With all of the racket and bluster usually associated with the normal CGI driven, full-length movie monstrosities gunning their engines to crash into theaters this summer, it’s easy for small independent short films to get lost in the exhaust haze of all those commercial blockbuster vehicles. Local area filmmaker Jenny Waldo and a dedicated crew of Houston area filmmakers have made “Acid Test,” one of these smaller independent films. They are currently looking for your support through a crowd sourcing campaign via Seed&Spark to cover post-production costs for the film so it can be completed and released to the public. The good news is, the project has met 80% of its goal, thanks to over 120 supporters and more than 570 followers. The bad news is, there’s only a day and a half left to meet this goal. If you would like to help support the release of “Acid Test,” go to the Seed&Spark website or Jenny Waldo’s “Acid Test” support website and donate what you can, tell your friends, and share it on social media now to get the word out.
“Acid Test” is a short film that draws from plausible, real life source material and values characters over caricatures and storytelling over special effects. It tells a personal story about a real world experience that could happen to you or any of the people you come into contact with every day. It could already have happened to someone in your social circle, but you just might not know that part of their story. It happened to Waldo as a teenager, and it’s part of her personal story she would like to share in “Acid Test.” However, Waldo says because of the wonderful collaboration of the amazing cast and crew, the film has grown into much more than just her personal story. Waldo, who lives in Sugar Land, kept the film’s production local with a Houston area film crew and film locations. “Acid Test” was shot in Houston and Sugar Land at her home, at Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar, and at Harmony School. Most of the cast was made up of local actors: Mia Ruiz, Kirby Guidry, and Jasmine Balais. The rest of the cast members were born and raised in Houston, but currently reside elsewhere: Patrick Sane, Juliana DeStefano, and Steel Herrera. One actor, Jacob Hoving is from Florida.
Local musical talent was also used for the film. Music has always been important to Waldo, specifically during the time of her life depicted in “Acid Test” because it was connected to all of the significant moments in her life that she wanted to portray in the film. When it came to choosing the right music for the film, she wanted to feature a local punk band whose sound would fit the story’s ’90s era setting. She was looking for the authenticity of a real band instead of having actors perform the songs in the concert scene and for the rest of the movie’s score. Based on a recommendation from a friend, Waldo checked out local punk band Giant Kitty. Hearing the Houston band took her back to her old concert days when she had seen Bikini Kill and other punk rock acts in concert. She knew immediately Giant Kitty was right for the film and would help tell her story as she remembered it. It’s a story that goes beyond the surface premise of an innocent youthful transgression that can’t be reversed once it’s done. It’s a story about the consequences of making mistakes in life and the affect those mistakes have on family, love, and relationships, and how these relationships change as you grow. It’s a story Waldo wants you to see, because it’s not just Waldo’s personal story. It might be yours too. The crowd source campaign ends Sunday, May 1. If you’d like to see this story, and you want to show your appreciation to the local cast and crew of “Acid Test,” hurry up! Drop what you are doing and drop “Acid Test” a little more support.
Click here to see the latest Giant Kitty music video directed by Jenny Waldo.
Click here to support the completion and release of “Acid Test.”
Watch the video below to learn more about “Acid Test.”
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