Valley Director's Indie Feature "Portal" Needs Your Help

The psychological thriller "Portal" is the latest project from L.A. Based director Steven Doxey, and his effort to raise money through IndieGoGo is starting to get attention.

The project was recently picked up by IndieWire as a Project of the Day, and was in competition for its Project of the Week.

Method Acting Gone Wrong

The film follows an actor who is cast as the lead in a bold, art-house film from a well known director.

The director’s film recreates the haunting story of his father, who was captured and locked in a Siberian prison.

For the actor to accurately portray the director’s father, he chooses to go method. He isolates himself in a remote cabin, where he pores over script pages and keeps a diary of his thoughts. Day by day, the actor begins to slowly transform into something out of his control.

This metamorphosis has serious ramifications on and off-set.

About the Filmmakers

Sherman Oaks resident Steven Doxey and his brother Michael Doxey, along with writer/actor Brandon Sean Pearson, are a trio of up and coming filmmakers who have been collaborating on films together for the past ten years. The three have been writing short films and commercials which have won awards across America.

Steven and Michael now work as professional commercial director/producers.

Portal will be Steven’s first feature as a director, while his brother Michael will produce, and Pearson will star in the lead role. 

Heath Ledger’s “Joker” Inspired the Premise

The inspiration for Portal was a stark reminder of just how hard some actors work for their craft.

"Brandon and I were inspired to make this film as a way of examining the lives of all the actors who pour their souls into their work," Steven Doxey said.  "Method acting is sometimes viewed as 'silly' or 'over the top.' But there's a very serious level of dedication and passion that goes into it.

"These actors suffer to show the world their craft, their passion. Heath Ledger's preparation for the Joker was a startling and tragic reminder of that passion. He locked himself in a hotel room for a month straight, he isolated himself from the world, and when he came out, he was a completely different person.

"After filming the Dark Knight, it seemed as though he couldn't stop being that person. It was extremely tragic to lose such a talented actor. So we wanted to tell that story, as a bit of an homage, of what some actors go through before the camera starts recording.”


About the IndieGoGo Campaign

The filmmakers are trying to raise $28,000 to shoot the feature this summer.

Why $28,000? To make a full-length film, $28K is a small amount, even for independent film standards.

But the filmmakers are able to make this happen because the cast and crew have agreed to work for next to nothing, the locations and equipment are mostly free, and they are calling in all of the favors we have to get this film made. They believe this is a realistic goal to meet, and also believe it's an amount where they can still make a high-quality film that has the potential for film-festival and theatrical release.

You can help the filmmakers tell this story by visiting the IndieGoGo page and contributing.

RELATED:

• Watch the teaser trailer here.  
• Watch the full IndieGoGo pitch.
• Watch Writer Brandon Sean Pearson discuss Heath Ledger.