“First Chair” is an uplifting comedy about artistic expression through music. It shouldn’t be hard for a talented, teenage cellist like Casey to express herself. She secretly writes her own music, but when she tries to share it, she’s called uncool by her brothers (and dumped upside down in a box) and “just a child” by her teacher, among other things. By the end of “First Chair” Casey has overcome all obstacles and amazes us with a big musical finale. Plus she saves her high school music program to boot!
Colleen has worked in the film industry for 20+ years in various capacities, and this will be her 6th short film to direct. She is a graduate of the Boston University Film School. Robert has been a writer all his life, with a PhD from the University of Maryland.
The Arts in the United States are underfunded in many cities, with High School programs being shut down to afford other – dare we say – less important programs. We are aiming high with this film, and want to bring attention and awareness to what is lost when kids no longer have an outlet in the arts.
Growing up as a classical saxophonist, music gave me confidence, joy and the most important thing, a safe place to be self expressed. This film is my thanks to all of the teachers who supported me, and my chance to really use music in a film as a message. As a filmmaker today, we don’t always get to work on projects that we really believe in, that truly share our personal message. This film is my first opportunity to create MY story – about the power of music in our lives.
The music is an integral part of the story — we see Casey struggle to capture and share her music and watch as her composition comes together under difficult (and funny) circumstances. We share in that, which is why the original score created for “First Chair” is not background, but an important story element. And why Casey’s final triumph is so powerful.
Every penny we receive will be reflected in beauty and professionalism on screen. This film will have a crew of about 20 people, some paid a stipend, some not paid at all – all because they believe in the project. There will be 15-20 teenage musicians on set, and we will shoot over the course of 3 days in Boston.
By donating to our film, we stand a chance to make waves with this message. We are using comedy as a tool in this case, and music as our guide. We can’t express enough how big we want this project to become, not for fame or recognition, but to MAKE WAVES in this country about UNDERFUNDED ARTS and the damage it does to kids.
Our last film was very successful on the Festival Circuit, and we plan to take what we learned there and leveraging our contacts, building our presence up to get into the major festivals. THAT is where the budget goes – to make a beautiful looking and beautiful sounding film with a resounding message.
Please share our campaign with friends and family to help us reach our goal. Thank you!
www.indiegogo.com
