Horror movies are thriving. Horror movies are not only Oscar contenders nowadays, but Oscar winners as well. And we believe original horror ideas—not remakes of reboots of recycled franchises—are even hotter right now. Movie audiences seem ready to be frightened and delighted at the movies again—no matter how or where that movie is viewed, because people will ALWAYS love being scared. (Source: in FAQs below)
And you don’t just need jump cuts, or blood and guts to make a good horror movie. You don’t have to blow your budget on all things nudity and gory, all you need is a good story, and that’s where we come in. KILL GIGGLES is an award-winning screenplay that we will turn into a feature film with this fundraising campaign. It is a story like no other because no one has EVER made a film like this... YET!
Everyone has seen the movies and shows where the monsters, the maniacs, the serial killers dress up like clowns—but what about a serial killer of clowns instead? What about taking the timeless terror trope of clowns and turning it on its rainbow wig-covered head by making them the victims instead? What about doing something that’s never been done before... literally?!? That’s what we’re going to do with KILL GIGGLES and we need your help to make it happen!
In the past, there wasn’t an easy way for most people to be able to invest in films. You either had to know somebody, be wealthy enough to be an accredited investor (have a net worth of at least $1,000,000, or an annual income of at least $200,000), or donate your money to a crowdsourcing project, which, while certainly supporting filmmakers, doesn’t get you much in return but maybe a credit, a t-shirt, or some other promo item.
However, with the passing of the JOBS ACT, people can now invest in an online offering such as this and own a piece of movie history for as little as $100. Only a few feature-length narrative films have ever offered equity to the general public in this manner that we're aware of, and out of those, only one previous project was a horror film to our knowledge. We are hoping that it is this unique opportunity that will open the door to anyone who wants to become an integral part of the magical process of filmmaking.
Investment type: Non-Managing Membership Units
$100 per Non-Managing Membership Unit | When you invest you are betting the company’s future value will exceed $207,000.
For investors, all of the adjusted gross profits* go to you first, before any producers, actors, director, etc, sees any returns.
Once every investor has been paid back 120% of their investment, then all net profits will be divided into two profit pools, each equal to 50%. One pool will be for investors to share pro-rata, pari passu with all other investors against the full budget of the film. The other pool will go to the producers (actors, director, writer, etc.).
This type of revenue sharing of profit will occur in perpetuity, potentially allowing returns for the next 20 or 30 years, or beyond.
Minimum Investment: $100
Security Type: Non-Managing Membership Units
Round Size: Min: $10,000; Max: $107,000
Pre-recoupment: Investors will retain 100% of the Company’s ("CFBB Pictures, LLC") adjusted gross profits* up to the repayment amount of 100% of their investment, plus an additional 20% bonus, then a prorated share of 50% of remaining (net) profits.
Perks
$2,500 — If you invest $2,500, you will receive an ASSOCIATE PRODUCER credit in the film.
$5,000 — If you invest $5,000, you will receive a C0-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit in the film.
$10,000 — If you invest $10,000, you will receive a CO-PRODUCER credit in the film.
$25,000 — If you invest $25,000, you will receive an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit in the film.
$50,000 — If you invest $50,000, you will receive a PRODUCER credit in the film.
*All perks occur after the offering is completed.
For details on the bonus, please see the Offering Summary below.
or, "Everyone else is doing it... why aren't we?!?"
“Kill Giggles” is a story, a screenplay, and soon to be a feature film like no other. And yes, while many filmmakers may say that, especially within the realm of independent horror, we at Mad Ones Films actually mean it. Because everyone has seen and heard the stories and movies where the monsters and the serial killers either are or dress up like clowns to commit their mayhem, murder and misery.
For instance, there have been: BOTH versions of It; BOTH versions of Halloween; 31; Clown; Stitches; Gacy; Amusement; 100 Tears; We All Scream for Ice Cream (Masters of Horror); American Horror Story: Freak Show; Killer Clowns from Outer Space; Killjoy; Clownhouse; All Hallows Eve; Prank; Vulgar; and Terrifier… and honestly, that's just to name a few.
Photo: Gingerclown 3-D (2013), Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988), AHS: Freakshow (2014), It (2017), Vulgar (2000)
And that's where “Kill Giggles” comes in. Because what we are going to do is to take a timeless terror trope and turn it on its rainbow wig-covered head, by telling the tale of a serial killer OF clowns instead.
And that's where YOU come in!!! You see, we don't care if you've got more money than you know what to do with and you HATE clowns! It doesn’t bother us if you have fistfuls of cash and actually, for some very bizarre, LOVE clowns, because either way, we want YOU to join our circus!
What it all boils down to is that we want to make this movie. We want to make this movie with you. And we want to make this movie NOW before anyone else gets an all too-similar idea. So… Let’s send in the clowns to die, shall we?
“Kill Giggles” is the story of Tommy dos Santos, who wasn’t born a psychopath, but he wasn’t made a sociopath either. Tommy is something entirely new, and he’s walking his own path—a path that will run red with the blood of the foulest most fiendishly frightening creatures ever conceived by man: Clowns.
No longer do they have the starring role in our nightmares, it is now the clowns who are the prey, running for their lives from a killer who won’t stop until every single one of them is dead. As Tommy’s body count rises, he finds himself getting closer to what he thought was a ghost, the once great clown king known as “Giggles,” and wonders… If laughter can’t die, well, how about Giggles?
“Kill Giggles.” It’s Hitchcock meets Kubrick: it’s horror, it’s thriller, it’s surreal psychological sensationalism. Honestly, it’s the trifecta of scary movies… and all to a circus soundtrack. Because while all the world may love a clown, no one ever said that it had to be alive.
To give investors and audience members a taste of the thrills and chills to come with the full feature, Mad Ones Films shot “Killing Giggles,” a proof-of-concept AWARD-WINNING extended first scene of the film to give a cinematic sense of the look and feel of the movie that we can make together! (see the trailer below!) The proof-of-concept is reaching audiences far and wide on the film festival circuit and paving the way for the feature!
“Everyone has seen and heard the story of the maniacs, the monsters, the serial killers who dress up as clowns to spread fear and terror. But what if there was a serial killer OF clowns, terrorizing them with fear instead? And with that one derailing train of thought in my head I sat down to write and direct "Kill Giggles" – a harrowing Hitchcockian horror story that will take a timeless terror trope and turn it on its rainbow wig-covered head.”
“With over 13 award-winning short films under my belt, I felt I was ready to face one of my worst nightmares. No… not my first feature, but rather the floppy-footed foul fiends who will be starring in it. Because I am absolutely terrified of clowns, I have been almost my whole life, or at least since I saw Poltergeist. Conversely, I've loved movies for just as long, if not longer, so I thought what better way to exorcise those particular demons? And with that, the idea of killing Giggles was born.”
- Jaysen P. Buterin (writer/director/producer)
Mad Ones Films is an award-winning straight-jacket-tested, doctor-approved independent filmmaking company located deep in the heart of Greensboro, North Carolina. Since 2006, the “Mad Ones” have specialised in character-focused, dialogue-driven genre-juggling films that include everything from Faustian rock & roll thrillers and supernatural noir comedies to Grindhouse gospels and thrilling, chilling tales of terror and suspense.
Their films include the ‘Tarantino meets Twilight Zone’ short film trilogy, “The Gospel According to Booze, Bullets & Hot Pink Jesus,” the black & white killer thriller, “Between Hell and a Hard Place,” “Don’t Let the Light In,” a sinister short twist on the babysitter club, and “The Corner,” a terrifying tale that reminds us that home is where the horror is. As the inmates running the cinematic asylum have proven time and time again, Mad Ones Films clearly have a proclivity for the profound and the profane, and a love for the salacious and the shadows that lurk in the minds and souls of sinners and saints alike.
Screened at 25 film festivals internationally.
Won: Best In Show; Best Suspense (Short Film); Best Horror; Best Horror Short Score; & Best Horror Awards.
3-year broadcast deal on ShortsTV (North America & Europe/Middle East/Africa markets).
Won: Best Thriller; Best Horror; Best Director (Short Film); Best Suspense (Short Film); Best Old School Horror; Best Creepy Film; Best Horror Film (Short); Rising Star (Best Actor); Best Actress; Best Poster & Best Short Film Awards.
Distributed on “Monster X” Anthology by Ruthless Pictures.
3-year broadcast deal on ShortsTV (North America, Latin America, & Europe/Middle East/Africa markets).
Screened at 29 film festivals internationally.
Won: Best Short Film; Audience Choice; Best Dramatic Short Film; Best Short Film; Best Actor; Best Suspense Film; Best Poster; & Best Thriller (Short Film) Awards.
3-year broadcast deal on ShortsTV (North America, Latin America, & Europe/Middle East/Africa markets).
Screened at 37 film festivals around the country.
Won: Best Short Film; Best Grindhouse Film; Best Actor; Best Actress; Filmmaking Achievement Award; Best Short Film; Best Regional Film; Best Comedy; Best Feature Film; Best Regional Film; Best Emerging Actor.
Also Known As, "the inmates running the cinematic asylum..."
Jaysen P. Buterin
Writer/Director/Producer - Managing Member
As founder/Creative Director of the straight jacket-tested/doctor-approved Mad Ones Films, from Greensboro North Carolina, Buterin’s mission has been to show the unbridled kaleidoscopic creativity just waiting to be unleashed when the inmates are finally allowed to run the movie-making asylum. More comfortable behind the camera as the writer/director of award-winning film fare such as the Tarantino-meets-Twilight Zone trilogy, “The Gospel According to Booze, Bullets & Hot Pink Jesus,” the on-the-road killer thriller, “Between Hell and a Hard Place,” or the sinister stay-at-home horror hits of “Don’t Let the Light In” and “The Corner,” he also takes turns in front of the camera, acting in such frightful and delightful films as “Knob Goblins,” “Loop,” “Born Again,” “Mama’s Boy” and “Identity Thieves”.
Jesse H. Knight
Director of Photography
Jesse H. Knight has over 20 years of experience as a practicing filmmaker. He is director/editor/DP/producer for hire under the sole proprietorship Jesse Knight Films that he has maintained since 2009. Jesse is wholeheartedly dedicated to filmmaking and the education of others. All aspects of the craft fascinate him and drive him to master them further. He instills this feeling in others, from the concept of the idea all the way through to distribution and beyond. He looks forward to learning more over the years and hopes to inspire others to follow a career path in creating worlds.
Ron Wasserman
Composer
Ron Wasserman is an award-winning composer from Los Angeles, California. He has written music for numerous live-action and animated television series, such as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers SPD, X-Men, SpongeBob SquarePants, Bella & the Bulldogs, The Thundermans, Hot in Cleveland, The Soul Man, Retired at 35, Freaky Eaters, Kirstie, Supernanny and many more. He is also credited with composing the music for numerous video game projects, including Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail, and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (7th Level Entertainment), and Ace Ventura (DIC Entertainment). He has written and produced music for many national ad campaigns (Toyota, Hyundai, Daisy Cottage Cheese, etc.) that have, no doubt, caused people to buy things that they didn’t even know they needed. When he’s not in his studio or on a mixing stage, Ron can be found on his mountain bike, somewhere in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Michael Ray Williams
Lead Actor
Michael Ray Williams began acting in high school and has been consistently doing so ever since. His focus started, primarily, with theatre. Some of his more memorable roles include Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Scottish play, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Sweeney Todd in the well known Sondheim musical of the same name. His work in the theatre has also been off stage, spending a number of years doing lighting design, set construction, and special prop building as well as directing several shows. In addition he has taught a myriad of classes ranging from Improv 101 to in depth character creation and work. His theatrical work eventually led him to the independent film scene of North Carolina where he has established close ties with a few different production companies and directors. He has earned himself a handful of "Best Actor" awards and continues to add new projects to his calendar. His latest feature film, “Echoes”, just made its Convention circuit premiere and will soon be screening in festivals all around.
Jaclyn Helms Barber
Lead Actress
Jaclyn is stoked to be working again with her dear friends in film on Kill Giggles! She was raised near Asheville, NC where she first got a taste for performance at the age of 12. Later, she attended Western Carolina University’s acting program. She graduated with a B.F.A. in Acting for stage and screen. Film became a big love for Jaclyn at WCU, so upon graduation she moved to Wilmington, NC where she was known for her stand-in work on “Eastbound and Down” and the independent film, “River Guard.” She quickly decided to come to Atlanta to pursue her career in film acting. Her latest work has been a feature in the film “Table 19” starring Anna Kendrick and Wyatt Russell, and the Assassin in “Hybrid” by Jesse Knight Films. Jaclyn cannot wait to spend some time with old friends, making magic and building new experiences!
John R. Mazza
Executive Producer
John Mazza has been on the NC film scene since the late '90's. He is an entrepreneur, speaker, writer, educator, motivator, and creative problem solver. John has also appeared in several films as an actor, produced several feature-length and short films, and directed a number of documentary films. He is an all-around lover of movies, motion pictures, and creative storytelling. John’s passion for the art of film is second only to his passion for helping people achieve their goals and finding their hidden potential.
Four beloved horror icon celebrities will be making appearances in Kill Giggles!!!
Role: Dr. Courtney Lee
Star of "Sleepaway Camp"; "Killer Rose"; "Family Possessions"; "Death House"; "Camp Twilight"
Role: Deborah di Prima
Star of "Night of the Living Dead" (1968); "Abandoned Dead"; "They Came from the Ether"
Role: Jay
Star of "Monster Squad"; "Wolfman's Got Nards"; "Short Ends" (anthological TV show); "Caesar & Otto's Paranormal Halloween"
Role: Donnie
Star of "Monster Squad"; "Wolfman's Got Nards"; "Wrecker"; "Kids Incorporated"
Okay. Let's get right down to the real nitty gritty. You'll notice in the budget breakdown below that it is more than what we have listed for this round of funding. The reason for this is that we want this film to be trendsetting epic horror/thriller film. An original idea in a sea of remakes, reboots and recycled franchises. That being said, the budget needed to fully complete this film is $107,000. That budget includes everything during the production (cast, crew, housing, food, transportation, props, locations, equipment, etc...) and post-production (editing, composing, coloring, mixing, etc...), as well as obtaining four named actors in the cast (one for the lead supporting role of Dr. Courtney Lee the psychologist, and three for smaller supporting roles).
Now all that being said, even if we make our ultimate stretch goal of $666,000 that's still a pretty low budget for a feature film, even an indie one. We honestly feel that it’s a goal that will allow us to make the best film that we can, while still stretching every single dollar as far as they will go.
First goal: If we get the full $107,000, and there is still time on the campaign, we will expand the campaign and lessen the amount of the investments needed in the other areas. The more that we can get from this campaign, the more leverage and flexibility we have when dealing with the other methods.
Our stretch goal: If we are able to raise more funds than $107,000, we will use the additional funds and work with our sales agent to obtain additional named actors for the cast to increase the films projected profitability and exposure.
Regardless of where this campaign ends up in its fundraising goal, it is important to note that every penny raised for this production will go towards making this film the best it can possibly be.
Simple, you'll get an equity stake in the company CFBB Pictures, LLC (as Non-Managing Membership Units, see Terms section). Its only purpose is to make and market the motion picture “Kill Giggles” and to derive revenue from that intellectual property. The revenue generated by this film (after expenses) will returned first to investors on said investment plus 20%, and then once paid back, as a profit sharing revenue stream forever.
Not to mention, you will be part of our killer crew! This will allow you to enjoy weekly updates and track your investment from the first table read through production, post, marketing, and sales. You'll be there to experience it all.
Horror movies are on the rise. If the recent success of movies like “It,” “Get Out,” “A Quiet Place,” or “It Follows” surprises you, well it shouldn't, because horror films have been among the the most bankable films, in terms of return on investment, in movie history. Scaring is a business and business will ALWAYS be good.
Out of the 20 most profitable movies of all time, based on return on investment, 10 of them have been horror. That's 50% of the movies that have returned the most money to their investors.
Within the last few years, horror films have experienced a great surge at the box office, capturing a greater piece of the overall pie. One reason for this is the budgets for horror films tend to be much smaller versus other types of films. It won't capture the giant headlines of the latest Marvel movie, but it doesn't have to. A typical studio movie will have a 200-million-dollar budget with at least that much on top for marketing costs. It would need $400 million just to break even! With "Kill Giggles,” however, its performance level can be much lower while still returning a higher percentage to you.
Another reason is that we believe horror fans have a real appetite for independent horror films. And original horror ideas—not remakes of reboots of recycled franchises—are even hotter right now. Horror movies are not only Oscar contenders nowadays, but Oscar winners as well. Clearly movie audiences are ready to be frightened and delighted at the movies again—no matter how, or where, that movie is viewed.
Movies like “Blair Witch,” “Paranormal Activity,” “The Babadook,” “It Follows,” and “A Quiet Place” were produced outside the studio system, but because of horror fans seeking out these lower budget and often independently-produced films, they were able to get a mass release for maximum dollars.
We wish that we could lay out a definitive hard number that you could bank on, but as with a lot of investments, there are too many factors in order for us to speculate. We can say that given the trends of modern horror films in the market in general, and the modestness of the budget that we are asking for, that we look to be in a good situation.
For investors, all of the adjusted gross profits will go to you first, before any producers, actors, director, etc, see any returns.
Once every investor has been paid back 120% of their investment, then all net profits will be divided into two profit pools, each equal to 50%. One pool will be for investors to share pro-rata, pari passu with all other investors against the full budget of the film. The other pool will go to the producers (actors, director, writer, etc.). This type of revenue sharing of profit will occur in perpetuity, potentially allowing returns for the next 20 or 30 years, or beyond.
We'll be completely honest with you... investors are the lifeblood of independent films. Without the faith and the funds of investors, none of the movie magic can happen. So that's why, in addition to making a fantastic film that will add something NEW to the horror genre, our number one objective is to pay back our investors. The reason is simple, although CFBB PICTURES, LLC only exists to make this one film, this is NOT the only film we plan on making. There are so many more stories that we want to tell, and if we want to do that, then alienating investors is not going to get us anywhere. We are hoping to establish a relationship that will be mutually beneficial for years to come, because we have such sights to show the world!
As for competition, we are quite confident that no one has ever made a character-driven horror film like Kill Giggles before... EVER. Many of the horror films produced today are ghost or demon related, and use an abundance of CGI in order to generate its concept AND its scares. Not to mention that the characters are often two-dimensional and forgettable. The "old school" method of an engaging story, with characters that the audience cares about, is something seemingly relegated to the classic horror films that everyone remembers. We believe OUR story fits into that exact same niche.
Currently, we are looking at shooting entirely in North Carolina, predominantly around the Piedmont Triad area. Since we are centrally located in Greensboro, this gives us the ability to use our network and connections to hire locally, while still getting the best talent on both sides of the camera.
It will be rated "R."
We estimate approximately 21 days of principal filming, and 3-6 months of post-production after that.
A nice little write-up on PopHorror.com about their most anticipated independent horror films coming out in 2018. Our proof-of-concept short, Killing Giggles, was honoured with a spot on this brilliant list!
Maximum 1,070* Non-Managing Membership Units ($107,000)
*Maximum subject to adjustment for bonus units. See 10% Bonus below
Minimum 100 Non-Managing Membership Units ($10,000)
| Company | CFBB Pictures, LLC |
| | |
| Corporate Address | 2642 Stratford Drive, Greensboro, NC 27408 |
| | |
| Description of Business | Manage, produce, and market a feature motion picture |
| | |
| Type of Security Offered | Non-Managing Membership Units |
| | |
| Purchase Price of Security Offered | $100 |
| | |
| Minimum Investment Amount (per investor) | $100 |
Perks
$2,500 — If you invest $2,500, you will receive an ASSOCIATE PRODUCER credit in the film.
$5,000 — If you invest $5,000, you will receive a CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit in the film.
$10,000 — If you invest $10,000, you will receive a CO-PRODUCER credit in the film.
$25,000 — If you invest $25,000, you will receive an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit in the film.
$50,000 — If you invest $50,000, you will receive a PRODUCER credit in the film.
*All perks occur after the offering is completed.
*gross profits allocated subject to terms of CFBB Pictures, LLC Operating Agreement attached as an Exhibit to the Offering Document below.
The 10% Bonus for StartEngine Shareholders
CFBB Pictures will offer 10% additional bonus units for all investments that are committed by StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc. shareholders (with ≥ $1,000 invested in the StartEngine Reg A+ campaign) within 24 hours of this offering going live.
StartEngine shareholders who have invested $1,000+ in the StartEngine Reg A+ campaign will receive a 10% bonus on this offering within a 24-hour window of their campaign launch date. This means you will receive a bonus for any units you purchase. For example, if you buy 10 Non-Managing Membership Units at $100 / unit, you will receive 1 bonus Non-Managing Membership Units, meaning you'll own 11 units for $1000. Fractional units will not be distributed and unit bonuses will be determined by rounding down to the nearest whole unit.
This 10% Bonus is only valid for one year from the time StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc. investors receive their countersigned StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc. subscription agreement.
A crowdfunding investment involves risk. You should not invest any funds in this offering unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. In making an investment decision, investors must rely on their own examination of the issuer and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. These securities have not been recommended or approved by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority. Furthermore, these authorities have not passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this document. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not pass upon the merits of any securities offered or the terms of the offering, nor does it pass upon the accuracy or completeness of any offering document or literature. These securities are offered under an exemption from registration; however, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not made an independent determination that these securities are exempt from registration.
As you've noticed we extended our campaign last week in order to allow us more time to raise a more desirable level of funds to bring the movie magic of Kill Giggles to life. With another 60 days under our rainbow scarf belts, we are confident that we will soon be able to reach new investors and followers needed to take both the film and the fundraising campaign to the next level.
Allow us to reiterate what we consider to be something pretty astounding. At the moment there are somewhere around 150 remakes that are currently either in development or in pre-production, and that's just in the realms of horror and sci-fi. Just within the sub-section of horror, there have been over 20 films and shows made just over the last few years alone, that have all made clowns the serial-killing monsters and murderers of our nightmares. Almost two dozen movies that have done the same thing over and over and over again.
And then there’s us over here. Hi again, we’re Kill Giggles, and we’re going to take that timeless terror trope and turn it on its rainbow-wig covered head by telling a tale of a serial killer OF clowns instead! That's right, an original idea. Not a remake, not a reboot, not a "re-imagining" but rather something completely different... something, new. And that's damn-near impossible to say in any genre of the film community, let alone that or horror and thriller.
And finally, we are absolutely thrilled to have had a write-up about Kill Giggles featured on iHorror.com, one of the industry standard news sites for ALL things horror!! Waylon Jordan did a great write-up of the film's pre-production and our fundraising efforts thus far. Please take a peek at "Mad Ones Films is Offering YOU the Chance to Help ‘Kill Giggles’" for the whole article. We are sincerely and cinematically grateful to iHorror.com for the exposure. With clown-killing fingers crossed there will be more press coming soon on both the film and the StartEngine campaign, so be sure to stay tuned to the websites and social media, and let's send in those clowns to die!!
"Writer/director Jaysen Buterin and Mad Ones Films is turning a trope on its head for their new film Kill Giggles."
- Waylon Jordan, iHorror.com
[The following is an automated notice from the StartEngine team].
Hello! Recently, a change was made to the Kill Giggles | CFBB Pictures offering. Here's an excerpt describing the specifics of the change:
Extending by 60 days.
When live offerings undergo changes like these on StartEngine, the SEC requires that certain investments be reconfirmed. If your investment requires reconfirmation, you will be contacted by StartEngine via email with further instructions.
With just ten days left in the campaign we're kicking the promotional machine into overdrive and keeping our eyes on that movie-making clown-killing prize!! We'll be rolling out some new social media advertising early next week to put Kill Giggles in front of as many eyes as possible! We would like to sincerely thank each and every one of our investors and followers who have invested their funds and their faith in this project - we promise you that you will NOT be disappointed!
We have made some amazing progress these last couple of weeks and have the utmost of confidence that we will continue to do so in the days ahead. If anyone has any questions about the project, or the campaign, please do not hesitate to ask!! We will be doing one more Facebook Live Video Q&A Session next week from our Los Angeles location, so stay tuned for the date/time reveal as soon as possible!!
Since we know that so much of the moving and shaking going on in the investing world revolves around numbers we wanted to give you a little something to think about. At the moment there are somewhere around 150 remakes that are currently either in development or in pre-production, and that's just in the realms of horror and sci-fi. Just within the sub-section of horror, there have been over 20 films and shows made just over the last few years alone, that have all made clowns the serial-killing monsters and murderers of our nightmares. Almost two dozen movies that have done the same thing over and over and over again.
And then there’s us over here. Hi again, we’re Kill Giggles, and we’re going to take that timeless terror trope and turn it on its rainbow-wig covered head by telling a tale of a serial killer OF clowns instead! That's right, an original idea. Not a remake, not a reboot, not a "re-imagining" but rather something completely different... something, new. And that's damn-near impossible to say in any genre of the film community, let alone that or horror and thriller.
But don't just take OUR word for it... iconic horror actress/producer/scream queen Felissa Rose Esposito Miller (SLEEPAWAY CAMP, UGLY SWEATER PARTY; FAMILY POSSESSIONS; DEATH HOUSE) is a part of our cast and has recorded a special message JUST for you!!
We are also excited and delighted to have been featured on PopHorror.com, who did an absolutely brilliant write-up of the film's pre-production and fundraising efforts. Please take a peek at "Inside The Clown Tent: Everything You Need To Know About ‘Kill Giggles’" for the whole article. We're very grateful to everyone at PopHorror.com for the exposure. There will be several more articles coming out on both the film and the StartEngine campaign over the next few weeks so be sure to stay tuned to the websites and social media!!
"Kill Giggles. It’s a uniquely fun story and just may help you conquer your fear of clowns… or not." - Tori Danielle Romero, PopHorror.com
While we might not be exactly where we want to at this point in the campaign, we are delighted and grateful to be right where we are, having passed our first benchmark goal and with some thrilling new prospects lurking on the immediate horizon. We have been asked to come out to LA for a few investor interest meetings which will hopefully yield some exciting results. And maybe, just maybe, the giving mood of the holidays will strike just when we need it most, because if mind-blowing jaw-dropping one-of-a-kind independent horror isn't the gift that keeps on giving, well... then we just don't know what is...
However, we know that we may not have all the answers figured out yet that would make some potential investors feel more secure about their investment in the film, and we understand that. But what we may lack in experience at this point, we already more than make up for with commitment, passion and creativity. This is not a movie that will be made to simply sit on a shelf somewhere and be a conversation item. This film will screen at internationally renowned film festivals all over the world. This film will see a theatrical release of some sort (even if it involves the director driving around from Alamo Drafthouse to Drafthouse with a DCP). This film will have physical distribution, streaming options and every single outlet of entertainment available. We want the world to know that it's time for the clowns to be the victims, and we want your help in doing just that. Because while all that world may love a clown... no one said it had to be alive.
If you missed our second Live Video Q&A session, we have posted it below for your viewing pleasure! Once again we had a really good turnout of online questions coming from fans, friends and followers alike. So by all means, if there is anything that you really want to know about this project, or the people involved with it, please sneak a peek at the video below! Featuring myself and producer/Cinematographer Jesse H. Knight, don't let the 64-minute runtime scare you! If there is anything you want to know about Kill Giggles, or the campaign, that wasn't brought up in this video please let us know and we'll address it as soon as possible.
We'll be doing another Live Video Q&A session coming up VERY SOON, and while the guests are not confirmed for Q&A #3, we hope to hear from as many of our investors, followers, friends and fans as we can. We have several important things to discuss, such as the above new celebrity cast member addition, as well as distribution outlets that we're currently pursuing. So stay tuned for those broadcast details and please help us help you to send in the clowns to die!!! - Jaysen
In case you hadn't heard, or was distracted looking at another campaign page...
That's right, thanks to some movie maniacs and film fanatics out there and a new Associate Producer, we have passed $10,000... our first benchmark goal, which puts us in the exciting and delighting stage of starting to secure the shooting dates for principal photography for the film! We already know that we're looking at a 21-day shoot, and since we have a complete strip board break down of the project, this will allow us to begin blocking specific chunks of time and coordinating with the already assembled cast and crew!
We also wanted to let any interested investors know that we are OFFICIALLY ACCEPTING BitCoin investments now!
We will be traveling to Los Angeles at the beginning of December for a series of investor interest meetings, if there are any followers in that area who have an interest in meeting? We would be happy to answer any questions you might have... and speaking of questions...
And last but certainly not least, tomorrow (Saturday, November 10th) will be our second OFFICIAL Facebook Live Video Q&A on the Kill Giggles Facebook Page!! We will be talking about all things Kill Giggles, with writer/director Jaysen Buterin, as well as one of the producers and award-winning Director of Photography of the film, Jesse H. Knight. Rather than read off pre-asked questions we’ll be doing this as an interactive "question & answer" session through Facebook Live on Saturday, November 10th at 2pm(EST).
We’ll be discussing various details of pre-production, maybe even make an important casting addition announcement (if we're allowed to), and of course, anything else that may pop up that you want to chat about. We would love to be able to connect with all our great investors and followers, and make some new friends to the page as well!! We would love for the questions to be a completely interactive-driven experience, so be sure to stop by the Kill Giggles Facebook Page and let us know what's on your mind!
During the event itself, please feel free ask any questions or comments through the Facebook Live Chat window and we will answer them in real time live "on the air" (ask your parents, kids). Ask us about anything... ask us about the production, why we decided to use this method of fundraising for it, where the campaign itself currently stands, how YOU can become an Executive Producer of Kill Giggles, how many clowns die in the movie, or even what our favourite films to watch for the upcoming holiday season are (hint: Gremlins and Die Hard are two of THE BEST Christmas movies EVER!!!). Anyway, we’ll leave that up to you… so join us and let’s talk Kill Giggles while we send in the clowns to die… with FB Live!
What: Kill Giggles Facebook Live Q&A
When: Saturday November 14th, 2018 @ 2pm (EST)
Where: Facebook Live Broadcast
Note: If you aren't able to attend, but you do have a question that you would like to have answered during the broadcast, you can ask it on our Facebook Event Page and we'll make sure that we answer it live!!!
Today marks the HALFWAY POINT of the first stage of the campaign... 45 days down, 45 days to go. While we might not be at the level we'd like to be at this point, more social media marketing and press opportunities are opening avenues and audiences that can only help put us over the top! As we have a seemingly rare weekend where multiple film projects aren't screening at various film festivals, we wanted to take a moment to highlight what we think is one of the biggest selling points of investing in Kill Giggles... originality.
Kill Giggles will be a feature horror film like no other. Period. And yes, we know a lot of other filmmakers out there will say that, particularly within the realm of independent horror, but we at Mad Ones Films/CFBB Pictures, LLC, mean it for one very simple reason: no one has ever done anything like this before… literally. Think about it... everyone has heard the stories and seen the movies where the monsters, the madmen, the serial killers dress up like clowns to spread their murderous mayhem.
For example, there’s both versions of IT; there’s ALL the versions of Halloween; there’s 31; there’s Clown; there’s Stitches; there’s Gacy; there’s Amusement; there’s 100 Tears; there’s We All Scream for Ice Cream; there’s American Horror Story: Freak Show; there’s Killer Clowns from Outer Space; there’s Killjoy; there’s Clownhouse; there’s All Hallows Eve; there’s Prank; there’s Vulgar; there's The Corner; and there’s Terrifier… and honestly, that’s just to name a few.
Now what WE are going to do is to take this timeless terror trope and turn it on its rainbow wig-covered head, by telling the tale of a serial killer of clowns instead. Kill Giggles is the story of Tommy dos Santos, who wasn’t born a psychopath, but he wasn’t made a sociopath either. He’s something different, and he’s walking his own path—a path that will run red with the blood of the foulest most fiendishly frightening creatures ever conceived by man… clowns.
Kill Giggles. It’s going to be Hitchcock meets Kubrick: it’s horror, it’s thriller, it’s surreal psychological sensationalism. It’s the trifecta of scary movies… and all to a circus soundtrack. Because while all the world may love a clown, no one ever said it had to be alive. What we're after is not blood and guts and gory... we want to make a bloody good story. We don't want jump cuts to drive the audience nuts, we want to scare the daylights out of them without them even knowing it's happening. We want movies to be fun AND scary again, and with ALL of your help, that's what we're going to do with Kill Giggles!!
We'll be scheduling another Live Video Question & Answer Session sometime during the first week in November and would love to answer any questions you might about the project, the screenplay, the distribution possibilities, the celebrities cameos, clown deaths you've always thought about (but didn't dare do), taco recipes, the works - we just want to hear from you. Help us help you send in the clowns to die!!!
Just a quick update to let you know that we've been placing social media advertising that has been getting a great response that we hope will soon translate into higher numbers for the Kill Giggles campaign. One question that has come up at some our screenings for the proof-of-concept short film, Killing Giggles, is what kind of horror film is Kill Giggles going to be?
And to be quite honest, we want it to be just as much of a thriller film as it is a horror movie. We're not going after blood and guts and gory... we want to make a bloody good story. And so this won't have gratuitous nudity or excessive violence or extreme graphic content (not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not what we want to do for this particular story). The thrills, chills and kills that will be contained within Kill Giggles will be a sublime balance of Hitchcock and Kubrick, so that the audience can fill in some of their own blanks, and thus make a far scarier monster than anything we could put on the big screen. And now, back to the fundraising update...
As soon as we get to the $10,000 mark we have a special surprise! We will reveal a new celebrity cast member who will be joining the Kill Giggles family in a surprise role. While we can't go into details just yet until the LOI is signed and returned, we can tell you that this cast member brings over twenty years of amazing experience and expertise to the project! Their work can been everywhere from HBO, Epix and Sundance TV as well as a variety of independent and studio film projects. We're very excited to have this person on board, and we cannot wait to tell you who it is!!!
If you missed our first Live Video Q&A session, we have posted it below for your viewing pleasure! We had a great turnout of online questions coming from fans, friends and followers alike. So, if there's anything you've been dying to know about this project, please sneak a peek at the video below, featuring myself and lead actor Michael Ray Williams, and see if we answered it for you. And don't let the 50-minute runtime scare you! If there is anything you want to know about Kill Giggles, or the campaign, that wasn't brought up in this video please let us know and we'll address it as soon as possible.
So naturally that means that we'll be doing another Live Video Q&A session coming up in the next two weeks, and while the guests are not confirmed for Q&A #2, we hope to hear from as many of our investors, followers, friends and fans as we can. We have several important things to discuss, such as the above new celebrity cast member addition, as well as distribution outlets that we're currently pursuing. We might try YouTube live this time but if not, Facebook Live works well, and we'll even have a fun little clown-themed contest to get the interactivity going. So stay tuned for those broadcast details and please help us help you to send in the clowns to die!!! - Jaysen
As with any and many pre-productions there are ups and there are downs... while we may be down a bit from our last update due to some technical gremlins of a nefarious nature, things couldn't be looking better for Kill Giggles!!! We have just began talks with a prominent distribution company that has quite an impressive roster of award-winning independent films. While it's too early to have any devilish details yet, there is a sizable interest in Kill Giggles that can only work to our advantage in seeking and securing worldwide distribution over a variety of outlets.
We will also be announcing a new wave of cast and crew additions later this week. With Killing Giggles, the proof-of-concept short film, playing at several different film festivals around the country this weekend, we wanted to focus our attention and promotion on the screenings we already have, while we wait to announce several more in the near future.
And last but certainly not least, today will be our very first OFFICIAL Facebook Live Video Q&A on the Kill Giggles Facebook Page!! We will be talking about all things Kill Giggles, with writer/director Jaysen Buterin, as well as one of the stars of the film, Michael Ray Williams. Rather than read off pre-asked questions we’ll be doing this interactive Q&A through Facebook Live on Sunday, October 14th at 3pm(EST).
We’ll be discussing various details of pre-production, maybe even make a couple of announcements, and of course, anything else that may pop up that you want to chat about. We would love to be able to connect with all our great investors and followers, and if we can make some new friends to the page as well, all the better!! We would love for the Q&A to be a completely interactive-driven experience, so be sure to stop by the Kill Giggles Facebook Page and let us know what's on your mind!
During the event itself, please feel free ask any questions or comments through the Facebook Live Chat window and we’ll answer in real time live on the air. It could be about the production, why we decided to use this method of fundraising, where the campaign itself currently stands, how many clowns die in the movie, or even what our favorite films to watch for the Halloween Holiday season are. We’ll leave that up to you… so join us and let’s talk Kill Giggles while we send in the clowns to die… with FB Live!
What: Kill Giggles Facebook Live Q&A
When: Sunday October 14th, 2018 @ 3pm (EST)
Where: Facebook Live Broadcast
Note: If you aren't able to attend, but would like to have a question answered during the broadcast, you can ask it on our Facebook Event Page and we'll make sure that we answer it live.
Okay, we were just kidding about the saving clowns part, but that might become a possibility during the closing weeks of the campaign. Since we're in between film festival screenings (Killing Giggles, the proof-of-concept short, screens at the Halloweenapallooza Film Festival (Boise, IA), the Horror in the Hills Film Festival (Gatlinburg, TN) and as part of a week-long series of North Carolina Independent Horror Film, sponsored by Independent Carolinas Unchained and VisArt Video in Charlotte, and ALL starting next weekend!!!
We will also begin working with social media marketing specialists in order to greater extend the investor inquiry net that we're casting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Since we have this unique method of fundraising for a unique story and film, we want our marketing efforts to have that same something special, while maximizing each and every single digital dollar that we spend on it. Stay tuned for more cast and crew announcements, as well as more Kill Giggles Facebook Live videos coming from the film festivals we attend! And now, for the big announcement... we want to hear from YOU, our investors and followers, and so we're bringing you...
While the cameras (and the clown heads) won’t start rolling until next spring, we wanted to go a bit behind-the-scenes and give you a glimpse into the pre-production madness of making movies. So we figure, what better way to do that than by answering all the clown-killing questions that have been burning in your brain since we announced this project!
And so we will be talking about all things Kill Giggles, with me, writer/director Jaysen Buterin, as well as one of the stars of the film, Michael Ray Williams. Rather than read off pre-asked questions we’ll be doing this interactive Q&A through Facebook Live on Sunday, October 14th at 3pm(EST).
We’ll be discussing various details of pre-production, maybe even make a couple of announcements, and of course, anything else that may pop up that you want to chat about. We would love to be able to connect with all our great investors and followers, and if we can make some new friends to the page as well, all the better!! We would love for the Q&A to be a completely interactive-driven experience, so be sure to stop by the Kill Giggles Facebook Page and let us know what's on your mind!
During the event itself, please feel free ask any questions or comments through the Facebook Live Chat window and we’ll answer in real time live on the air. It could be about the production, why we decided to use this method of fundraising, where the campaign itself currently stands, how many clowns die in the movie, or even what our favorite films to watch for the Halloween Holiday season are. We’ll leave that up to you… so join us and let’s talk Kill Giggles while we send in the clowns to die… with FB Live!
What: Kill Giggles Facebook Live Q&A
When: Sunday October 14th, 2018 @ 3pm (EST)
Where: Facebook Live Broadcast
Note: If you aren't able to attend, but would like to have a question answered during the broadcast, you can ask it on our Facebook Event Page and we'll make sure that we answer it live.
Good news everybody! We are OFFICIALLY at the $7,000 mark, which means that we've finally got the hard part out of the way! The rest of the campaign goal should be quick and easy to make happen! However, to keep you entertained while we wait, we have some great news, some killer crew additions and a little bit of bragging to do! We also just participated in our first Demo Day and would like to thank Start Engine and everyone who tuned in for the chance to chat KILL GIGGLES!
Killing Giggles, the proof-of-concept short film, won the award for BEST PRODUCED SHORT SCREENPLAY at the 2018 GenreBlast Film Festival in Winchester, VA. With renowned and recognised shorts from around the world that screened at the festival, this is an honour that we are sincerely grateful for, and we can't wait to return to GenreBlast with Kill Giggles!
We also have several new crew members who have joined us in the last fortnight! Thoren Claytor will be our First AD, Tina Reynolds will our Art Director extraordinaire, and Esmeralda James is coming on board for Sound! We are extremely lucky to have such bright and burning visionaries join us on this cinematic quest of ours, and their talents and skills will certainly make KILL GIGGLES even better than we had originally dreamed!
KILL GIGGLES was recently a screenplay finalist, with Killing Giggles (the proof-of-concept short) nominated for several awards, at the Austin Revolution Film Festival last week in Austin, Texas. Joining us on the red carpet was our new Assistant Director, Thoren Claytor.
We will be doing another Facebook Live Video from the KILL GIGGLES FB page in the next few days! Joining me will be the male lead, Michael Ray Williams ("Tommy dos Santos") and we'll be taking, and answering, all your questions about Kill Giggles!
In addition to all the excitement surrounding our first week's progress, which has gotten even better since yesterday, we're thrilled to be able to reveal the official IMDB page for KILL GIGGLES - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8998598/
We'll be adding cast and crew to the page as we get closer to filming, as well as everyone who chooses to invest at the Producer Perk level.
Kill Giggles on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8998598/
Something else we are extremely proud of is our film festival record. The last four short films that we have shot under Mad Ones Films have over 150 combined screenings and almost a third as many awards. It has helped us generate tremendous interest in our projects, opening up distribution outlets that have taken us to a new worldwide level. So allow us just a moment to pat ourselves on the back as we tell you about all the movie magic and madness going on JUST this weekend!!
We are are so VERY excited and delighted that the KILL GIGGLES screenplay will be in the FINALIST COMPETITION at not just one absolutely amazing film festival, but TWO going on THIS WEEKEND!!! That's right true believers, our epic clown-killing opus will be a part of the NOLA Horror Film Fest in New Orleans and the Austin Revolution Film Festival going on over in Texas! We are extremely honoured to have just been selected for these world-renowned film festivals!
The proof-of-concept short film version, KILLING GIGGLES, is also enjoying an award-winning run on the film festival circuit, appearing not once not twice but THRICE this weekend!! TWe'll be screening at the Austin Revolution Film Festival (Austin, TX), the Wreak Havoc Horror Film Fest (Greensboro, NC) and the Halloween Horror Picture Show (Tampa, FL)!! For those who don't like their monsters quite as scary as clowns, then the scary babysitting short Don't Let the Light In will screen for your screams as part of the Late Night Block at the Rendezvous Film Festival down in Amelia Island, FL!!!
What a whirlwind seven days it’s been and we at Kill Giggles Headquarters (CFBB Pictures, LLC), are excited and delighted at our first week’s progress! The response to the campaign has been positive and promising from both investors and followers alike. On behalf of the cast and crew, we would like to thank everyone who has taken a moment to check out KILL GIGGLES, especially those who have chosen to invest in the film!
As a special bonus to help celebrate our one-week birthday, we’d like to share this brand new intro video starring one of our celebrity cast members, Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp, Death House, A Nun’s Curse), who will be playing Dr. Courtney Lee.
(Felissa Rose Intro Video transcript text available here: www.killgiggles.com/FelissaRosePromoVideo_transcript.pdf)
So if you hate clowns, like the floppy-footed fiends, or know someone who does, then please don’t hesitate to use Share button above. The more people who help us KILL GIGGLES, the fewer clowns there will be out there terrorising an otherwise unsuspecting world.
If you have any questions that haven’t been answered here, don’t hesitate to ask us.
Also, please take a moment to check out our OFFICIAL FACEBOOK page at: https://www.facebook.com/KillGiggles/ for up-to-the-minute announcements and updates.
Thank you.
Jaysen
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