Star Dover

Star Dover is a daring challenge for a university project. It always floated around waiting to be started, since there have been many talks about creating a sitcom that could have everybody rolling on the floor laughing, but not simply that. We wanted something more than just a good laugh, therefore the project holds the key to a perfect balance between raunchy and serious, adding a note of artistic value for a complete journey.

Logline In this quirky, heartwarming comedy, a struggling actor aims to make it big in Amsterdam, but an unlikely bunch of roommates are unintentionally disrupting his plans.

Synopsis Set in the vibrant city of Amsterdam, "Star Dover" tells the story of Ben, a struggling actor with big dreams. In the pilot episode of the show “Start Dover”, Ben prepares for a crucial audition, however, his well-meaning but unpredictable friends, Marco and Peter, inadvertently disrupt his chances with a chaotic entrance to the audition room. The audition quickly turns into a disaster, leaving Ben frustrated and disappointed.

After the failed audition, Ben retreats to his job at a Greek restaurant, where he encounters Megan, a girl who was stood up by a date. Their chance meeting offers a glimmer of hope in Ben's otherwise tumultuous day.

Meanwhile, Marco and Peter, along with their endearing but forgotten Grandpa Willy, face their own misadventures as they try to apologize to Ben. In the process, they inadvertently stumble upon a series of humorous mishaps, from bizarre situations in the restaurant to a comical mix-up involving Grandpa Willy and a bucket.

The ending of the pilot contains an unusual welcome home for Ben expecting the worst. It is topped off with a heartfelt and inspiring conversation that shows there is always hope for the young actor.

The Spark that Ignited "Star Dover"

To pour your heart and soul into what becomes your next obsession for a certain period of your life, that's how you know a project is more than just that. It's a part of you, an extension of your deepest desires, if you may. Evgeni and Ioan Tudor (John) have contemplated upon creating a sitcom in the past but, none of them actually thought it would come to life. Now, here they stand with their bona fide creation. For good or bad, the foundation upon which Star Dover was built, was simply having a good laugh that will last the test of time. To be able to have fun while working is everyone's dream, and they are not afraid to show it to the world. Altogether all the people on board will be subject to feeling good and wearing a big smile, otherwise, they don't see the reason to go on with this project. It turned out, as ideas were thrown at this concept from left and right, that the project served a greater purpose, and that is to be pitched to the finest and biggest productions in hopes of being adopted and shown to the world. As with all previous sitcoms such as The Office, Brooklyn 99 and Modern Family, they want to share their laughs on and off set with the world and ultimately, be proud at the end of the day.

TheTeam

John is focused on creating something that can put a smile on people's faces. Being a musician and an aspiring actor, he decided to take on the role of director as well. With ideas that can only amaze people, he is determined to bring out the best in this project. His raunchy humor, but seriousness on set, make work become a pleasure.

One of the sharpest and most calculated minds one gets to see. A person who doesn't stop until the job is done and who knows how to micro-manage every little step of the way. He has a creative vision that is equally as important as his other managerial skills and to top that he is a musician in his free time.

A talented man who has always been passionate about the visual arts of cinematography. He has a lot of experience in wielding a camera and manages to bring to life every project that he works on. Luca was the first and only choice for Star Dover since he is very easy to work with and brings a wide variety of gear that is essential for an ambitious project.

An editor unlike no other who has so much experience in his field that post-production feels like a walk in the park for him. Furthermore, he has patience and gets the job done without even complaining once, making him a must-have in every team.

The color palette of this project and a creative mind. Yana is hardworking and focused on picking up the best costumes for the characters and bringing out the best in every set, having the most carefully picked props. Always easy to work with and understanding of every situation, she is a delight to work with and worthy of praise.

David is one of the nicest people someone can meet. He always does his job without hearing any complaints coming from him. Delivers without a sweat and always carries a big smile on set which helps greatly with the mood overall.

Budget

Overview
The funds required for this project will solely cover the expenses needed to compensate the actors for their travel and catering as well as the props needed to create the set design. The equipment which will be used is already either ours, or will be made available by the university. Hence, we simply want to ensure that those, who decided to collaborate with the Star Dover team, have a smooth and rewarding experience and are properly taken care of.

Travel Expenses
We managed to secure the perfect shooting locations within the city of Breda - our base of operations, which means the travel costs for the crew are kept to a minimum. However, we do need to transport our three main actors to our shooting grounds. The most expensive train ticket within the Netherlands towards Breda is 35 EUR per direction. A return trip is 70 EUR. That comes out to 210 EUR in total for the three actors. And since we shoot for three days it brings us to a total of 630 EUR traveling expenses.

Catering
A full stomach is vital for a positive work attitude. Hence catering is essential for both the cast and crew - a total of 10 people. We will provide one big lunch and two small snack breaks during our shooting days. Considering meal prices on takeaway in the NL, we have estimated the lunch per person to be 10-12 EUR when ordering in bulk, plus an additional 5-10 EUR per person for both snack breaks. As a result, we have concluded that 19 EUR per person, per day will be enough to guarantee the satisfaction of the production team. Consequently, this comes out to EUR 190 per day. Hence, for the three shooting days, we would require roughly EUR 570 for catering.

Props and set design
One of the most essential elements of a sitcom is "The Apartment". Every successful sitcom, based around a group of friends, has the iconic flat which serves as the living and breathing representation of the main characters. We so happen to have access to an almost empty apartment, which we aim to transform into the next iconic sitcom hub. A chaotically organized "mancave" with decorations ranging from a Lady Gaga shrine to a bed made of nothing more than two mattresses on top of one another. In order to make sure the apartment feels alive, we will be decorating it with thrifted and second-hand furniture. This also happens to also be very wallet-friendly. Additionally, due to the majority of the crew (5/6), being guys, we already have a wide variety of decorative props. Hence, we simply need to acquire some roughed-up essential furniture, such as a couch or a bean bag, we estimate we would need no more than 300 EUR to breathe life into the home of our characters.

*The objective is set at 1,700 euros in order to adequately account for the inclusion of crowdfunding fees.