The Making of a French New Wave Inspired Experimental Film

Focusing on the complexities of our inner demons,  Ultraviolet Catastrophe takes a deeper look at the troubled mind, personifying that cruel voice in one's head, and touching on the toxic dynamic between the two, while walking the audience through facets of the mind using dream-like, hazy imagery.

Ultraviolet Catastrophe visually guides its audience through the damaged psyche of an unnamed woman who struggles to navigate an unhealthy relationship dynamic with an unnamed man.  Inspired by the French New Wave style of cinema, this story unfolds in a broken, but cohesive pattern.

The journey begins in the woman's bedroom, where the man and woman are lounging in bed, seemingly after a night of sex, smoking and talking. Their conversation in the bedroom floats above the rest of the unsettling imagery of the film as we see how the words exchanged between these two slowly devolve the woman's emotional state, back in the bedroom, and leaving us with a final, devastating exchange between the two. 

As an actor whose day job is freelance editing, I found myself enamored with untraditional editing styles. Learning about the French New Wave style of filmmaking was a poignant moment for me, opening my eyes to the editing rules that can be broken to create something visceral and captivating. This film is inspired by Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film, Breathless. I want to take the chaos we see unfold within that story and reshape it to fit a story that shines a light on the dark inner workings of a troubled mind.

I've spent many journeys around the analog clock, fighting my own mind, and there is a particular madness that bubbles through you when you are at war with something that cannot be seen or touched. It is as if you are experiencing a conflict with smoke, grabbing at the air, and coming up empty-handed, yet it is still there.

I also love the way people personify inner demons in film. I like taking that voice in someone's head that actively hates them, putting it in front of the world, and showing it for what it truly is. In this film, the man is the personified inner demon that stealthily wreaks havoc inside the mind of the woman. Early in my writing process, their relationship naturally presented itself as a toxic, sexual entanglement, highlighting elements of codependency, anxiety, hatred, desire, pain, and misplaced love, that exist in unhealthy relationships. Unfortunately,  so many of us have similar relationships with  ourselves and that cruel inner voice.

It can be very easy to cling to what is familiar, even if that thing is hurting you. The unknown often feels more frightening than the pain and discomfort of the current known we can be rotating through. 

I want this dramatic, experimental piece to remind the world that those isolating relationships we have with our inner demons, are not so isolated.

Plus, nowadays, if actors don't create the roles ourselves, we do not get many opportunities. So, I would like this story to give me an opportunity to create a vulnerable piece of art, as well as allow me the opportunity to dip my toes into a vulnerable performance as an actor.

Making a film takes time and it takes a great deal of money. That is where you all come in! Every dollar, no matter how small the contribution, gets me one step closer to bringing this story to life. 

For those who can contribute financially, please see the breakdown of where the money will be allocated:

My goal is to raise the funds by the end of Summer 2024. Pre-production will start soon after funds have been raised, and production will be scheduled for late summer/early fall 2024. Post-production will be complete, and the film will be ready for 2025 Festival Submissions. 

Thank you in advance for your support of this project. Whether you can donate money or your time, your commitment to this film means the world to me. I can't wait to share Ultraviolet Catastrophe with you very soon!