"Red Handed" - A Short Film by UT Austin Students by Red Handed

Campaign extended! Our deadline has passed but you can still help. ✕

"Red Handed" - A Short Film by UT Austin Students

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$1,410 raised

40% of $3,500 goal

7 contributions

64 Days running

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By Red Handed

Personal campaign Keep it all Austin, US Report

Meet the Team!

Hello! We are a group of current and former UT Austin students seeking funding for our upcoming project, "Red Handed." Scroll through our campaign to learn more about our project!

For more info/updates:

Follow us on Instagram - @red.handedshortfilm
Click on the link to check out our director's website - ROCKSTAR PRODUCTIONS

Logline:

Grappling with growing unrest in his town over Santa Claus' secretive antics, a police chief makes a fateful decision to unmask the man behind the myth, igniting a battle between preserving Christmas magic and restoring public order.

Proof of Concept Video: https://vimeo.com/1029844590?share=copy

Intro:

As students, it is a hefty task to fully fund a short film with all the different components needed to complete a project. From equipment to locations to providing food for our crew, it takes a lot to bring an idea to life. We've created this campaign with the goal of meeting our budget of $3,500, which will be spread amongst the categories as outlined below. After months of pre-production, we are beyond excited to move forward in the process and secure funding to ensure that production runs smoothly, not only in fulfilling our vision but also in making our cast and crew feel comfortable and have fun on set!

For any project, funding is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome; thus, any amount helps us tremendously. Whether it's one dollar or a hundred, your donation helps us access nicer lights, better locations, an advanced camera, and even some more hot cocoa for our crew.

We are thrilled to work on this film and are extremely grateful for any donations that come out of this campaign. This project would truly not be the same without our community's support, so thank y'all!

42 days till filming starts! Then, Santa Claus is coming to town...

Director's Statement

Hello! My name is Rocky Andrews, and I am the writer and director of the upcoming political drama "Red Handed," which follows Police Chief John Lee as he faces a tough decision when Santa's Christmas traditions begin to stir up concern and incite a chaotic divide in town.

I first came up with this project over a year ago as a creative application to graduate school. While initially written as a two-minute scene (now our proof-of-concept video), I later had the thought to expand it from a simple conversation to a fully fleshed-out story. Following graduation, with more time to put into my idea, I saw the perfect opportunity to gather a team and begin pre-production. With all the discourse in our world today, I have felt even more motivated to make this project a reality, as this story - though fantastical - is an example of what division does to society.

And lastly, I am excited to present a new take on Santa and introduce complexity into what was once an innocent tradition. Sometimes it can be fun to play devil's advocate, sometimes it can feel freeing to write a story inherently grounded in fantasy, and sometimes it's so entertaining to take beloved characters and put them in a completely opposite context. If you're just as intrigued, I hope you'll follow along for the ride!

Budget Breakdown:

Equipment - $1500

This portion of the budget includes our main lighting, camera, dolly, and sound equipment in addition to other miscellaneous items like tents, wagons, stands, etc.

Cast - $350

We are currently only able to pay our two leads; however, if we meet our fundraising goal, we are hoping to pay the rest of our cast for their hard work and effort.

Props/Costumes - $350

Set design, props, costume, hair, and makeup.

Locations - $300

Most of our locations will be off campus and may require payment. Any extra money from this allocation will be spread between Crafty, Cast, and Equipment.

Crafty - $600

We will be providing 2 meals per shoot day for our crew of around 20 people to keep everyone happy, healthy, and productive. This portion of the budget will allow us to provide a meal every 6 hours on set.

Transportation - $100

Since many locations will be located off campus, we'd love to reimburse gas money for our crew.

Festivals - $300

And of course, our goal for this project is to submit to a variety of film festivals across the country and help this film reach its full potential. Thus, this portion of the budget will account for entry costs and any related costs that arise during our festival run.

Reward Tier Breakdown

Despite our budgetary limitations, we'd love to offer you some rewards to thank you for your support!

$10 - Santa's Nice List Tier

A warm thank-you shoutout on our Instagram (and maybe a spot on Santa's Nice List!)
Invitation to the premiere screening.

$25 - Stocking Tier

A warm thank-you shoutout on our Instagram (and maybe a spot on Santa's Nice List!)
Invitation to the premiere screening.
Personalized thank you video from the set.

$50 - Milk & Cookies Tier

A warm thank-you shoutout on our Instagram (and maybe a spot on Santa's Nice List!)
Invitation to the premiere screening.
Personalized thank you video from the set.
Access to exclusive BTS Photos and Videos from set.

$100 - North Pole Confidential Tier

A warm thank-you shoutout on our Instagram (and maybe a spot on Santa's Nice List!)
Invitation to the premiere screening.
Personalized thank you video from the set.
Access to exclusive BTS Photos and Videos from set.
Digital download of the final film.
Receive a Thank-You credit in the film's end credits.
Exclusive access to raw footage from the set.

$200 - Santa's Inner Circle Tier

A warm thank-you shoutout on our Instagram (and maybe a spot on Santa's Nice List!)
Invitation to the premiere screening.
Personalized thank you video from the set.
Access to exclusive BTS Photos and Videos from set.
Digital download of the final film.
Receive a Thank-You credit in the film's end credits.
Exclusive access to raw footage from the set.
A signed digital poster
Executive Producer Credit

Again, this film would not be possible without y'all's support, and we are immensely grateful! If you can't donate at this time, we'd love for you to still share our project, follow us on Instagram (@red.handedshortfilm), and help us reach our goal! Thank you!