Thought Catcher is a short film shot as an NYU Tisch Advanced Narrative project, set in the backdrop of a present-day competitive college environment. When Roland, a selfish and frustrated engineering student, stumbles upon a fluke invention and begins to use it nefariously, the film depicts the behavior and actions of multiple characters reacting to the newfound situation, particularly Dave, who has been scorned as a result of Roland’s predatory academic pursuits, and depicts the consequential fallout that unfurls in the wake of their decisions. 

Hello!

My name is Riya Thapar, and I am directing Thought Catcher. This film depicts human instinct, survival and greed in our society today, and through the lens of our young and ambitious characters, we explore how the most superficial parts of ourselves interact with those deep desires for success, recognition, and love. It is through their experiences and decisions that Thought Catcher will take you on a journey of self discovery and encourage you to grapple with your own inner demons. 

Roland is a young man blinded by ambition who chooses ignorance over facing the consequences of his actions. While Roland does not acknowledge the damage that has been done, Dave, who has been spurned by Roland’s decisions, makes his rage and jealousy too strong to ignore. 

Within this bizzaro world of supernatural science and unfettered ambition, we will tell the tale of the polished, driven, and well-dressed demons we carry with us. They only come out on occasion, but when they do, they can be very convincing, helping us justify the worst in ourselves with ease. 

We need to tell this story now, because in addition to being entertaining and intriguing, it is a reflection of the competitive culture that drives America’s youth. Competition and contempt for our peers can be found at every turn during our time in school and in the workplace. The story of Roland and Dave is a comically exaggerated yet painfully true tale that shows us ourselves at the very worst, acting for the best of reasons. 

I know that as a woman of color growing up in America, a great deal of films inspired me as a person and as a filmmaker, and I saw myself in everyone of them. I don’t mean that I saw a young Indian girl doing this or that, but I saw a part of my soul in each and every character that I loved. Sometimes, all it takes to change minds, attitudes, and souls is the recognition of mutual feeling, of shared experience and of dark desires. That moment when you say “other people think this too?” That’s what we are doing with Thought Catcher. Roland is terrible, but we root for him. Dave is jealous and angry, but we feel for him. We are people with complicated emotions and crazy lives, and this film is a window into that part of ourselves. 

Production for “Thought Catcher” is set to shoot in Spring 2020, specifically in the time range of March 11th to 25th in New York and potentially New Jersey. 

In order to complement the sleek, polished, and almost too-refined feel of the environment characters find themselves in, we will be shooting digitally with a lot of subtle camera movement, mainly accomplished through dolly shots. 

The film is set to go through rigorous post-production immediately following production, as we aim to have a fully completed project by the end of Summer 2020 and a film festival release in Fall 2020 or Spring 2021, depending on which film festival we decide to premiere at. 

Once released, our primary goal with this project is to spark a discussion of what attitude and approach should be taken towards learning and our innate desires to compete. 

So why are we looking to raise twenty thousand dollars for this film? While this is a student passion project and therefore almost all of the labor is volunteer based, a slew of additional equipment and resources are required to help bring this project to life and raise the overall quality. Because we’re students, we don’t have the resources to make this happen on our own, and that’s why each and every one of you is important. 

Because we’re looking to create a fully-realized look and feel mostly centered around a university, a great deal of our funds will be going towards our Production Design, Wardrobe, Hair & Makeup department, as well as our Camera and Lighting department. 

Outside of that, moving all of our equipment and our whole crew around the state, and then lodging and feeding them over the course of multiple shooting days is quite an expensive task to accomplish. They might work for free, but they can’t starve!

Other costs include sound equipment, props, any additional camera and lighting equipment, location fees, insurance and legal costs for all of the equipment and locations, and a small contingency budget for when things go wrong. 

Once we’re into post-production, we’ll need even more money, and we’re trying to raise it all now so that we won’t have to ask again! Most people don’t realize this, but sound design has an incredible amount of influence on the audience’s experience, and a high quality sound designer and post-production sound and music work is rather costly. While we’re trying to save costs by having our editor and VFX artist work for free, we will likely need to pay for a Colorist, so that the final look of the film is elegant and stunning. Finally, when the film is actually completed, we’ll need to pay to be able to submit it at film festivals!

Sound like a lot? Don’t worry, it is a lot, so here’s a pie chart that helps to break it all down for you. 

Director - Riya Thapar

Riya is an American-South Asian Director based out of NYC. She came to NYU with the intention of majoring in Political Science and Pre Law, and then was introduced to the world of filmmaking! Since last year she has been pursuing a degree in Film and Television, and has gotten the chance to intern with Kevin Smith (SModCo), IMDb, and Verizon Media BUILD. She looks forward to bringing Thought Catcher to life!

Writer - Brett Moody

Brett Moody is a game designer and writer from Singapore whose interactive works have been displayed at numerous interactive media festivals and released on Steam to positive reviews. His writing often combines absurd humor and a maximalist visual style with reflections on technology and ambition. He is currently creating a music game for Oculus as part of their Launch Pad program.

Producers - Aidan Hamell and Alexander Zinn

Aidan Hamell is a sophomore at NYU studying Film/TV with a BEMT minor. He’s originally from Boston, but has spent time living and working in Dublin and Albuquerque. He has a passion for producing, and has worked as a set PA on productions such as Vince Gilligan’s Better Call Saul, new CBS show Interrogation, and upcoming Robert De Niro film The Comeback Trail. He's looking forward into turning Thought Catcher into a reality!

Alexander Zinn is a sophomore in Film & Television with a minor in Mathematics and Producing. He has produced multiple intermediate and advanced student projects already, as well as having worked on one feature film. When he isn’t producing, you can find him supporting his hometown team the San Antonio Spurs. He’s very excited to make Thought Catcher happen.

Director of Photography - Elizabeth Vrkljan

Elizabeth Vrkljan is a Croatian-American Director of Photography based out of NYC. She works as both a professional electrical and a freelance cinematographer having shot a spec pilot presented to SNL and she currently works with Local 52. Over the years she studied under the guidance of several award-winning cinematographers including Miseducation of Cameron Post’s Ashley Connor and was recognized by Reed Morano as a young DP to follow, and has recently worked on Steven Spielberg’s upcoming West Side Story. 

First Assistant Director - Kelly Drake

Kelly Drake is a Junior studying Media, Culture and Communications at Steinhardt, with two minors - Producing in Tisch and American Sign Language in Steinhardt. Having gotten her start producing journalistic audio pieces at the campus radio station WNYU, she serves as the executive producer of a weekly radio drama podcast. After producing for audio, she decided to start producing for film. She’s Produced multiple music videos and short films. She has Assistant Directed on multiple music videos, short films and feature trailers.

Production Designer - Bria Josephs

Bria Josephs is a Pratt Institute graduate with a BFA in Photography. Her love for design began at a young age (i.e. building “houses”’ out of books and other household materials for her stuffed animals) and after her initial introduction to the film industry as an actor, she utilizes her passions for set design and construction.

Casting Director - Nino Vongphachanh

Nino Vongphachanh is from Holland, MI. He is an aspiring casting director and talent agent. Riya’s is the 7th project that he is casting for in the Spring 2020 semester. Nino has casted for 6 intermediates, 1 Advanced Narrative (spring to fall), and all 3 shows in Fall 2019 Intermediate TV Bootcamp.