FEST
a coming of age dramedy, by Wade Wofford
CONTENTS OF THIS TEMPLATE
OVERVIEW
FORMAT: An R/TV-MA dramedy that immerses viewers in the authentically-poetic / oft-comedic subculture of “heady” music festivals (think Phish).
Distributable through theaters, premium cable or streamers, FEST is part AMERICAN HONEY, part LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE.
LOGLINE: Months after a fight that fractured their family, a 22-year-old MIT robotics student invites his estranged and complicated twin sister to Fuck the Vote — a jamband festival colliding with a presidential election — an olive branch that turns into a reckoning with politics, gen Z purpose, & each other.
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CAST
ZOE
Zoe’s been living at her bestie’s parents’ house for the past few months, since a huge falling out with her parents and twin brother. Her part-time job at Starbucks (which she loathes) is all she’s got going on since dropping out of the local community college where she’s been aimlessly taking classes the last three years.
When her twin brother invites her to another stupid music festival, she decides to actually go this time…because shit’s getting tense here; her friend’s dad just told her he wants her out by the end of the month. Will festival be another fucked up thing in her life, or just what her soul needs?
WYATT
The elder of the twins (by 3 minutes), Wyatt’s aversion to conflict often positions him as a doormat to others, but has proven valuable in his family, managing conflicts between Zoe and…well…everyone else. He’s been trying to get her to a festival since discovering jambands three years ago.
Knowing Zoe would never say “yes” if she had to buy her own ticket, Wyatt sold his grandfather’s (precious) telescope to be able to afford Zoe’s ticket and all her food…and desperately hopes he can get a glimpse at Zoe “in the dance,” apart from all the anger she carries in the real world.
FUCK THE VOTE
The film centers around a jamband music festival held in southern Florida
during (in protest of) a fictitious Presidential election
JOY
Joy’s boomer Documentary Filmmaking Professor at RISD told them they had to make a doc on a topic of their choosing. Joy chose Fuck the Vote as her subject, so brought her DSLR with her to festival. Throughout, we glimpse through her lens as she shoots - asking questions of friends, attendees and staff:
AMY
TED FROM TEXAS
Joy’s long-time best friend, Amy should have been born in the 60s.
A true lover of peace, love & happiness…the beauty of life…all that, Amy forms a deep bond with Zoe right off the bat.
He actually lives in Georgia now, but once a nickname sticks in this crew…it’s forever.
Ted’s the guy who shows up to festival with no tent, no ticket, and no plan…and just wings it…and ends up camped out with Wyatt’s crew.
“THE PHAMILY”
P.A.C.O.
A “Party-Activated Chilling Oasis” engineered by Wyatt in the MIT Robotics lab to solve some of the discomforts of festival-going…namely: heat, rain and schlepping shit. PACO provides portable shade, tunes, dance lighting, a place to put stuff, and mist for hot afternoons…all on wheels! But do they need it? And can PACO survive festival’s hard knocks?
The huge, colorful and kooky crew of friends that Wyatt didn’t want to camp with because they’re too slow for his “must-be-efficient” insanity. They’re great show buddies rolling up to dance 30-strong, demanding space. Amongst them: Dana, Bubbler Mike, Jakey D, Jilly (and Brian & Jen’s rig for the best grilled cheese on Shakedown).
THEMES
FEST captures the emotional truth of a generation raised on contradictions—digitally connected but spiritually lost, politically aware but systemically powerless. It explores:
SOUNDTRACK
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While the stage is only seen from a distance in the film, you can’t have a film about music festival without jambands!
Because screenwriter Wade Wofford is both a seasoned micro-budget Producer and a 20-year veteran of the jamband festival scene, he’s got an awareness of the bands on the fringes that could be more affordably procured.
Click a band name at right to sample a few.
AN APT METAPHOR FOR GEN-Z ISOLATION AMIDST THE CROWD
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KEEPING IT PRODUCE-ABLE
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Partner with a small, local music festival. We’re already discussing creative ways to use a real local festival to minimize extras, costumes & set dressing, and create a cool/unique experience for festival attendees.
Write to Shoot: In the film, Joy is making a documentary. That’s not by accident! Notice the script is written to be through-her-lens in difficult-to-produce sections where extras spiking the lens works for the narrative (the camera’s a character in the scene)!
Stay, after the festival wraps: Schedule cleverly, so our crew is there for the actual festival…then remains in the quiet of the farmland following the festival to shoot more intimate/controlled scenes that don’t require crowds.
A *giant* music festival? A huge ensemble? Sounds expensive… How in the world can you produce this on a budget that has any hope of being remotely profitable?
Writer/Director/Producer Wade Wofford is a seasoned micro-budget filmmaker who specializes in New England based films that integrate real communities in the making process.
Here’s five ways we’ll be able to do this in the indie budget space:
Offer reduced-price festival tickets to festival-goers, with a designated “Camp Here To Be In The Film” campground filled with festival extras who signed releases at the time of ticket purchase and who will dress our set.
Shoot BIG festival as B-roll at a big festival: The sweeping drone shots and wide-shots of festival stages and long lines of festival traffic will all be done 2nd unit to avoid driving up production costs.
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