By Jason Harris
Writer and director Tim Morgan (author of The Trip), who lives in New Hampshire, has started a Kickstarter campaign to get his short film, My DreamGirl Was A Vampire, made. If he meets his goal, every backer who donates a $1 or more will receive a MP4 file of the movie.
Morgan’s impetus for My DreamGirl was a Vampire first developed in 1995 when he was working on a vampire movie that he wanted to direct as a feature, but didn’t have access to actors or the equipment.
“I wound up putting it down because the short was beyond what I could do with what I had access to at the time,” Morgan said.
In 1996, Morgan wrote a feature with a vampire named Stefanie as a “directed study in college,” he said.
“I had fun with it and it was the best I could do at the time, but it was a bad rip-off of The X-Files. There was something about Stefanie’s character that would stick with me, though, and I tried a couple times over the years to reboot her, but it never seemed to work.”
This past fall, Morgan wrote a new vampire short after meeting a couple of new actors who he had never worked with before.
“The early draft was darker and edgier but it just didn’t feel right. So I put that aside, thought about bringing Stefanie back, and wrote the script that became My DreamGirl Was A Vampire.”
The vampire, Stefanie, will be portrayed by New Hampshire actor Kimberley Miller. Miller considers Stefanie to be a “complex character.” It’s the real emotional challenge of the character that intrigued her, she said.
“She is a vampire, but with some very human characteristics. She wants a way out and is very vulnerable/desperate. She doesn’t want to be a vampire. A majority of vampire stories are about the turning and the power and blood lust,” Miller said.
Morgan said that he’s trying to put an original spin on the genre, but knows he has to adhere to certain things that the “rabid fans of the genre” would want.
“I love this story because it’s a simple/sweet story about a girl (who happens to be a vampire) who wants a second shot at life and the quirky cute guy who can help her. It is more about making Stefanie real and sympathetic to the audiences than focusing on the vampire piece,” Miller said.
The other character in My DreamGirl Was A Vampire is museum employee Grant portrayed by another New Hampshire actor, Billy Pomerleau, who is looking forward to bringing this role to life.
“[Grant] has a personality that, in my opinion makes him very likable. He’s a bit of an ‘everyman’ and I’ve always rooted for the reluctant hero types. Not to mention the opportunity to work opposite the devilishly beautiful Kimberley Miller. I mean, who could say no to that,” Pomerleau said.
There are 18 days left in Morgan’s campaign to raise $2,500. So far, the campaign has raised $97.
“If you’re looking for a fresh voice in the vampire genre, with a new approach, this is for you,” Morgan said.
Morgan hopes the campaign is successful so he can film, My DreamGirl Was A Vampire, and bring it to film festivals. The biggest festival is Shriekfest, which he was at in 2003 with one of his scripts, Morgan said.
Along with every donator receiving a MP4 file, there are other giveaways including PDF files of the script, DVDs of the finished film, links to a person’s website, t-shirts, mentions on the short film’s official page, and producer credits.
You can find and donate to his campaign on Kickstarter here.
Jason Harris Promotions 