Unfortunate Ones

The Story

Unfortunate Ones follows two strangers who get tangled up in a homicide case after simultaneously experiencing the worst day of their lives. Their witty back-and-forth gradually blossoms into a friendship (and maybe something more) as they attempt to uncover the truth behind the murder. What begins as the most unfortunate day turns into a journey of self-discovery, where they realize that one must embrace self-compassion and let go of insecurities shaped by past wounds in order to make space for human connection.

Where Your Donations Go

Every donation made makes a difference, everyone willing and able to help, supports our project by:

• Location: helping secure a location to film this project
• Transportation: getting our cast and crew to and from set
• Equipment: getting any and all necessary equipment needed 
• Catering: feeding our amazing cast and crew
• Costumes: securing wardrobe for our cast 
• Production Design: set design to bring the world to life
• Lastly, help support students who will become the future of cinema  

- Donations to Unfortunate Ones are 100% tax deductible. California State University Northridge, Foundation is a non profit, 501 (c)(3) public benefit California corporation.

Our Challenges

As students, one of our challenges is securing funding, as the fundraising process can be difficult to navigate. However, it is necessary to fundraise in order to give our amazing team the creative freedom to bring audiences into the world of 'Unfortunate Ones'.

Safety

Our number one goal is always to guarantee that everyone is safe on set at all times. We will be coordinating with our Safety Production Coordinator to establish rules and protocols before filming begins, that will keep our cast and crew safe as we are filming. 

Meet Our Crew!

Michael Prieto - Showrunner/Director 

Hello! My name is Michael Prieto. I am the Showrunner and Director of Unfortunate Ones. I'm most excited about bringing a vision to life for the people who believe in me. As a filmmaker, I've been working in this industry for about 6 years, from making silly projects with my high school friends to where I am now. A few projects I've recently directed are Teaching Fingers to Play, Yesterday's Tomorrow, and Self (Loathing) Motivation. Thank you for joining us on this journey. It means a lot to me! 

Yvette Estrada - Producer

Hi! I'm Yvette Estrada, the producer for Unfortunate Ones, and I'm beyond thrilled to be part of this project. Growing up, sitcoms gave me comfort when I felt most alone, and I channeled that love into making silly videos on my 3DS and cutting together trailers for book reports, hoping to make people smile. 

At CSUN, I've continued that passion, producing projects like Simple Thieves and Gifts, Cake, Repeat, and fell in love with helping creatives bring their vision to life. I'm especially excited for Unfortunate Ones because it explores finding hope and compassion through loneliness-a story I deeply connect with and hope can give others the same comfort it's given me. 

Madison Marshall - Line Producer

Hello! My name is Madison Marshall, and I am thrilled to be the Line Producer for Unfortunate Ones! Throughout my time at CSUN, I have produced, directed, and acted in numerous projects, including "Side Quest" and "Ditch"

Unfortunate Ones is special to me because it gives us all a sense of optimism. We all have bad days, really unfortunate ones even, but it is only when we realize that we're not alone in anguish that the fun really begins and everything starts to work out. You may even find some romance along the way. I can't wait to see everyone's hard work up on its feet during production and on the silver screen in May!

Micha J. Adams - 1st Assistant Director

Hey, I'm Micha J. Adams, and I'm the 1st AD for Unfortunate Ones! I started working in film years ago, first as an actor, then a screenwriter, and BTS photographer. Since coming to CSUN. I've had the pleasure of being a director for Last Encore, Simple Thieves, and Third Best. I've also worked as a gaffer, key grip, 1st AC, and producer on multiple other projects both through and outside CSUN. I'm most excited to take the knowledge I've gained from working all these different positions and utilize it as an AD to bring Michael's vision to life. Unfortunate Ones is such a fun and playful rom-com with a mystery twist. I know you'll fall in love with the characters and story just as much as we have!

Ethan Oh - Co-Director of Photography

Hi, I'm Ethan Oh, one of the Directors of Photography for Unfortunate Ones. Throughout my time at CSUN, I've spent time on various productions gaining valuable experience and honing my skills in the lighting and camera departments, the most notable examples being Man Scouts and Gifts, Cake, Repeat. 

I've always loved stories about people coming together and becoming the best versions of themselves, so working on Unfortunate Ones, a story that does exactly that in the form of a high-stakes conspiracy thriller, is a dream come true. I'm super excited to collaborate with so many talented people and use my skills as a cinematographer to help bring Unfortunate Ones to life on-screen. 

Christian Howard - Co-Director of Photography

Hi! I'm Christian Howard. I'm a Co-DP on Unfortunate Ones, and I'm incredibly personally excited to put my heart and soul into shaping light and color to tell this story. From the very beginning, borrowing our family camcorder to film "movies" (that hopefully will never see the light of day), I've always felt confident in dedicating my life to visual storytelling. At CSUN, I've been honored to sharpen my skills on Gifts, Cake, Repeat, Stars Above, and many more. I feel ready to work with my wonderful and highly skilled Co-DP, Ethan, to craft intensely vibrant and colorful images, bringing our director, Michael's beautiful story to your screen. 

Trenton Gromm - Production/Post-Sound Mixer

My name is Trenton Gromm, and I am the Production Sound and Post Sound Mixer. I will bring Unfortunate Ones to life with clean sound and immersive atmosphere. Recently, I've worked on Tournament of Champions, Guy's Grocery Games, and Side Quest. I'm very fortunate to be part of this project. I'm so fortunate to work with such a talented crew that I could die happy next to a couple making out behind a bar. 

Andrea Tosounian - Production Designer

Hi, my name is Andrea Tosounian, and I am the Production Designer on Unfortunate Ones. My other recent work includes Director of Photography on HandyMan and Gaffer on Ditch. I fell in love with filmmaking due to the endless possibilities to create different realities that I could escape to, so I am excited to bring life to Unfortunate Ones through Production Design and create a new world. There are lots of fun locations to play around with, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

Duc Le - Editor

Hi, my name is Duc Le, and I am an editor, colorist, and assistant camera. I fell in love with post-production because it's where a film truly comes to life. Through editing, sound design, and color grading, post-production has the power to shape the story, guide emotion, and immerse the audience, and that's what excites me most about the craft. Some of the projects I've worked on include Dead Exposure, Handyman, Third Best, Born by Ash, and Get Gone (music video). I'm especially thrilled to be editing Unfortunate Ones, where I'll be shaping its mystery and setting the pacing that drives the story forward.

Matthew Corralz - Assistant Editor

Hi! My name is Matthew Corralz, and I am the Assistant Editor for Unfortunate Ones. Some recent projects I have worked on are Side Quest, A Murder Rings Hollow, Simple Thieves, and For Everything A Reason. I have been an editor and an assistant editor for all those projects. I am excited to work on this project to get a chance at working on a different genre before we graduate!

Other ways to show your support

Simply sharing our socials, page, and any related content is greatly appreciated and will help get our message out there. we understand not everyone is able to support finically, we still welcome any and all support you can offer! 

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Or keep up to date through our LinkTree

Thank you!

Whether you donate or support we appreciate you coming along this journey with us and look forward to creating an amazing show! :)