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Project Introduction:
At the top of the gay food chain, Steve manipulates his high school classmates into having sex with him by asking them to pose for his drawings. His spit and swagger elicits envy from other gay students and shields him from bullying by the jocks. When Steve's ritual of seduction leaves a bad taste in the mouths of awkward freshman David and stoner George, it sets in motion a cycle of emotional and physical damage around him.
For David, high school is a minefield of constant harassment. He copes by retreating into a world of colorful fantasies and delusions of grandeur. Aiming to outdo Steve, David sets his sights on the school's star athlete Cliff. But his obsessive pursuit of Cliff invites an equally aggressive response.
George is a loner. He numbs himself from the stress of his mother’s cancer, and a father he can barely speak to, by getting high all day and cruising older men after school. When George meets Phillip, a lonely older man, he lets him push him to sexual extremes in order to feel.
As Steve, George and David increasingly put themselves in harm’s way, each must choose between yielding to self-destruction or coming together with the others to survive.
More information about Weak Species can be found at www.weakspecies.com.
WEAK SPECIES - Film Trailer
What do you hope to achieve from your fundraising initiatives?
Crafting a quality, low-budget, independent film means finding ways to ensure that every dollar spent is seen on screen, from performances to the artistry of a skilled crew. To execute beautifully on Weak Species, we have one primary fundraising objective: to assemble the most talented cast and crew possible. Doing so will ensure that Weak Species is captured exquisitely, with powerful imagery to tell the story in an impactful and resonant manner.
From the trenches of film school and no-budget filmmaking, our producing team knows how to work wonders with limited resources. We know with certainty, however, that in order to hire an experienced and talented crew, we must offer fair compensation. We are making every effort to defray the cost of location and equipment rentals through grants and in-kind donations. Every cent we can divert to hiring the necessary players will ensure that we will be able to tackle the challenges of an intensive shooting and post-production schedule.
Filmmaking is a collaborative process. Without the precise group of artists and technicians who can work together as a team, a production can falter. For this reason, collaborating with the best actors and skilled craftspeople to bring our vision for Weak Species to fruition is critical to the film’s success.
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What is your project time-line?
Pending a successful fundraising campaign this fall, we plan to complete pre-production in February 2015 at which point production on Weak Species will kick off. Post-production will commence in late March. A finalized version of Weak Species will be ready to submit to festivals by September/ October of 2015.
What is your project budget(if available)?
$565,000
What are the long-term goals for your project?
Weak Species is startling and unflinching in its portrayal of human experience. While not a message film, the journey of its teen protagonists has the ability to ignite important dialogue with young people. They each risk their lives to take charge of their sexuality and be understood. Bullied by peers and rejected by family, they turn to drugs, dangerous behavior and attempted suicide. It is a knowing look at three teenagers in a state of emotional emergency, and their instinctive need to connect, to feel and to be heard.
As part of our distribution and marketing plan, we will tour college campuses and youth centers around the country to engage young viewers in conversations about these issues through special engagements. The Weak Species app will permit our audiences to remain engaged in this dialogue long after the film is released, to inspire and share creativity and expression.
Gay literary icon Dennis Cooper has always been ahead of the curve, exploring timely and controversial topics long before his peers. Queer narratives are front and center in today’s media, and audiences are ready for his unapologetic gay teens. Cooper’s groundbreaking writing has emboldened generations of LGBT young people to live and love on their own terms. With Weak Species, we hope to inspire new generations and highlight the importance of queer film art.
WEAK SPECIES Project Page @ Artists Public Domain
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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p.s. Hey. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. Your mental image of the flummoxed translators could so easily be true since retreating to the cafe as a balm-like activity seems like something that's in the French blood whatever the retreater's anxiety source. Ha ha, well, ... great idea about Ashbery the film star. I'll ask Christophe if he knows Ashbery, likely only by name, and has a part for him. Oh, yes, I saw that thing about the death row guy's last meal request the other day. Pretty sure it's a fake, unfortunately or fortunately. ** Damien Ark, Hi, Damien. Did I already tell you that I'm posting your second thing on this coming Thursday? If not, I am. Cool that you like Drumm. High five. I know of the Jason collab. thing, but I haven't heard it yet. Will do. Thanks! ** Hyemin K, Hi. Thank you, yes, it's awfully nice to feel normal again. Hm, well, a lot of my early poems were written before and sometimes long before I had seen Bresson's films or even knew that he existed. When I found his work coincides with when I started concentrating heavily on fiction and writing less poetry. I think he had a really big influence on the poetry beginning with the work in the 'Tenderness of the Wolves' book in, when was it, '81, '82? Thank you for asking. ** Bill, Hi, B. I know, right, about Iceland? It's exciting. I've never really gotten the reverence for Gordon Lish's fiction. I mean, there's something there, obviously, but when I've read him, I always feel like the interest is in his editing of his own work. I guess I think he's basically a great editor. The stuff inside his books doesn't interest me so much, and his decisions, while distinct, seem kind of crabbed or something. I don't know. Lots of high minded people think he's great, so I'm obviously missing some kind of boat. 'Odd and intriguing' makes sense. ** Thomas Moronic, Thank you tons again for the Drumm weekend. So great! Hm, cool, yeah, I need to catch up with 'SbtL' sooner than later. Oh, you're collabing with Stephen. Awesome! Meeting of the major minds right there. Mm, veggie Chinese food, yum. Not that easy to get here in Paris strangely enough. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. That's very interesting about the Shaye Saint John doc! I only found out he'd died maybe six months ago. Wow, cool that they want you involved. What an excellent project that is. I'll look into it big time. ** Paul Curran, You're a recent antibiotics vet too. They're my new favorite magician. Weird, strange, sorry and, at the same time, time, cool about that strange illness you got through. I think fondly and hopefully about your J-novel all the time, so that's superb news that you're into it. Yes, right after I asked you about the other typhoon, I read that there's another, bigger one on its way. Or maybe it's there now? What's the news report? Batten down, please. ** Kier, Hi, K! Zac was going to score that earlier version of FCP last night, but, barring the unforeseen, we should be finally getting the correctly formatted footage today at about 5 pm. I finally listened the Iceage last night for the first time. I think I really, really love it. I'll be spinning it multiply today. 'B+' pizza! Much better. 'A' pizza is pretty rare thing, no? Your weekend had a really nice peaceful yet inflected with edge-of-my-seat detailing and art making. Yes! My weekend was nice. Saturday was pretty quiet. I'm trying to get back to work on the stuff I need to get done, and I'm almost up to speed maybe. I went book shopping but couldn't find anything I wanted. I bought some chocolate things. I conferred with Zac, Gisele, a few others. I firmed up some Iceland plans. On Sunday, I met with Gisele to talk about the ventriloquism project and another project that must remain secret for now and other blah blah at a cafe by Paris's nicest and most underrated park, Butte Charmont. Zac joined us, and we all blabbed and talked about the film he and I are writing for her, etc. Then Zac and I bussed over to Centre Pompidou where we met up with Jonathan Mayhew and Zac's friend Sylvain. As I think I might have mentioned before, Sylvain is moving to Dublin soon, and Jonathan is from there, so the meeting was partly so Jonathan could give Sylvain Dublin tips, and he did, and it was cool, and we also talked about art and video games and this and that. Then I came home and worked a bit and stuff. It was a pleasant, uneventful weekend, I guess, basically, but it was really nice. What happened to you on Monday? ** Etc etc etc, Hi, C! I do love the new Iceage based on a single listen, and I think my love is only going to grow. I saw that 'Vape' got an honorable mention in the Mainline contest, which is, yeah, a booby prize and all that, I guess, but it was still nice to see. And, while I was sorely disappointed that you didn't win the slot, I have to say that the two writers they picked, Darby Larson and Katie Jean Shinkle, are both really, really, really good, so that was cool, at least. You're going to wait and send 'Exsanguination' to CCM? Wait, when is the next Mainline thing? I was thinking it might be a year from now, but I think they do them regularly, right? Robert Wilson's early work totally changed my life, so I have a big respect for him, and I saw a piece of his a few years ago that was really great. I kind of can't stand Rufus Wainwright's stuff, so that combo sounds grim to me. I wish Wilson wouldn't just seem to work with whoever. I mean, I still find the idea of that opera/piece he made about/with the incredibly odious Marina Abramovic shocking. Anyway, blah blah, hi! I'm doing much better, yeah, thanks! ** Keaton, You are back! Cool! TOS violation ... I feel like I should know what that means. Yay! A super Halloweeny post on your thang! Everyone, maestro Keaton continues his blog-based and -shaped paean to the Halloween season today after a short break with a wonderful looking, mostly visual ditty that, in classic Keaton style, has two titles. So, choose your title and go there. (1) The seemingly Tom Petty-referencing Don't Come Around Here No More, or (2) the societally relevant "Do you even lift, bro?". Choose your entrance, and choose it wisely. ** Steevee, Good move re: the Other Music/Drumm combo. Haven't heard the new Kendrick Lamar single or the new Flying Lotus. Will definitely do, though. The Weather Report reference is a bit scary, ha ha, but ... what the heck? Thank you. ** Misanthrope, Thanks for the whirling ball of twink knives. If I use it, I'll use it spectacularly somehow. Pulitzer, ha ha, dude, I am about 8 billion slots down on the list of writers to win any big prize. Hm, interesting story idea. It would make a good porn obviously. I should share it since you're being so generous. Okay, ahem, ... Everyone, Here's Misanthrope with a gold mine for you writers who need a big idea for your next novel: 'Speaking of ideas to steal...I've got one anyone can have. Of course, maybe it's been used before. Who knows? But here it is: an older man -say, 40s or 50s, or older, if you like- travels back in time and falls in love with and develops a romantic relationship with...his younger self. How young is up to whomever uses this. It could be his 12-year-old self -scandalous!- or his 20-year-old self...still kind of scandalous. (Just be sure to give me a wink as you're accepting that National Book Award.)' Go for it! It wouldn't shock me if Amis wins the Nobel someday. The criteria for who wins seems really random. You just have to be kind of old, have written a bunch of books that sold decently somewhere in the world and gotten critical acclaim here and there. That could be Amis. C. McCarthy could get it, def. But I don't think the Nobel is so into dark work. Ha ha, well, aren't you being kind to me and my work today, God love you. ** Sypha, Oops, you had Misa's idea pre-Misa? But you didn't actually write the story, right? So it's still available. So I won't go back and delete Misa's generous offer. ** Rewritedept, I'm sorry about your finch, man. Hugs. How the hell did it disembowel itself? What kind of cage did you have him in? Yeah, you're right that, based what little I've heard of The Slackers, I did not like them. I am really, really not into reggae. I don't mind ska. Or dub. I did tell Kier about my weekend, such as it was. Thank you about 'TMS', man! ** MANCY, Hi, Stephen! Awesome about your new collab. with Thomas! And, having gotten a sneak look at your trailer for Mark's book, it's stunning! Thanks about my novella! Is FCP 10 supposed to suck or something? I think Zac tracked down a 7 last night, so maybe he can compare and contrast and work in the better version. Great to see you, man! ** Jonathan, J-man! Hi! Yeah, it was super great seeing you, and thank you so much for helping Sylvain, and I'm really happy that you and Zac got to meet, and, yes, Aoki + Berkeley + art + everything else soon! Love, me. ** Right. So, I'm sharing the fundraiser thing for Dan's film, like I said. He's great, and the short film he made a few years back, also called 'Weak Species', was excellent, and he has been super-dedicated to making this film for years, so, if you can help him out via funding or sharing the news about his fundraising project or both, that would be so good of you. Thanks! See you tomorrow.