Hello, my name is Paul Murphy and I'm an award winning film director with over 15 years of experience in the film industry but today I need your help to raise funds and support for my latest short film: Gypsy's Kiss. 

Gypsy's Kiss is a short drama starring BAFTA winning actress Gemma Jones as Judith, an elderly widow who reasserts her own sense of independence with an unconventional yearly pilgrimage to her late husband's grave.

'Gypsy's Kiss' is one of the six Challenge Alexa 2017 winning scripts chosen by Directors UK and ARRI. As well as receiving a camera package for free for two days, tThe finished films will be screened at a premiere for the members of Directors UK at the end of April. No biggie or pressure there then!

Synopsis
Judith is alone. A widower, with a distant son, she's takes life as she finds it; she's East End through and through. Devoting her life to her late husband Fred and her son wasn't easy, but she never sought thanks and never complained. So every year she marks the anniversary with a pilgrimage to his grave, and every year she's reminded just how much Fred meant to her.

Gypsy’s Kiss is a film about demonstrating a person’s independence and strength, regardless of their age or gender. Society too often treats older people as an amalgamated group – conservative, out of touch and powerless. Judith’s story however is one of a defiant and rebellious woman, celebrating and reaffirming her individuality and freedom from a society which has kept her down for much of her life.

A surprising and hopeful film, Gypsy’s Kiss hopes to inspire the audience to think about their attitudes to older people in our society, and to celebrate acts of defiance against any individual or system which seeks to oppress or restrain the rights of others.

WHAT DO WE NEED?

We need to raise £5000 in just 15 DAYS to bring this short story to the big screen. Why 15 days? We’ve got a limited production window to shoot, edit and finish this film ahead of the Directors UK premiere at the end of April. This is an AMAZING opportunity but the short term turnaround means we are unable to apply for film grants, bursaries or private investment in enough time.

But we’re not just looking for funding. We want to create a community around this film and inspire a generation of men and women who want to be free, to be themselves, on their own terms, in their own lives.

CASTING 

The part of Judith represents the chance for an older female actress to defy the usual conventions of their age, play a peach of a role, and carry a strong and defiant message out into the world. Given the strength of the script, the team involved, and the support of ARRI and Directors UK we have been able to cast the perfect British actress to bring Judith the life: Gemma Jones.

Gemma Jones is one of Britain's most acclaimed actresses. Best known for her roles as Bridget's mother in the BRIDGET JONES trilogy; Madam Pomfrey, the Hospital matron of Hogwarts School in the HARRY POTTER series; and as Mrs. Dashwood in Ang Lee's SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, Gemma is one of the UK’s most distinguished leading actresses.

Having been nominated for three BAFTAs as well as for numerous other awards during the course of her career, Gemma deservedly won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015 for her role as Mary Baldwin in BBC’s MARVELLOUS.

We are now casting the other principal roles, and aiming high, with many well known faces expressing interest in the script, we’re excited to have the opportunity to collaborate on ‘Gypsy’s Kiss’ with such high calibre actors.

LOCATIONS

This is a film that lives and breathes in the East End of London. It's rich visual tapestry of cultures, characters, and chaos will populate this film, giving it a life, spirit and energy that will come alive on screen.

We've found the perfect embodiment of the film in Chingford, and Walthamstow and we've no doubt we have found the perfect settings in which to create our film. As London is the quintessential melting pot city, the East End is where this truly resides.

From the many different ethnicities, languages, foods, traditions, tastes, colours, sounds, it’s a veritable feast for the eyes and ears and one which we will lovingly celebrate.

TONE, STYLE & VISUALS

Comparatively ‘Gypsy's Kiss’ will be like 'Harold and Maude' meets ‘About Schmidt' - both wonderfully human films directed by Hal Ashby and Alexander Payne respectively. These films, and their directors, represents a cinema of simple yet powerful observation of the absurd, subtle satires on life, it's vagaries, its nonsensicality, yet it's beauty, majesty and joy.

By simply spending time with a character, getting to know them little by little, we discover their qualities, personality,  foibles, and their idiosyncrasies, the very things that make them human, make them unique, and conversely a joy to behold.

Shot in a classical way, presenting Judith, her world and her experience of it as simply, elegantly, yet effectively as possible. The beauty of the seemingly banal is what we will champion in this film. Off framing, skewered perspectives, use of shallow depth of field and extreme wide shots filmed in cinematic widescreen, will give the film a visceral, tangible and individual feel as to the different perspectives of our heroine's life, and the liberating new choices and outlook she adopts for her magnificent life.

WHY DO WE NEED YOUR HELP?

Making films can be very costly and at any level it is difficult. Funding schemes are diminishing year on year and short films are more than unlikely to reach a profit. But making money is not the point of a short film; rather they excel at shining a light on smaller, more unique stories and voices, ones which would never get made or told by the studio system. Short films engage, provoke, assault,  entertain, inform and allow us to understand those stories whom we might never hear. Stories that ultimately unite us all, for what is storytelling yet a means to understanding our purpose in life.

That said, there’s never been a better time to make a short film. This is where the creativity, ingenuity and fresh ideas are and shorts remain the backbone of the film industry and best way to get your voice heard.

However. regardless of the genre, length or themes, ALL films have a cost attached. In order to minimise costs, we’ve managed to pull together all our resources and call in every favour but there are some costs that are unavoidable to bring the script to screen. Throughout the 15 day campaign (and beyond) we’ll be sharing exclusive production news including casting, location reccies and prop building that we're sure will fully bring you inside the making of Gypsy's Kiss with us. 

REWARDS!

We’re not expecting you to part with your money for nothing, we all know life doesn’t work that way! On the right hand side of the screen, you’ll see a wide range of perks and rewards for your donations and support. Whether you’re looking to see the film online before anyone else, come along to our cast and crew screening or become a part of the production team, we’re sure we’ve got something for everyone to get involved with.

Alongside your support, the core production team are investing their own money into the making of this film alongside your crowdfunding donations. If we wouldn’t part with our own cash for our project, how could we expect you to do the same. We have big ambitions for this film, hence needing a decent amount of money to put it all up there on the screen. This is the minimum amount that we need to make this film.

ALL the money pledged via Indiegogo will go directly into the production, execution and delivery of Gypsy’s Kiss, and it will be a film to be proud of.

RISKS & CHALLENGES

There will is always risk when making any film. For starters you never know how an audience will react to your film but with the support of Directors UK, ARRI and all of you, we’re quietly confident we’ve got a crowd pleasing story that will resonate with audiences all over the world. However, the day-to-day challenges of producing a external location-heavy short film shoot will add some risk to the project. Although we’ve sourced the locations, scheduled the shoot, shotlisted the film, and are working with trusted friends and colleagues  - there will always be unexpected or unavoidable obstacles such as poor weather, travel delays or sheer bad luck. However with the cast and crew extremely experienced and excellent collaborators, we’re confident we can weather any potential problems or unforeseen events which may arise.

It wouldn’t be filmmaking if it was plain sailing to the finish line and with our experienced team, we know we can take on any and all challenges this project may or may not throw at us.

MEET THE TEAM

Paul is an award winning director of short films and online content. His films have screened at over 60 international film festivals with funding and production support from Film London, the Irish Film Board and RTE.

His latest film 'Social Networking Socially - Society Through Technology' was made as part of Straight8 competition, (shoot on one roll of 8mm film, edit in camera). The film was one of the winners of the competition, coming in the Top 8 of the competition, and premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival. It is currently on it’s festival run having played Bafta qualifying short film festivals The Smalls and The London Short Film Festival.

Silent comedy 'Wipeout' was made in 7 days as part of the Aarhus Short Film Challenge 2014, where it won an Honourable Mention and was in the Top Ten Films of the Festival. It also picked up Best Silent Film at the Walthamstow International Film Festival, as well as numerous Audience Awards.

Short drama ‘STOP’, funded by the Film London ‘London Calling’ strand in 2012, had enormous success winning numerous Honourable Mentions, and Best Actor Awards. The film was featured on Rankin’s Collabor8te ‘Film of the Week’, Hunger Magazine, and came second in Shooting People's 'Film of the Month', being praised by judge David Oyelowo (Selma, Lincoln, Interstellar) as "beautifully performed and nicely shot, this film satisfyingly and impressively plumbs deep emotional depths in a very short time".

Paul also has 15 years experience as a 1st AD, working in features, TV dramas, comedies, commercials, and promos.

Whilst studying Medicine at Newcastle University, Samuel wrote several award-winning one-act plays, including ‘Cannes’, which received critical praise at The Edinburgh Festival, and Dust, which won the People’s Choice Award at the Durham International Drama Festival.            

After working as a full-time doctor for two years, Samuel left the profession in order to follow his passion for writing and complete a master’s degree in Screenwriting at The London Film School. Since graduating with Merit from The LFS in 2014, Samuel has continued to pursue a career in screenwriting, whilst working as a freelance doctor in A&E.

Samuel won the BAFTA / Rocliffe comedy initiative in 2015, and had his work showcased at The New York Television Festival. He has a series optioned by ITV Studios, and is working on a number of other projects for several independent production companies. He is currently finishing work on his debut novel, and is the creator and co- presenter of new podcast series QUEERroundup, which launched in late 2016.

Audrey has produced for over ten years in the US, UK and Europe. Having originally trained as a photographer, she then progressed into production and now has an extensive background in advertising, music, documentaries, TV and short films. Audrey has worked with the majority of US, UK and European broadcasters, produced hundreds of photographic and commercial campaigns, several factual documentaries for festival/cinema and TV release, fashion films for Anya Hindmarch and Versace, and music promos or live concerts for global artists including U2, London Grammar, PJ Harvey and Kasabian. Audrey has  recently executive produced a six-part TV series in Rio, and is currently on the longlist for Film London's Microwave scheme. She is also the recipient of several IFTA and UKMVA awards and nominations.

Syd is an award winning filmmaker and freelance multimedia producer from the South East. Starting out as a camera operator and nightlife videographer, Syd transitioned into producing online branded content for the likes of BBC Marketing, DirtyBit and the NHS before focusing on film work. His previous short films 'Cosplaygirl' and 'Textual Relationship' have screened and won awards at international festivals including London Short Film Festival, BFI Future Film Festival, Camelot International Film Festival, Garden State Film Festival and New Filmmakers Los Angeles. Alongside a documentary feature shooting in the Spring and an additional two short films to tour at film festivals in 2017, Syd recently completed work on two feature films from Lost Eye Films as an assistant producer, with distribution for 2017 and 2018 respectively.

Tim is a much sought after DP, working in features, TV dramas, and commercials. Represented by Wizzo & Co. Tim has shot features for Universal, BBC Films, and Warp Films, as well as lensing a block of the last series of 'Misfits' for Channel 4. Tim's background in painting, photography and experimental film provided a strong foundation for his cinematography career, making him a very intuitive DP who possessing a distinctive visual style.Tim is extremely passionate about visual storytelling and contributes textured, painterly images to each project he undertakes, finding the uniqueness and heart in the story' and celebrating it with his craft. Tim is a regular collaborator with Paul, having shot his award winning short drama 'STOP'.

A London-based Production Designer and Art Director with over 15 years professional experience, Steven specialises in commercials, features and digital content but also works on TV, Shorts and Promos. He has worked on campaigns for Jaguar, Converse, Pepsi, Heineken and Ford and has most recently designed Direct Line's current campaign starring Harvey Keitel. Steven has also designed Paul's previous shorts 'STOP' and 'Wipeout' and is a trusted and valued collaborator and friend.

Current BAFTA Crew member Lauren Miller is an internationally published Freelance Costume Designer and Fashion Stylist with a BA in Fashion and Textile Design. With years of experience in Costume Design, Fashion Styling, Costume Construction, Alterations and Pattern Cutting, Lauren has a diverse and enviable portfolio that spans feature films, shorts, TV and fashion.

Richard Keyworth is a multi-instrumentalist composer and sound designer for all manner of visual media, who has long been fascinated by the marriage between sound and the moving image. Richard has composed original scores for over twenty short films, including scoring Paul's silent comedy 'Wipeout' in a day and a half, no mean feat. Some of his commercial clients include BMW, Panasonic, Mazda, First Direct and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

Amy is a gifted make up artist whose work spans TV, features and commercials. Amy has worked on acclaimed TV dramas 'The NIght Manager' and 'New Blood' for BBC and 'Misfits' for Channel 4. She has also worked on successful UK features, Michael Winterbottom's 'The Look of Love', seasonal family comedy 'Get Santa' and Universal's 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' which will hit UK cinemas later this year.

Briony works in film, theatre and TV. Her film work includes casting Noel Clarke’s 'The Knot', as well as several other independent British feature films - the award-winning 'Common People', 'High Tide', 'Final Prayer', 'Tezz' and 'Love/Loss', as well as numerous short films, including Paul's multi award- winning 'STOP'. Briony’s theatre work includes the Olivier award-winning 'Handbagged', as well as the August Wilson play 'Fences' starring Lenny Henry. Coming up is the ground-breaking 'Revolution Mix', 15 plays around the UK commissioned by Dawn Walton about the black British experience. Briony’s television work includes 'Inside the Mind of Leonardo' for Sky Arts and also casting the children in the award-winning BBC comedy 'Outnumbered'.

Tom is an up and coming Assistant Director whose work spans TV and Hollywood features. Having started his career with Paul as trainee AD on sci-fi thriller 'Storage 24', Tom's rise through the AD ranks has been meteoric.  His big break came when a Facebook friend was looking for crew available for a shoot which led to him working on set of the Bruce Willis action comedy 'Red 2'. Next came Brad Pitt's WWII drama 'Fury' where Tom was in charge of choreographing and setting the tank action. Impressing the key crew with his talents Tom's next movie was Shakespearean tragedy 'Macbeth' starring Michael Fassbender, then 'Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation', which lead to Tom stepping up to 2nd Unit 3rd AD on 'Star Wars - Rogue One'. Tom has recently wrapped on the Tom Cruise reboot of 'The Mummy' as 3rd AD.

THANK YOU!

So in conclusion, we're a dedicated and experienced film crew with a competition winning script and BAFTA winning actress ready to do but we just need your help with the last piece of the puzzle in getting the film made. 

Gypsy's Kiss is a film we strongly believe in and know it'll make an entertaining, yet thought provoking film. We’re really excited by the prospect of making this film, it’ll be one to be proud of. We hope you agree.

Don't forget to follow all the updates on social media.

If you're on Twitter - add us at @gypsyskissfilm and we will follow you right back!

Also give us a like on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/gypsyskissfilm/