Comedy Web Series Lesbian Cops Looks to Raise Funds or They Will Kill All Their Characters
Submitted by: pressreleasepoint
2012-04-20 00:10:02
Los Angeles, CA, April 19, 2012 -- Like many independent filmmakers, Aaron Burnett, David Aslan and Dane Reade decided to turn to the internet to create an audience before making their latest film, Lesbian Cops: The Movie, a comedic spin on 70's styled cop dramas. The filmmakers, under the banner of Pelican Boss Films (a clever anagram of lesbian cops) caught the attention of the people at Steakhaus Productions with the full throttle, action packed, offensive sense of humor of their Lesbian Cops web series. The award winning independent film production company, looking to make a mark of its own online, entered a partnership to launch an online fundraising campaign to cover the cost of a second season for the web series as Lesbian Cops: The Movie continues to be developed into a feature film.
Independent filmmakers are amongst the many artists and innovators who have embraced sites like Kickstarter.com to raise the money they need to get their project done. Kickstarter.com allows projects like Lesbian Cops to set up a profile page where they can pitch their project to potential donors. The catch is that the fundraising is limited to a set number of days to raise the entire amount or the project receives nothing. Lesbian Cops has a 33-day fundraising window, from start to finish. If the allotted budget ($30,000 US) isn't raised before May 18, all pledges are cancelled and the film will not be funded.
In the cleverly executed pitch video, the first co-production by Steakhaus and Pelican Boss, the creators of the series appeal for donations, claiming that if their campaign isn't successful "the characters of Lesbian Cops will die". Shortly after the release of their initial appeal for donations appears online, they plan to release a series of self-contained comedy videos using the characters from the series.
When asked about why Kickstarter was appealing, Aaron Burnett noted, "I like the all or nothing stakes. As filmmakers so much of your time is taken away from the creative aspects that the idea of creating an entertaining pitch video that gives people a chance to support your project by laying it all out there is really appealing".
The ability to spread the word quickly to a global audience is an invaluable asset for project creatorsAn added advantage for artists is Kickstarter's merchant partner Amazon.com, which enables each project the convenience of receiving funds from anywhere in the world.
Steakhaus Productions has been in the independent film business for over a decade, with films showing in The Sundance Film Festival, South By Southwest, Tribeca and many others. Lesbian Cops marks their first foray into filmmaking for new media markets. They have a full development slate of new media projects with several emerging artists.
Lesbian Cops first season received an enthusiastic response with blogs like AfterEllen.com, VelvetParkMedia.com and CherryGrrl.com providing support from the lesbian community while sites like Tubefilter.com and Blip.tv touted it for it's production values and humor. The filmmakers already have planned to tell a much bigger story in the second
season and have already solidified the addition of a new member to the cast.
Joining a cast that includes leads Gena Shaw (Revenge, CSI, Cold Case) and Krystal Marshall (How I met Your Mother, Criminal Minds) will be a woman who is no stranger to the lesbian pop culture world. Guinevere Turner, with numerous acting and screenwriting credits, amongst them American Psycho and The L Word, will join the cast as the district attorney. Her character's introduction will come in one of the comedy videos being released during the fundraising campaign.
Lesbian Cops second season will be shot in and around Los Angeles using cameras like the Canon 5D and 7D. If the fundraising campaign is successful, production will begin by summer with the new season expected to begin rolling out by fall.
To learn more about the film, readers can visit the project's pitch page here:
www.LesbianCops.net
About Steakhaus Productions
Headed by producers Steak House and Dominic Ottersbach, Steakhaus Productions is an award-winning independent film production company dedicated to bringing bold, new visions to movie audiences everywhere. They have over 10 years of experience in production management, line-producing and producing. Specializing in physical production, the company takes projects
from paper to distribution by providing comprehensive development, production, post-production and festival strategies.
Steakhaus produced the indie favorite By Hook or By Crook, a Sundance premiere and five-time best feature winner. Their films have long enjoyed success on the festival circuit, including LAFF, Tribeca, Outfest and four films at Sundance. Their popular documentary about passionate Dolly Parton fans, For the Love of Dolly, broadcasts on MTV's Logo and is available on DVD from Wolfe Video. Most recently, their indie romantic comedy, Weather Girl, premiered at Slamdance and sold to Screen Media, Regent and Lifetime.
They recently finished 6 Month Rule which will be in theaters in the summer of 2012.
About Pelican Boss Films
Comprised of filmmakers Aaron Burnett, David Aslan and Dane Reade, Pelican Boss was created with the intention of bringing Lesbian Cops to the big screen.
Contact:
Dane Reade
Pelican Boss Films
4721 W Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90016
323-393-3263
dane@pelicanbossfilms.com
http://www.pelicanbossfilms.com
