Kickstarter Update!
Reality Check met their target and was fully funded
There is no future in time travel….
re:VAULT talks to US filmmaker Chris Buchal about his short Sci-Fi film Reality Check that he is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter.
Can you start by telling us a little about ‘Reality Check’ and what the film is about?
Reality Check, is about the choices people make, which at the core of their being have been made subconsciously for a long time. There was a scientific study in my research for the film, about how people make decisions before they actually are consciously aware of them. This of course started an interesting analysis into the decisions people make in difficult situations. I’d always wanted to do a film on insurance companies, and one day with my friend who prefers to go by the alias “Dr. Seussius” I brought up the insurance+timetravel angle and we discussed it on a trip to the local grocery store. By the end of the trip we had the basic plot figured out.
With regards to the story, it’s a simple theme of how corruption begins on a personal level. In this plot we examine Reality Check Insurance, an insurance corporation with a monopoly on time travel. Even the largest corporations are made of individual people, and their choices lead to corruption in the world today. Our hero, Elion, a “Watcher” at Reality Check, is a cog-in-the-machine whose job it is to go back in time and review claims. During this “one-last-gig,” if she can solve it will A) lead to a promotion, and B) enable her to review an interesting incident concerning her family’s mysterious disappearance in the companies “case-files.” Therefore, she has a strong personal self interest in this assignment which proves to be far more than she signed up for. In the end it’s a film with a loopity loop within a loop, in the vein of PRIMER, with the suspense like the end of ALIEN.
It’s important to understand that in the sci-fi genre, and specifically time travel movies, there are a distinct lack of women in the genre. I read recent article by the guardian on “Why Can’t Women Time Travel?” and have spoken with the writer, and she is aware of Reality Check, and excited to hear a ton of responses to her article, so apparently I’m not the only one who thinks women can time travel. I’ve always felt that writing for female characters adds layers that in a male dominated genre, can at times, be missing. Not to say we don’t have great male actors. I just felt for this film, it needed to be a strong woman.
What films and filmmakers have influenced ‘Reality Check’?
Oh man, so I dived into this post college, and haven’t looked back. Christopher Nolan, and his plot structures are great, he was an English major like myself, and have unlimited respect for him. I have a love of the aesthetics of David Fincher, Darren Aronofsky, and Kubrick. On the indie level, I’m going to try to incorporate my love of Fincher and the quick cutting style of Aronofsky. A UK director I greatly admire is Guy Ritchie, and of course Alfred Hitchcock. Oldboy is a great foreign flick, and I’m sad to see it re-made this year as the original is not even a decade old at this point. Somewhat embarrassing fun fact for you guys. For the past year I’ve gone to sleep to Alfred Hitchcock interviews, as I find his heavy breathing akin to white noise, and his ideas on storytelling: masterful. Of course Speilberg is a huge influence, as I love MINORITY REPORT, and its source material in the writings of Philip K. Dick. Another influence is Robert Heinlein, a science fiction writer who wrote very strong female characters.
In our camera department on Reality Check we have Harrisen Howes from the UK, and he came up with some of the more clever shots in the film, and my director of photography, Paulius Kontijevas, is from Lithuania, so we hope to have some nice European sensibilities in the mix. This combined with Ray Buckley, and my own ideas led to the visual language of the film.
Another way of putting it is this. If the film were a mixed drink it would be a glass of Hitchcock, a splash of Christopher Nolan, and a slice of Aronofsky. You’d order another one after you were done.
Have you cast already, who is working on the film?
We had an extensive auditioning process for the lead of Elion and up until the end, we were rather torn on who to hand the reins off too until Cora Benesh auditioned for us. Upon my first meeting with her we chatted for quite a bit, and I felt safe and comfortable in that she had enough life experience to draw upon to really go through the arch of Elion. I didn’t want the character to be sexualized, or noticed for her curves, but for her character, classiness, and strength of poise. Cora and I began to chat in depth about the character, and after doing so she gained my trust. This trust was essential, as I had put in 1.5 years into pre-production, and needed someone with experience for this passion project. She has written/acted/produced her own film “City Baby” which I thought was a very good indie flick, and I feel confident in her abilities to shoulder this story. The fact she has green eyes also helps.
The rest of the cast is composed of long time collaborators, people I know will work hard as they can to keep the emotions true, and bring the story to life. Great group of guys. Big fans of all of them.
You’re currently raising money on Kickstarter to fund the film, why crowdfunding?
Sci-fi, on the indie level, is probably the hardest genre to execute. You have VFX tests you need to do, you have to make sure the props look futuristic, it’s quite challenging. The amount of money we are asking for is barely enough to cover the costs of production as it is, and without the support of generous people like your readers, films like this can’t happen. This is a film that tackles corporate accountability, has a strong female lead in a genre (time-travel) that rarely has them, and a story that will kick some serious ass. That said, it’s hard to break into a movie industry, and I felt that through kickstarter we would have a legit platform to get word out about the film. We have definitely taken our time with this project, and I’m quite fond of our VFX artist, Chris Herrick, and plan to work with him for some time to come, as well as the rest of my cast and crew. Sound Department, Lighting, Camera, Production Design, Wardrobe, and I have all worked hard at developing this film. Crowdfunding also will allow people a chance to see it as it comes to life, which is my favorite part of the filmmaking experience. Once you start shooting, it becomes a more monotonous exercise of getting as many great ideas as possible “In the can.” Wouldn’t trade it for the world however.
And for UK fans?
This was my first kickstarter campaign and a mistake I made was to not have shipping outside the U.S which can’t be changed now. I’d like to make it clear to any fans in the UK that I will personally see to this oversite myself, and ensure they are eligible for any rewards they back.
Anything else you would like to add?
Chris Herrick, my films composer SHK THT, and myself have a super cool music video coming out at the end of August, for a track called “Burning” you will definitely want to see it. Its about a man who comes to consciousness as gasoline is poured on his head, by a woman whose body ignites into fire. It’s fun.
And where can people find out more about you and the film?
Here’s a few samples of past work.
Commercial prize winner “Baquon”
Poem: Childhood
Comedy: Bad Cop Bad Cop – Monopoly Man
And of course the all important Kickstarter page
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