CANTON -- Actor and producer Morgan Elliott of Canton is hoping a crowd-funding effort will get a sci-fi film into production soon in Syracuse.

Elliot graduated from Canton Central School in 2009, where he acted in numerous stage productions including “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Mousetrap,” and “Grease.”

The proposed short film, “Sentinel,” follows two men into a quarantine zone in search of a mysterious alien artifact. As they travel further into the quarantine zone, their true intentions for going on the journey are revealed.

Elliot says he and director Marc Schoeberlein “chose a short film format because it allows us a smaller scale with a bigger punch. We can take all of our resources and focus them into a specific moment in time.”

The two worked together in 2013, when Schoeberlein made his directorial debut writing and directing the film “My Brother and Me,” in which Elliott played a supporting role. The film was successfully crowdfunded using the website indiegogo.com. The same approach will be used for the new film and Elliott said he hopes the community that he grew up in can be a part of it.

“I love the area up here, especially the people,” he said. “And we want to share the filmmaking process with them.”

Morgan also runs the production company Ridge 44 Productions, out of Potsdam.

Those who donate to the film will receive perks based on the amount of their donation. Included in the perks are newsletter updates, behind the scenes footage, a copy of the film, as well as the chance to get your name in the credits.

The project can be supported by visiting https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sentinel.