HELP JOE COMPLETE HIS FILM!

Empano Gleasium is a funny and interesting short film written and directed by Joe Bowden. Shot on Kodak 16mm film, this project was co-produced by DESERT ISLAND STUDIOS and it was self-funded by Joe and now he’s looking to the community to help raise the remaining $5000 to take the project over the finish line! Get all the information on making a contribution below!

What Do You Get for your money?

A $50 contribution will get you a DVD copy of the film once the festival run is complete (for this campaign only!)

For a $100 contribution to the post production fund, you’ll get a shwag bag from Desert Island Studios. It includes a branded DESERT ISLAND STUDIOS tote bag, a DESERT ISLAND STUDIOS dad hat, and a limited edition DVD copy of the film once the festival run is complete (for this campaign only!)

For a $500 contribution you will get a full shoot day (10 hours) in STUDIO A with Joe as your cinematographer. Commercial, narrative, or music video. Includes his full kit including the Arri Alexa Classic, Leica R lenses, and all other necessary camera support. The studio includes the full compliment grip and lighting. More info about the studio can be found here. Joe’s cinematography reel can be found here.

More about the film from the director:

SYNOPSIS/SPOILERS AHEAD

The theme of this film is, "Love is all you need, but only if you know it isn't."

The couple in this film love each other, but they learn a hard lesson about trust, grace, and deference as they attempt to summon a galactic deity from another dimension in order to collect a magical wish. The irony is that their lack of faith in each other causes them to believe that the magic spell they cast didn’t work. From there, Jonathan insists on placing blame. Amy realizes that Jonathan might have actually brought them to the wrong spot. This causes them to argue all the while and miss the fact that the magic spell actually did work. At the end they reconcile- Amy chooses not to soothe Jonathan’s ego, and Jonathan models non fragility by admitting his mistakes and his role in the debacle. Still unaware that their magical wish was gifted to them, they accidentally waste it on something simple that would not have required magic.


The audience is left with the question: Will they implode or will they take the hard lesson they just learned as a gift from the cosmos?

This piece is about layers and perspective.

• The higher dimensional layer that the galactic deity occupies demonstrates how the characters’ lack of trust, confidence, and grace prevents them from seeing a universe that is so much bigger than their little problems.

• The high stakes and subsequent argument exposes a new layer that confounds their understanding of what a successful relationship is. The couple starts out confident that they’re in love, but the disappointment of having lost their wish challenges their certainty. They look beyond the surface of love to understand that sustainable love requires root structures to maintain it.

• Then there's a layer between the film and the audience. At the top of the film the fourth wall is pierced to as if to say, “Hey, see how this is a layer? There are more to find!” 


We did a lot of table work and rehearsals, originally in order to save film takes on the day. Through that process with input from the actors, the script took on a different shape than where it started and we were able to find more funny and efficient ways of exploring these layers.


This film features my three favorite collaborators in producer, María Moreno, with whom i've worked on several projects; actor and producer Ashley Song, with whom I share a life, a dog, a business, a home, and who is my biggest champion and my harshest critic; and Noel David Taylor, an actor, director, and writer whom I have collaborated with on all sorts of comedy projects in the last decade.

-Joe Bowden, Writer/Director