June 23rd, 2013 
Beyond the Marquee 
STRING THEORY Movie Poster
Every once in awhile we come across a cool independent film worthy of mentioning among the news and reviews of the Hollywood blockbusters we report on. Over the weekend we were introduced to “String Theory”, a nontraditional musical short film and four song EP project currently in the funding phase on Kickstarter. Not only is the project unique in itself, but so is its Kickstarter campaign. String Theory follows three singer-songwriters in Los Angeles whose lives collide in a 24-hour period. Aurora, Patsy and Yun, are all singer-songwriters struggling amongst the gritty streets of Hollywood. All three are strangers, unknowingly connected by their love and need for music. String Theory follows them individually until their lives intersect for a brief moment that changes each in a profound way. Already the team has released a music video, cinemagraph movie posters (String Theory is likely the first film to have employed this technique), highly produced intro and updates videos, full access to the script…and they only have 4 days left in the campaign. Click ahead for more details.
“We have many things planned. We see the Kickstarter campaign as an event in itself. We want our campaign to illustrate the level of commitment, talent and ability behind our project,” one of the film’s producers, Shaela Cook says. Kickstarter is “an all or nothing gambit. We either succeed in raising the total amount in the time allotted, or we walk away empty handed,” says writer and director Jonathan Pezza. “There is no reason to hold back.”
Veteran actor, Abraham Benrubi (U-Turn, ER, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose), is set to play Patsy, a faded ex-rockstar at a crossroads in life. Former The Voice contestant and YouTube sensation, Paulina Cerrilla will play Aurora, a homeless street musician whose strength and belief in herself carries her through her troubled life. The extremely conflicted Yun, the film’s third lead character, will be portrayed by Thien Nguyen.
All three actors were drawn to the piece because of the story and it’s musical aspect. “The script itself is written like a song and I found that to be a really unique and special way to tell the story,” says Abraham Benrubi. At the very core of String Theory lies the music, weaving and guiding the paths of the three protagonists to each other and the next step of their lives.
Music is also a very important aspect of the life of director and writer Jonathan Pezza who is sharing his music with a large audience for the first time. “I believe that great art comes from challenging yourself to do the things that scare and intimidate you most. String Theory is not only a beautiful story about the struggle
to define oneself, but the music that the film’s three characters sing and play bears forged and tempered pieces of my soul,” says Pezza. “I’ve been writing and playing original music since I picked up an acoustic at 10 years old. This film is the first time that I’ve presented my music to a wide audience. It has always been my own personal form of therapy, and because of that, I’ve protected it fiercely.”
The production of String Theory’s music is also out of the ordinary. Each artist will be recorded live on location singing to special click tracks that they will hear through spy earpieces. This will allow them to harmonize and perfectly sync with each other, despite being apart and recorded at different times. “Our approach will require lots of rehearsal, not to mention some fancy equipment. But the result will be beautiful, honest and in the moment recordings that heighten the emotion of the piece,” says Cook. The final product will not only score the film but also be available as a four song EP on iTunes.
The Kickstarter project offers a wide range of perks for it’s donors including an exclusive version of “About Home,” performed by Paulina Cerrilla. “I love ‘About Home.’ I love the way it’s written. It’s like you see Aurora’s life story in the song. You see why she’s living on the streets. You see the pain that her father caused her, but you also see the hopeful side of her. I am so excited about this brand new Kickstarter perk. It’s like our very special thank you to all of the people who are helping contribute to making this film happen,” say Cerrilla.
Other perks include Vines from various members of the cast and team, personalized cinemagraphs and String Theory branded guitar pick necklaces. They are even offering one of the film’s guitars to a lucky donor at a higher level.
To learn more and help fund String Theory, check out their Kickstarter link: http:// www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonathanpezza/string-theory-a-musical-short-film- and-ep
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