AMBER |
AMBER
(working title)
CREATIVE VISION
On this page we have the LookBook and Theme Reels.
But, first, the Director in her own words.
But, first, the Director in her own words.
In every frame of the film two crucial elements, in particular, must always remain honest. 1) The gang lifestyle cannot be glamorized and 2) the white girl joining a black gang is not naïve, or looking for “exotic” men. Instead, she is a mix of ambition, passion and self-destruction.
When depicting the gang lifestyle, too many films have used the elements of flashy photography, hip beating music, beautiful looking actors, sexy hip clothing, and an energetic buoyancy to depict urban street life. In all of our research, in all of our walks through the neighborhoods of this true story’s settings, in all of our many talks with the ex-gang members whose life this film is based on… nowhere did we feel like this is a world that's “flashy” and “hip”. In fact, when we walked through the streets of where this story took place, we felt a thick air filled with danger and abandonment. Our film depicts communities ultimately abandoned by the larger society and the individuals left behind are keenly aware of it.
The atmosphere of this world is a quality of persistent anxiety.
Amber is in the midst of painful, internal battles that manifest externally. She has the angst and passion of someone seeking hope in a world of walls. And she faces her battles head-on, with vigor.
Heidi aims to capture passionate performances, combined with visual aesthetics not typically associated with this world. Her vision is to match fast-paced moments and tensions with intimate photography. Think: the fire of Winter’s Bone meets the beauty of Moonlight.
Example: When Amber enters the gang's home for the first time, or robs the convenience store at gunpoint, we experience these moments through her eyes, as she makes decisions. Another example, when the gang gets pulled over by cops, and Amber is interrogated alone in the back of the cop car about why she’s with gang-bangers, the camera stays tight on her as she exits the cop car and returns to her friends. Heidi wants us to experience Amber's internal transition... as she goes from confusion, to feeling abused, to realization, to anger.
We also get to know all the other characters through intimate interactions and shots... gentle playful smiles, or threatening glances. All the teenagers in this story are passionate, and face their battles head-on with vigor. We'll get behind their eyes, into their thought process. We're with them in the hard moments they confront, and the impacts they feel.
DEPICTING AMBER
AMBER focuses on a teenage white girl (Amber) who carries the angst of a young person coming of age, trying to find her place in this world. Like the gang-bangers she befriends, she’s a fighter.
The dangerous trapping in this film is to portray a girl who innocently gets caught up in “thug life” in order to be cool. Instead, our girl is a teenager full of all the angst & passion that comes with learning about independence (of mind, body & spirit).
We want to see Amber making decisions, good and bad. We want to feel the impact of each decision. We want to get behind her eyes, and into her thought process. We want to be intimate in hard moments.
THE IMPACT
This true story depicts a statistically underrepresented group (women and people of color).. and highlights the struggle around race, class, gender and privilege the world faces.
Young adults, 18-35 year olds, are our audience. This demographic is a crossover market comprised of many races and ethnicities, male and female, and they consume films with social and dramatic themes.
AMBER has the potential to capture audiences via streaming. There’s also potential to play in select art-house cinemas, across major cities in North America.
- Heidi Miami Marshall, Director
When depicting the gang lifestyle, too many films have used the elements of flashy photography, hip beating music, beautiful looking actors, sexy hip clothing, and an energetic buoyancy to depict urban street life. In all of our research, in all of our walks through the neighborhoods of this true story’s settings, in all of our many talks with the ex-gang members whose life this film is based on… nowhere did we feel like this is a world that's “flashy” and “hip”. In fact, when we walked through the streets of where this story took place, we felt a thick air filled with danger and abandonment. Our film depicts communities ultimately abandoned by the larger society and the individuals left behind are keenly aware of it.
The atmosphere of this world is a quality of persistent anxiety.
Amber is in the midst of painful, internal battles that manifest externally. She has the angst and passion of someone seeking hope in a world of walls. And she faces her battles head-on, with vigor.
Heidi aims to capture passionate performances, combined with visual aesthetics not typically associated with this world. Her vision is to match fast-paced moments and tensions with intimate photography. Think: the fire of Winter’s Bone meets the beauty of Moonlight.
Example: When Amber enters the gang's home for the first time, or robs the convenience store at gunpoint, we experience these moments through her eyes, as she makes decisions. Another example, when the gang gets pulled over by cops, and Amber is interrogated alone in the back of the cop car about why she’s with gang-bangers, the camera stays tight on her as she exits the cop car and returns to her friends. Heidi wants us to experience Amber's internal transition... as she goes from confusion, to feeling abused, to realization, to anger.
We also get to know all the other characters through intimate interactions and shots... gentle playful smiles, or threatening glances. All the teenagers in this story are passionate, and face their battles head-on with vigor. We'll get behind their eyes, into their thought process. We're with them in the hard moments they confront, and the impacts they feel.
DEPICTING AMBER
AMBER focuses on a teenage white girl (Amber) who carries the angst of a young person coming of age, trying to find her place in this world. Like the gang-bangers she befriends, she’s a fighter.
The dangerous trapping in this film is to portray a girl who innocently gets caught up in “thug life” in order to be cool. Instead, our girl is a teenager full of all the angst & passion that comes with learning about independence (of mind, body & spirit).
We want to see Amber making decisions, good and bad. We want to feel the impact of each decision. We want to get behind her eyes, and into her thought process. We want to be intimate in hard moments.
THE IMPACT
This true story depicts a statistically underrepresented group (women and people of color).. and highlights the struggle around race, class, gender and privilege the world faces.
Young adults, 18-35 year olds, are our audience. This demographic is a crossover market comprised of many races and ethnicities, male and female, and they consume films with social and dramatic themes.
AMBER has the potential to capture audiences via streaming. There’s also potential to play in select art-house cinemas, across major cities in North America.
- Heidi Miami Marshall, Director
LOOKBOOK
The LookBook highlights the visual world of AMBER.
Think: the fire of Winter’s Bone meets the beauty of Moonlight.
Think: the fire of Winter’s Bone meets the beauty of Moonlight.
CONCEPT REEL
The Concepts are tiny peeks into the bigger, overall Vision.
** Concepts do not reflect the final casting nor the final music of the feature film - and are only a visual exercise. **
AMBER, a feature film. Join the movement!
Copyright 2015
Copyright 2015