ASHLEY/AMBER is the undergraduate thesis film of Rebecca Rojer, a senior in Harvard College. Currently in pre-production, the film is set to be shot in January 2010 and will be completed April 2010. Award-winning filmmaking Jan Schuette is advisor to the film.
Synopsis
19 year old Ashley is traumatized over the loss of her boyfriend Phil, a military casualty of the United States' latest overseas invasion. She lives with two guys, Phil's best friends. The three of them have grown close in the wake of Phil's death, but this bond is interrupted after Ashley stars in a video for a "barely legal" porn site. Ashley instead finds friendship in her co-worker Winona, who encourages Ashley to get involved in the anti-war movement.
Ashley is reluctant to become involved in activism until she is visited by Dan, a friend of Phil's from the army on a brief military leave. To Ashley's horror, he recognizes her as the star of one of his favorite pornos. But Ashley forgets her embarrassment as she listens to Dan speak first-hand of the horrors of the war. Resolved to take action, Ashley decides to speak at a rally organized by the anti-war group at Winona's co-op.
Ashley gives an incredibly moving, personal, and angry speech at an anti-war rally, which unfortunately is attended only by its organizers. The speech is posted online and Ashley sends the link to Dan. Excited, Dan sends all of his friends in the army an email with the subject "Porn Star Speaks Out Against the War" and a link to both videos. Fueled by fury and fascination, the story soon goes viral. Now Ashley must reconcile her loss in the midst of her 15 minutes of fame.
specs
- estimated runtime
- 20-25min
- medium
- color 16mm
- genre
- dark comedy, satire
- type
- narrative fiction short, student film
- date of completion
- April 2010
Help out!
Support the arts! Boost your karma! Earn my eternal gratitude!
This film cannot be made without the support and generosity of friends and strangers. Won't you please help us? Here's how:Volunteer Your Apartment
Seeking an apartment to film in for 2 days/nights. Needs a living room, kitchenette, and bedroom. Cambridge/Somerville area. Credit and copy of film upon completion; promise to leave everything clean and as found.Lend Your Props
seeking:- army surplus gear (tents, camo, etc.)
- video game controllers
- curtains
- table lamps w/ shades
email ashleyamber@rrrojer.net to help.
About the Filmmaker
Rebecca Relkin Rojer is an award winning student filmmaker. Originally from Maplewood, NJ, she produced her first short films and animations as a student at Columbia High School. In 2004 she was selected to participate in the William H. Cosby Future Filmmakers Workshop at NYU and the Innerspark-CSSA Animation Program at CalArts.
Rebecca currently studies film production in the Visual and Environmental Studies department at Harvard University. She also illustrates for the Harvard Lampoon. Her most recent film, Beauty Machine, received an Award of Merit in the Accolade Film Competition and has been selected to screen at Anthology Film Archives in New York as part of the New Filmmakers Program.