We're back for round two of fundraising for MAKE BELIEVE!  

ISO: More MAKE BELIEVERS! (& more cash 🤑)

Thanks to the amazing support of our contributors in the first round, we're in the final stages of post production & preparing to put the finishing touches on our little lovechild. 

To help us get to the finish line & bring MAKE BELIEVE out into the world, we've raised our goal from $7,500 to $12,300.

This round of funds will go toward things like music, animation updates & all the stuff that comes after the film is finished - like festival submission fees (they add up fast!), promotional art & organizing screenings.* 

If this is your first time visiting, welcome! Keep scrolling to learn more or feel free to jump straight to giving us some cash. 🤑 

To our current contributors: Will you share our MAKE BELIEVE Crowdfundr with your friends & help us grow our community? 

A huge thank you to everyone who has already contributed & supported us. We're so close, and cannot wait to share the finished film with you all!

✨👩🏾‍🚀👩🏼‍🚀✨

*A portion of the funds raised will go to Qianna, without who, this film would not exist! Qianna has poured her heart & soul into this project. Help me show her some love by contributing a few bucks! Don't the pics from the film below make you wanna shower her with love & affection in the form of money? She is so friggin' fun to watch in this film, I cannot wait for you all to see it. 🐩💨

- Michelle

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June 2024 Update

WOO HOOO!!!! We have reached far beyond our goal for post production funds!

As of June 7th, 2024 --- Thanks to our incredible community of Make Believers (funders) we reached 100% of our goal in just 17 days! And we ended our 21 day campaign 111% funded!!! 

OUR GOAL → $7500

AMOUNT RAISED  → $8,290.37

AMAZING. 

If you're seeing this Crowdfundr page for the first time and want to support us be sure to subscribe (it's the little teal colored button next to the campaign title at the top of this page) to get notifications about our project. We'll be sharing behind the scenes updates as we make our way to the finish line and will need to rally crowd support again once the film is complete and we're ready to share it with the world. So stay tuned!

Now back to the regularly scheduled programming (aka our original Crowdfunding campaign & info about the project)... 

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Hi! Welcome to our fundraiser for Make Believe!

A fantastical short film about a woman who attempts to escape the burdens of adulting by disappearing into her childlike imagination. 

DIY movie magic handcrafted by Michelle Cameron & featuring Qianna Brooks, after a 2 year hiatus we're gearing up to jump back into post production & we need your help!

Become a Make Believer! SUBSCRIBE, CONTRIBUTE & BECOME A FUNDER OF MAKE BELIEVE. 

Will you help us finish Make Believe?

We need a little boost to help us get our cardboard rocket ship back into outer space & across the finish line. You could say it's our creative love child, a thing that we just won't quit. We filmed Make Believe two years ago in my living room, on my iPhone using some old school movie magic tricks like rear screen projections & split screens (more on that below). The footage turned out better than I could have ever imagined (see GIF above 😍). Stoked & deep into post production things came to a screeching halt when life threw a bunch of curveballs our way -- including Qianna & I both getting unexpected hip replacements (wtf, life). Shoo, healing is a journey, eh? We're still on it but we're on the mend & ready to get back to finishing this film!

How can you help? Give us your money!*

Pretty please. Don't need a speech about supporting indie art? Already know you want to support us before going any further? Woo hoo! Just click the "I'M A MAKE BELIEVER!" button below to become a FUNDR of Make Believe! Give whatever amount you see fit as many times as you want. Be sure to add-on a Perk or two like ETERNAL GRATITUDE that comes with digital artwork from the film for $25 or a SPECIAL THANKS CREDIT for $125 & see your name on screen at the end of the film when the credits roll!  

I'M A MAKE BELIEVER!

Subscribe & Share!

*Running low on cash like us?  If you can't help financially don't sweat it. We get it. We're literally begging for money RN. There are other ways to support us, like subscribing to this campaign & sharing it with folks in your world that might get a kick out of what we are making. As an indie film, helping us spread the word is just as important as giving us the cash to make it. Subscribe & follow our journey as we make our way to the finish line.

What do you get out of this?

When you become a Make Believer you'll get behind the scenes access to the making of Make Believe (like how to create your own rear screen projection) & you'll be the first to see the film when it is done.

Indie film needs you. 

By giving money to our project you are making independent art possible. You will be keeping indie film alive & putting money directly into the pockets of independent artists. Keeping us employed so we can continue to make our art & share it with a world that could really use it right now. 

Wanna know more about the film?

Need a little more info before giving us your hard earned (or inherited, good for you!) cash? Woo hoo! Lets go! Keep scrolling... 

(visual above is from a completed shot in the film) 

Hi! I'm Michelle, the maker of Make Believe.

As most of you visiting this page probably already know, I'm an indie filmmaker. Pretty much life-long but professionally I've been making moving images for 15 years. To those of you I don't know, Hi! Nice to (sort of) meet you! If you're curious to know more about my career as a filmmaker (like producing a Sundance award winning movie or directing branded content for L'Oréal Paris) go to my website where you can see more name dropping & watch some of my other handcrafted DIY creations like WILD WOMAN (an ward winning music video shot entirely on my iPhone) or MY SUPER WORLD (a mini series commissioned by Xiaomi viewed over one million times on TikTok). But for now, let’s get back to the reason we've invited you here...

Welcome to the world of Make Believe!

An experimental visual adventure meant to make you smile. 

When a middle-aged woman becomes bogged down by the realities of adulting she is thrust into her imagination where her reflection comes to life & the pair track down a bad vibe. 

Come on! This way!

While traversing the imaginary worlds inside the woman's head (like two kids playing make-believe) the pair discover an animated creature clinging to their emotional baggage obnoxiously wailing.

Oh no! It's an Emotional Baggage Zombie!

Uuuuuu I don’t know about this. 

While debating themselves on how to handle their unwanted baggage the EBZ stumbles into a black hole & plummets toward the mother of all bad vibes.

Uh oh! 

Chasing after the EBZ the pair fly through outer-space in a cardboard rocket ship. Will they catch it & stop their baggage from disappearing into the abyss of the woman's imagination for all of eternity?? 

Faster! Faster!! Ludicrous speed!!

DIY Movie Magic.

How did we get two Qianna's on the screen at the same time & create pretty rad (humble brag) imaginary worlds on a shoe-string-budget? Become a Make Believer & you'll find out. As we make our way to the finish line I'll be sharing how I used some DIY practical effects & classic filmmaking techniques to create old school movie magic, in my living room & on my iPhone.

I'M A MAKE BELIEVER!

The artists behind Make Believe.

Michelle Cameron Writer, director & recovering producer. Painfully passionate about indie film I wore many hats for this film. Including but not limited to: writer, director, producer, DP, art director, sfx, vfx & editing (see why I need your money? I need help 😬. ) www.dmichellec.com / @dmichellec82

Qianna Brooks The star of the show, a lover of playing make-believe & all around good human. A multi-hyphenate: actor, social entrepreneur, travel enthusiast and life coach. Qianna is The Woman. You can stalk her a little bit more on her website & on insta --> @qianna_brooks

Yuki Maekawa-Ledbetter Helper of making dreams become reality and maker of cardboard rocket ships. A fierce indie film producer making waves -- go follow her & check out all of her incredible work @yukiday

John Morena Maker of animations that don't suck. Camera test stand-in and creator of the Emotional Baggage Zombie. If you don't know who John is go follow him --> @johnmorena He is one of the best experimental & indie animation artists out there.

I need more talented artists like these folks to help me finish this film. That's where you come in. Will you help me?

When can you see the film?

Hopefully this fall! There's a lot of bad vibes out in the world right now so we wanna get this little good-vibe nugget out as soon as possible.  But we can't do it without you.

Help us spread good vibes by contributing a few dollars so we can finish making this film!

A final thought before you go.

I really believe a tiny ripple can have a massive effect. And I really believe that now more than ever we need a whole bunch of good vibes, it's rough out there. This film is just a tiny ripple in a giant universe I don't fully understand. Maybe it’ll make you giggle. Maybe it'll make you smile & feel a little less like the world is full of only darkness. Maybe it'll inspire you to shake off some of your own bad vibes by making your own little indie film! Let's find out. Help me finish. 

Thank you for making it all the way to the bottom of this page. Really, I mean that.  May we collectively rid ourselves of as many bad vibes & emotional baggage zombies as possible and LONG LIVE INDIE FILM. Ok, now give us some money!…If you can…Please. And thanks.

Michelle 💜🐩💨