West Bloomfield Alums Seek Funding for Short Film

A group of former West Bloomfield High School students have turned to crowd-sourcing to produce a short film that will break The Fourth Wall.

And you have just a few days to get in on the action. 

In film lingo, "breaking the fourth wall" happens when a character acknowledges he or she is in a movie, said 2013 graduate Adam Cooper. He and his twin brother, Daniel, wrote the "darkish comedy" after a trip last year to the Los Angeles Film Festival, where their short film The Case of Amber Gram was shown.

"The people who spoke with us there told us we should make a professional film, assemble a crew, pay people, get a good camera and set," Daniel Cooper said. 

The brothers asked friend Jeremy Shecter, a graduate of the Motion Picture Institute of Michigan, to serve as the film's producer. Alison Hacker, who graduated with the Coopers in 2013, signed on as assistant producer. 

"The creative force these two bring out when they're with each other is amazing," said Shecter. 

Once a budget was established, the group turned to Indiegogo.com, a crowd-sourcing website, to help raise funds. Launched in 2008 to help filmmakers raise money, the site has expanded to include projects of virtually any kind. 

"It's a great tool for young filmmakers," Shecter said. "You're not going to get a real investor for a short film." 

The film will be shot over two days in February, with two Oakland County actors selected through an online audition. The team is scattered–Adam Cooper is attending Columbia College in Chicago, Daniel Cooper is at New York University's Tisch Film Institute, Shecter works in metro Detroit and Hacker is at University of Michigan–but they chose to film in Michigan. 

"We decided Michigan was the best place because of the scenery and the cheaper costs for all of us," Shecter said. "We know a lot of (equipment) owner/operators and have friends here." 

"We're bringing in a lot of friends who've worked with us on previous films," Adam Cooper said.

"It's kind of a reunion," Daniel Cooper added. 

In addition to the Indiegogo campaign, which ends at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 10, the brothers are offering sponsorship opportunities to West Bloomfield area businesses. Special perks, like DVD copies of the movie and movie roles, are offered to anyone who contributes. 

Visit indiegogo.com, write to fourthwallmovie@gmail.com or call 248-881-4207 to contribute; visit cooperbrothersfilms.com to learn more.