Invest in The Savage State

What Is The Savage State?

The Savage State is a handmade, dark fantasy feature film set in 1850’s New England, and tells the story of an innocent boy searching for a fallen star while his world is slowly corrupted by a mysterious evil. It’s a film that harkens back to the types of stories I loved growing up, films and books for kids and families that weren’t afraid of talking about real topics and evoking real emotions. 

It’s this type of escapism that helps us process reality.

Our Investors

We see our investors as a part of our crew, and as such, we treat them with the same honesty and integrity. Different investors get involved in a film for a myriad of reasons and we believe it is essential that the investor’s wants match what the project can provide. 

With The Savage State, we know we can deliver involvement in a richly creative process, your name credited on a feature film, prestigious film festival screenings, and an unforgettable experience. While we can’t in good faith promise you riches beyond your wildest dreams, we can promise that the profitability of the film is far from an afterthought and we are doing everything in our power to make The Savage State not only a critical and audience success but a financial one as well.  

This is your chance to support innovative and original art with the potential of returns.

Our Business

The Savage State will follow many of the traditional avenues of other genre content, as fantasy fans are loyal and typically dependable, in entertainment. This includes building on existing relationships within the press, seeking theatrical and VOD distribution, and admission to noteworthy film festivals. We intend to self-distribute the film in North America while securing the services of a sales agent who represents the film for sales in international territories and will assess the film’s market value, taking into account the story, cast, director, budget, and audience appeal.

Our Audience

Ever since I was a kid I would escape into fantasy worlds, through my local library or the video rental store. It wasn't until recently that I realized what I had been escaping from.

Childhood can be rough and many kids, myself especially, found not only solace in these stories but also understanding. When I was young, films for kids weren't afraid to go there and really explore the heavy topics that were on my mind. The Neverending Story nearly destroyed me, yet I kept returning to it to try to understand the "Nothing". 

The Savage State hits an underserved but highly valuable audience of Fantasy fans, like me. The literary world has been tapping into this market for decades as seen by series like Game of Thrones and The Wheel of Time which have been selling steadily for over 20 years. But until recently, if fans wanted to watch a film they were stuck rewatching Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter for the 1,000th time. HBO very smartly developed their own wildly successful Game of Thrones series followed by His Dark Materials, Netflix now has a handful of young-adult fantasy series, and Amazon Prime is diving in with their own ambitious take on the world of Middle Earth.

But that audience is still hungry for more AND for something that doesn’t look and feel like every other fantasy world on their television.

Because of our research and love for the genre, we have tailored a film and a marketing strategy for a niche and passionate audience who we believe will show us as much love as we show to them

The Team

Our spectacular team has been working below-the-line in the film industry for well over a decade, on projects ranging from Oscar-nominated films to Hollywood blockbusters and everything in between. Our own projects have screened and won awards at film festivals worldwide, been recognized by major websites and publications, and garnered extremely positive critical and audience reviews.

Chris Heck - Writer/Director

Director's Demo Reel
Born and raised in the green mountains of Vermont, Chris has since traveled the globe working on every level of production from A-list music videos and Oscar-nominated films to documentaries with the Hell's Angels. His short films and commercial work have screened and won awards at film festivals worldwide, been awarded multiple advertising awards, and featured on sites such as Short of the Week, Bloody-Disgusting, Vimeo, and more. This will be his debut feature film.

Michael Rekola - Executive Producer
Michael is the founder of Rekola Studios, a multi-family studio that champions independent cinema from concept to completion. He is an investor (BETA TEST, MY DIVORCE PARTY) and producer of feature films (THE MEET CUTE MURDERS, BURYING DORIS).

Jacen Sievers - Director of Photography
https://www.jacensieversdp.com/
Jacen’s passion for visual storytelling began at an early age, animating stop-motion adventures with his toys that he could show to family and friends. That same child-like imagination continues to motivate him, using his skills as a cinematographer to capture compelling stories in visually exciting ways. His work has won numerous awards, including an Emmy for Best Commercial Campaign and a Gold Addy for Cinematography.

Jacob Patorti - Art Director
Jacob is the Artistic Director of The Viewpoints Collective (NYC) as well as The Vermont Theatre Lab, Cedar Meadow VT, & Merchants Hall. Jacob has produced & directed over 150 full length theatrical productions from VT-NYC to CA-FL, Europe/U.K., & the Caribbean and created workshops/masterclasses for The Juilliard School, INSIDE BROADWAY, Marymount Manhattan College, The Weston Playhouse, UNITY STAGE COMPANY, Narrows Theatre Co., and Rooftop Musical Theatre Society.

Skyler Gardner - Costume Designer
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8371565/
Skyler is a costume designer living in Phoenix, Arizona. 10 years immersed in film production, he’s found a voice in clothing and character, his designs contributing to multiple award winning shorts, and now his first feature.

Corruption of Innocence

The story of Jakob and his world is the story of any of us. We are all born in The Savage State, innocent & naive until that seed of corruption is planted. We are expelled from Eden, not immediately like Adam but slowly over a lifetime.

Our hero's journey not only represents the moral corruption we all battle as humans but the corruption that we then spread out into the world unless we fight to hold onto our innocence.

Will you join us in The Savage State?

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