What's All This About? 

Amsterdam is a short, 10 minute film being made as part of my final semester of a Media Arts and Production major at the University of Technology, Sydney. It's the story of two young men, Matt and Joe, who meet at the farewell party of their mutual friend Jess and their interaction that leads to an important decision being made by Matt. It's a contained story about two people and the rush that comes from meeting someone new whom you feel like could change things. 

Why are you making it?

The idea and characters of this film have been drawn from many different experiences of my life. From the beginning of my Media Arts degree three years ago, I knew I wanted to make a film with two gay characters, preferably a romance. This stemmed from both my experiences as a gay man and also a desire to contribute to queer filmmaking and portray an experience between two non-heterosexual people, which is inherently under-represented.

Most notably, I am influenced by the work of Andrew Haigh in terms of both content and style. In his film Weekend (2011) and work on the TV show Looking (2014-present), Haigh presents gay relationships as unique, complicated and romantic. His work resonates because it is not embellished or over the top, it is simply honest and true. This is what Amsterdam will be. I am interested in portraying a love story where the two characters happen to both be men. Being gay is an important part of their story, but not the sum of it.

A still from Weekend (2011)

What will my money be used for?

Your money will be used to fund the project through production, post-production and marketing. We need adequate funding to make sure this film gets off the ground, so that it can be the best film we all want it to be. We have a lot of talented crew members on board and we need funding to make sure they can fulfil their crew role to the best of their ability. On top of our own funds, your funds will help ensure:

• Catering - $1000. People like eating and we would like to ensure our extensive crew and cast eat well during the three nights of shooting.
• Camera equipment - $1000. In order to achieve the realist look of Amsterdam, our talented cinematographer needs the proper equipment to make sure it has the proper filmic look.
• Art Department - $750. If the party doesn't look realistic, the entire film will suffer. We have a fantastically talented production designer who needs funds to make sure he can work his art department magic.
• Transport - $250. We have a large crew and cast and ensuring they can get to the filming location easily is important.
• Post Production - $750. Professional colour grading and sound mixing to ensure the film travels smoothly through post-production and looks and sounds the part as a finished product.
• Marketing - $750. Distribute and promote the film once it's complete, paying festival entry fees and ensuring the film gets the recognition it hopefully deserves.

Filming is unfortunately an expensive art form and we can't make Amsterdam without your help.