ORANGE TREE

LOGLINE

When strange happenings begin to occur on a young couple’s property, their relationship is pushed to its cosmic extreme.

STORY SUMMARY (Script available upon request)

Orange Tree begins in the midst of an inexplicable discovery; The house moves. The tenants of the property are provided for by the fruits of a single Orange Tree, and thus, they’ve never left. While her boyfriend doesn’t want to rock the boat, Eve must know more. As her backyard experiments progress, gradually moving her further from the house, their relationship picks up tension. Can they fix this ever-growing rift? No time! Eve’s boldest experiment yet causes the house to rush away into infinity, separating the two indefinitely as they are each thrust into their own slice of life…But with space, comes the chance to grow -- See PITCH DECK

TAGLINE

When your home provides everything, why leave?

CHARACTERS

GOALS

We have spent years making ultra-low budget projects that excite the both of us, and Orange Tree began as more of the same; A short project we could make by ourselves while working on feature-length scripts. But as weeks of development turned into months, we knew that this one was special. If any of our projects deserved to be made with the proper resources, this was the one. While we have never been too concerned or focused on the festival space, we realized that with the right technical polish, this film would be something that can be appreciated by cinephiles and everyday film-goers alike. With your help, we can afford our wonderful team and create a product primed for a festival run, with the goal of screening at the prestigious SXSW film festival. Ultimately, we just want to make a film that affects and is enjoyed by its viewers. But after working in the film industry for years, we have come to recognize that a festival run will be a major step forward for all the members of our team as we look to advance our dreams and careers.

CAST

Jace Taylor (Eve) was born and raised in the Bay Area. Since a young age, Jace has always had a passion for performing. She started out as a singer and eventually made her way into theatre. Jace first stepped foot on stage at the age of fourteen in Little Shop of Horrors, and has pursued acting ever since. She got her BFA in Acting for the Stage and Screen at Azusa Pacific University. Her best-known roles are Misty in The Plane Truth and Ellie in Dinner in Room 307.

Danny Chavarriaga (Man #1) is a Colombia-born Miami-raised actor. He has recently produced and co-starred in the upcoming romantic comedy Things Like This and starred in the feature After Masks. He is a proud alumni of Syracuse University and New World School of the Arts.

CREW

WRITERS/DIRECTORS

MIKE

Michael Matuszczak is a Director, Writer, Actor, Cinematographer, Editor and all-around creative force. Born and raised in Western Massachusetts, Michael has always been inspired to innovate by a perpetual & deep-rooted need to create. After spending 8 months in Prague studying Film/Directing at the world-renowned FAMU, he went on to graduate from the University of Hartford with degrees in Cinema & Entrepreneurship.

Since his earliest age, Michael has always dove headfirst into any and all creative ventures that he could; building a unique style which showcases his sense of the truest authenticity and originality. These traits are apparent in his independent works such as Locked, Something Beautiful, Gasblastus, Foodies, and many more. Most recently, Michael served as Associate Director on the feature film Things Like This, featuring an Oscar-nominated cast.

NICK

Nick Perrone is a writer, filmmaker, producer and occasional musician from New Jersey with a firm belief that story is the best tool we have for shifting consciousness and guiding our future trajectory. Drawing from a wide range of studies at the Liberal Arts College of William and Mary and Prague’s FAMU, his work aims to make audiences consider a little more, think a little harder, and leave a little more unsure of their assumptions. When not working on his own projects, Nick strives to give other writers and filmmakers the tools, consultation and comradery necessary to speak their piece. He has been a script reader for competitions like the Austin Film Festival and BlueCat and has worked on 20+ short films, including a USC thesis film which has been picked up as a feature, and a short awarded with a $20,000 Stark Grant.

NICK AND MIKE

Since either of us could remember, we’ve been compelled to create. Growing up on the East Coast, we were both enthralled by many art forms: music, storytelling, painting, editing, etc., eventually finding a home in the medium which combines them all – Filmmaking. We met & became friends at the FAMU international film program in Prague where we spent the year studying, experimenting and creating works of all kinds: stop-motion animation, 16mm shorts, narrative, experimental, silent – you name it. Inspired by each other's creative openness and desire to push boundaries, we drove from the East Coast to LA and have been making films together ever since. (You can find some of our work together linked in a later section)

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Caleb Garrett is an award-winning director of photography based in Los Angeles. His varied shooting styles and adaptable lighting approach have led to shooting both commercial and narrative projects. With mentoring from several notable and respected cinematographers in the industry, Caleb has diluted aspects of photography from several backgrounds. Caleb is represented by Lunar Vision Media and has shot for national brands and non-profits like Vanity Planet, No Kid Hungry and Habitat for Humanity. Natalie and Caleb’s workflow is tried and true, as they have collaborated on several projects together. Caleb’s cinematography reel can be found here: https://www.calebgarrettfilm.com

PRODUCER

Tyler Hazard is an LA-based producer with a BA in Film and Media Arts from University of Tampa and an MFA in Creative Producing from Columbia College Chicago. He has produced the short films Modern Guilt, Santhana Gopala and What Remains. Currently, Tyler works in VFX and has been in the VFX department for The Last of Us, Thor: Love and Thunder, Loki and Raised by Wolves.

WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES

Currently, we are ready to shoot! The script, shooting schedule, cast, crew, budget breakdown, and locations are all locked in and organized. Assuming we are able to raise the necessary funds, we are scheduled to start shooting during the first week of August. We need your help in covering the cost of the 7 days of production and post-production to bring this unique yet universal story to life. Your donation will cover the hiring of our cast and crew (we love our people and want to be able to pay them what they are worth), travel, all meals, permits, insurance, set design, costumes, renting gear, and the funds needed to complete post-production.

For the sake of transparency, we’re including a breakdown of the budget to show where the funds will be allocated:

$6,000 - Locations, Equipment & Gear

$3,600 - Cast & Crew

$1,000 - Production Design, Wardrobe, Hair & Makeup

$1,000 - Food & Transportation

$1,000 - Incidentals

$1,000 - Colorist

$600 - Incentives

$800 - Festivals & Marketing

$0 - Editing & Post (Nick and Mike will handle all cutting. Anything we can do well on our own, we will handle to keep costs as low as possible.)

$5,000 - VFX (out of our pocket/not included)

Total: $15,000

TIERS/INCENTIVES

While we will not be giving physical rewards for less than $15, we greatly appreciate any amount you are able to donate!

$15 - Digital Download -- Once our festival run is complete, you'll get a digital download of the short film.

$25 - Online Premiere Party! -- Don't like waiting for things? Backers receive a password-protected link to view a sneak peek of the film months before its public premiere! This exclusive window will last 48 hours. Plus you STILL get the digital download when it's available.

$50 - Digital Download, Online Premiere, Poster, Pack of Orange Seeds

$100 - Digital Download, Online Premiere, Poster, T-Shirt, Special Thanks in credits, Pack of Orange Seeds

$250 - Digital Download, Online Premiere, T-Shirt, Hoodie, Poster, Special Thanks in credits, Pack of Orange Seeds

$500 - Digital Download, Online Premiere, T-shirt, Hoodie, Poster, Personal 1-2 Minute Short Film With Any Original Idea You Give Us, Associate Producer Credit, 2 Tickets to the Screening, Pack of Orange Seeds

$1000 - Digital Download, Online Premiere, T-Shirt, Hoodie, Poster, Executive Producer Credit, 2 Tickets to the Screening, Personal 1-2 Minute Short Film With Any Original Idea You Give Us, and a Pack of Orange Seeds

$1100 or more - Digital Download, Online Premiere, T-Shirt, Hoodie, Poster, Executive Producer Credit, 2 Tickets to a Screening in LA, Personal 1-2 Minute Short Film With Any Original Idea You Give Us, A Night On the Town With the Two Directors in LA, and a Pack of Orange Seeds

DISCLAIMER: We cannot cover travel for free screenings or the night on the town, but you are welcome to crash on our sofa-bed :)

MISSION STATEMENT

After 4 years and many projects, Orange Tree was born. And Orange Tree blossomed. Orange Tree is an ambitious, audio-visual experience that equally blends narrative & spectacle. Many stories nowadays seemingly lean one way or another; A human story that may stand alone in written form, or an all-out spectacle lacking a compelling narrative. Our attitude with this story was to create a fascinating combination of the two. Beginning as a contained narrative about discrepancies within a home, the film takes a sharp, deliberate turn into a visceral, psychedeladventure; leading to an ending that organically binds the two.

This film will be made. And it will be a statement on all things that filmmaking stands for: Originality, drama, narrative, action, struggle, survival, spectacle, pushing boundaries – the human experience. It is our love letter to life and all of its complexities.

We do not take your support for granted. With this opportunity, we embrace our obligation to push forward, no matter the setbacks, late nights, or personal sacrifices that must be made. We so appreciate any and all collaboration in this venture and will be sure to use every resource to maximize the impact of the film’s final cut.

LINKS TO PREVIOUS WORK

Foodies

Last Kill

Mr Goodguy Badguy

GASBLASTUS

It’s For Your Reel A light-hearted sketch displaying our humor, as the first act of Orange Tree has some comedic aspects to it.

RISKS AND CHALLENGES

Unfortunately, a million things can go wrong while making a film. Actors could drop out, equipment can malfunction, we could go over schedule, over budget -- it's a miracle anything ever gets made! Thankfully, our producers Natalie and Jennifer, who are rockstars and kindred spirits, will keep the ship running smoothly, and having our budget in place will make everything all the easier.

We are trying to be as fiscally responsible as possible without jeopardizing the outcome of our film. We are committed to providing fair wages to our cast, crew, and production team, as well as providing a safe and professional environment while on and off the set.

Every dollar will get us closer to seeing our dream come to fruition! Please spread the word to your friends, family members, co-workers, and even your grandma. And, of course… anyone who appreciates film and loves a good story.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about us and the film, please don't hesitate to reach out! Thanks for reading, and we hope you'll contribute to the cause to make our dream a reality.

With eternal love and gratitude,

Nick and Mike