0. Foreword; Berlin

I started writing Porcelain on the third of January, 2025. I was walking through Berlin, three days after New Years celebrations. Many of the city's glass business fronts were fractured and pavements were chipped from the force of the evenings fireworks. And with a free day and hangover, I decided to walk and follow them all. I strolled for a few hours and thought about the chaos and the odd beauty of cracks. In from beneath the gloomy, snow studded sky and these many thoughts I saw a family, a dysfunctional, messy, broken family - a relationship like a cracked vase, holding shape but not functioning like a vase should at all. Then I started writing.

The central argument of Porcelain is an exploration of this image, and the lyrics of Leonard Cohen's 1992 Single "Anthem" are our structure.

"There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in"

- Leonard Cohen, "Anthem", 1992

1. Pre-Production

In April, our script was complete. The next step was all about bringing a crew together. In our crew, we sought out a team that was passionate about the project, experienced in their craft and confident in their vision. I'm proud to say our crew was entirely comprised of up-and-coming student film-makers, people who have all the best ideas and few platforms to truly showcase their talents.

Our casting announcement came out in May, then, one month and 147 submissions later, we had our ensemble cast of six wonderful performers. In June and July, we rehearsed and rehearsed for over thirty hours spread out over 9 weeks. We brought our screenplay to life by playing, asking questions and experimenting with a variety of practitioner's techniques like Jerzi Grotowski's animalism and alienation exercises.

On the fourth of June, we took our film to the market and opened our fundraiser on Indiegogo, with a goal of 5000 USD for the film. In the end, we raised 5,300 USD, closing our fundraiser three days earlier than we had planned.

The only thing left was to organize our shooting dates, and well... shoot. So, we set a date for early July and got to work.

2. Production (Part One)

At 9 am on July 9th, our crew was together, cameras and built, our cast in full costume and make-up. We had our safety meeting and readied ourselves to set out on four days of grueling practice. But then, with miscommunications and a slew of issues suddenly appearing and disappearing beneath our feet, I made the difficult decision to halt and postpone production on our very first day.

This hurt, alot. Any artist knows that a project that means a lot to you becomes your life. It keeps you up at night, bothers you at odd moments and odd hours, longing to be created. As bizarre and corny as it sounds, the project becomes a living, breathing thing. Stopping production that day was like lining up for a running race, feeling the adrenaline build in your muscles, mind and bones, then suddenly deciding the race is cancelled, and that it might never go on.

It was a rough moment, my apartment was filled with rented equipment and un-used costumes and production design elements. I was wrought with guilt and anxiety for days after. I was afraid that we had missed our chance, that our cast and crew couldn't find a new time to meet, that the film would go unmade.

But I'm grateful to my team and the wonderful support network I have in my friends and family, because just over a month later, we were building a dining table in New Jersey and getting ready to make Porcelain a reality.

3. Production (Part Two)

On the 22nd of August, we started. What followed was four long days and nights of incredible work from the team. The crew worked through tight shooting schedules and long hours, building the visions of the film I'd had in Berlin before my eyes. The cast's performances were a masterclass of ensemble work and individual achievement. It was all thanks to the team that we managed to film 29 pages of text in 39 hours. I knew it on our first day that this was what the production was meant to be, and that Porcelain was finally coming to life.

On the 25th of August, at 10:43, seventeen minutes before tail lights, we wrapped Porcelain, the Movie.

4. What's next?

Right now, I'm editing the film. I get giddy each time I open the timeline and see the work we made. The way the film looks and feels is a true testament to the hard work and talent of every single person involved. In the coming weeks, myself and the team will be conducting meetings about distribution and marketing for the project.

We are looking to hit the festival road this December as we submit to Tribeca Film Festival, and many more thereafter. In the meantime, we want people to see it! So, if you're in New York over the next few months, keep your eyes peeled and follow @porcelainthemovie on instagram, as we'll be having small-scale, early cut preview screenings all around the city.

Myself and the team truly love this project, it’s a culmination of all of our hard work and collaboration in the past year, so we want it to be what it deserves to be: a success story.

And that can't happen without your love and support.

- From myself and the Porcelain team, thank you. and we look forward to seeing you soon.