“Bixby, I feel the need to head west.”
“Is that important?”
“As important as anything I’ve ever done.”
An aging courier makes one last cross-country run to fulfill a broken promise. Shepherded by his oldest friend and a woman with unclear motives, the trio head west in a beat-up Mustang with the ashes of his dead wife in a stolen antique wooden box, pursued by a woman who just may be the Devil.
“Into the Sunset” is a quest – a road movie, a modern western, exploring what drives a man when he must finally come to terms with his own failings and realizes the things he once deemed important have turned hollow, costing him more than he was prepared to pay.
THE STORY:
Saul is done. He has spent most of his life as a courier for folks that would rather fly under the radar. Discreet. Invisible.
30 years ago while on the road, his wife suffered a freak fatal accident, and the only request she ever made of him, one he kept putting off, was to take her to see the sun set over the Pacific. It has gnawed at him ever since and the guilt hasn’t gone away.
Now, while making a delivery to the agent of a mysterious collector he found himself distracted. Something about the item nagged at him. Called to him. In a moment of uncharacteristic loss of control he opened the road case and discovered a simple, rather distressed wooden box adorned with a stylized sunset over the ocean, and something inside him snapped.
(all images are for illustrative purposes only, no copyright is claimed or inferred)
Taking the box for himself, he decided to use it to carry his wife’s ashes to the coast, finally fulfilling that broken promise. It is to be his last delivery.
What he doesn’t know is that the collector is an obsessive eccentric who doesn’t like to be cheated…
…and she might be the Devil.
Setting out in his old beat-up Mustang he teams up with his mentor and dearest friend Bixby, and Gwen, a mysterious woman with murky motives in an effort (though maybe none of them realize it) to save Saul’s very soul.
They are blissfully unaware that a dark pursuer is closing in on them with plans that couldn’t be further away from their own.
Playing the only hand he’s been dealt, Saul must decide what’s right and what’s really important, and his decision will save or damn them all.
MAIN CHARACTERS and TARGET CAST:
(all actors shown represent examples of talent and are not attached to the project)
SAUL
Lanky, weathered, worn out and frayed around the edges. A cowboy, a smuggler. Soft spoken and often a man of few words, he always plays things close to the chest, he tends to not express or even acknowledge his feelings. He followed his dream and it cost him, now he’s trying to save what little is left of his soul.
Ever since the passing of his wife, there is a sadness in his eyes, one that runs deeper than his companions realize.
GWEN
Curious, impish, quirky and unpredictable. Gwen is the perfect mystery and knows more than she lets on. Her motives may be unclear and suspicious but she exudes an incredible joy and love for life. Though she has an agenda all her own, she has a deep connection with Saul, one she may not even be aware of herself.
BIXBY
Earthy, wry, sardonic, but refuses to let life get the better of him. An old soul in a less-than-pristine body. A natural-born “mother”, he seems harmless enough, but has a tenacity to be reckoned with. His amiable facade hides a man keeping a weather eye out for his friend, for he knows without his guidance, Saul is lost and will slowly fade away.
THE MUSTANG
Saul’s Mustang is more than a means to an end.
It was his escape from a far less than perfect youth. It was freedom, though it has always been as beat-up as he is.
The pony express, of course, needs a pony.
The Mustang embodies everything Saul is, what he has done, what he needs to do. Not exactly his “Dorian Gray”, but certainly his soul laid bare.
THE ROAD
The road. It, too, is a character in this tale. As the landscape changes, so do our heroes. All are intricately connected, and none are complete without the other.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:
“Into the Sunset” is a film I’ve been working on for a decade. It’s a story that has become very dear to me as I, too, reach the point in life where questions of paths taken (or not taken) begin to poke your psyche on late nights, uninvited.
The core of the story – following through on a promise even if the redemption sought may be impossible – is one that I believe resonates with most people. Everyone has a ‘what if’ moment in their past, of varying degrees. It can be filled with regret, relief, or simply a quiet longing for change, to see new horizons.
As you read through these pages I encourage you to think back on a time when you, too, wondered ‘what if’.
Road adventures are a genre that allow many interpretations, many flavors. Going back as far as the iconic “Road-To” Hope and Crosby films to more current fables such as “O Brother, Where Art Thou” or “The Darjeeling Limited”; the brash rebeliousness of “Easy Rider” or “Thelma and Louise”, the whimsical nature of Disney’s “Onward” or Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs”. Self discovery wrapped in adventure like “The Goonies” or “Stand By Me”.
Films like these allow the audience to escape with the characters, to identify with them or wring their hands over decisions poorly made. Cheer with their successes and cry with their loss. These films are therapeutic, cathartic, and a little escape is a powerful thing.
As we like to say – the story is everything. Long live the story.
-Kent Meloy
STYLE AND TONE:
“Into the Sunset” is a fable with the sweeping vistas of John Ford westerns in the style of Terry Gilliam or Wes Anderson. A gentle epic. It will have the feel of Gendy Tartakovsky’s “Samurai Jack” or the Coen’s “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” with the cinematic sensibilities of Roger Deakins and Bruno Delbonnel. Nostalgic, familiar, a little whimsical, a little spooky.
The color scheme will emulate the traditional western with rich earth tones and blue skies, but punctuated by dramatic lighting and color changes as our heroes get closer to their goal.
The soundtrack will be a character in and of itself with a strong “Blade Runner” vibe woven tight with the jangle of a lonely acoustic guitar. It will feel intimate and ominous, longing, overwhelming, hopeful.
BUDGET, COMPS, SCHEDULE
This film will be made over an 10 month period from secured funding to final delivery.
Week 0 -13: Pre-production
finalizing cast and crew
securing locations
finalizing contracts and equipment
Week 14 -19: Filming
all principal photography
rough on-location edits
second unit photography
Week 20 – 36: Post Production
full edit
visual effects
music and sound design
color grading
Week 37-39: Final Delivery
Post Delivery:
Festival run targeting appropriate majors, Sundance, Toronto International, SxSW, Cannes,
Tribeca and others.
Our proposed budget for the film is $2.2MM.
Over 80% of the film will be shot in Ohio, and
we will apply for the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit which returns a 30% credit on all production cast, crew and eligible in-state spending.
This makes for an attractive investment, as the film will instantly recoup 30% of operating costs upon completion.
Our story is driven by character and location, and can be accomplished at a very high level of quality for the cost.
What excites us about this film is not only the potential for an excellent return on the initial investment, but also the first stepping stone to a successful and continuing career in the film business.
We’re attacking fundraising in two phases. Phase One will raise the initial $5k to $10k needed for legal documents and setting up business accounts. Phase Two will fundraise for the production of the film.
One huge advantage of a film at this budget level is the ability to have a much quicker return on investment over films in the next higher tier.
Within this budget range there have been many recent films across similar genres that have ended up attaching jet engines to the careers of the principal filmmakers. Those teams have gone on to do larger and more lucrative films. We’re not only looking for investors in the ‘right now’, but also for partners for the long haul.
Our research has also shown our story to be somewhat unique, which is a common trait of films in this budget range that have been successful.
“Into the Sunset” is a story we feel compelled to tell, and we are committed to making
a truly outstanding film.
Stories of hope over regret, of love and loyalty, light over darkness.
These are things that resonate with a diverse audience, and in our opinion are vital stories to tell.
We are thrilled you are considering being part of our team, our family, and coming along for the ride.
Please jump to our funding page to learn more. Join us!
