Imagine your last one-night stand (and if you've never had one, do us heathens a favor and keep your mouth shut).
Now imagine how you left. Did you sneak out in the middle of the night? Did you make awkward small-talk over breakfast, then dip? Did you even give them a real name?
Well, what if when you tried to leave, an angry police man pointed a gun at you and yelled to go back inside? Could you imagine having to spend another 24 hours locked up with a hangover and your drunken sexual conquest?
Face it, that could be hilarious, and if you get the back of a couple local filmmakers, it could be coming to a screen near you.
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"It's a story about love kind of bringing these people to an even playing field," said director and producer David Vargas. "It's a very character-driven story, a story about something that can happen to everybody."
Vargas and his partner, writer Javier Mayol, think Love and Hostages could be a real home-run. The Full Sail graduates grew up in Miami, and they plan to film the whole project right here in our beautiful backyard. It's certainly a relatable tale. How many Miamians can say they haven't shacked up with a stranger from time to time? We're like the home of bad decisions.
They've got the script ready to go, the gyst of which sees two self-proclaimed ugly ducklings at rock bottom hook up in the sloppiest, ratchetest way imaginable, only to wake up and find that some mysterious and unfortunate event has the woman, Eva's places on police lock-down. They have no communication with the outside world, and must learn about each other (and remember each other's names) in order to make it through.
Are they the architects of their own demise? To they pull a Calvin Harris and find love in a hopeless place? You'll have to watch to find out, and if you really want to watch, you should consider funding the Kickstarter Vargas whipped up to raise funds to finish filming.
"We're passed the point of making stuff for our friends and family," Vargas said. For the past few years, he and his local production company have worked with HBO Latin American, and they've enjoyed the world of short films and film festivals, but now, they're hungry for something more.
"It's time for us to pick it up and actually deliver a product that people would actually go and see and pay money for, because this is what we want to do for a living" Vargas said. "The only way to do that is to dive headfirst into making a feature film, hence the Kickstarter."
If film school teaches you anything, it's that those brave souls who set out to make a full-length without care to cost will end up "nose-deep in debt." Vargas and Mayol aren't looking to make money off this thing, just to cover their costs of putting their vision on film.
The goal is set at $39,450, and they've got until Wednesday morning, May 7, to get there. They understand their demographic isn't made of money, so rewards start as low as $5, with such goodies as desktop and mobile wallpaper, digital and physical copies of the film, even official Love and Hostages shotglasses, or walk-on roles for big donors.
As of press time, they're about 33 percent of the way there, but it's an all-or-nothing campaign, and they want as much community involvement as possible.
Later in the month, they're hosting a fund-raising event at Sharkey's bar in Hollywood Beach for a special screening of the trailer, and of course, plenty of good drinks. At the end of the night, the good people of Sharkie's will donate 10 percent of their bar earnings to the film, so come out Saturday, April 26, and get your swerve on. Who knows, maybe you can find your own one-night love affair in the process.
"We live in a dynamic city," Vargas said, and this movie is all about people like us, starring people like us, filmed in our own town. Show some support and help put Miami on the filmmaking map. What have you got to lose?
Donate to the cause via Kickstarter, or come out to show support for Love and Hostages Saturday, April 26, at Sharkey's Bar, 2006 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Call 305-766-7449.
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