During dinner with his girlfriend Kelly and her parents, Mitch is put on the spot when asked to present his world-famous guacamole. However, before they can dig in, Kelly’s mother accidentally lets slip that the family dog, that Kelly believed to have died during her childhood, is actually still alive and well. 

While Kelly interrogates her parents for the truth, Mitch is forced to find discreet yet creative ways to preserve the pristine condition of his dip without the family knowing. As the night goes on with no end to the arguing in sight, will Mitch accept defeat and present gross-looking guacamole to his girlfriend's parents? Or will he find a way to prevent it from browning?

Guacamania! is a comedic short film that is fueled by ridiculous family secrets, absurd physical comedy, and snappy visual editing.

While Guacamania! isn’t going to be animated in a traditional sense, in true Eboshi Platinum fashion, it will contain plenty of Anime aesthetics that any avid fan of the genre will be able to recognize. Here are some examples of the visual techniques we will employ for Guacamania! to give it that Anime flavor.

SPEED LINES

Speed Lines are thin, usually pointed, lines that rush to a singular point or rush past a character. They are used to heighten intensity, provide dynamic movement, and amplify drama/comedy within any given frame.

DRAMATIC BACKGROUND CHANGES

Dramatic Background Changes occur when a character does/says something in order to provide more emotional impact to the action/dialogue.  The background literally changes to visually represent their emotional/mental state.

SCREEN TEXT

Screen Text is simply when text appears on the screen during a scene. It is an easy yet visually creative way to create more comedy/drama.

We as creatives and filmmakers often dedicate ourselves to telling the most hard-hitting, the most heart-wrenching, and the heaviest stories we have to tell. Our team is no stranger to diving deep into the hard stuff, but we want to remind ourselves that the movies we make can be as fun as making them every now and then. After all, audiences gather to be entertained, don't they? 

This is the essence and heart of Guacamania! Writer and director Andrew J. Lee wanted to create something that felt to him like entertainment in its purest form. Something that's a little wacky, a lot of fun, and a big reminder of why he started making movies in the first place. 

Our goal with Guacamania! is to bring laughter and joy to our audiences. Nothing less.

Anime as a medium is a unique form of story telling, not only in that it is often underestimated as a sincere craft, but in that it is able to draw in its viewers despite absurd and fantastical visuals. To call most Anime over-the-top is an understatement. Yet, it succeeds in pulling in and connecting with its audience and entertaining them with stories that become crucial in their development, as both children and adults. How can it be that something that often strikes us as silly and superficial could make such a huge impact all over the world?

It is because Anime strikes the core of the human experience. 

Every overblown one-liner or unexpected character choice or unrealistic turn of events unabashedly exaggerates something about the human condition and the very real situations we find ourselves in every day. 

No, none of us are an underdog orphan with a powerful demon spirit sealed inside us, but we're still able to empathize with Naruto Uzumaki's desire to take control of his own destiny and his determination to prove everyone else around him wrong. Perhaps a notebook that can kill anyone if you write their name in it doesn't exist, but the battle of righteousness, justice, and playing God between Light Yagami and L can strike passionate discorse between anyone. You might not ever meet Maes Hughes or Tohru Honda or Madoka Kaname, but we become so enchanted with their innate and powerful goodness that we can't imagine life having not known them--even just through fiction. 

We relate to and empathize with these extreme personalities that can't exist because they are over-exaggerating traits we identify with strongly. Audiences can see themselves in these amplified characteristics, and through Anime can decide what kind of a person they choose to be.

It's with this understanding of Anime that we aim to add this method of story-telling to our toolbelt.

It takes a village to create any film and we need your help for this story to reach its full potential.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 to cover production expenses, pay for food/lodging and most importantly, compensate our cast and crew for their time and hard work.

Many young artists do not get paid for their work and we are looking to set a new precedent with our production.

For a short film of this caliber to be executed properly, we will need to allocate most of the budget towards crew and equipment. The amount required will go very far as our creatives have excellent relationships with local freelancers and vendors and can call in many favors/discounts to make each dollar count for two. 

Finally, due to the experimental aesthetic nature of this short film, post-production will need wiggle room in the budget to ensure that the sound design, score, color grading, and VFX are up to par with this genre-breaking script.

Guacamania! is a comedic short film that will look and feel as ridiculous as its premise, using striking Anime-inspired visual comedy supplemented with pockets of physical comedy. This short will attempt to bridge the gap between the two mediums while also reminding all of us that films should be at the forefront, entertaining. It’s funny, experimental, and relatable in a way that we’re confident will capture the hearts of our audiences no matter the background.

We want to thank you for taking the time to read through our Seed & Spark page. It will truly take all of us to support the process of making this film come to life. What now you ask? Well...

1. Contribute to the film - Whether it's a small contribution or a large one, each one counts and each one brings us one step closer to realizing this short script into a short film. We only have 30 days to meet our goal so whatever you can do to help us get closer is insanely appreciated! If you can't contribute at this time, no worries because you can also...

2. Share this project on social media - Spreading the word about the story and what we're doing helps us tremendously. We want to have the largest reach possible so that everyone can know what kind of work we are trying to make, and hopefully through that can connect with new supporters! Whether it's through Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, or even word of mouth - each new person that hears about this project is a potential for this to spread farther and farther. Lastly...

3. Follow us on social media - Be sure to follow us on instagram @eboshiplatinum as that will be our primary source of updates for Guacamania!.

From the Guacamania! team, thank you so very much!
- Andrew, Bri, Landon