Note: 

For donations over $1,000 please email us for a mailing address. 

For donations over $5,000 please email us for investment opportunities.

[email protected]

WATCH A SNEAK PEEK OF THE FILM HERE:

https://www.facebook.com/PlayingWithBeethoven/videos/500739027105457/

****

Thank you to everyone who donated two years ago to help us make the film. Your original $5,815 was put to very good use and we hope you can see that by our trailer! Not having enough money for post it took us a long time to get here, but now we are finally ready to move on to FINISHING SOUND & COLOR for the film! With your help, we can get there and finally get "Playing with Beethoven" out into the world!

Thank you for taking a moment to stop by and see what we, and our film Playing with Beethoven, are all about. It really means the world that you would consider helping us get our film made, as well as helping bring awareness to the need for music education and funding for the arts for youth. There are many ways you can help, and most don't even require money.

In some instances, we will even pay you for your help!

Watch the video above for more info on the film.
Read below to see what we need!

THE BACK STORY

Being over 300 years old, the classical music genre is having a hard time keeping up in a generation with short attention spans and every kind of music accessible at the click of a button. Playing with Beethoven is a film that will rekindle audiences' interest in classical. Beethoven's hauntingly beautiful piano sonatas, mixed with a young romance, make this type of film that will appeal to a younger generation that normally wouldn't pay the genre any attention.

In the current climate, it's harder to get funding for the arts, especially for youth programs.  Our hope is that this film will be a small part in helping bring awareness to the importance of arts education.  That's also why we are committing to donating a portion of all profits from the film to music programs for youth.

Playing with Beethoven is the story of Josh, a classical piano student who is focused on winning the biggest competition of his life. His goal is to become a professional pianist and take care of his mother, who has raised him on her own. The only thing standing in his way is the free-spirited Charlotte, a quirky pianist who leads a reluctant Josh on an all-night adventure. In the end, Josh learns that life, like his music, is all about taking risks.

The film is relatable to every millennial, as Josh struggles to balance his personal and professional life in a world where making a living is harder and more competitive than ever before. Furthermore, since the 90's, more than 50% of children have, like Josh, been raised by single parents. It's a story most young audiences have lived.

Playing with Beethoven took a unique approach to showcasing music in a feature film, by casting actors who are stellar piano players, and recording the music live on set. We're did that to really pay homage to the real-life musicians and the history, and modern-day importance, of classical and jazz music.

MEET THE TEAM

This film is being created by the filmmakers behind the award-winning musical films and series “Waiting in the Wings: The Musical,” “My 2 Black Girlfriends,” “Steve's Quest,” and “The Breakout: A Rock Opera.” 

Our Director, Jenn Page, took her extensive experience in capturing music on film to the next level in “Playing with Beethoven.” We recorded all the music live on set, played by the actors! We feel it gave it an energy that will hopefully dazzle audiences.  It will be a cinematic concert experience. 

Jenn Page, Director/Co-Writer: Jenn Page is an accomplished feature and series director who was selected by Take The Lead as one of the “50 Women who Can Change The World in Media & Entertainment.” She's filmed projects for/with internationally known brands and artists including Blackmagic Design, Panic at the Disco, Weezer, Billy Ray Cyrus, Wolfmother, Estee Lauder, and Hans Zimmer. Her work includes the award-winning comedy musical feature film “Waiting in the Wings” starring Lee Meriwether and Shirley Jones, the award-winning musical comedy series “My Two Black Girlfriends,” the award-winning dramatic rock opera “The Breakout,” and the International Academy of Web Television's live awards show hosted by Tony award winner Roger Bart.   

Chris Edgar, Producer/Composer: Writer and composer Chris Edgar has written music for film, theater, TV, digital series, commercials and more.  He has written and composed music for award-winning films, including the movie musical “The Breakout: A Rock Opera” and his animated musical “Steve's Quest,” which won numerous awards including the International Academy of Web Television's Best Animated Series Award and the Best Original Score Award at the Hollyweb festival.  He produced both of those films as well. A songwriter and drummer, Edgar has toured and written with signed recording artists. 

Brandon Poller, Producer: Brandon has spent the last 7 years in event coordination and management, producing events ranging from non-profit fundraisers like Habitat for Humanity to working on the Rock N' Rev music festival with bands like Guns N' Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, and more. In 2010, Brandon began working in film & music video production when he produced Isle's music video. Since then he's been an integral part of projects like the Tribeca Film Festival Selection "The 716th" and the multi-award-winning film "Cazadora."

Summer Walters, Producer: Summer has produced, co produced, and associate produced several projects, including Executive producer, on “Mother's Cure”, which Jenn Page directed. Summer grew up in Detroit, MI surrounded by classical music and concerts as both parents were opera singers. She is a member of Friends of LA Opera. She supports LA Opera's Education and Community Engagement Programs, with annual donations. These donations support children who otherwise would not have the means to experience the wonder that is music. With Summer's background, it was an easy choice for her to come onboard “Playing with Beethoven,” as a producer.  

David Schatanoff, Jr, Producer: David is among the new breed of producers. Not only can he navigate the worlds of film and television, but also the growing need for quality new media programs. David began his career in 1998 working in post-production for the major studios. Reliably working with high profile clientele landed him a position supervising post-production operations at 20th Century Fox and later servicing multi-million dollar deals at Sony Pictures. Becoming more involved with script development and production, he made the transition to producer and has never looked back. David is a member of the Producer's Guild of America, The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (The Emmys), and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (The Grammys). 

Jenna Edwards, Producer: With a passion for acting and the business of show-business, Jenna moved to Burbank, CA in 2000. Soon after, she appeared in Unsolved Mysteries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Malcolm in the Middle. In 2008 she produced her first feature, the award-winning film, April Showers. Building on the success of April Showers and with the firmly held belief that filmmakers can take their careers into their own hands, Jenna produced the first narrative feature film exclusively for Hulu. Jenna helped create and was the “resident producing advisor” on the Movie Maker Magazine top ranked podcast, Film Method and wrote an advice column called the Film Method Mailbag. She also taught producing at New York Film Academy. She is also a contributing writing to the online resource, Ms in the Biz and can be seen speaking to filmmakers at film festivals all over the world.  

THE STORY

In Playing with Beethoven, Josh, an introverted piano student, is torn between the classical tradition of playing strict attention to the score and stepping outside his comfort zone to follow the free-spirited Charlotte on a life-changing adventure. Charlotte leads Josh to venues and performances that showcase a mix of musical styles and genres, opening up his world to music he'd never paid much attention to before.

Set mainly in the space of one day, and filled with many sights and sounds of the city, Playing with Beethoven is fast-paced and chock full of visual variety and a plethora of unique characters and music styles. It's partly due to that variety that the story never stands still. Just when the characters stop in a location the music starts, and the audience gets to experience a live concert right before their eyes. Shortly after, the young leads are off and running again, taking us to our next destination.

The older characters of Corinna, Charlotte's grandmother, and Zabov, Josh's conservatory professor, mirror Josh and Charlotte. Their relationship is slightly antagonistic, with Corinna being the rebel and Zabov the traditionalist. But age has softened them a bit, and today they mentor the next generation each in their own way. It's through the two generations that we get to experience what it is like to be a musician both at the beginning and end of a career as a professional pianist.

WHERE THE MONEY GOES

We will get to use all of the money we receive in this campaign for the film, which is why we chose FreeFunder as our platform.  They won't take any fees, and we get to keep everything no matter how big or small.  When making a film on a low budget, every single dollar helps, so whether we raise 10 bucks or 10,000 bucks in this campaign, we will put it all to good use.  

As of now, we have completed the film and are currently in the final phase of editing.  We are raising money to complete post and need to raise money for things like creating a stellar sound mix (it is a music movie after all!:), color correction, and post effects. Although our ultimate goal to do post-production to the fullest is $57,000, the minimum amount we need to raise to get through post and get the film done is $10,000. 

To donate more than $1,000 please contact us directly as the credit card fees are rather large over that amount. To donate more than $5,000 please contact us directly about investor opportunities available that come with special perks including a return of investment option. We are also open to swapping services for points on the film.

Thank you for considering helping us!

Because we are still in the fundraising stage, we don't know at this time how much money we will ultimately raise, and of course the size of the film's budget will affect the overall quality of the film and the extent of its ability to participate in film festivals, achieve distribution, and so forth. Further, regardless of the amount we raise, many factors that are not entirely within our control will affect the performance of the film in terms of box office revenue, festival acceptance, distribution, and so on -- including but not limited to our ability to retain high-quality talent and crew, and the ever-changing tastes of and entrants into the film marketplace. There are no refunds of any kind under any circumstance at any time. Producers will do their best to fulfill all perks, but there is no guarantee or commitment to do so. But no matter what challenges we face, we intend to give everything we've got to produce the best film possible (and those of you who know us will know that already)!