Story

Hey Hey! My name is Brittney Michelle and I’ve been a storyteller for as long as I can remember. In the 90’s, my brother & I loved to produce and star in our own living room theatrical performances for family and friends. In the early 00’s, I was an avid reader — and my creativity transferred onto the page as I wrote and illustrated countless short stories based on cool characters from my big imagination. As the years went on, like most of us, I ventured away from my passion because I simply did not know that it could be a career. For some reason, I automatically assumed it’d just be something I’d have to pursue “on the side.” Well, God had other plans. After earning a degree in Biomedical Sciences, while proud of myself – I still felt so…. unfulfilled. Deep down it was as if I knew I’d be making a terrible mistake to ignore the desire to pursue something more aligned with the super creative spirit that I’d always been. So with lots of family support, I decided to pivot… and thank God I did.

Over the past 10 years I’ve become a 2x author, publisher, screenwriter and producer. Now I’m ready to truly tap into the filmmaker role. After years and years of practice, preparation, writing, and rewriting — it’s time for me to bring my first feature film to the big screen! It takes a lot (of time, people, and resources) to bring a film to life, so I am incredibly grateful that you’ve taken the time to view my crowdfunding platform. Your kindness, generosity, and belief in this vision is so very appreciated. 

Why This Project?

“While spending a Thanksgiving weekend with college friends, an apathetic twenty-something must choose between old habits and true love, while feuding with her judgmental god-sister.”

I LOVE the late 90s/early 00’s era of Black Film & Television. In many ways, it shaped who I am as a writer.

I always say if “The Best Man” and “Living Single” had a millennial baby, you’d get this story: Friendsgiving.

This is a story about the love that carries us through seasons: platonic love. How friendships push us to be better, and how easily bonds can be destroyed. And while our main character does fall in love at the end, this is not your average knight in shining armor story. In this story, the woman saves herself, and when she does – everything else falls right into place. 

The Impact?

Not only do I want people to see the film, I want to give people an opportunity to be part of the film. When I look at what women like Issa Rae have done for the culture – I get so incredibly inspired. She’s given so many creatives a platform, and that in and of itself is admirable. So I’d have to say that changing lives is what I’m most excited about. 

Hurdles? 

Like anything in life, there are always risks to prepare for and hurdles to overcome. As someone who’s worked in production for several years I know just how easy it is to waste money while filming if there is no proper plan and strategy in place. With this budget, we will be able to hire a quality production crew to ensure:

• resources are allocated appropriately
• time is used efficiently
• every penny of the budget is maximized

The Budget

While I am hoping to raise $30K in crowdfunding, the overall budget for this project is upwards of $100-$150K at minimum. So, as you can imagine – crowdfunding is only one part of the puzzle I am putting together to finance this project! We want to produce a quality film and ensure folks are compensated for their hard work. Costs add up when you’re paying for everything from:

• locations
• camera crew and equipment
• lighting
• sound
• meals
• cast
• editing and post production, etc.

While a film of this caliber could easily cost $1-2M in Hollywood, I am confident that we will be able to get it done within our budget! 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and support this dream. Your support/contribution is a seed that will grow to impact so many people. We cannot thank you enough!

With gratitude, 

Brittney Michelle