Thanks for checking out the fundraiser for "LETTERS". Letters is a short film written and directed by Emily Ballard, inspired by the true story of her grandparents' relationship during WWII.

We aim to shoot for 3–5 days in mid–late June, with a goal of filming entirely on 16mm film.

STORY

Set during World War II, this short historical fiction shows two contrasting lives unfolding at the same time. In Connecticut lives a young woman untouched by war — Rose. Her days are filled with light, music, and routine. Across the ocean, young airman James lives in darkness, fear, and noise. His only escape are her letters. Told without spoken dialogue, the film reveals their relationship through voiceover and contrasting visuals of light and darkness, calm and chaos. The film ends not with resolution but with a knock at the door, bringing the realities of war to Rose's doorstep, ending with a neutral expression on her face.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

"This story is deeply personal to me. It is inspired by the letters my grandparents wrote to each other. My grandparents met only a week before he was shipped off to Italy as an air force pilot. Their relationship grew and took shape entirely through letters. In 2020 two of my uncles asked me to help transcribe the written letters. When thinking of final projects I knew I had to finally tell this story. Through this film, I want to bring those letters to life, telling the story of two people falling in love while living very different experiences. One surviving the realities of war, the other continuing with everyday life. In doing so, I hope to reveal a softer, more vulnerable side of the male soldier, while also honoring my own family history, as several members of my family have and are currently serving."

- Emily Ballard, Writer/Director

SHOOTING ON FILM

It isn't very often that it actually makes complete budgetary sense to shoot on film. Most of the time it's an aspirational suggestion, one that doesn't entirely end up benefitting the story itself. For Letters, it just works.

With all of the dialogue being voiceover, we wouldn't need a sync-sound camera (a quiet one) as no sound would actually be needed on set. This means that we can go for a cheaper camera to still achieve the visuals that we want, but without breaking the budget! (And it also means we can shoot with the A.C. on, which is just an added bonus)

We're shooting on Kodak Vision3 500T, because its high 500 ASA sensitivity will allow us to shoot in low light levels with artificial film lights for some of James' parts.

For an idea of what it might look like, here's a video of some past camera tests our DOP has done on 16mm!

WHY £7,000?

• A large portion of our budget goes straight to sourcing the film stock, camera, and then the processing costs after we shoot.
• Locations are expensive, and we've got some nice ones in mind! It also won't be cheap if we want to contact the MOD to make use of any of their official premises as locations.
• We want to be able to take care of our cast and crew by covering their travel and providing them with decent food to eat on set.
• Given that it's a period piece, we'll need a high budget for costumes so that our actors are dressed as accurately as possible.
• We need funding to be able to send the film to festivals after the edit is finished in order to let it reach a wider audience!

THANK YOU

Thank you for considering donating to our crowdfunding campaign for "Letters"! Every contribution is appreciated, and we can't wait to share more of this project with you.