ON A STRING is a feature film about a young violist who, having graduated from Juilliard, now finds herself playing unconventional gigs in NYC and questioning her path. Written and directed by Isabel Hagen, the film is semi-autobiographical, as Isabel is a Juilliard-trained violist who has freelanced in New York for over a decade, playing weddings, private parties, backup strings for struggling singer songwriters, among other engagements. She has been a small part of many other peoples’ stories, which has given her new perspectives on her own story. What is unique is that the musician characters will all be portrayed by actual musicians who will play their own instruments, giving the viewer the feeling they are a fly on the wall at real live music performances/rehearsals. At times it will feel like behind-the-scenes footage. The script is already completed and we are just putting together the fundraising now. It will be fiscal sponsorship, crowdfunding, fundraising events and possible private equity. The goal is to film in April/May, post production during the summer and a final delivery by September, with a festival premiere in early 2024. We are purposely budgeting the film under $300K, to work under the SAG Ultra-Low Budget framework. We feel like this is the best way to make this kind of film.
