"Blood on Canvas" A Short Film

ALL DONORS WILL HAVE THEIR NAMES IN THE SPECIAL THANKS SECTION OF THE CREDITS.

LOGLINE

A struggling painter facing a major creative block must decide whether or not he will exploit his brother's suicidal episode in a desperate attempt to save his career.

CHARACTERS

MALCOLM WHITMORE - 38 YEARS OLD

Malcolm Whitmore is in a creative block. He’s over the peak of his career, is finding his sales declining, and the accolades don’t feel so shiny anymore. He relocated to his artist retreat in upstate New York to clear his head and is racing against a looming showcase deadline. Elijah lives with him, so not much painting is accomplished as Malcolm has become a caretaker through Elijah's intense suicidal episodes. Malcolm is headstrong, ambitious, and certainly sees himself as more of an artist than his brother. Yet, when Elijah attempts suicide again, he collapses onto Malcolm's canvas leaving behind a bloody mess, with an intentional allure, that creates a lifeline for Malcolm's career. As the showcase draws closer Malcolm struggles to keep his ego in check and Elijah sober enough to be professional. He cares about making this sale and keeping him and his brother afloat, but ultimately, Malcolm will do anything to succeed and to feel a spark in his craft he hasn't felt in a while.

ELIJAH WHITMORE - 42 YEARS OLD

Elijah Whitmore was once famously known as Ricky Coleman, the kid from Family Biz!, a hit sitcom from the late 80s. Since his titular role, he hasn’t had much success and has been met with rejection after rejection. With his residual checks dwindling, he lives in Malcolm's attic for the free rent. He was, in-fact, the first investor in his brother, buying him his first paint set. Elijah is a bit of a deadbeat, but he doesn’t mean to be. If anything, he has a purity surrounding him. Yet, his struggle as a child actor has led him down a path of alcoholism, severe depression, and several attempts on his life. When Malcolm's exploitation of his mental illness opens avenues to be seen in the public eye again, Elijah hesitantly seizes the opportunity.

SHAUNA MURPHY - 52 YEARS OLD

Shauna Murphy is Malcolm’s cutthroat art dealer who plays nice but has a sharp edge. Shauna Murphy has played the game, and she plays it well. Shauna and Malcolm have worked together for several years now, but the well is starting to run dry. To help Malcolm finally make them a sale again she helps him sell his new work. 

The world surrounding Elijah and Malcolm is brutal, high-class, bright, and pristine.

The gallery is bright white and painted by shadows in the space. The hospital is a sea of daylight and glass windows.

The cabin is only a few hours north of NYC in Catskill, New York. It’s a bit run-down, but still a nice studio/house combination. Malcolm isn't broke, but he's far from dirty rich. The interior decor is masculine and clean, with an artist's flair. There are glass windows surrounding the house, allowing lots of natural light and nature views. The camera will play with reflection, windows, and frame-within-frame, often with this architectural feature. 

Malcolm’s at-home studio embodies chaos. It’s messy, discombobulated, and represents Malcolm’s inner mind. It is the living and breathing heart of the house. It is a total mess, full of color, full of art, and bursting with emotion.

Family Biz!, was a hit sitcom from the late 80s that starred Elijah as Ricky Coleman. Think Family Matters or The Parent ‘Hood, it follows a black American family through their day-to-day lives. The youngest of the family, Ricky, is at the center of the show.

Overflowing boxes filled with Malcolm’s old possessions fill the attic. Yet, Elijah has made it his sanctuary. Amongst the mess is all of Elijah’s belongings and so much Family Biz! memorabilia that it might as well be a hidden museum. All day he sits and watches his old show on the TV and kills joint after joint. It’s Elijah’s safe space and a reflection of his loss of identity and severe depression.

CAMERA AND LIGHTING

Blood on Canvas will have a sharp, digital, and rich contrast look (think Tarkovsky’s The Sacrifice or Mirror). Every shot of the film should melt off the screen as though a moving painting. The lighting at night will bring intense shadows and daytime will be mostly natural with white light highlights. 

Overall the goal is to hijack the audience's senses, whether it's through sound design, score, or shot choice/composition. 

Blood on Canvas will be shot on the Arri Alexa Mini with Arri Ultra Prime spherical lenses and presented in 16:9 format. 

A letter from the Director:

I have always been fascinated by stories about family, what we do for and to the ones we love, and a person’s search for their identity. As a queer and mixed filmmaker, I know how paramount it is to uplift underrepresented voices and stories. As a biracial individual who looks white, I also recognize my privilege as a white director. Like all my films, I am excited to explore this story with care, research, sensitivity, and empathy.

Growing up with 3 older brothers who were distinctly older and different from me was strange. Living in a world that tells us siblings must be best friends, and not having that connection with any of my siblings, made things even worse. I’ve always felt intense pressure to be better than my siblings and to be the next generation who does it all right. I had to make up for their “failures” that, at a young age, felt much more significant than they do now. I was tough on them for their every move. In reality, they were just as scared and lost in life as I am now. Success became everything to me, and it tore me from humanizing my siblings.

‘Blood on Canvas’ explores, on multiple levels, exploitation and what it means to be an artist. What is success as an artist, and how far will you go for the craft? What does it mean to be a black artist in a “high-art” world dominated by white artists and consumers who control the red rope? What is the obsession white audiences have with the transmutation of black suffering and disposability of black bodies? But, at the heart of ‘Blood on Canvas’ is a story of two brothers who not only desperately want the world to love them but also want to be seen. If only they could recognize that their experiences aren’t that far from each other.

‘Blood on Canvas’ is about family, love, and legacy, and asks what part of ourselves we must kill to finally ascend to the next level as an artist.

-Eamonn

MEET THE TEAM

Rebekah Strauss - Screenwriter, Assistant Director, Creative Producer

Rebekah Strauss (she/her) is a 21-year-old Writer and Director based in NYC. She recently graduated from NYU with a Bachelor’s degree from the Dramatic Writing program at the Tisch School of the Arts with a minor in Film. Rebekah aims to provide representation to marginalized groups through her writing. Her social justice work began in high school, where she was awarded the Princeton Prize for Race Relations in 2018 for spreading racial awareness. Rebekah has written several short films, feature films, and plays. Her most recent short film ‘Rotten Meat’ was a finalist in the BlueCat Screenwriting Competition. Rebekah is currently a working professional Assistant Director with experience in commercials to feature films. Most recently, she has worked for Macy’s on their upcoming Christmas ad campaigns. Rebekah hopes to join the 2023-2025 DGA Assistant Director program in Los Angeles or New York.

Eámonn Wrightstone - Director and Co-Producer

Eámonn Wrightstone (he/him) is a 22-year-old director based in NYC. With a start in award-winning social justice work and community organizing, he transitioned into filmmaking to tell stories with “taboo,” queer, family, racial, socio-economic, and mental health-related topics. Eámonn strives to uplift underrepresented voices/communities behind and in front of the camera. At this point in his career, he has directed 4 short films at NYU while studying Film and Television Production Studies. After graduating in May, he will be directing a new off-off-broadway play this Summer, 2023. Eámonn is additionally a producer for DADDY TV, a queer, sex-positive, and New York City/Los Angeles based reality tv production company. When he’s not directing or producing, Eamonn freelances professionally as a First Assistant Camera and in the G&E department.

Jessica Cochran - Producer

Jessica Cochran (she/her) is a Chinese-Indonesian American producer based in New York City and raised in Florida. A 2022 graduate from the NYU Undergraduate Tisch Film and Television program, she strives to cultivate films and sets that are compassionate and inclusive, as well as focusing on uplifting stories and voices that challenges audiences, while also fostering empathy. Working in both documentary and narrative, Jessica has served as a Production Coordinator on Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV, premiering at Sundance 2023, a Production Assistant on Eat The Rich: The GameStop Saga currently streaming on Netflix, as well as worked as a Production Coordinator at Ummah Chroma Creative Partners, including working on OUT / SIDE OF TIME, a short film that is a part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the exhibition Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room.

Nifemi Adegboye - Co-Producer

Nifemi Adegboye (she/her) is currently based in New York, NY and is a New York University graduate with a BFA in Film & Television Production with a minor in Business in Entertainment, Music, & Television at Tisch School of the Arts. She has experience with short film and commercial production, production design, live broadcast production, and producing with Ark Media & HBO, CMG Studios, Amazon, and

various independent film productions. She is a determined artist focusing primarily on developing herself as a producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. "Birds & Bees," her most recently released short film that explores the experience and impact of police violence on Black children, was selected as a finalist at NYU's Film Fusion Festival.

Her current focus is on honing her skills in producing and project management. She has a passion for working with like-minded individuals creating art that speaks on the Black experience. She’s now working as an Art department Manager at Walter Schupfer Management, a leading creative management agency.

Nadera Herbert-Bey - Associate Producer

Nadera Herbert-Bey (she/her), originally from Atlanta, is a producer, writer, and director. Since embarking on her journey as a filmmaker she has been fascinated by genre-bending and how we can talk about societal issues in a refreshing way for audiences. In everything that she has directed, she has tried to bring a unique visual style to her work and is excited to bring that same passion to Blood on Canvas as a Producer. Her notable works include Tribeca official selected films such as a narrative short called Chicken where she was a producer and her development work on a feature documentary called On the Line: The Richard Williams Story.

Matt Liang - Director of Photography

Matt Liang (he/him) is a 22-year-old Canadian cinematographer having experience as a Director of Photography and Gaffer on various short films and commercial work. Although he specializes in narrative filmmaking, he is also a professional photographer and videographer. Growing up in Hong Kong, Matt loves exploring differences in cultural dynamics and is inspired to create art that brings people together. He works part-time as a video creator for Gastronomous Technologies and additionally freelances. He is currently studying at NYU Tisch School of the Arts with an intended major in Film & Television and a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology. Matt hopes his continued commitment to the craft will earn him a finalist spot for the 2023 Volker Bahnemann Award For Outstanding Cinematography from ARRI, given out each year to seniors in Camera 3 at NYU.

Malachi Parsons - Production Designer

Alicia Qian - Sound Mixer

Alicia Qian (she/they) is a filmmaker and sound designer with an irrational love for

audio, writing, and most of all food. She has directed and sound designed several shorts, some of which have aired on NPR and featured on Apple’s Best of 2021 Podcasts. Alicia is extremely excited to help bring this film to life and can't wait to get on set!