The Film itself

After thinking on this whole project a little further, I decided I'd better get around to explaining a bit more about the film itself and the production aims.

Obviously, the one thing I wouldn't want to do is explain the whole film away. It's something of a Catch 22, since posting a script online would ruin a film, but then just saying "we have a really interesting film" doesn't inspire much faith.

As mentioned in a previous blog, the film is a psychological horror of sorts. It's also something of a character drama. It essentially revolves around two characters looking for a way out of a castle they have found themselves in., which is more of a labryinth than anything else. As these two men struggle forth, they reveal more about each other, and themselves, and the mystery of the castle begins to reveal itself.

That's more an incoherent ramble than a dramatic and structured synopsis, I know, but I'm not eager to give too much away until this whole thing gets underway a bit more.

THE PRODUCTION

So, where are we in terms of production? Well, to give some details on things so far, the idea was thought up in early 2006 whilst me and the Director, my friend Henry Brown, were visiting local castles. Naturally, the locations inspired us, and Wales in late Winter is pretty cold and desolate. We visited Caldicot Castle, which is local to where we live, and began talking through ideas about all sorts of things. The castle, although small, was foreboding up close. Crows flew from the derelict towers and the lack of visitors (being an unseasonal time of year) gave the whole area something of a solitary feel.

We started with a simple premise - imagine coming across an abandoned castle, and having a protagonist enter the grounds and begin searching around. Over the course of something like 9 months, this idea grew and festered and developed into the current incarnation which, as the cliche goes, bears virtually no comparison to the original seed from which it was born.

The new idea, however, is a more rounded and interesting look at the same things which first inspired us: isolation, alienation and the sickly feeling that something simple is not right. The location is still the same - namely a labryinthine castle. Characters, narrative and backstory have, naturally, changed a huge amount. What we now have, however, is something that we feel is engaging and entertaining whilst also being extremely unsettling.

BUDGET

I've been contemplating counter-arguments to the inevitable 'why should I donate/why do you need so much money?' questions that are coming. I can, of course, see the problem. It's not whether you can afford it, it's a question of why you should be giving away your hard earned cash.

The truth is, I don't really have an answer. I can be honest, and say that I want the money to make a really good film I'm positive you'll enjoy, but beyond that I can't argue a moral or ethical point about giving away your money. One thing is for certain though, and that this represents an interesting and potentially exciting way of filmmaking.

So, the budget we've set is circa. £150,000 (I'm using English Pound Sterling because I'm in the UK). That's roughly $300,000 for you guys (I think perhaps a little more). This probably seems steep, seeing as some kids are going out there and making films for hundreds. The truth is, budgets are fickle. You can make Jurassic Park for $50 if you want to, and you're inventive enough. It's just you'll end up shooting in your garage using plastic dinosaurs that are filmed really close up to the camera.

I'm being a bit melodramatic with this comparison, but the point remains. Budgets are interchangeable, but the trick is matching the right budget to the right project. The reason our budget is as it is, basically speaking, is due to the following:

• Cast and Crew payments. We plan on finding the right people, not just the cheapest people. We have several quite large ambitions for the cast, to bring the characters to life.
• Studio Hire. This needs to be filmed properly, in a real studio. Studios are quite expensive and as such some money does need to go here.
• Equipment/Resources Hire. Camera, Lighting, Sound, CG, Post-Production, Catering, Transport etc. It all needs to be paid for.
• Production Design. Sets need to be built and struck. They need to be designed.

I've highlighted only a few of the things needed but the point is, to make this film look professional and uncompromised, it needs to be filmed to all intents and purposes like a professional production. You need a competent crew, reliable equipment and the resources to bring it all together.

A question I have been asked, and it's only fair to answer now is: "Do you plan to profit from the film?".

The answer, fundamentally, is not really. We anticipate the film will take between 8-9 months to make, from pre-production through to final mix. We've allocated part of the budget to ourselves as our own salary for this period of time. We've basically had to do this. Making a film on this level would require full-time attention, and holding down jobs whilst working on it is not really an option. The money we have allocated ourselves is pretty reasonable, and it comes to an average of about £8-900 a month (roughly $1600, I think). For two men who operate largely independent lives, this is about the minimum we could safely afford to live on (bearing in mind accommodation is not covered on the budget).

Nevertheless, it's only right be upfront about that. I wouldn't want to deceive people that we were making nothing when we're on salary. That having been said, any ambitions to profit from the film in any other way are definitely out. Not only is there almost no chance a film like this could generate a profit, if it were to generate profit, that money would go back into something more useful (in other words, not our pockets).

PRODUCTION METHOD

The film is being shot against green screen, more accurately called 'chroma-keying'. There are no physical sets, or rather no decorated sets. We'd need to build platforms and other such items for reference and other reasons, but in terms of physical set design, there isn't much (maybe a few aspects of the film would be built).

CG is used to replace sets, a production technique witnessed in films like Sin City, Renaissance and Sky Captain ... Basically, actors are filmed live on the green screen, and then the backdrops are placed in afterwards. Because of the specific visual style of our film, 'photo-realism' with the CG is not the desired effect. Instead, the world will feel more unique, and utilise a more sparse and high contrast visual style.

The film itself is being shot on HD, and produced in what can only be called a 'traditional' fashion. We pre-produce the film, or in other words basically cast and crew it, finalise the script, rent the studio and prepare for physical production.

Then we shoot. The film is anticipated at about 15-20 minutes long, so our shooting schedule probably lasts about 7 working days, and certainly not over 2x5 day weeks. We're shooting on HD (the best medium for this type of production).

Afterwards is post-production, or post. Basically, the footage is edited and CG put in place. Sound Design and Music are made up for the film, and all the elements are brought together in a final mix, where the film is outputted as a finished product.

That basically sums up what I wanted to get across for now. Once I start getting a bit more of an angle of things, and establishing a bit of a rapport with you readers, I'll be adding more to this blog. I'll also be showing you how to donate soon, so we can very hopefully get this show on the road.