Teenage Women
Filmmakers Molly Robbins and Caitlin Bury are seeking financing for their debut feature film, Teenage Women, which is now in preproduction.
Project Description
Logline
Over the course of a birthday party, three twenty-somethings, on the precipice of full-fledged womanhood, find themselves forced to examine their fleeting girlhood as their relationships and self-identity begin to crumble.
Directors' Note
The story and namesake of Teenage Women takes its inspiration from the revival and reclamation of girlhood by adult women. Much of this trend has manifested in meme culture and internet-speak, encouraging consumers to engage with seasonal fast-fashion cycles, but it has also influenced the ways in which women interact with the world around them and how we represent ourselves in it. Teenage Women seeks to explore the balancing of the child-self and the adult-self and how it relates to society’s forcefully imposed expectation on women: to look young but to act old.
Our film follows a group of young twenty-somethings on the precipice of the vast unknown called adulthood. The three teenage women – Maggie, Summer, and Layla – are our main subjects. It’s Maggie’s 23rd birthday, the first birthday that hasn’t been tied to some sort of real world “marker.” She’s not voting, learning to drive, or drinking alcohol for the first time… she’s just 23. Maggie’s bedroom, the stage for our birthday party, is of particular interest to this concept of a “teenage woman,” as it represents the melding of her child and adult self. Her cannabis and alcohol are stashed amongst her stuffed animals and diaries. Is it possible to bring your childhood with you as you embark on your journey to maturity?
To Maggie, Layla represents the past. She is Maggie’s childhood best friend and surrogate sister. In some ways, the two of them will always be stuck as their childhood selves to each other. Summer, on the other hand, represents the present and the potential future. She is Maggie’s college best friend and the one who has seen Maggie the most as her close-to-adulthood self.
There is a constant push and pull between these two worlds of child and adult in Teenage Women. Ultimately, Teenage Women is an homage to girlhood and womanhood. We start with the three friends and end with them. The central connection is between them. They are all both alienated and invited by their childhood interests (i.e. truth or dare) and adulthood desires (i.e. relationships and sex). There is turmoil but there is also intense, fierce passion for protecting and loving each other. Girlhood and womanhood present ties that bind.
Budget Breakdown
Movies aren’t free (unfortunately)! But we’re working to make this one as close to free adjacent as possible, so we are seeking to raise $15,000 to pay our cast and crew (and feed them!), book locations, and build out the world of Teenage Women visually. Here’s our budget breakdown, so you know where your money is going!
$4,900 - Cast and Crew Salary
$1,000 - Art Department
$600 - Costumes, Makeup/Hair
$1,500 - Post-Production Expenses
$6,000 - Food
$1,000 - Location
The Who's Who of Teenage Women
So many amazingly talented artists and creatives have already signed on the project! Here’s a taste of who’s going to be behind the scenes and in front of the camera:
Caitlin Ann Bury: Writer/Director/Producer/Maggie Warner
Molly Robbins: Writer/Director/Producer/Summer
Kate Alberts: Layla
Eli Gardner: Nick Warner
Michael Perez: Andrew
Justin Parrish: Connor
Ethan Reichwald: Leo
Zohar Varadi: Director of Photography
Maddy Higdon: 1st AD
Will Kindrachuk: 2nd AD
Nina Maravic: Producer
Matt Kim: Producer
Madeleine Murden: Mentor
Haley Hansen: Composer
Gillian Kwok: Production Design
Emma Robbins: Costume Design
Thank you so much for making our dreams come true. Let's make a movie.
Love,
Molly and Caitlin
Updates
The Campaign FAQs
When will my rewards ship?
We will be able to ship rewards after wrapping production in June - we expect your items to be shipped in July. If possible, please include your shipping address and contact information when choosing a reward tier so we can most efficiently guarantee you receive your promised incentives.
If you love Molly, Caitlin, or any other artist attached to the project and just want to show your love, this is the tier for you!
We will shout you out on the @teenagewomenfilm Instagram account! Each shoutout will be accompanied by a unique quote from the script.
We will mail you a sticker with the official Teenage Women title card!
We will mail you a film photo signed by Caitlin and Molly. The photos sent will have been used in the creation of our pitch deck!
We will send you a unique polaroid picture of one of the cast members on set, signed by the cast member pictured and the directors.
You will receive both a signed film photo and the cast film photo.
We will send you a printed copy of the script in a binder, signed by all cast members.
You will receive a Special Thanks Credit in the finished film.
You will receive a Special Thanks Credit in the finished film and will receive a private link to screen the finished film before release.
You will receive an Executive Producer Credit in the finished film.
You will receive an Executive Producer Credit in the finished film, a private screener link to view the film prior to its release, and a printed and signed copy of the script.
You will receive an Executive Producer credit in the finished film, a private screener link, a printed and signed copy of the script, a signed poster, and an autographed photo from Blake Robbins as Tom Halpert in NBC's hit show, The Office.
You will receive all of the listed rewards (Executive Producer credit, private screening link, signed and printed script, multiple signed film photos, autographed picture of Blake Robbins as Tom Halpert in The Office, title card sticker, and signed poster).
Rewards
If you love Molly, Caitlin, or any other artist attached to the project and just want to show your love, this is the tier for you!
We will shout you out on the @teenagewomenfilm Instagram account! Each shoutout will be accompanied by a unique quote from the script.
We will mail you a sticker with the official Teenage Women title card!
We will mail you a film photo signed by Caitlin and Molly. The photos sent will have been used in the creation of our pitch deck!
We will send you a unique polaroid picture of one of the cast members on set, signed by the cast member pictured and the directors.
You will receive both a signed film photo and the cast film photo.
We will send you a printed copy of the script in a binder, signed by all cast members.
You will receive a Special Thanks Credit in the finished film.
You will receive a Special Thanks Credit in the finished film and will receive a private link to screen the finished film before release.
You will receive an Executive Producer Credit in the finished film.
You will receive an Executive Producer Credit in the finished film, a private screener link to view the film prior to its release, and a printed and signed copy of the script.
You will receive an Executive Producer credit in the finished film, a private screener link, a printed and signed copy of the script, a signed poster, and an autographed photo from Blake Robbins as Tom Halpert in NBC's hit show, The Office.
You will receive all of the listed rewards (Executive Producer credit, private screening link, signed and printed script, multiple signed film photos, autographed picture of Blake Robbins as Tom Halpert in The Office, title card sticker, and signed poster).