AN UPSTART FILM COLLECTIVE PICTURE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH NIFTYFILM

The Absence is
Always Present

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About The Project

THE ABSENCE IS ALWAYS PRESENT introduces a new paradigm of fundraising for independent cinema. It is a multi-year, multi-disciplinary concept that marries art, photography and film in fresh, new, exciting ways utilizing blockchain and NFT technologies.

At its core, THE ABSENCE IS ALWAYS PRESENT is initially a short film and eventually a feature length adaptation about grief and loss. During the pre-production process, through additional artwork by writer/director Jason Charnick and collaborations with other artists, we can explore the concepts of these uniquely human emotions in various ways while raising the funds necessary to shoot the films themselves.

New drops will take place on a regular basis across multiple blockchains and at varying price points. They will be standalone collections of photographs, film clips, and shorts, but also part of Jason’s personal journey of mourning an unspeakable loss.

About The Film

Doug & Shelley Hensley are a happily married couple whose lives are irreparably damaged after a routine visit to the obstetrician in the late stages of Shelley’s pregnancy reveals the death of their daughter. Doug is powerless as he has to watch his wife deliver their deceased child, leading him down a self-destructive path with devastating consequences.

The short version of the film finds Doug visiting Shelley after the dissolution of their marriage as he attempts to make amends, while the feature version is an in-depth character study of a man struggling to find meaning in life after all meaning is lost.

Stillbirth and infant loss are two facets of human existence that rarely get spoken about publicly, and the fathers of stillborns are often neglected, as societal and gender norms place a heavy burden on the shoulders of these brave men.

About The Director

Jason is a native of the Bronx, New York and a 25+ year veteran of the entertainment industry. Moving to Los Angeles in 1999, he cut his teeth in the post department on the early James Franco film, AT ANY COST. In 2002, he partnered up with writer/director Peter Sullivan (SECRET OBSESSION, FATAL AFFAIR) to produce the wildly successful short film, NIGHT SURF, one in a long line of Stephen King’s Dollar Baby film projects.

In 2004, he was responsible for creating stop-motion post workflows for the popular TV show ROBOT CHICKEN. Working in branding and promotions since 2006, he’s been involved with such recent blockbusters as THE BATMAN, TOP GUN: MAVERICK, NOPE and BULLET TRAIN as well as highly-rated TV shows such as THE VOICE and THE PROBLEM WITH JON STEWART. Jason has also post supervised main title sequences for multiple films with Happy Madison Productions including GROWN UPS 1 & 2, YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN and CLICK.

Never to stray far from his indie roots, he spent time during these blockbusters to write and direct his own shorts, as well as his debut feature, GETTING OVER, which had its World Premiere at SXSW 2018. It also won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at that year’s Indigo Moon Film Festival in Fayetteville, NC and is in the top one-percent of independent films released in the last five years to make a profit.

More recently, Jason has already had multiple successful web3 film projects including THE 29 PALMS COLLECTION and LONG BEACH LIFTED, an unofficial, yet fully-licensed collab with the legendary hip-hop artist and Long Beach native, Snoop Dogg. Jason is committed to helping create sustainable careers for filmmakers and every project he develops, especially THE ABSENCE IS ALWAYS PRESENT, is dedicated to the memory of his daughter Shelby.

NFT Strategy

To raise funds to shoot the short version of THE ABSENCE IS ALWAYS PRESENT, writer/director Jason Charnick has developed a complete NFT strategy spanning different blockchains, artistic disciplines and varying utility to add collectibility, value and minimize investor risk.

There will be three different price points to attract NFT collectors of all varieties and spending levels, and all initial NFTs will offer early access to the completed films. There is also a charitable component, and a robust collaborative environment to inspire other artists to contribute to the project with additional perspectives on the central themes of grief and loss.

Pricing Options

SUPPORTER LEVEL – ENTRY LEVEL

Using the popular objkt.com marketplace on the Tezos blockchain, our initial drops will be limited editions of Jason Charnick’s photography and work on the subject of grief and loss.

COLLECTOR LEVEL – MID-PRICE // PATRON LEVEL – HIGH END

Moderately priced NFTs will be listed on the largest marketplaces on the Ethereum blockchain, OpenSea and Rarible. These can include art, photography, and film clips.

High end work will also be available that includes credits on the film and exclusive access to other NiftyFilm projects. Potential future NFTs include alternate takes, soundtrack audio, and other behind-the-scenes access, like on-set video conference calls with the cast and crew.

The NiftyFilm marketplace will bring all three price points together in one location to help add to the cohesive nature of the project. Drops will take place on a regular basis, all directly supporting the film and associated causes.

Collectibility & Value

With the flexibility of NFT technology, the possibilities for value & collectibility are limitless. Some of the features we can implement to add value include using generative art to create commemorative 1/1 artworks with the names of other lost loved ones, customized to the purchaser’s wishes.

Early supporters will also be a part of exclusive airdrops offering free and discounted NFTs related directly to the movie, such as storyboards, script pages, screen tests, auditions, special credits, and much, much more! NFTs can also serve as access to the film itself outside of the blockchain, tickets to virtual premieres inside the metaverse — we like that Cryptovoxels has the Bronx! — and eventually also provide profit participation in the feature version, as our current intention is not to offer the final films as NFTs themselves.

All our NFTs across all three platforms also come with FULL USAGE RIGHTS. Artists, feel free to remix, reuse, and reimagine anything we offer even for commercial use. All NiftyFilm NFTs are offered with Creative Commons CC4 licenses and also offer exclusive access to other NiftyFilm projects such as Late Night Dreads.

And as NFT markets continue to evolve, we can continue to airdrop additional features and add even more value to earlier releases.

Artist Collaborations

Artists of all disciplines and nationalities are invited to participate in the project in any way without being officially partnered with us. This can serve as additional marketing and outreach while the artists still control the primary market for their creations.

We are also seeking out strategic partnerships with other cryptoartists and NFT filmmakers. Through the use of customized smart contracts, artists can automatically receive direct compensation from the sale of their work, and continue to receive royalties on the secondary market regardless of the progress of the overall project.

12.5% of the sale from each NFT purchased as part of the project will also be reinvested directly into the NFT community itself by purchasing works by other cryptoartists that confront the same project themes of grief and loss.

Charitable Contributions

A charitable component is a crucial aspect of the overall project. Writer/Director Jason Charnick has previously worked with Forever Footprints — www.foreverfootprints.org — a southern California based non-profit organization dedicated to serving families who have suffered pregancy and infant loss.

Through the use of customized smart contracts, 12.5% of the sale of each NFT purchased as part of the project will be automatically donated to Forever Footprints as they continue their mission of educating the medical community to improve quality of care and response, and offering opportunities for remembrance to help families find their own path to healing.