At its core this film is about friendship that transcends species. This film hopes to bring awareness to humans' relationship to animals, and we can't do this alone. We're looking to prioritizing working with women and people of color to help tell this story!

 

 

The Story

Angeline Lorrimer is a successful though reclusive New York Artist who lives with her lifelong companion and artistic muse, Greyson the African Grey Parrot. Lifelong friends since childhood, Angeline and Greyson spend their days inside Angeline's apartment, which has come to look more like a nest than a Manhattan walkup. Though this life exists peacefully for many years, an unexpected long term visit from Angeline's mother upends the peaceful life the two have crafted. Tensions from their past flare up, and Greyson has to try to find a way to balance being a pet and a protector. 

 

Fundamentally about the relationship between people and their pets, Birds of a Feather is a study on the psyche of animals, and an experiment in trying to see things from a different point of view - one with a few more feathers than we’re used to. 

 

First Person Perspective

Birds of a Feather will be shot entirely from the perspective of Greyson the African Grey. This challenging technique was chosen to best visually portray the experience of being a bird. Because African Grey Parrots are so special, we wanted to capture their point of view both to push us to new artistic visual heights and to examine the relationship between owner and pet from a different perspective. Through optical lens effects, thoughtful art and production design, careful planning, and a whole lot of creativity; we hope to see the world from the other side of the cage.

 

Why You? Why This Story?

Growing up in Florida, parrots were an ever-present part of life. You couldn't go far without hearing a flock of them flying overhead, squawking as they went. When they gathered on the powerlines, they were like bobbing strokes of paint. Their calls, though loud and piercing, became a backdrop to the environment, and now to me sound like home. 

 

They are also the first animal I've had a conversation with. As a kid visiting a local aviary, I was stumped when I heard a voice ask for a treat. I looked around, but nothing but a bird was there to greet me. I soon realized that the bird was the one talking to me. Though I have only had “traditional” pets like dogs and cats growing up, I always wondered what it would be like if I were able to talk with any animal in the same way we could with a parrots. I believe that being able to relate to animals is crucial to understanding our world and better respecting our place in the ecosystem. 

Inspired by the work of Dr. Irene Pepperberg, an animal psychologist who first discovered and documented the incredible intelligence of the African Grey Parrot Alex, this film seeks to provide an artistic take on these findings. We in the team hope you share the same passion for birds and animals as we do. 

 

Motifs

Eyes

The eyes will be an important part of this film. As it is shot in first-person, we are literally seeing through the eyes of our protagonist, and as such the eye is a recurring motif.

Music

All types of Parrots, but especially African Grey Parrots are known to enjoy different types of music, especially classical music. Music will provide the auditory backdrop to the film, matching how Greyson is experiencing the world. 

Externality

Because Birds of a Feather is a first person experiencial film, we felt that it was best to represent the characters in a way that would be representative of their emotions, filtered through the lens of a parrot. With this, the characters will have representationally accurate costume design, matching them to their respective avian equivalent.  

Art

Birds and Parrots, especially African Grey Parrots, have long been the subject of countless works of art. In this tradition, we examine those who are fascinated with the striking form of the birds and represent their collective works through Angeline’s paintings.

 

Location

Locations are very important to this film, as the bulk of the story takes place in Angeline’s apartment. Because her house is so full of painting supplies, it almost looks like a nest, jam packed with different drafts, memories of the past, and trinkets. We are also looking to shoot in one of the many wonderful New York, Long Island, or New Jersey pet or bird shops that are near Manhattan. 

 

How You Can Help!

Film-making is an expensive art! Food, equipment, locations, art, camera - did I mention food? That’s why we are asking for your help! With your contributions, we’ll be able to pay for things that we need like locations, key crew, art and set decorations, and most importantly meals for the cast and crew. Below is a breakdown of the budget, so you can know where your generous donations go towards! We hope that you are inspired by the project, and will join the project as a contributer so that we can bring the vision to life!

 

"That's a Wrap!" ... Now what?

 

Once we've shot everything, put it all together, and made it look fantastic, what's our next step? Once finished, we are going to send the film out to festivals all over the world, starting by submitting to NYU's First Run Film Festival for NYU grads. Your contributions will help support costs associated with festivals, helping us to spread the bird, and help show the movie to the world! If you've contributed 25 dollars or above, you'll receive a private link to the film to see before anyone else! Once the film has made a festival run, we'll send all other supporters a public link to the film!

From the bottom of our hearts, thanks!