Empower Queer Voices: Invest in "XY" - A Short Film

Hi, my name is Stephan Fleet, co-writer / director of “XY.” My day job is Lead Visual Effects Supervisor and Associate Producer for the Amazon series “The Boys.” I’ve also been an artist my whole life - I grew up in the industry as a classically trained theater and film director/writer/actor and portrait photographer.

I, along with the great team you will meet below, am here to raise money for the dramatic short film “XY.”

STORY

It’s a tragic character study of two individuals, whom we will simply call X and Y. X is a trans woman living in Middle America, just trying to get by. Y is a white male clerk struggling with his own sexuality and self-hatred. Soon, their paths will cross in a horrific and all-too-familiar way.

HOW THIS PROJECT CAME TO BE

I came out of the closet (I currently identify as Pansexual) about two years ago. I came out right around the time another horrific active shooter event happened in America - The Club Q shooting. What made this one stand out, just like the even more terrible Pulse nightclub shooting, was the conditioned targeting of the queer community.

And targeted we are. Now more than ever hate campaigns towards the queer, and especially the trans community, fuel political and social agendas. My eyes were opened to all the double-standards of sheer hatred.

When I heard about the Club Q shooting I felt the urge to act in solidarity with my community and do something, anything. The best way I know how to act is by using my skills as a filmmaker and so I sat down to write. But when I began writing, something was missing.

That something was meeting JL. JL is a very talented actress and writer who just so happens to be trans. I immediately showed her the bones of an early draft to get her take. We spent many long nights really analyzing the characters and the script and I realized that I, as a Cis-male, can in no way write a trans character. JL came on as co-writer and we began the process of putting as much “real” life as we could into each character. Embedding details and questioning everything. Just making as authentic a piece as we could.

Once we got it to a certain place, I shared the script with my boss and mentor Eric Kripke. If USC was my MFA in film, working under Eric on the Boys for the past 5 years has definitely been my PHD. He has a mind for storytelling and character authenticity like no other. He sat us down and gave us a TON of feedback, and we did several drafts under his guidance. And again, every time, the goal was “truth.” Truth to the characters and truth to the world.

Around this time JL and were also very fortunate to meet Rose Alsander-Toberman and Brendan Rodruguez. Both fantastic producers. Both queer themselves. We realized we really have something here. An opportunity to not only make this great film, but to employ queer talent and give deserving people a voice and a little bit of hope after some rough times in the film and TV industries.

And now we have this wonderful script that we think gives a really honest view of some of the big issues the queer community, and well, America in general, are dealing with today.

It’s tight. We’re going to entertain. We’re also gonna hopefully leave people a little more open than they were before. Now we have to shoot it!

TONE OF THE FILM

Each character’s world will be visualized in its own way.

During the day, for Y, we’re gonna start with the “Western Fantasy.” Widescreen lenes and a wide open world.

But then quickly reveal the truth: a drab middle America. Painfully mundane.

Exteriors will be muted with warm tones, like every strip mall in America. His place of work, a convenience store, washes him under that depressing fluorescent light that just sucks the soul away.

X is vibrant and filled with life. Though her struggles are real, and more than most, she just wants to do her best to live a fun and fulfilling life. Her world is filled with more colorful hues, though still gritty and rough.

As she is accosted and challenged by life, colors may take a turn. But all roads lead to Club Z. Her haven and place of joy and friendship.

Of note, the nightclub itself will take a journey from being cloaked as your average stripmall corner to a place of majesty and beautiful light during the night.

CAMERA & STYLE

We’re going classic with this one. That is, anamorphic (cinemascope back in the day) wide screen lenses.

Old Westerns were shot “anamorphic” on similar lenses - The Boys is also shot anamorphic.

It’s that look that gives us that feel of “America.” But it can also be gritty and have lots of flaws and blurred corners. Things can feel a little - bent and edgy.

We want that epic, scorching, burnt feel of Once Upon a Time in the west or The Wild Bunch

but modernized with a bits from movies and shows like, Euphoria, No Country for Old Men and other similar contemporary projects.

A great example is this short film directed by David C. Smith (our D.P!). If was filmed on classic Cooke S3 Anamorphic lenses:

The Sit Down

SHATTER THE ILLUSION

We want to visually shatter that illusion of the American Western Hero.

One of our best examples we keep thinking about is John Wayne.

Literally, like, forever, he was considered the archetype of the American hero. But it’s pretty well known now that he was not a good guy in real life. And even then, a movie like John Ford’s the Searchers (considered one of the greatest Westerns of all time) is about an ex-Confederate soldier who would rather see his niece dead than living with Native Americans.

We envision Y having a John Wayne fantasy. The hero in his own Western. Misunderstood and lonely. But under the surface angry and filled with hate.

Meanwhile with X there’s this more contemporary Euphoria-like Romantic illusion of how a trans woman is “supposed” to be. When the truth is, like anyone, she’s just trying to survive and live a decent, normal life.

To compliment the emotion - our camera moves are slow, sometimes even static. Intentional and thought out. There to let the performances do the work. Our production design and art direction will make sure every inch of every frame have intent and purpose.

This team has worked in professional film and television for years, so if there’s one thing we know how to do it's make things LOOK good. Of course there is a lot more to it than that. Like we said above it’s about letting the characters take the stage. No fancy VFX or gimmicks here. Just a look into the souls of our two characters.

BUDGET & HIRING GOALS

Our goal is to raise 100k. Over 50% of the budget will go to cast and crew. It’s really important to us that people get paid.

These are ballpark numbers, we have a much more detailed budget in the works, but it gives you a good and transparent idea of how we intend to invest cash donations:

$40,000 - Crew (includes, hair, make up, wardrobe, sound, and so on)

$10,000 - Cast

$14,000 - Equipment and Rentals

$11,000 - Post Production

$10,000 - Locations and Production Design

$11,000 - Food, Insurance, Fringes.

We thoroughly believe that humans are the backbone of creativity. Not robots or computers. And diverse teams bring the most perspective to any project. Thus we are going to do our best to hire as many queer and diverse people as possible. Of course this includes our Cis-het friends! Sometimes it’s just about the best person for the job.

We will update this page with every new hire! Stay tuned!

PLEDGE

We’re not making this film for profit. We’re making it because we are a bunch of artists that live to make content and share it with people. We also feel the need to do something about queer-targeting in today’s America. So we pledge that, if we do make any financial gain off this project - be it a festival award or sale of some sort - to donate 100% of any profits to queer-based charities. Places like The Trevor Project and Transgendered Law Center.

If you donate any sum and would like to suggest a charity, please do!

CASTING

JL will play the trans lead.

The character of X is very close to her heart and based on a lot of her own personal experiences. She just completed another fantastic short film called The Rut that served as her audition piece.

For the male lead, Y, we are still on the hunt for top tier talent! Check back for this exciting info!

TIERS AND PERKS

Tier 1 - Thank you!

$100 - Stephan will give you a shout out on his Instagram and you will get a thank you in the credits

$300 - Same as above plus we will send you your own digital copy of the short film when it is completed

$500 - Same as the $300 - plus you get a T-shirt! That’s right. For all Stephan’s projects he tends to do a custom T-shirt design and print a limited run. So you’ll get one when they are ready!

Tier 2 - Zoom Meeting

$1000 - You’re amazing. Stephan and/or JL (you decide!) will do a personal zoom with you discussing whatever you want. This could be insight into the VFX industry, film and TV industry stuff in general. You name it. We will put you in an Extra Special Thanks section in the credits. And yes, a T-shirt!

Tier 3 - Producer Credit

$3000 - Associate Producer credit on the project (plus all of the above). You’ll be invited to a virtual premiere party when we launch the short.

$5000 - Co-Producer credit. You’ll be invited to our premiere in person (travel not included). Also, optionally, if you are in town, I’d (Stephan) be happy to do a studio portrait photoshoot with you and nerd out over cameras

$10K+ - Co-Executive Producer credit on your own single card. Plus all of the above!

THE TEAM (SO FAR)

STEPHAN FLEET - CO-WRITER/DIRECTOR

Stephan has worked in television for the past 18 years, starting in development and new media for Sander/Moses Productions (Ghost Whisperer) before becoming a successful Visual Effects Supervisor on many, many projects like Under The Dome, Timeless and The Boys. He has served as second unit director on several TV pilots and several episodes of The Boys. He’s also directed two commercial spots for Liquid Death.

Born in Warsaw, Poland and raised in Los Angeles, California, Fleet has been around the performing arts his whole life. He holds a B.A. in theater from the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television and an M.F.A. in film production from the USC school of Cinematic Arts. In the past he has served as Executive Creative Director of Encore Hollywood and Creative Director of Zoic Studios. He is a member of the PGA and DGA.

Fleet currently works as Co-Producer on GenV (Amazon) and will return as Visual Effects Supervisor and Co-Producer for Season 5 of The Boys.

Aside from work, he is an avid portrait and street photographer and an activist and huge supporter of queer and trans rights.

For more, including work history, please visit stephanfleet.com

JL - CO-WRITER/"X"

J.L. (she/her) is an accomplished actor from Austin, TX, who honed her craft at the University of Houston. She has showcased her talent in various mediums, including film, television, and theater. After relocating to Los Angeles, she made her film debut in the short film The Rut. As a trans woman, J.L. aims to bring her diverse experience and passion for performance to help raise awareness and support for inclusivity and equality.

BRENDAN RODRIGUEZ - PRODUCER

Brenden Rodriguez grew up in Miami, FL, and made his way to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment - producing and casting in television & film.

Brenden has cast television titles such as The Boys, Gen V, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Tiny Pretty Things, as well as the upcoming and highly anticipated The Perfect Couple. In working on such projects, he has had the pleasure of working with producers such as Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Gail Berman, Paul Feig and Susanne Bier to name a few. Brenden has also cast voiceover projects in both scripted podcasts and video games.

With a passion for project management, Brenden has begun producing films with his producing partner, Rose Alsander-Toberman. Together they have launched a Production Company, Foxtrot Entertainment, and are actively producing, shooting and developing both short films and feature films while embarking on the film festival circuit with shorts such as Golden Years and Little Footsteps. They are excited to continue telling authentic human stories from unique perspectives.

ROSE ALSANDER-TOBERMAN - PRODUCER

Rose’s love for cinema began during childhood, when her dad would take her to double features on the weekends. After graduating from the University of Minnesota she moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in film and television.

Upon arriving, Rose quickly made the transition from entry positions to Unit Production Manager on sets of various mediums – feature films, television, music videos, etc. gaining invaluable on-set experience. As of 2021, Rose is a Finishing Associate Producer for Company3 on various television shows such as The Morning Show, Euphoria, Raised By Wolves, Peacemaker, S.W.A.T, The Night Agent and the upcoming show American Primeval.

During this time Rose has produced a diverse bunch of short films; Game Night, The Powers That Be, This Time Tomorrow, Golden Years and Little Footsteps which have kicked off Foxtrot Entertainment, a Production Company she co-founded with Brenden Rodriguez. With several projects in development they are excited to continue telling innovative and human stories through a unique lens.

IMDB

THANK YOU

Thank you so much for taking the time to explore this project! We greatly appreciate any donation you can make to the cause! Also, if you find this project interesting, we would greatly appreciate if you spread the word!

Here's to making art and humanity and equality for all!