Thunderbolt In Mine Eye
Thunderbolt In Mine Eye
We're a sibling team seeking to honor the unique, blemish-filled experience of first love. Our story depicts teenagers in a refreshingly un-glamorized light, and with a perceptive humor and voice that spits you straight into the butterflies-in-your-stomach of finding connection at a young age.
We're a sibling team seeking to honor the unique, blemish-filled experience of first love. Our story depicts teenagers in a refreshingly un-glamorized light, and with a perceptive humor and voice that spits you straight into the butterflies-in-your-stomach of finding connection at a young age.
Participating In
Hometown Heroes
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Story
Inclusion Statement
This film gives credit to today's youth as they REALLY are — intelligent, thoughtful and not just obsessed with their phones. Our lead actress is a person of color, DP from Portugal and 50% of our team is female including writer/co-director. Most parts are played by teens their actual ages!About The Project
Harper and Tilly have lived across the street from each other since they were kids. Harper is 14; Tilly is 15 and his best friend is Adam, Harper's older brother. Harper is in her first few weeks of high school when one afternoon, she and Tilly find themselves in an unexpected dialog that incites ...
everything.
This story is about that pit in your gut kind of fascination with someone who only weeks/months/years ago, you saw completely differently or didn't even know. It's about the ache and intoxication of deep connection with someone, particularly at an age when there's so much noise (friends/teachers/family/THE INTERNET) and the funny little steps that go into a relationship becoming "a thing" — and then sometimes, unraveling back to strangers.
We're the people to make this because our first and foremost goal in any work we undertake is authenticity and truth. We've written a from-the-heart script that's been certified "SAME" by many a bonafide teen, but we're also willing to throw that to the wind if on any given day, what our actors bring to the table is something entirely different that proves more truthful and real to the characters and teenagers at large.
We care about this story because movies and shows about teenagers so often resort to hyped-up storylines that we find insulting and only temporarily entertaining at best. (We also believe that these glamorized depictions of what relationships, and even teenagers themselves, look like set unfair — and often unattainable — precedents for young people.)
We love stories that surprise us, or make us feel uncomfortable or nostalgic because what we're witnessing is so reminiscent of real life. We hope you'll join us on this journey!
Incentives
$10
Thunderbolt Sticker
Make your support known with a customized Thunderbolt In Mine Eye sticker (don't drive? Throw one on a binder, water bottle, your little sister's back ...) (2x4")
Claimed: 19 of 50
$15
Special Thanks!
Join the team with a $15 contribution and we'll show our appreciation via a Special Thanks credit at the end of the film! (Social media shoutout's a given, duh)
$25
Yearbook Pic with the Stars
Get catapulted back to high school (or to someone else's, if you're still there) with a fun photoshopped image of your mug alongside cast Quinn Liebling and Anjini Taneja Azhar in our fictitious yearbook. Tell us what you always wanted to be in high school (class clown? prettiest eyes?) and we'll make sure your future — and past — are fulfilled.
+ Special Thanks Credit
Claimed: 27 of 100
$50
See it First!
Stream the film in advance online, as well as a Special Thanks credit <3
$75
Special Liebling/Bowie Print
Are you an Everything Sucks! fan? (Binge now on Netflix to see our two lead actors AND director Zachary!) Let us send you a personalized signed print of Quinn Liebling doing his meanest David Bowie to show you how much we appreciate you.
+ Special Thanks Credit
+ See It First
$75
Behind the Scenes + Blooper Reel
Access moviemaking's hidden moments with this password-only link!
+ VERY Special Thank You Credit
+ Yearbook Pic with the Stars
+ See It First
$100
Sherman Sneak Previews
Be the first to see Thunderbolt in Mine Eye, as well as Zach's debut feature film Barbie's Kenny ("A struggling actor's life is turned upside down when his estranged mother appears on his doorstep with a terminal illness") AND the pilot for Sarah and Zach's web series Two Dogs, starring the siblings and Glenn Howerton.
+ Very Special Thank You Credit
+ See It First
+ Behind the Scenes + Blooper Reel
$150
In the Mix
Come be a featured extra for a day! (Maybe you don't normally pay for this — but your dollars are bringing this project to life, AND you'll get to hang with our awesome cast and crew while witnessing indie filmmaking at its core)(Oh yeah and be in a movie!)
(Location: Portland, Oregon — travel/lodging not included.)
+ Very Special Thank You Credit
+ See It First
+ Yearbook Pic with the Stars
$250
Make it About You
Add you + up to 4 friends as characters in the script. Write a line of dialog for yourself and spend a day shooting with us. Lunch is on us!
(Location: Portland, Oregon — travel/lodging not included.)
+ Very Special Thank You Credit
+ See It First
Sold Out!
$500
Associate Producer
Be credited as an Associate Producer in our film's credits! YOU have made this thing happen :)
+ Very Special Thank You Credit
+ See It First
+ Yearbook Pic with the Stars
$1,000
PRODUCER
Receive a PRODUCER credit, as well as any/all of the above incentives. Thank you!!!
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$10
Thunderbolt Sticker
Make your support known with a customized Thunderbolt In Mine Eye sticker (don't drive? Throw one on a binder, water bottle, your little sister's back ...) (2x4")
Claimed: 19 of 50
$15
Special Thanks!
Join the team with a $15 contribution and we'll show our appreciation via a Special Thanks credit at the end of the film! (Social media shoutout's a given, duh)
$25
Yearbook Pic with the Stars
Get catapulted back to high school (or to someone else's, if you're still there) with a fun photoshopped image of your mug alongside cast Quinn Liebling and Anjini Taneja Azhar in our fictitious yearbook. Tell us what you always wanted to be in high school (class clown? prettiest eyes?) and we'll make sure your future — and past — are fulfilled.
+ Special Thanks Credit
Claimed: 27 of 100
$50
See it First!
Stream the film in advance online, as well as a Special Thanks credit <3
$75
Special Liebling/Bowie Print
Are you an Everything Sucks! fan? (Binge now on Netflix to see our two lead actors AND director Zachary!) Let us send you a personalized signed print of Quinn Liebling doing his meanest David Bowie to show you how much we appreciate you.
+ Special Thanks Credit
+ See It First
$75
Behind the Scenes + Blooper Reel
Access moviemaking's hidden moments with this password-only link!
+ VERY Special Thank You Credit
+ Yearbook Pic with the Stars
+ See It First
$100
Sherman Sneak Previews
Be the first to see Thunderbolt in Mine Eye, as well as Zach's debut feature film Barbie's Kenny ("A struggling actor's life is turned upside down when his estranged mother appears on his doorstep with a terminal illness") AND the pilot for Sarah and Zach's web series Two Dogs, starring the siblings and Glenn Howerton.
+ Very Special Thank You Credit
+ See It First
+ Behind the Scenes + Blooper Reel
$150
In the Mix
Come be a featured extra for a day! (Maybe you don't normally pay for this — but your dollars are bringing this project to life, AND you'll get to hang with our awesome cast and crew while witnessing indie filmmaking at its core)(Oh yeah and be in a movie!)
(Location: Portland, Oregon — travel/lodging not included.)
+ Very Special Thank You Credit
+ See It First
+ Yearbook Pic with the Stars
$250
Make it About You
Add you + up to 4 friends as characters in the script. Write a line of dialog for yourself and spend a day shooting with us. Lunch is on us!
(Location: Portland, Oregon — travel/lodging not included.)
+ Very Special Thank You Credit
+ See It First
Sold Out!
$500
Associate Producer
Be credited as an Associate Producer in our film's credits! YOU have made this thing happen :)
+ Very Special Thank You Credit
+ See It First
+ Yearbook Pic with the Stars
$1,000
PRODUCER
Receive a PRODUCER credit, as well as any/all of the above incentives. Thank you!!!
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
Sarah Sherman: Writer/Director
Sarah was raised in Portland, Oregon where she mostly read books and wrote poems about cats and flowers. She moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000's to pursue a career in dance, only wound up quitting to return to words. Eventually she began penning screenplays while working on film projects with her brother Zachary; her work has since caught the attention of industry insiders for its unique voice and authentic dialog. Sarah now lives in Portland with her two children + partner Nolan and is currently at work on a documentary series on sexual assault, as well as another feature film about hyper masculinity in America.
Zachary Ray Sherman: Director
Zachary Ray Sherman lived in Portland, Oregon until age twenty one when he was cast in a western shot in New Mexico called The Far Side of Jericho (directed by River's Edge's Tim Hunter.) Credits since then include Netflix's Everything Sucks!, the CW's 90210, independent films West Virginia, Archie's Final Project and upcoming film Cuck which is a character study examining the rise of emboldened hate-filled white young men in America. Zachary's directorial debut Barbie's Kenny will begin its festival journey in 2019 and he's looking forward to shooting Thunderbolt in Mine Eye back in his hometown. Zachary resides in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and dog.
Elise O'Brien: Producer
Elise transitioned from the world of psychology research into filmmaking. Since then, she has been lucky enough to work with a number of different types of productions over the years. The most challenging was a western called The Timber, which was shot in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania in minus 35 degree weather! After living in L.A. and abroad for about ten years, she is happy to be back home in Portland, making a film about growing up, in the place where she grew up.
Martim Vian: Director of Photography
Martim grew up in Lisbon, Portugal, where he studied Cinematography at the National Film School Conservatory. He continued his education at FAMU (the Czech National Film School) and AFI, where he completed a Masters in Cinematography. His short-film Equestrian Sexual Response was selected for several festivals and nominated for a Student Academy Award. As a Director of Photography Martim has shot a variety of commercials, music videos, shorts and feature films. His credits include national and international broadcast commercials for clients like Axe, Purina, Skittles, Disney, Sony, Energizer and Levis, and music videos for bands such as Haim, Ms. Mr., Bastille, Jeremih and Weird Al. He recently shot the Sundance selected High & Mighty directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada and the feature-film In a Relationship (Tribeca 2018) directed by Sam Boyd and starring Emma Roberts. His 2018 pilot Elemental can also be seen on National Geographic. He is a member of the Portuguese Society of Cinematography - AIP.
Quinn Liebling: Actor
Quinn played Tyler on Netflix's Original Series Everything Sucks! He acted in a 2017 short film called Halfway House and has had roles in a number of stage productions including The Village Theatre’s Billy Elliot and for the Academy of Performing Arts Cape Cod and Bainbridge Performing Arts, including Oliver!, Les Miserables, The Jungle Book, Another Letter to Father Christmas, and A Christmas Story the Musical.
Anjini Taneja Azhar: Actor
Born and raised in Shoreline, Washington, I have ventured through my childhood (and teenagehood) searching for something I was passionate enough about to not quit after two months. I wanted a "thing." As a young girl, I was always fascinated with writing and storytelling, however the thought of creating cinema hadn’t crossed my mind- not even the slightest bit. I was always in love with films and stories, but I never connected the two. I always filled my spare time with writing and the exploration of storytelling; I wrote short stories, attempted scripts for fun, wrote storybooks, and more.
Nonetheless, I tried every possible hobby in the book. At the age of eleven, I stumbled upon an agent in Los Angeles who offered to sign me as a client, to which I agreed since trying new things seemed to be my only "thing" so far. It all happened so quickly I fell in love with acting immediately, starting small with independent films such as Smashed by James Ponsoldt and, again, accidentally, stumbling upon roles in large productions such as Star Trek Into Darkness by JJ Abrams and HBO's The Brink with Jack Black. Acting was not just a hobby, but a passion. I flew to LA during the day for auditions and flew home a few hours later, doing my homework to maintain my 3.9 GPA between the hours of 11PM and 1AM on a redeye. 4 hours of a powernap later, I'd wake up and go to school. I loved every minute of it. I thrived on it. I grew a deep adoration for film: watching it, understanding it, becoming a part of it.
And here I am now. I am an actress and venturing into the mysterious world of filmmaking.
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