WELCOME TO SOMEWHERE.
He came to find his son.
He may never leave.
Searching for his missing son, P.T. Mitchell enters Somewhere, an underground city of endless pleasure. As its machines draw him in, the search becomes a struggle to leave.
A FILM BY EVAN ISOM
IMAGES FROM SOMEWHERE
Director’s Statement
I keep coming back to how easy it is to spend a day in a dopamine loop and be absent from it entirely. There is something unsettling about the ease of that comfort now, particularly for whoever is left in the room.
The film follows a father searching for his son in an underground city of endless pleasure. Every attempt to reach him leads through another machine, another form, another procedure. The city keeps functioning while the people disappear into themselves. And gradually, its comforts become more appealing than the search. I am interested in that moment when you finally look up and realize something has passed you by. Perhaps something you thought would wait. Perhaps your whole life.
What fascinates me about filmmaking is how image, sound, and time can shape what an audience feels, even subconsciously. The sets in this film float in a black void. I want those images to feel lonely and isolated, with sound giving that emptiness a presence. A world you can hear but cannot quite reach. I am curious about more than how that looks. What happens to a viewer after spending an entire film in that darkness? What effect would it have psychologically?
That curiosity shapes the pacing, too. For the first 40 minutes, I want to hold back and let the slow, meditative rhythm draw the viewer into a trance. Then the film changes in an instant. I want that sudden intensity to hit harder because of the stillness that came before it.
Collaborating with the other artists is the real heart of making this film. Sets, images, performances, music and sound all change what I thought I was making. Together, we are making something none of us could have made alone.
EVAN ISOM WRITER / DIRECTOR
One final shoot. Eight more days.
Forty minutes filmed in five days, averaging 15 to 17 camera setups a day. Months of preparation and a resourceful cast and crew helped us make every shooting day count.
Now we’re preparing to film the remaining hour in May 2027.
$25,000 needed. $10,000 already available. $15,000 left to raise.
The $10,000 is existing production funding, separate from this campaign’s donations.
Your contribution helps cover:
- People: Our actors and the crew building sets, pulling focus, lighting scenes, recording sound, and handling wardrobe and makeup.
- The world of Somewhere: Materials for the meticulously crafted sets and props, including the doors, windows, signs, furniture, and strange machinery that give the city its character.
- Equipment: Camera lenses, lights, sound gear, and the equipment needed to support and move them.
- Each day on set: Location fees, insurance, transportation, and meals for the people doing the work.
Reaching our goal gives us eight shooting days instead of squeezing the remaining film into five. Those additional days let us keep scenes we would otherwise need to cut, support our cast and crew for longer, and carry more of the screenplay onto the screen.
We’ll finish with the resources we have. Your contribution helps determine how much we can put into those final days. Whether it helps cover a meal, materials for a prop, or a day of someone’s work, we’ll plan its use as carefully as we plan the shoot.
BEHIND THE SCENES
A film is
people.
Your donation helps a group of artists in Kansas City create together. Jacob, our composer, writing and recording a score with a group of incredible musicians. Joe building surreal, dreamlike sets. Nate designing and creating imaginative props. David and Max lighting and shooting beautiful images. Matt building the sonic world of the film. Our actors bringing these characters to life.
None of this happens without Andy Chanthalhaka and Quinn Cosgrove, our producers, whose care and months of work make it possible for the rest of us to do ours.
Supporting this film gives artists the time and resources to do their work. We think that is something worth supporting.
We are raising $15,000 to finish filming Amusing Ourselves to Death. If you can contribute, we would be grateful.
Cast
Tom Beaver
P.T. Mitchell
John Lee
The Lessor
Jessica Whitfield
The Lessor’s Wife
Valeri Bate
The Young Woman
Crew
Evan Isom
Writer and Director
Andy Chanthalhaka
Producer
Quinn Cosgrove
Producer and First Assistant Director
David Edmonds
Director of Photography
Jacob Thomas
Composer
Matt McCann
Sound Designer
Joe DeMarchi
Production Designer
Nate Hartness
Prop Master
Max Vanderwerf
Gaffer
Joe Euston
Key Grip
Adriana Colina
First Assistant Camera
Mahryn Rose
Hair, Makeup, and Costumes
Joseph Pieken
Colorist
Bella Thomas
Sound Mixer
Lolo Loren
Sound Mixer
Camryn Caruthers
Art Assistant
Justin Southard
Production Assistant
Dawson Veitch
Production Assistant
Simon Stevens
Production Assistant
Rodrigo Del Bosque
Production Assistant
Help finish our film.
For the final eight days of filming. $15,000 to go.
Supporter packages
- Any amount · Supporter: An invitation to a screening of the completed film, plus the opportunity for you or someone you choose to be an extra.
- $100 or more · In the Credits: All supporter benefits, plus your name in the film’s thank-you credits.
- $500 or more · Premiere Guest: All preceding benefits, plus two reserved seats at the premiere.
- $1,000 or more · Executive Producer: All preceding benefits, plus an Executive Producer credit recognizing your role in making the film possible.
Every contribution helps, and each level includes the benefits of those below it.
Contributions are donations rather than investments. Supporter credits are honorary and do not include ownership or a share of profits.
A few answers.
How far along is the film?
Approximately 40% has been filmed. That’s about 40 minutes, shot over five days. We’re now preparing to film the remaining hour in May 2027. Making the film in two stages has given us time to review the first section and bring what we learned into the final shoot.
What will my contribution support?
Your contribution helps bring together everything needed for the final production: our cast and crew, meticulously crafted sets and props, wardrobe and makeup, camera and lighting equipment, sound gear, locations, insurance, transportation, and meals.
These pieces work together. A set needs materials and people to build it. A performance needs a prepared crew to light, film, and record it. Your support helps put those people and resources in the same place, ready to work.
Why are you raising $15,000?
The complete final shoot is budgeted at $25,000. We already have $10,000 available and are raising the remaining $15,000 to fund the people, materials, equipment, and production needs required to finish filming.
That budget supports eight shooting days and the preparation behind them. Reaching our goal means we can build the planned sets, bring our cast and crew together, and preserve scenes we would otherwise need to simplify or cut.
What will I receive as a supporter?
You’ll be part of bringing Amusing Ourselves to Death to the screen. To thank you for helping us finish the film, we’re offering:
- Any amount · Supporter: An invitation to a screening of the completed film, plus the opportunity for you or someone you choose to be an extra.
- $100 or more · In the Credits: All supporter benefits, plus your name in the film’s thank-you credits.
- $500 or more · Premiere Guest: All preceding benefits, plus two reserved seats at the premiere.
- $1,000 or more · Executive Producer: All preceding benefits, plus an Executive Producer credit recognizing your role in making the film possible.
Every contribution helps, and each level includes the benefits of those below it. Choose an amount that feels right for you. We look forward to sharing what you helped create.
Contributions are donations rather than investments. Supporter credits are honorary and do not include ownership or a share of profits.
When can I see the completed film?
The final shoot is planned for May 2027. After filming, we’ll still need to complete editing, music, sound, and color before the film is ready to screen.
Everyone who contributes will be invited to a screening when the film is complete. Supporters at the Premiere Guest and Executive Producer levels will also receive two reserved premiere seats. We’ll share dates, locations, and attendance details once they’re set.
What if you don’t raise the full $15,000?
We’ll finish the film with the resources we have. If we fall short, we’ll adjust the production, which may mean simplifying sets, revising scenes, or reducing the shooting schedule.
Your contribution will still support the film. The closer we get to our goal, the more fully we can realize the work our cast and crew have been preparing.