line up support before your campaign begins, in order to build up momentum and attract the attention and excitement that is required. However, I found that the OFFLINE attention, support, and enthusiasm I get (from a good sized circle of family, friends, and peers) was very difficult for me to translate into online results. I heard about Seed n Spark later from someone I work with, and decided to try this, since it is more focused on film.
I've learned a bit more about the way things work now (S&S team is awesome), and all I can say is that I'm a very resourceful person. Once I set my mind on something, I'll find a way to make it happen. And if you find the ideas behind this film intriguing, I'd love for you to be a part of it. Orson Wells said he spent 10% of his time making his films, and 90% of the time raising the funds to make those films. So that's where I'm at now. :)
* A note about the funds: with your help, we'll be set to shoot within a few months, as much of our pre-production and securing of funds is already complete. In addition, I don't want you to have to pay for your own incentives, so we tried to offer things that would appeal to people who would like this film (mostly artsy, obsessive types). But no matter what level you contribute at, we'd like to give you credit in the film (unless you prefer to remain anonymous). Finally, thank you to the Seed n Spark community for this wonderful opportunity!
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- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
Key Cast and Crew
Writer/Director - Fatima Hye
I have done 8 shorts so far, each one longer and more ambitious than the last. I usually start with an idea or concept, and then find the right style to capture it. My first was a $20, 3-minute experimental piece called "Ritual", and my last was a $3000, 50-minute narrative called "Animalium".
You can see what I've released so far on my website (http://blackrevel.com/film.html), and below is a preview of "Animalium".
DP/Camera - Jason Casillas
Jason worked with me on "Animalium". The cool thing about Jason is he's willing to get his hands dirty, literally (for "Animalium", he moved a dead buzzard around to get interesting shots). He studied at UT Film in Austin, where he also worked on cool stuff like Spy Kids and Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the new one lol). Finally, he went to Cannes this past May!
Check out his website:
Production Artist - Heather Benson
Art is a VERY important part of this project. Heather and I found a mutual attraction in each other's artistic styles. She will help me storyboard the film, create props, design sets, and finally, do makeup/wardrobe so we get a nice mixture of elegance and gore. :)
Website for her company, Saphira Amourr:
Lead Actress - Bonnie Gayle
Bonnie revealed to me that a lot of what the character "Mia" says is basically stuff that she would say. Beyond this natural identification, I was impressed with Bonnie's reel, where she showed a mastery of several different styles, from sincere emotion to sarcastic playfulness. She also has a background in ballet, which I think is a definite plus for a piece that will be somewhat choreographed in certain scenes.
Bonnie's imdb:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6125285/
Lead Actor - Will Burnson
Although Will is not well known, in fact, recently got into acting, he nailed the reading for the audition. He brought out a lot of the nuances in the script quite naturally. He also has a bit of a Norman Bates type thing where he can appear very sweet but can also tap into a darker psyche. This versatility will definitely help him bring the character of "Julian" to life.
Will's Backstage profile:
https://www.backstage.com/willburnson/
Supporting Actor - James Burleson
James has a military background, and has been in lots of films already. He will be playing "Brian", who, as far as the story is concerned, is a support for Mia, and a sounding board for her thoughts and emotions.
James's imdb page:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3160499/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm
Character Actor - Travis Ammons
I absolutely loved Travis's reel. Around Houston, he's fairly well known in the arts community, and was profiled in The Houston Press. He also writes, directs, and produces his own stuff, which is a mix of dark and humorous styles. The "dream sequence" is probably my favorite one in this film, and the role seemed like a fun little part for him.
Here's his imdb (but Google his name to see all the stuff he's up to):
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1784201/
Actress - Vickey Burns
Vickey will be playing the role of "Grandmother", which is intended to give a historical glimpse into the psyche of the main characters (as well as general gender and family roles). I was impressed with Vickey's portrayal of a rather dark character on her acting reel. When I met Vickey in person at a recent film industry meet, I found that she is actually a very rambunctious person (quite the opposite of the character she will play, actually)!
Here is her imdb:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7497416/
Production Assistant - Veronica Zubia
What to say about Veronica? We go way back (we took Single Cam Production at UH together) and she's been on most of my shoots with me. She is a very artistic and fun person, and I love working with her. She also works at Houston Public Media.
Her Linkedin page:
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/veronica-zubia/40/172/155
Gaffer/Grip - Ransom Synwolt
Ransom also worked with myself and Jason on "Animalium". He's cheerful, friendly, and just a great crew member and all-around guy. He's done lots of shoots around Texas, and works for a production company in College Station called Frame by Frame.
Here's his LinkedIn page:
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