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WHEN I WAS A HUMAN

An ex-shelter dog embarks on a magical quest to reclaim his owner's love and his own identity in the process.

STORY

Indy is a pup at the shelter nobody wants. When a beautiful young girl named Kimmy rescues him, Indy thinks he has found his forever home. Kimmy begins dating Jared, who is a manipulative womanizer unbeknownst to Kimmy. Indy panics that he loses Kimmy to the two-timer and is sent back to the shelter. A mysterious Blue Dog Fairy appears and gives Indy a miracle dog biscuit that turns him into a human. Now, all Indy has to do is to find a way to show Kimmy Jared is not the man he pretends to be. Through Indy's hilarious experiences and ordeals as a human, he realizes he doesn't have to become someone else to be loved and that the best way to help Kimmy is to be the loyal friend and companion she misses so much.

WHY DONATE TO OUR PROJECT?

  • Film Fans Crave Something Fresh and Different

We, moviegoers, have grown tired of a pile of sequels and spin-offs released every year. We do enjoy Star Wars and Marvel, but they are like ice cream sundaes. No matter how much we may like ice cream sundaes, we would get sick of them if served after every meal. 

  • The Decline of Original Storytelling (= We dare to tell the original story.)

Major studios don't want to try out something untested when millions of dollars are at risk. As a result, they have almost stopped taking on original stories. As a result, movie fans who don't care for cookie-cutter blockbusters are often neglected.

  • Proven Quality of the Screenplay (= Algorithm doesn't lie.)

"When I Was a Human" ranked among the highest-scored script top 5 on Slated.com, a prominent independent film marketplace online, for two months in a row.
  • The Project Has the Believers

At the end of 2021, we successfully concluded the first round of an investment campaign on Wefunder. As a result, 106 people invested their faith and hard-earned dollars in our project, totaling $81,242.

 

We are currently packaging the film further with the top-notch entertainment legal team and the legendary casting director, Pat McCorkle, to attach name Hollywood talent. Additionally, we are continuously raising more production funds from various sources, including this fiscal sponsorship program by From the Heart Productions, right here on this site.

 

  • Your donation is tax-deductible. 

A non-profit organization for independent filmmakers, From the Heart Productions ("FTH"), granted the project the Fiscal Sponsorship. It means that your contribution through this website becomes a charitable contribution, which is tax-deductible. It is like an instant payout instead of waiting for your investment return to come through.
 
Please refer to an IRS media release HERE and talk to a tax professional for more details.

WHY NOW?

🐾 "Hollywood Should Fetch A Pooch Pic." - Peter Bart (Deadline.com)

Peter Bart is a well-regarded film industry expert who writes for Deadline.com. On August 19, 2021, his column said, "(If) late-summer box office fails to catch a second wind, Hollywood might have to revisit one of its few remaining sure things: a good dog movie.

Summer is gone, and Hollywood has failed to catch a second wind. So now is the time to contribute to  a "good dog movie."

🐾 We've got proof of a "good dog movie."

Our project is based on a critically acclaimed short film of the same title, written and directed by Akemi Kozu Tosto. The short film is distributed worldwide by Shorts International, the official short film distributor of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. 

CLICK THIS POSTER TO WATCH THE SHORT

🐾 Built-in audience

Dogs are super-stars and have lots of fans! According to the National Pet Owners Survey 2019-2020 conducted by American Pet Products Association (APPA), 63.4 million or 53% of U.S. households own a dog. So, imagine the number of "dog fans" worldwide. They are all potential audience members for our movie.

🐾 Study shows...

Predicting the independent film market is tricky. However, a study was done by one of the trusted resources in the film industry called the American Film Market (AFM). AFM conducted the Study to find what kind of family films are profitable - using over 3,000 titles from the film data company The Numbers' financial database. The study indicates the following are the most profitable family film categories.

・Films starring Man's Best Friends (= Dogs in the leading role(s))
Films with Positive Messages

Each film genre has its own unique set of characteristics to succeed: Family films rely on positive messages and careful tailoring for their target audience. We believe "When I Was a Human: the Movie" fits the bill.

🐾  Case study 

Forget about AvengersFate of the Furious, and Wolf WarriorsThor: Ragnarok. Forget about Ant-Man or Spider-Man or Thor: Ragnarok. In China, Justice League is now in the dog house. - Rob Cain (Forbes.com)

A humble little movie with no stars and little prior audience awareness called "A Dog's Purpose" beat out the "Justice League" and earned $88 million in China in 2017. It became one of China's 25 top-grossing movies that year. 

A movie featuring dogs and positive messages has excellent potential to attract many paying customers' attention.

WHAT DO CONTRIBUTORS RECEIVE?

🐾  Perks! Perks!! Perks!!

Contributors receive exclusive behind-the-scenes peek via newsletter.


Contributors get exclusive online live Q&A with the director, producers, and cast (cast subject to availability). Plus, the previous perk.

Contributors get a "Special Thanks" credit ON SCREEN in the end titles of the Picture. Plus, previous perks.Contributors get ONE pair of tickets to the red carpet premiere and afterparty in Los Angeles. Time and date TBD. Travel and accommodation are not included. Plus, previous perks.Contributors get an "Affiliate Producer" credit ON SCREEN in the movie's end titles. TWO pairs of tickets to the red carpet premiere and the seats in the VIP SECTION and the afterparty in Los Angele. Time and date TBD. Travel and accommodation are not included. Plus, previous perks.Contributors get an invitation to VISIT THE FILM SET while we're filming and get to meet the cast and crew. Filming date/location TBD. Travel and accommodation are not included. Plus, previous perks. 

Contributors get an "Associate Executive Producer" credit in the end titles of the Picture and on IMDb. A VIP invitation plus one to the filming location and join the cast and crew for LUNCH ON THE SET. (Cast subject to availability.) Filming date/location TBD. Travel and accommodation are not included. Plus, previous perks.

OUR BUSINESS MODEL FOR SUCCESS

🐾 Hybrid distribution model 

Following the limited theatrical release in the domestic targeted area,  the film can be sold directly to North American consumers via the following avenues. However minor the domestic release may be, the theatrical release adds more "Hollywood" value to the film for foreign sales. 

  • Subscription-based Video on Demand (SVOD) Examples include Netflix, Hulu, and HBO. = A user can access the entire video library for a monthly or annual subscription fee.
  • Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD) examples you may know of include Google Play and iTunes.
  • Ad-based Video on Demand (AVOD) examples you may know of include YouTube, Pluto, and Roku Channel.

🐾  Spend less, keep more 

Our production team's vast experience is a significant asset in producing a high-quality movie on a very cost-effective budget. We worked on world-class T.V./film productions by Hollywood heavy-hitters like Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, Ivan Reitman, to name a few, and collectively over thousands of work hours on and off the sets. (Yes, we eat and breathe filmmaking.) Our accumulated business contacts position us to secure good cast, crew, equipment, and location rental deals.

Akemi K. Tosto (Director/Writer) with David Dowell (Director of Photography) on the set

🐾 We're global - Our International advantage

Our unique advantage is our film industry knowledge and connections to domestic and foreign territories.

Revenues from foreign territories are essential to a film's financial success, especially in recent years. (See Global Box Office Revenue from 2004 to 2019 below.)
 

Soon after our principal photography begins, we will carry out our domestic distribution strategy and work with foreign sales agents to get the best possible deal for our film.

THE COST & TIME TO MAKE "WHEN I WAS A HUMAN"

We are raising $950k to cover the production budget.

The capital raised will be allocated as displayed below and funds the production of WHEN I WAS A HUMAN, including, but not limited to, hiring our staff, actors, location rentals and equipment, and all the costs associated with successfully producing the film. 

(Note: While we expect to use the funds in the manner described above, we cannot specify with certainty the particular uses of the funds. Accordingly, we will have broad discretion in using these proceeds.)

For more details

Click here to set up a call via Calendly.
or
Email us at:[email protected]

 

Thank you for your time and interest! 


 

 

 


 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 

 

 

 


 
 

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