OUR STORY

Who: Indie Filmmaker Nia Malika Dixon

What: Chrysalis, An Urban Web Series: A young Black, Muslim father in Baltimore struggles with his choice to be a drug dealer as his lifestyle clashes with his strong Islamic beliefs.

Where: Baltimore, MD

When: Thanksgiving Holiday Season

How: Using All Her Personal Savings

 

Heres the scoop:

My latest short film, City In the Sea, is in the can and I am ready to shoot another film. I have to keep the momentum going to stay in the business of making films. But, the world of film financing is harsh and unrelenting. It isnt easy getting funding, and my next short film, Shadow Aspect (Visit my website to find out more: http://niamalikadixon.com), is in need of investors.

So, I create a kick-ass production package (including a teaser trailer and a talented prospective cast) and go see my friend and mentor, Keith Clinkscales, a major film producer, to get his opinion.

His advice: pursue the internet as a medium for filmmaking. Keith suggests that I create a web series.

I take his advice and brainstorm with my Cinematographer, Antar Hanif, and we come up with the great idea to create Chrysalis: a prelude to a feature film that Ive been planning for years to shoot. (If not for that pesky problem of finding funding!)

With Chrysalis: An Urban Web Series, we will not only entertain a wide audience through the internet, but also garner the interest of potential investors for the feature length version of Chrysalis.

 

I fly home to Baltimore, hold auditions, crew up with the help of my Cinematographer Antar, and prepare to shoot the web series. I write 10 episodes that tells the story of Jamal, a young African-American Muslim man faced with the choice of staying a major drug dealer, or choosing to follow his moral compass and get out of the game.

 

After a long pre-production, we shoot for four days on location in Baltimore, MD. (Including a major shoot-out in the rain involving lots of "blood"!) Click here to see all the AWESOME behind the scenes photos & my production journal: http://bemorecareful.wordpress.com

 

Chrysalis: An Urban Web Series serves as a prelude to the feature film Chrysalis, and takes you on a journey into the unknown world of drugs, money, and murder in an African-American Muslim community. (Yes, sounds exciting doesnt it?!)

 

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

If we dont raise this money, Chrysalis may not get to air.

In the world of indie filmmaking, no investors means no movie. Studios have the luxury of having hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal to churn out the Iron Mans and the Clash of the Titans of the movie world.

But, amazing stories of true-to-life drama, courage, and triumph that entertain as well as tell a good story often dont get made into movies. Independent filmmakers like me dont have the luxury of hundreds of millions of dollars at our disposal. Most, like me, drain all of their savings to fund these projects. We need investors.

We need people like you who want to be entertained by a good story. You are the difference between our projects languishing unfinished or getting completed and distributed to audiences.

We cant finish this project without you. Were asking you to be the investor. Help us finish Chrysalis and get it online. Weve finished the long journey through pre-production and shooting the film during four days of production, but were stuck in post-production.

 

WHAT WE NEED & WHAT YOU GET

Post-production is the toughest stretch of the filmmaking process. This is the part of filmmaking that can either make or break a film.

Editing each episode requires weeks of fine tuning: choosing the best shots, putting them all together, making sure the color and light is consistent throughout, perfecting sound, adding effects, scoring, music, etc.

All of this costs time and money, and weve run out. We need funds for all these post-production needs, and to pay the salaries of the people whove worked hard to bring Chrysalis to life.

So, were calling upon you, dear potential investor! Heres your opportunity to be a part of filmmaking at the grass roots level. You can get Chrysalis completed and on the web for millions of people eager to see a good story. When you contribute, the film is completed. Youll be an indie film supporter and you will help create something great!

Heres what you get in return:

*Recognition on our official websites!

*Copies of the series soundtrack on CD!

*Copies of the series on DVD!

*Your name in the rolling credits!

*Credit as either Associate Producer or Executive Producer in the rolling credits! (depending on level of contribution)

*Personal phone call to thank you from the creator of the series, Nia Malika Dixon! (depending on level of contribution)

HOW ELSE YOU CAN HELP

This is the easiest part of the DIWO -- Do It With Others -- factor! Get the word out! Make some noise!

Along with monetary contributions, you can do one of the most important things to this campaign: spread the word.

The more you share it with others, the more successful our campaign will be. No matter how little or big your contribution, spreading the word exponentially increases our chances to succeed! Remember, if we dont reach our funding goal, we lose ALL the contribution pledges.

Heres what you can do:

Paste a link to our campaign page in an email and tell all your friends about it. Post it on Facebook and Twitter. Tell all the people you know about us and our mission to get Chrysalis online. You never know wholl see our campaign and make a contribution. You can make a huge difference!