Join us on the journey to tell this important story...
Our film is an hallucinatory journey through one man's mind as he is held in confinement, awaiting interrogation and the uncertainty of his ultimate fate.
We are inviting you to come on the journey with us, as a valued member of our team, to help realise this bold and provocative adaptation of a classic short story, The Pit and The Pendulum, by Edgar Allan Poe.
Every contribution is valued. You can become a part of this film for as little as £5
(approx 5,90€; $US 8.00; $AU 8.25)
About The Pit and the Pendulum
The original story of the Pit and the Pendulum was set in the Spanish Inquisition, when thousands of people were captured, tortured and punished simply for following their faith, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It is remarkably resonant with events in the world today. Torture in the Spanish Inquisition was not used for punishment, but was used to elicit information. Can we say 'Enhanced Interrogation'?
Our adaptation of Poe's story is based in the contemporary world where religion and politics still live in uneasy tension. Ordinary people of faith are caught up in events beyond their control and end up persecuted for practicing the 'wrong' faith.
The irony is that the 3 main religions in conflict - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - are all religions of the Book and all worship the same God, albeit with different names - Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah. These religions are collectively known as the Abrahamic religions.
Our Prisoner is a man of peace and faith - we do not know which faith - who is arrested and held for questioning.
Alone in the dark, he begins to hallucinate.
He imagines that he is brought before a religious tribunal comprising judges from the 3 Abrahamic religions.
Each judge demands to know which religion the Prisoner practices. He defies their demands, partly because no matter what he says 2 of the 3 judges will reject him, but also because he will answer only and directly to God.
Denounced as a heretic, infidel, blasphemer by the Tribunal, the Prisoner is sentenced to death.
He finds himself in a cell where he is tortured and suffers intense hallucinations that become increasingly terrifying.
But the true reality of his situation is worse than any terror he could have imagined.
A real world problem - when, if ever, is torture justified?
We have been caught up in a global "war on terror" for over a decade, and during that decade conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war have been challenged or stretched to their legal breaking point, if not actually disregarded. So who is really responsible for the current state of terror?
Our take on this story was inspired by meeting and learning of the experiences of survivors of torture from the Middle East. The stories of the treatment these people endured were almost incomprehensible. None of these people survived intact. The physical scars could fade but the damage to a person's intellect and psyche is irreparable.
We are making a film that reveals the brutality that we 'civilised' folks are more than capable of inflicting on each other in a way that is truer to the spirit of Poe's original than any other adaptation we have seen.
We are capturing the hallucinatory quality of Poe's story with ambitious visual effects and courageous performances from the cast.
Torture affects not just the victims, but also the perpetrators, and also their families and therefore wider society as a whole.
When enhanced interrogation sends someone insane, questions of innocence or guilt lose meaning, and civilised society loses its soul.
Bringing the story to life - the cast
The Prisoner: Stephen Marcus (Quills, Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels, Kinky Boots)
Christian Judge: Paul McGann (Dr Who, Hornblower, Luther)
Jewish Judge: Nicholas Farrell (Chariots of Fire, Diary of Anne Frank, Torchwood)
Muslim Judge: Jeffery Kissoon (Space 1999, Hamlet, Dirty Pretty Things)
The Clerk of Courts (the Devil): Tom Bonington
The Angel of Death: Chloe Farnworth
Making it happen - heading up the production team
We are a group of committed and enthusiastic story tellers who aim to make films that challenge, inspire and entertain. Between us we have more than 100 film credits and now we are starting to tell our own stories.
Producers: Clare Cahill, Fiona Bavinton, Patricia Rybarczyk
Writer/Director: Fiona Bavinton
Director of Photography: Dawid Pietkiewicz
Production Designer: Paulina Rzeszowska
Armoury and SFX: Matt Strange
VFX Designer: Kostas Koutsoliotas
Costume Designer: Kim Tizard-Lee
Makeup Designer: Ali Reith
Editor: Alan Andrade
Sound Design/Sound Edit: Alistair Lock
Original score: Doug Berwick
Casting Director: Elleanne Green
What We Need
For 2 years we have scrimped and saved to raise the budget for this film.
Our amazing and professional cast and crew have committed to this project for next to nothing in terms of payment. This is a humbling show of faith in the strength of the story.
But, the gamechanger for us was finding the Chislehurst caves in Kent to shoot the trial and prison scenes. The caves have been used by Romans, Druids and Saxons, and during the Blitz in World War 2, they were used as an air-raid shelter.
Each day of filming has cost us around £3500 in location fees and extra lighting but has added amazing production value, as you will see from the pitch video above.
In effect we have had to 'borrow' from our post production budget to cover the costs of shooting in the caves.
So now we need to raise extra funds to make sure that we can finish the film in good enough time to submit it to the major film festivals in 2014. The film relies on some stunning visual effects, which will take time and money to complete.
Every penny, every cent that is contributed to this campaign will help the producers to finish this important film.
If we exceed the goal, we will be able to add more polish to the finished film and it will help us prepare the film for its festival life.
Every contribution to our film is appreciated. We regard you as a partner in this journey, and will publically acknowledge every contribution, unless you prefer to remain anonymous.
The Goodies - what we can offer
The perks we can offer in return for your support include:
- regular updates about progress of the film, via our Facebook page, the film website and email
- access to the film once it is released - either as a digital copy or DVD, hgher contributors will receive autographed copies of the DVD
- personalised messages of thanks from the director and cast.
- autographed posters, t-shirts and merchandise
- invitation to cast/crew screenings of the film or festival screenings if outside London UK
- tickets for guided tours of the Chislehurst caves
- acknowledgment of your support by a shout out on Twitter, Facebook, and by listing on our webpage.
- Higher level contributors will be named in the film credits and on the IMDB page for the film.
Other Ways You Can Help
