Disclosure

We would like to make one thing very clear about a restraint we have with our project: because this is our first film and we are only setting a budget enough to pay for transportation, cast & crew, and food, we can't offer any rewards besides thanking every donator in the credits of our film and on our social media, and being eternally grateful for your support. This is not ideal and against basic crowdfunding rules but we don't want to set unattainable-projections or make empty promises to anyone involved, so it's in our best interest that we don't offer rewards. We are sorry if this news disappoints you, but we want to be fully transparent with everyone on this site; whether you decide to back us or not.

The Idea of Our Film

'Shatter' shows how lonely we truly are, no matter how much we try to think that we're OK. And in the mindset of teenagers, we want to show how they face their issues and explain why they make the decisions they make. We follow the lives of four Malaysian teenagers: Alex - a self-imposed social outcast, James - the shy and socially-awkward new kid, Nicole - the it-girl of the school who's caught between a troubled romance, and Jen - a girl who is combating depression and bipolar disorder, as they navigate the problems they face in their lives, how the world and the people they interact with have a role to play in the manifestation of their problems, but also in how they overcome said problems.

The Team (so far)

The idea of the film was drawn up by me, Gregory (right). Movies that have always been able to connect with me on a personal level and touch on issues that I could see myself in have always been my favorite. And in writing this film I was able to see a little bit of myself in all the main characters. I hope that in putting this film out into the world it will touch the lives of others and tell them that no one is ever truly alone and that there are people that understand your position.

Writing this story allows me to bring my imagination to life while also testing my ability to present something from concept to finished product. I will also be playing Alex in this film, as the character is written very closely to my personal secondary school experiences.

As for my long-time friend, co-writer and director, Dillon Phang (center), he is after those same goals in the director's chair.

After we were done with our final exams, we started brainstorming ideas to make a film since we both decided to take a gap year before furthering our studies in creative arts. Dillon grew a passion for directing during our final year of school when he was assigned a school project - presenting a film that retells historical events that happened in our state, Sarawak. He got second place in our school's film competition for his work, Dol Said (a film which I was cast in), and he has not stopped wanting to pursue directing ever since.

He feels that creating something from the ground up instead of needing to stay as historically accurate as possible will allow him to express his creativity more and test his skills on a different level. This film will also help his chances of getting into an art school in Singapore which he needs pieces of work to showcase on his portfolio.

Also in our team is Sean (left). Sean has been a close friend of ours since our secondary schooling days and is very supportive of our project and has put in his time to help us oversee our idea come to life. He will be involved in the film as a producer at the expense of his own free time and we could not be more grateful for that.

What We're Trying to Accomplish

With our film, we want to be able to reach out to people who feel as though they are the only ones feeling the way they do; whether that be neglected, scared, troubled or misunderstood, we've all been there. We aim to show a more grounded and realistic approach to the stories of our characters and avoid all cliches of making another teen movie.

The Progress We've made so far

We are currently in the script-writing phase and our target is to have a fully-developed script and storyboard by the end of June, around the same time this fundraiser ends. Most of the initial investment from Dillon has gone into equipment, so our next stage is to get casting underway and start production in late-July.

What Makes Us Qualified

Me and Dillon have spent countless hours devoted to learning our respective pursuits through Youtube videos, understanding the basics and also the finer quirks in making a great movie. Also, through the shortcomings that we felt were evident in Dol Said, we are determined to improve immensely and produce a high-quality short film.

What the Budget is For

Because we've already covered the need for equipment, we will mostly use the funds donated to pay for cast & crew, food, and transportation.

The biggest risk would probably be not being able to meet the expected amount. We want to make an authentic film and to do, we need a budget, and the set amount has already been what we think will be enough to cover most of it's intended uses. But whatever happens, we will find another way to complete the vision that we have - this is our project, something we've already put a ton of investment and labour into, and we will not quit halfway or make a half-baked film.

Another risk would be to complete this project on time. Sure, this is a short film, but we are a very small team. The three of us are micromanaging many aspects of pre-production and have been doing so for almost two months now, being able to get the completed film out by either September or October would be very ideal. A similar problem would be the duration of the film; as it stands with the script we're thinking this could be a 30-plus minute short, although we'll do a lot of rewrites to make sure the duration is shortened and the story still stays intact.

Lastly will be scheduling. We have an ideal timeline of when to get everything done, but there will be roadblocks along the way (scheduling conflict, the time needed for casting etc). We will not be fazed, however, and will do whatever it takes to get our film out on time and be on schedule.