Last May I sat down to write what would be my next project. At the time "With Her" had a different title and it was to be my first feature film. When I think about how some of those things have changed (it's now a short based on that feature film) and how far we've come, I can only smile. I have two people who from the beginning believed that this is a film worth making. I have three wonderful actors who believe in the script and want to bring these characters to life. Our "film family" has grown and it will continue to grow with the addition of other crew members and people who will take on different roles. Personally, one of the aspects of filmmaking I love is the fact that a group of people have to come together to make it happen. It takes one idea, that's true, but it takes a group, a team, working collectively to make it a reality.
Films are very difficult to make, that's a fact and we all understand that. When a studio doesn't back you, filmmakers have to find different ways to get their project going. I think that my deep seeded love for independent cinema comes from that. If you've seen an independent film, the first thing you probably notice is that their budget isn't very big. I notice it too. I also notice that when I leave the theatre after watching an independent film, I feel very much connected to it. Why? Well because the stories are usually very real, the characters and their situations are real. There is something humanistic about them. Don't get me wrong I love big blockbusters too and I can have that humanistic connection to them also (The Dark Knight, for example). What I'm saying is that with independent cinema, the essence of filmmaking is still there within view. That essence is the need to tell a story, whatever it may be. It's not just about big explosions, sexy girls, fast cars and one liners. "With Her", is that story.
When we (Kris, Emer and I) sat down to talk about how we could make this happen we decided to do it in true independent cinema style and use a very grassroots method. Crowd Funding. This is where we ask the people around us who love film and are passionate about art to help us raise the funds and become a part of something amazing. We want you to have a hand in the making of the film. We want you to be a part of our team. Not only will you be supporting Torontonian filmmakers, you'll be supporting Canadian filmmakers. That's something we can all be proud of. What do you have to do? It's easy, on our blogspot home page we have a Donate button (you can see it, to the right, as you read this), all you have to do is click on it and give what you can. Five dollars, ten dollars, twenty. Every little bit helps. How wonderful would it be if in the next week one hundred people donated ten dollars, that's $1000.00!!! Not only would it be wonderful but it would be truly inspiring. Thank you very much for your support. We look forward to having you as a part of your team.
Gerson J. Peña
Writer/Director
"With Her"
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