Crowdfunding Spotlight // You And The Night (Collectors Edition DVD)

Indiegogo Update
You And The Night did not meet their target

Normally we feature filmmakers crowdfunding to shoot or finish their film but then we heard about Peccadillo Pictures Indiegogo campaign for the Collectors Editor DVD of You And The Night so we thought we would find out more!

Could this be the way of the future for independent distribution?

First off, a little about You And The Night.

“Around midnight, a stylish young couple and their exuberant transvestite maid prepare for an orgy. Their guests will be The Slut, The Star, The Stud and The Teen. Each comes with their own dark and impassioned secrets, unravelled in sequences and flashbacks, in a night that will stay with you long after.

Writer-director Yann Gonzalez’ sensual and erotic debut played to critical-acclaim during Critics’ Week at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and stars former international footballer, Eric Cantona and cult legend, Beatrice Dalle (BETTY BLUE) in this kitsch ode to love and lust.

With electrifying music by M83, helmed by Anthony Gonzalez, YOU AND THE NIGHT evokes the style and substance of Almodovar, Ozon and Lynch.” (taken from peccapics.com)

Why did you decide to crowdfund the Collectors Edition DVD release of You and the Night, was it for cost effectiveness, to engage with audiences in a new way, a little of both or a different reason entirely?

As an independent distributor, Peccadillo Pictures is always looking for exciting and innovative new ways to bring our films to audiences in the UK, Ireland and across the world. And we’ve decided it’s time for something completely different.

By getting you, the audience, involved with a film before release we can actually create and then manufacture exactly what’s needed and at the same time give you exclusive goodies related to the film that you won’t be able to find elsewhere.

This could become an entirely new way of bringing our films (and definitely special editions of our films) to our audience. Not only does it give you a faster, direct route to our films and other goodies at good prices, it also brings more revenue back to the film than it would get through conventional means. So it’s good for us, it’s good for our films and it’s good for you too.

Do you think you will try crowdfunding again?
We’d like to keep options open, yes. If this is a success, we’ll see there’s a demand for special collector’s edition products and we would want to carry on bringing these items to UK and Irish audiences.

Do you feel this is the way forward for film distribution?
I think this idea is still in its infancy. Crowdfunding if not endorsed by big names can be tricky to propagate to the general public. I think crowdfunding for the right film product can offer something new and exciting in ways that traditional forms of film distribution cannot.

Thanks Peccadillo Pictures! To get your hands on the Collectors Editon of You And The Night plus other perks on offer such as T-Shirts, the Soundtrack, Posters and Exclusive Screenings go to:
indiegogo.com/projects/you-and-the-night-collector-s-edition-dvd

Indiegogo Reveal “How to Crowdfund”

Following a new look website, Indiegogo are offering everyone a FREE how to manual on crowdfunding!

To download a copy for yourself go to:
landing.indiegogo.com/film-handbook

What can you expect?

Crowdfunding Spotlight // The Ditch

A supernatural ghost-revenge story set in the English countryside. The Ring meets Witchfinder General!

re:VAULT speaks to Stephen Coltrane about ‘The Ditch’, currently raising money on indiegogo

Can you start by telling us a little about ‘The Ditch’ and what the film is about?
The film asks the question: what would you do if you ran over someone in your car, in the middle of nowhere? What if you couldn’t call for help, because the last thing you wanted was for anyone to know where you were? What if things got out of control and suddenly you had a dead body on your hands?

The Ditch is a thriller with a supernatural twist. It’s about Donna, a woman who seems to be on the run, and who is involved in a car accident with a mysterious young woman who just appears out of nowhere in the middle of the road. Torn between wanting to help and wanting to get away, Donna makes a series of bad choices and soon finds herself at the mercy of a presence which is not of this world. Taking place entirely in the beautiful English countryside, The Ditch is a short but intense experience, bringing an unsettling ghostly feel to its pastoral location.

The director of The Ditch, Sheena Holliday, has been a lover of horror films for a long time. She feels it’s very important that horror is seen as a worthwhile genre where high-quality cinema can be made; too many horror films come across as lowbrow, ‘for-the-sake-of-it’, exploitation films. Although there’s an obvious market for films like that, we both think horror is capable of something more.

What films and filmmakers have influenced ‘The Ditch’?
The Ditch is a blend of Japanese/Korean ghost-revenge stories like The Ring and The Grudge, with the British rural horrors of the 1960s such as Witchfinder General or Blood on Satan’s Claw. We wanted to produce something which was more subtle than a simple monster film, so we’ve been influenced by films which deliver their scares mostly by atmosphere and glimpses of the horror. Think of, for example, Hideo Nakata’s Dark Water or J A Bayona’s The Orphanage – or even The Blair Witch Project, although ours isn’t a ‘found footage’ film.

And what are your hopes for the finished film?
We’re going to submit the film to festivals, with a particular focus on horror film festivals and short film festivals, but also on festivals which specialise in films by women directors. Whether or not we have success on the festival circuit, we want to explore ways in which we can distribute The Ditch in conjunction with Sheena’s other films such as her moving drama Roseberry Road, which is currently finishing post-production.

 director, Sheena Holliday

You’re currently raising money on Indiegogo to fund the film, why crowdfunding?
We’re crowdfunding for two reasons. First, there’s a shortfall in the budget – we’ve already shot half of this film, but we had to stop using the location (they wanted it for pheasant shooting!) last year, so we have to go back this year at the same time, for continuity. This means re-hiring the location, the equipment, etc., and so that means even more money is needed.

However, there’s a more important reason why we like the crowdfunding model. The independent filmmaking sector in Britain is overlooked and disadvantaged. There’s a huge wealth of talent out there and the only place it can look to for help is the community of film-lovers, because they know to look beyond the big Hollywood productions to find quality. People who get involved in crowdfunding do it because they want to see small but high-quality productions succeed, because they believe in the independent sector where innovation and creativity are able to flourish. Bringing The Ditch in front of this community means we have a chance to let them know about it, and they get a chance to show their support and feel they own a part of the production. Plus, of course, they get special mementoes of the film they helped to make!

Thanks Stephen, anything you would like to add?
Yes. I mentioned women’s film festivals earlier. Something that both Sheena and I feel very strongly about is that women need better representation in films, especially horror films. Only one-third of characters in high-grossing films are female, and only 10-15% of leading characters are female. Women get only one-third of on-screen dialogue. And women in horror films are nearly always represented only as victims, as fodder to be slashed up, abused, raped and tortured.

When we were talking over the story of The Ditch, about two years ago, we originally conceived it as a story about two men. Then one of us suggested, “couldn’t it be two women?” It was like a light going on. Suddenly the tone and dynamics of the story changed, and it became much more interesting. We found complexities and potential avenues of story development which just wouldn’t have been there if it had been all-male.

We both think women have a lot to bring to the horror genre. It’s not about having more women as axe-wielding maniacs, or more men as their victims – that’s just the same formula with the roles reversed. No, it’s about a whole different way of looking at how we can make people scared, how we can make things more interesting than just monster-chases-victim (although that obviously can be interesting sometimes!).

And where can people find out more about you and the film?
We have a range of rewards to offer to people who make a contribution on our Indiegogo site, ranging from copies of the script and DVDs to limited edition concept art and even a masterclass with our highly experienced makeup artist! As well as raising money we’d obviously be delighted if people would click the ‘Like’ button and leave comments – feedback is very important to us, whether it’s about the crowdfunding site or about the film in general.

Indiegogo: igg.me/at/theditch
Website: theditchmovie.com
Facebook: facebook.com/theditchmovie
Blog: http://theditchmovie.wordpress.com
Twitter: @onthetrainprods
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/theditch/boards/

Crowdfunding Spotlight // Halcyon Heights

Halcyon Heights
Hope can be found in the strangest places,                                                         sometimes it is sitting right beside you…

Currently raising money on indiegogo, we chat to filmmaker and actress Isla Ure.

Can you start by telling us a little about ‘Halcyon Heights’ and what the film is about?
Halcyon Heights follows the lives of two misfits as they routinely get on the same packed bus every day and go about their daily routine. Occasional interactions with their fellow passengers get them no closer to feeling that they aren’t alone. Until one day, one of them takes actions to discover more about this mysterious character that they have watched closely and fantasised stories about. An unravelling of their lives begins and they realise that what you think you know about someone isn’t always right. And sometimes in the process you can learn a lot about yourself.

Why make a feature with the same characters from Passengers and not something new, why do you feel so drawn to these two characters?
I think a lot of writers draw from their own lives, people they know and situations they’ve been involved in – and that is exactly what I’ve done here, consciously and subconsciously. After I wrote the initial script for Passengers and after we’d shot it I found myself still writing scenes with them in – learning more about them through different scenarios and challenges, so it became clear to me that there was still story to be told. What makes these characters addictive to write is that they are similar in many ways and both hiding a lot, so finding ways and reasons for them to reveal themselves is a really interesting process.

You’re currently raising money on Indiegogo to fund the film, why crowdfunding?
I’ve been involved in projects that have successfully crowdfunded before and I thought it was such a lovely collaborative way to get it off the ground. It’s a risk and that’s scary, but then when you see that people are supportive and believe in what you’re doing it’s a real boost. I want this to be a story that people can relate to, feel connected with and so it’s quite nice that it’s for everybody and from everybody! (does that make sense!!?)
Plus, I looked into funding options and there seems to be certain times of year when you can do this – and I’m impatient!!

I see on your indiegogo page that should the film make money you plan to donate all profits to The Tommy Fund, can you tell us a little more about this?
The original character of Shane was played by my partner Tom and sadly he died in March in an accident while he was travelling. He was very much by my side while I was writing this and was so passionate about making it. The decision to do it without him was not an easy one but I know that he would be so angry if I didn’t! And his family have been so supportive in making this his legacy. At the same time as organising this I set up The Tommy Fund, a bursary scheme for other creatives who need a boost at the beginning of their career. We estimate that we will have around £20,000 fundraised for this by the end of the year – and then in Tom’s name we can hopefully make some peoples dreams come true…

And where can people find out more about you and the film?

Check out the indiegogo page at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/halcyon-heights

and the facebook page at www.facebook.com/HalcyonHeightsFilm

Crowdfunding Spotlight // Siren

A short film about desire and identity…..

We chat to the writer and director of Siren, Louise to find out more….

Can you start by telling us a little about ‘Siren’ and what the film is about?
Siren is a live action short film about a young woman in her mid-twenties called Elizabeth. She lives in a small coastal village and feels her life is very sheltered and often feels trapped. She could leave but she hasn’t, she’s a confused and frustrated woman. She has an on/off mostly sexual relationship with a local man called Tom and though she does have some emotional connection to him it doesn’t quite fulfill her. Then she meets an older Spanish woman who is visiting the village she lives in and begins to feel emotions she hasn’t really ever felt so deeply before – lust, desire, passion, obsession even.

Concept art for Siren

 

What is the current stage of production and who is involved?
We’re currently in pre-production and we will be shooting at the end of June, with an aim to have the film edited by Autumn. We have cast two of the roles from the film but are still in the process of casting the character of Serina. We have two amazing actors attached for the roles of Elizabeth and Tom, Shian Denovan and Christian Kinde, and its really exciting to see it come together.

Behind the scenes we have the amazingly talented cinematographer Laura Bellingham whom I met on my last short film First Bite and have worked with more recently with on a Nikon promo which Laura also directed. I will also be working with a lot of the same post team from First Bite; editor Neil Fergusson who always understands exactly what I’m asking for even if I can’t put it into words exactly. And composer Victoria Wijeratne who I’ve know for many years now, her music is beautiful and will work so well with the story of Siren.

Concept art for Siren

 

You’re currently raising money on Indiegogo to fund the film, why crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding is a great way to build an audience and fan base prior to finishing the film, it sort of reverses the whole production process, in a sense that you have to market a film that doesn’t yet really exist rather than making a film, finishing it, entering it into festivals and marketing the film that way. I think crowdfunding is great in that it is open to everyone who wants to give it a go, and of course is willing to put the hard work in to make it successful. In recent years we have seen the amount of funding available to filmmakers in the UK cut and its a shame that there are a lot of talented filmmakers out there with a story to tell who lack the funds to act on their vision. For Siren, crowdfunding seemed like the logical step to making the film. I was lucky to receive funding from Film London and the North London Film Partnership for First Bite, which was an amazing opportunity for me and I am very thankful to have been given it but Siren felt like it was going to be a larger project that wouldn’t fit into the 10 minute, low budget format. First Bite was actually shot entirely in 11 hours, this time we plan to shoot Siren in 4 days, which considering the amount of locations is also ambitious!

Location photos

Anything you would like to add?
Our Indiegogo campaign went live on Friday and can be viewed at igg.me/at/siren

Please help us spread the word by sharing this link on twitter, facebook, tumblr, reddit, linkedin and any other social media outlet you can think of!

Website: deadflowerproductions.com/siren
Blog: sirenfilm.wordpress.com
Twitter: @deadflowerfilms
Facebook: facebook.com/sirenshortfilm