Brain Eater

Crowdfunding Goal: $50,000 (CAD)

What this will fund: Brain Eater (30 minute live-action short film)

• Crew funds
• Equipment rentals
• Location costs (8 current locations)
• Actors
• Props & Costumes
• Company Operating Fees

The goal with this project, as well as all Affection Method Studios’ productions, is to carefully craft media with a deep innate sense of love and passion through all aspects of the work; all while under the umbrella of being in a safe and sustainable workplace environment.

The Vision:

Brain Eater is a love-letter to the formative pieces of media that have sculpted my opinions and ideas throughout my years of studying and producing movies and film. Being a huge fan of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, I want to hone in and explore the initial Outsiders-like qualities and dynamics of group and gang loyalty that the first part of the film engages with; to really look at the heart at the punk side of cyberpunk.

Along with exploring The Outsiders back in highschool, our class also read The Chrysalids – a novel set in a post-apocalyptic world where people with mutations are hunted by a community of religious-fundamentalists. The main character, David Strorm, lives among this community with mutant telepathy and dreams of a far off city, a utopia, where people like him exist. Naturally, some of these themes of telepathy and psychic abilities are shared with Akira, and, in a sense, I want to explore how these concepts and technologies can enhance the ideas of human understanding, compassion, and love – with the city of Toronto, its rising skyscrapers, and the achievements of the CN Tower piercing the heavens as monument to that potential.

With anime and brutalist art (moreso for the art book) being the stylistic inspiration, I look also to Ridley Scotts science fiction productions of Alien and Bladerunner as more of a grounding pole to lean into the live-action elements of this film. Though, one thing that always bothered me was a lack of actual blades and swords in Bladerunner, which I’m sure to rectify for this film 😉 (Shoutouts to all the Forged in Fire fans!) Additionally, I’d like to explore the ideas of cutting edge technology and interactive light elements in the film as an ode to the amazing interactive art installations present during Nuit Blanche. Technology is an element I also want to explore with the art book as well, providing 3D scannable AR moments for those to look at and see it present in the real world. 

Before donating…

Please take a look at the following reward tiers and find something that you like! If you have any questions about the rewards or if you would be interested in donating larger amounts please send an e-mail to: aaronchristianlebel@gmail.com and you’ll hear back shortly!

Without further ado…

$20 – The Digital Edition

Thank you so much! At $20, you get a high quality, digital copy of the Brain Eater short film available to download and replay as much as you want! (Almost like the sensory recollection Emile is able to experience in the story!) This journey wouldn’t be possible without your generosity and help – let’s take it together!

$30 – Digital + Edition

Ever wonder how some of those scripts get translated to the final picture? With the Digital + Edition, you will get a finalized digital copy of the production scripts, as well as a digital copy of the movie to follow along with, to get a deeper understanding of the source material and how it made its way to the screen. There will definitely be a few easter eggs and other nifty little details to peruse at in the script while you check it out and maybe even a little mix to listen to!

$40 – Digital Deluxe Edition

The ultimate in digital goodness; the Digital Deluxe Edition includes all the great rewards from the tiers above as well as a digital copy of the accompanying ‘brutalist’ art book which will feature much of the pre-production art and initial photography of the Brain Eater universe. Enjoy some of the cool AR pieces too with the appropriate technology!

$60 – Digital + Physical

Time to take it to a new dimension! The Digital + Physical tier would, as you may have guessed it, give you the opportunity to take home a piece of the Brain Eater universe with you along for your own personal journey! Get the T-Shirt of Emile, an Affection Method branded piece of clothing, and represent the wear of the future!

$100 – Complete Edition

Round out the Brain Eater experience with the Complete Edition – the ultimate general reward tier! The Complete Edition comes with all the goodies from the previous reward tiers plus a special limited 3D printed Brain Eater keychain to carry around AND a signed copy of the physical script as an added thank you for your generosity!

$150 – Super Fan

Want to get a sneak peak at whats to come? Join us on all of our official Brain Eater production meetings as a viewer to watch the creative process unfold and get a special early showing of the film before it becomes available to everyone else!

$500 – Ultimate (Limited)

The ultimate in physical immersion. This super special LIMITED award tier gives you every reward listed above PLUS the opportunity to bring a home a prop used on the set of Brain Eater! Details on this tier to be finalized at a later date; this tier can include Emile’s own Gun-Blade (Internal lighting included… Ability to shoot NOT included), a certain someone’s Vampire-Sword (it’s as cool as it sounds), or a piece of armor from a Peacekeeper Droid (to give an idea of the props available)!

$1000 – Associate Producer

Want to get an IN on the INdustry? As associate producer, get an official recognition of such in the finalized credits of the film and get the chance to join our team in production meetings to discuss key aspects of development and see how your contribution gets put towards the finalized film!

 $5000 – Executive Producer

As an executive producer, this movie and this endeavour wouldn’t be possible and fully realized without you. Join us on our creative journey and offer valuable input in the various areas of our production and vision that will make its way into the final short film of Brain Eater. 

About the ‘Author’…

I graduated from Honours Bachelor of Film and Television program from Sheridan College in 2019. Since then I’ve worked as a freelance producer on a variety of corporate shoots, commercial work, and documentaries around the GTA. I originally pitched this as a thesis project in my last year of studies, but the ambitions of this project has ballooned to something much grander than what I originally had dreamed of. In my spare time I enjoy writing Haiku poetry and making motion graphics to accompany them.

ONE FINAL THANK YOU!!!

Thank you once again for making it all the way here! Your support on simply checking us out means the world to everyone involved with this endeavour! If you really like this project and want to see it grow, please consider donating and telling people about it to get the ball rolling on this project! This movie will not be possible without your help!

Thank you for joining us on our journey! Let’s take the first step together!!!