S O T T O V O C E
A singing prodigy on the cusp of global fame reveals the dark secret of his extraordinary talent. An Original Short Film by David Stillman Meyer.
Above reel was edited by me and is comprised of both shot and found footage.
Overview:
Greetings! I am the writer, director and producer of Sotto Voce, an original feature short. It tells the fictional story of a modern-day castrato (a term used to describe 18th and 19th-century male singers who were castrated as young boys to preserve their pre-pubescent singing voice.) For roughly 150 years, countless young boys (mostly Italian) were subjected to this cruel act and sent to special schools where a rare few became mega stars and fabulously wealthy.
What if this tradition didn't become extinct, but instead went underground and was the dark secret behind some of the world's most famous singers? What lines would you cross for great art? For a chance at global fame?
What We Need:
I am aiming to raise $25,000 with a total production budget of $50,000. This budget covers the following:
4-5 shooting days in New York City, Spring 2024
Production (cinematographer, 1st AD, line producer, cameras, lighting, crew, sets, costumes, props, casting)
Location fees for the theater, church, hotel and studio/office rehearsal room
Transport, food, insurance, admin and logistics
Talent
Post production (editing, sound, coloring, music rights)
Festival admission costs
There are three specific goals:
To showcase my work as a filmmaker.
As a proof-of-concept for a feature length project.
Most importantly, to submit to film festivals where the work can be seen by industry professionals and garner interest not only in this project, but my feature length film and pilot about Yves Saint Laurent.
