Mesmer - short film

Our short film is an exploration of individual perception, the consequences of mistreating mental illness, and the relationships we construct with our parents. In exploring these ideas, we follow the tragic story of one dysfunctional family. 

‘Mesmer’ is a tense psychological drama that follows Asiel, our teenage protagonist. Asiel’s obsession with finding numbers in anything — such as books, number plates, letterboxes — becomes completely debilitating. Having reached a breaking point in living with their son’s condition, Asiels’ parents send him to be treated by a Mesmerist. 

Why we want to make this film:

Mental illness can be extremely difficult to talk about. It’s difficult to bring up or face, especially amongst family. Oftentimes our family members have good intentions, but may unintentionally foster negative mental outcomes. That’s exactly what we wanted to uncover and examine in our film. 

The film is written as a psychological-drama, as we felt the genre is the best way to tell a cerebral story such as this. We want our film to be unnerving, unsettling in the way that it speaks a truth about something you’re scared to address. 

Why $1,400?

As final-year film students, we’re producing a short film and we need your help to cover expenses such as location, props, marketing, catering, wardrobe, travel, and festival submission fees.

Your donation is the key to our success. Any amount given will lead us one step closer into getting this film produced. Let’s make this happen. 

About the Director and Producer:

This short film is written and directed by Jayden Fleming, and is being produced by Jessica Lee.

We are both in our final year of Bachelor of Communication Studies, majoring in Film and Television at the Auckland University of Technology. We’re two highly passionate film students who look at this project far beyond a simple assignment. ‘Mesmer’ is our final year project, but more importantly, it marks our first step into the film industry. This is our chance to showcase our experience and skill level that we’ve honed from our creative degree. 

WRITER AND DIRECTOR: JAYDEN FLEMING

Jayden has always exhibited a love for film, particularly the way that the medium brings subtle human details to the forefront of a story. Inspired by the films of Ari Aster, Terrence Malick, and Alejandro Iñárritu, he wants to create a visually beautiful project that works to examine the true nature of the characters on screen.

PRODUCER: JESSICA LEE

Jessica Lee has been passionate about storytelling through visual forms since as long as she can remember. She loves films which centres around people and the connections they form with one another. She is dedicated to producing stories that are emotionally gripping and leave a powerful impression on the viewer. 

We have an amazingly talented film crew that are just as passionate about this project as we are. Sammie Rae is our Assistant Director, Benjamin Annabelle is our director of photography, Finn Dobson is our sound operator, and Max LLoyd-Bell is our lighting technician.

SIDENOTE: Any amount donated qualifies for a 33% tax refund! Boosted will email you with your receipt once our campaign has ended. How awesome is that?