The FBI Wants My Toaster - A BFA Thesis Film
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Logline:
"Now living alone with his father, lonely kid Nik Chatterjee didn’t expect the friend he’d need to be… a toaster!”
Synopsis:
After being left by his mother with his father, Amir, 11-year-old Nik Chatterjee is having a difficult time adjusting to this new life, finding solace in spending time fixing his neighbors' appliances. However, after a mysterious box arrives at his door, Nik finds the friendship he needs in a sentient toaster! Little does Nik know that the solution to his problems is also the source of others when Special Agent Burman arrives in town in search of a particular sentient kitchen appliance…
Why This Project Is Important To Us:
Childhood is an important and formative time for everyone, including our crew. The FBI Wants My Toaster reflects the highs and lows of our childhoods—the joys of childhood wonder and time with family and the lows of awkward family dinners and feeling lonely. The FBI Wants My Toaster is also an exciting opportunity for us to utilize our backgrounds in comedy, action, drama, and practical effects on a grander scale. Car chases, government agents, giant machines, a talking toaster, oh my! Like our previous acclaimed work (see Figgs’ Very Merry Christmas and Fast Food Frenzy short film clips below), it’s approachable and crowd-pleasing, never sacrificing its weirdness.
About the Crew:
Brandon Krish is the co-writer/director of the film. He is currently a junior Visual Media Arts Major at Emerson College. He previously co-directed the award-winning Figgs’ Very Merry Christmas and its predecessor, Flesh & Felt. He, alongside Jackson Murphy, is currently finishing his latest directorial effort, Fast Food Frenzy – an ambitious film that blends live-action footage with various animation techniques such as stop-motion, computer animation, and traditional 2D. He feels his previous work directing puppetry, practical effects, and animation and his ability to craft stories with a tremendous amount of heart have prepared him with the necessary knowledge and skill to undertake this incredibly challenging and ambitious project.
Jackson Murphy is the co-writer and executive producer of the film. He is currently a junior Business of Creative Enterprises Major at Emerson College. He previously co-directed the award-winning Figgs’ Very Merry Christmas and produced and co-wrote its predecessor, Flesh & Felt. As one of the writer-directors of Fast Food Frenzy, he is currently co-overseeing the film's completion. Jackson’s ability to integrate humor and heart paired with his technical abilities in areas like sound and practical effects is unmatched by most of his peers, and he is looking forward to further flexing and challenging those skills with this project as well.
Owen Silleck is the director of photography of the film. He also contributed to the film’s original story. He is currently a junior Visual Media Arts Major at Emerson College. He previously collaborated with Brandon and Jackson on Fast Food Frenzy, pairing his technical and creative abilities to bring to life something exceptional. He is also the creative director of Paratrooper World, a creative production company/agency based on the East Coast. He previously directed the award-winning short film Strange Ignition and the music video Save the Fish.
Jessica Zhang is an executive producer of the film. She is currently a sophomore Visual Media Arts Major at Emerson College, where she directed the critically acclaimed student film And Then There Was No More Ana. The film was produced through the college’s very competitive FPS program. She previously collaborated with Brandon, Jackson, and Owen on Fast Food Frenzy as the Assistant Director. Her creative talents and ability to organize and collaborate with others make her the perfect producer for such an ambitious project.
Oliver Ciric is the producer of the film. He previously produced both Brandon Krish and Jackson Murphy’s previous two directorial efforts, Figgs’ Very Merry Christmas and Fast Food Frenzy. Additionally, he has served as the producer on many other creative projects, including Tethered, Ashes, DH Justice, and the upcoming BFA film Message in the Tides. Oliver’s fantastic skills as a producer in logistics and creative work separate him from the rest of his peers.
Max Gallen is an associate producer and 1st AC of the film. He is currently a sophomore Visual Media Arts Major at Emerson, where he co-directed the acclaimed and impressive film DOVA. He continues to make amazing VFX videos on the YouTube channel he co-runs with other Emerson College peers, The Suite. Some of his work has even gone viral – raking in millions of views! Max previously worked with Brandon and Jackson on Fast Food Frenzy as the 1st Assistant Camera, contributing to much of the film’s look alongside Owen. His creativity and ability to tell stories make him overqualified for the job!
Where Your Money Will Go?
The FBI Wants My Toaster fundraising goal is designed to be used across 12 days (four Friday - Sunday weekends) of shooting and, of course, reshoots if necessary! This goal was developed based on our previous works' total costs and fundraising goals, so any amount helps!
Categories:
Crafty/Food Services
Actor Wages
Production Design and Effects
Location Permits
Transportation
Distribution Costs
TOTAL: $5500
Potential Obstacles:
The obvious and most immediate challenge on The FBI Wants My Toaster is our robotic toaster. Luckily, we’ve already connected with a talented engineering student at Northeastern University who will utilize Arduino hardware and software to create a controllable toaster! The cost to do so is included in our production design category.
Production design itself is another obstacle to our short. The FBI Wants My Toaster often takes place in Nik Chatterjee’s home and, more importantly, the garage, which is full of different machines and creations by Nik. Because of that, we plan on setting aside a large portion of our targeted funding for production design to help us find and create suitable locations for this film.
The FBI Wants My Toaster has multiple locations but always comes back to a “home base” of the Chatterjee garage. We intend to use our background in more sprawling shorts (like Figgs’ Very Merry Christmas) and single-location shorts (like Fast Food Frenzy) and create something that combines the best of both worlds.
Previous Works:
Fast Food Frenzy
When a mysterious bag of fast food arrives at his door, Calum has to fight his cravings, but what happens when the cravings fight back?
Figgs’ Very Merry Christmas
It’s December 24th, and everyone’s favorite blue puppet — Figgs Newton — is on his way to visit his grandpa for Christmas. But not without a few surprises along the way! Join Figgs as he faces a race against time to save Christmas and maybe discover its true meaning along the way…
Inspiration:
Thanks for reading!
Organizer
Brandon Krish
Organizer
Boston, MA