DAHLIA'S MONSTERS - A CSUN FILM

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ABOUT OUR FILM

Dahlia’s Monsters is a Senior Thesis Film created by the students of the Cinema & Television Arts Department at California State University, Northridge. This film tells the story of Dahlia, a young woman who experienced domestic abuse as a child and is trying to heal and move forward with her life.  Dahlia’s trauma and grief manifest in the form of terrifying monsters that only she can see.  As she prepares to move out of her sister’s home for a new job out of state, the monsters grow more violent and aggressive. Dahlia must learn that growing into independence doesn’t require being alone.  

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WHY THIS STORY MATTERS

We hope that this film will inspire audiences to be there for each other during times of hardship.  Domestic violence is a disturbingly common issue in the United States.  According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, roughly 20 people per minute are abused by their partner in the United States alone.  1 in 15 children are exposed to domestic violence yearly, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to the abuse.  These experiences can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, adult relationship difficulties, and other physical and mental distress throughout a person’s life. 

Due to the tragic prevalence of domestic violence, even a person who has not experienced it themselves is extremely likely to know someone who has.  When someone you love is suffering, it can be so hard to know how to help.  And for those who are abused, a friend to lean on can be the key to stepping away from suffering and moving towards recovery.  By raising awareness about domestic abuse and violence, people can help each other and support themselves through terrible times in healthier and more loving ways.  Dahlia’s Monsters displays the importance of why and how we carry each other through pain. 

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OUR CHALLENGES

Dahlia's Monsters is an ambitious project in many respects. One of the most ambitious challenges we are facing is in post production where we will composite the live action footage and animated assets together so that they believably exist in the same space. Your donation will go towards ensuring the highest level of production quality.

YOUR DONATION

Every cent donated to this project will go towards every aspect of making this film possible from beginning to end. Your donation will be used for:

1. Locations: Permits, insurance, transportation, lodging, etc.
2. Casting: Hiring cast, background, casting director, studio teacher, etc.
3. Camera Department: Camera packages, lens kit, lighting, grip truck/equipment, etc.
4. Art Department: Production design, set dressing, props, costume, hair/makeup, etc.
5.  Sound Department: Equipment rentals, composing, mixing boards, foley props, etc.
6. Post Production: Hard drives, color grading/correction, transcoding, distribution, etc.
7. Catering and Craft Services: Providing meals to our hardworking team!
8. Covid-19 Safety: Sanitizing and disinfecting equipment, masks, testing, etc.

_{CONTRIBUTIONS TO DAHLIA'S MONSTERS ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE. THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY NORTHRIDGE FOUNDATION IS A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION 501(C)(3) PUBLIC BENEFIT CALIFORNIA CORPORATION.} 

SAFETY

The safety and well-being of our cast and crew is at the forefront of our production. COVID-19 safety is extremely important on and off our set, as we will be working with a team of over 70 artists. On set will will provide our crew with more than enough PPE such as masks, sanitizing and disinfecting equipment, as well as a Covid Compliance Officer. We will be strictly adhering to the industry's safety guidelines as released by SAG-AFTRA and the CDC.

The Dahlia's Monsters Team expects that this production, regardless of budget, will employ best practices such as establishing a workplace harassment prevention policy as well as maintaining overall industry safety standards in order to encourage and accomplish the utmost safety on set.

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THE TEAM

This dedicated group is working hard to turn their dream into reality.

Abigail Salmon - Writer, Director
Celeste Bird - Producer  |  Yuliia Zolina - Producer 
Selene Alvarez - Associate Producer  |  Ashley Yu - Associate Producer

Samantha Smart - Unit Production Manager

Kaleigh Schoen - First Assistant Director | Selene Alvarez - Script Supervisor

Tony Restivo - 2nd Assistant Director | Joshua Valencia - 2nd 2nd AD

Jack Motter - Director of Photography
Pedro Penteado - Camera Operator  |  Peter Bamboukian - Assistant Camera
Flor Reyes Villa - Second Assistant Camera  |  Kevin Steinfeld -  Key Camera PA
Mikayla Hulsey - DIT  |  Zandra Cullen - Gaffer  |  Mifiel Valdes - Best Boy Electric
Noah Kang - Key Grip  |  Carlos Ramirez - Dolly Grip  |  Jedd Caballero - Swing
Danny Colon - Swing  |  Luis Herrera - Swing

Jake Kraut - Art Director
Lucy Mouradian - Production Design  |  Ching-Chien Yeh - Production Design

 Dylan Miner - Production Design

Alexandria Postajian - Costume | Francisco Simplicio - Makeup

Mario Carranza - BTS Photographer | Susannah Short - Social Media Coordinator 

Tuesday Howarth - Post Production Storyboards

Diego Lopez - Sound Mixer  |  Rodrigo Jacome - Boom Operator 
Hailey Haro - Sound Utility

Brendan Reedcrabb - Editor  |  Susannah Short - Editor

Megan Ngim - Post Sound | Julia Yeh - Post Sound

Athena Rethis - Covid Compliance Officer

Heaven Leigh - Covid Compliance | Taylor Stone - Covid Compliance

Casting by 

Kerry Barker Casting

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT

In addition to our fundraiser website, we are happy to announce the launch of our merchandise website! Show off your support with some of our original designs for Dahlia's Monsters. 

Dahlia's Monsters Merchandise

We understand that not everyone has the capability to support our film with a donation. We are extremely grateful for support of any kind, whether that's following us on social media or just watching our promo videos!

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

THANK YOU

We are sincerely grateful for your interest and support of our senior thesis project.  
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with us, reach us at dahliasmonsterspr@gmail.com.