Current Projects

Pre-Production is underway on "The Middle Ground"

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:22:05 -0400

Pre-Production is underway on "The Middle Ground":

Check out the film’s Tumblr page and if you can spare some change, please consider donating to the project (instructions on the Tumblr page)!

Pre-Thesis Review: The Middle Ground

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:00:37 -0500

Today I submitted the materials for my NYU Pre-Thesis Review, the first step in the Thesis process which leads to the completion of my MFA. I submitted a treatment, budget, schedule, and script for a short film tentatively titled The Middle Ground, which I hope to shoot next semester or in early summer (depending on the Subway project).

The Pre-Thesis Review is on Dec. 13 and is a sort of approval/review process and once completed, I’m able to schedule my shoot dates and pick my equipment and begin pre-production. I’ll complete the Thesis Review, and be finished with school completely, in either April or September.

The end has begun!

A 2nd Subway Proposal!

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:10:31 -0500

The deadline for proposals was extended, so Jen and I decided to put together a second proposal to increase our chances of being picked. Our second proposal is titled Every Sandwich Tells A Love Story and is envisioned as an anthology of love stories of varied length, with each story anchored in a Subway-centered universe.

Finalists are announced on Wednesday!

Subway Fresh Artists Filmmakers Series

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:21:35 -0500

I’ve collaborated with NYU MBA student Jennifer Lin to submit a proposal titled Space Camp to the Subway Fresh Artists Filmmaker Series hosted by Promotion Pictures at NYU. Two winning teams are given $45,000 to produce three webisodes each that feature Subway and a particular theme in some sort of way. Our proposal tells the story of 7-year-old Sam who hatches a plan to work at Subway so he can get to Space Camp.

We’ll find out on December 5th if we’ll be pitching in the final round on December 14th. If we do, and we’re chosen, we’ll find out on the 14th and will go straight into pre-production for a mid-January shoot.

Keep your fingers crossed for us! More news soon.

What's next...?

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:28:29 -0400

This Is My Body has been an overwhelming, amazing, incredible success, well beyond my hopes and expectations!

I’m continuing to work to get the film out into the world and to get it seen, especially ahead of the November 6th elections.

Interested in following my work? Check out www.JasonStefaniak.com to sign up via email or connect with me via Facebook/Twitter.

I’m beginning to work in earnest on my NYU Thesis Film, which will be a short fiction film. I’ll be fundraising some time in the late fall/early winter and will be shooting in January or February to do my Thesis Review in April and graduate in May.

I’m also developing plans to launch one arm of 12th & McKenzie, my future production company. I’d like to create a small organization that concentrates on creating artful, political media pieces in the vein of This Is My Body. The pieces would be created out of my own passions or for progressive organizations or individuals looking for help. I would create high quality, low cost pieces to advance a number of different causes. Generally speaking, the first step will be to raise money to purchase equipment, then put together a plan and raise money to secure a small studio space, and then begin creating pieces, including (hopefully) some sort of thematically-related follow up to This Is My Body.

I also have two feature films in the works for a little further down the line:

Your First, My Last: A series of vignettes explores a sensitive young man’s passionate yet tumultuous 10-year relationship with his high school sweetheart.

The Turing Test: Martin, aspiring journalist and expectant-father, is imprisoned and forced to play a game of verbal and emotional cat and mouse with an intelligent machine named TONY that was created by and modeled after his estranged father Anthony to discover the truth behind Anthony’s life and suspicious death.

I’m always looking for collaborators and I’m very much in need of support, so if you’re interested in supporting or getting involved with any of these projects, or just following my progress, please feel free to contact me at Jason@JasonStefaniak.com or via Facebook/Twitter.

Thanks for your interest!

I’m currently working on a women’s rights video with...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:02:30 -0400

I’m currently working on a women’s rights video with the wonderful Siobhan O’Loughlin (pictured here). Siobhan and I met in college and fell out of touch after school until finally reconnecting just recently when I attended her fantastic one woman show.

I came up with the idea for the video and thought Siobhan would be the perfect collaborator. We’ve developed the script together, I will be directing, and Siobhan will be one of many actors performing in the piece.

We fully funded the piece in only 7 days using primarily Facebook to ask for $20 donations delivered via Paypal (thank you again to everyone who donated!). The plan is to go into production before May 18 and hopefully have the finished video online soon after that.

I will be sure to keep everyone posted. If you’re interested in donating, you can do so through Paypal to JasonJStefaniak@gmail.com or contact me if you’re interested in helping on set with the project.