Story
Tagline:
Half brother and sister, Beryl and Richard, decide to pursue their dreams of becoming singers in the midst of a UK in lockdown.
Short Synopsis:
Richard and Beryl move back into their family home with their father, Mike, during the lockdown. Shot in a mockumentary style we meet them after they have decided to finally pursue their dreams of starting a band. They hold socially distanced auditions and through Beryl's contacts they find an Italian guitarist called Marco who moves in with them and their father. The new band spend their time brainstorming before eventually making a music video for a song about unity that they hope will make a lasting positive impact on the world and launch them into superstardom.
What we need
Getting a film off the ground is costly at all levels of the industry. Below is the breakdown of how we will be using your generous contributions!
Break it down for folks in more detail:
£1100 - Crew and actors
£650 - Camera, lighting, face masks and other protective equipment
£100 - Costume
£210 - Travel expenses
£200 - Feeding the cast and crew
£200 - Film Festivals
The Impact
The aim or message of this project is all based in this idea that humanity is in desperate need for clear voices to articulate that humanity's problems can only be solved by recognising it's oneness. One of the ways we hope to highlight this need is through our main characters as they represent those very well intentioned people who feel confused by the sometimes conflicting messages from all areas of life. That these people want to do something good and recognise enough that the world is not in great shape but are unaware of the best way to go about creating change. Richard and Beryl's well intentioned but naive attempts at raising awareness of the need for unity will hopefully be a source of good humour but, also bring to light how imperative the search for clarity can be in the life of every community, city or country in the world!
Meet the team!
Director/Writer/Producer - Louis Djalili
At this point in my career as a I director I am working hard to hone the ability to say something with each of my films whilst still trying to keep them light and humorous. I am very excited to be reuniting with a lot of the talent that made our previous project so special. Last year I directed my first short film as part of my MA in directing (above). The film has been selected for festivals in the UK, Italy and the US and is still waiting on other submissions to different film festivals. Letting Go also won best student short at the Under the Stars film festival in Bari, Italy. The hope is to continue circulating it for the rest of the year. The film dealt with the transformative power that improv can have on a person who, as the title implies, needs to let go. But, also how that this letting go can bring about a profound change in someone when they are pushed out of their comfort zone. At this point in my career as a I director I am working hard to hone the ability to say something with each of my films whilst still trying to keep them light and humorous. I am very excited to be reuniting with a lot of the talent that made our previous project so special.
https://vimeo.com/373113711 - if you would like to watch my previous work whilst you consider contributing then here is the link but you will have to email me to get the password :) (Ldjalili95@gmail.com)
Director of Photography - Martino Masi
Martino already has extensive experience in the Italian industry working in the camera department in various commercials and short films. He has since expanded this experience onto sets in the UK, recently having worked on a feature film. Martino was also the cinematographer for Letting Go and I cannot think of making a film without him by my side. Since the beginning of his studies, Martino has channelled his passion for filmmaking into the art of lighting. His work is inspired by Luca Bigazzi and Emmanuel Lubezki. Martino's competence on defining the visual look of the film with his unique artistic eye will be of value throughout.
Writing the Original song - Laurence Cuthbert
Ladies and Gentleman, our very own Laurence Cuthbert is on the team. Need I say more? No. But just to be on the safe side I will. Whilst at University our paths crossed and we became friends during the time Laurence was directing a musical of his own making. Dead: a musical was magnificent and the peak of student theatre. Not only was the script a lot of fun, that Laurence Co-wrote with another friend, but the standard of original songs Laurence wrote and produced blew everyone away. Since then Laurence went on to write music for another one of his shows that he ended up taking up to the Edinburgh Fringe for a successful run. He also wrote the music for the LAKESIDE Arts Theatre production of Greek Comedy Lysistrata. In most greek shows the chorus is rather boring but for this production Laurence turned these chorus sequences into punk rock songs as well as 90s boyband ballads. Not only did this work display his wonderful creativity but it also showed his knowledge of a broad range of music genres. Having Laurence on the creative team is such a delight because he understands the tone of the film and the characters he is writing the song for. It's all very exciting.
Costume Designer - Lizzie Butterick
Lizzie studied Theatre Design BA at Nottingham Trent University where she designed costumes for two local plays in her final year. Since graduating Lizzie has worked in costume for Television on shows such as 'Temple', 'Belgravia', and most recently 'The Great', an 18th century drama-comedy for Hulu. This will be the third project I will have worked with Lizzie on as she designed costumes for a play I was in and last year she was our costume designer for Letting Go. Lizzie's understanding of each character really came across in her work on that project as her design brought a whole new dimension to the lead characters that just fit the tone of the story perfectly.
Editor - Isabella Djalili-Devine
With Isabella's background in comedy editing and documentary filmmaking it is clear that there could be no one better suited to this project for the post production. Isabella's credits include working as an editor for the BBC, Virgin Media, an improvised mockumentary comedy web series, that was broadcast on Mark Watsons 25 hour show for Comic Relief, and many other free lance projects that include work on award winning short films. Having Isabella on the team ensures a level of professionalism as well as a trusted set of eyes that can see things others can't when she gets all the rushes at the end of the shoot. Her work on Letting Go was hugely significant in changing the pace and structure of the narrative for the better and all those involved in the project are indebted to her. It must be said also that Isabella is a director and practical filmmaker in her own right and is always working on scripts of her own and documentary projects on the go. She is also my older sister.
Our wonderful lead cast:
Richard - Harry Bradley
Yet another familiar face from our previous project! Harry is a terrific actor who trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama before almost immediately going out on tour with the Pop-up Globe! He spent most of last year out in Australia and New Zealand performing in various different Shakespeare classics. But, he also managed to sneak in a lead role in Letting Go as Peter, the stressed dentist. Harry and I met at the University of Nottingham in the student theatre and what has always amazed me about Harry's acting is incredible range. He goes from scary/intimidating one minute to leaving the whole crew or audience in stitches with his performances on camera or stage. I feel extremely privileged to have him now on board for our second project together in a row as he is not only a huge talent but a wonderfully kind person.
Beryl - Pippa Walton
Like Harry, Pippa is an extremely talented actor who I met whilst at the University of Nottingham and she is in the midst of finishing her training at The Guilford School of acting. Even with lockdown the school are going ahead with their showcase online and any agent who does not take Pippa on board as a client would be mad as she is a hugely gifted actor. But, before all that Pippa performed in a sell out run of The Great Gatsby at the Edinburgh Fringe and starred alongside Harry in Letting Go as well as many other theatre projects. I have no doubt that Pippa's is a career that will go far in this industry as she offers so much as an actor, is great to work with and is full of joy and laughter.
Other Ways You Can Help
We really understand that many have been badly effected by Covid - 19 in many ways and given the lockdown we understand that money is tight for all of us! If you cannot contribute financially but if you would still like to support us then please do share this page :)
Thank you for even reading this far!