Have you ever wondered what really goes into your favourite food?

HUMAN HOT POT  is a 5 minute long dark comedy film about three friends who are running a failing restaurant business and the diabolical ways in which they find success.

The Film is...

• A short dark comedy film with horror elements.
• Contains cast of funny and relatable characters.
• Hilarious whilst managing to ask terrifying questions about the dark nature of the human psyche.

Human Hot Pot is set to release early May 2023.

Meet the Crew:

Meet the talented and committed team behind our project...

Harry Lomas - Director

"I've always had a great love for the art of storytelling and, as a Film Production student at the University of Portsmouth, I discovered a world of possibilities within film. For myself, being involved in a creative project from its inception to its completion as well as combining all the perspectives and ideas of my peers is the most fulfilling part of the whole experience.

Comedy is a genre that I've wanted to dive into for a while and to have the chance to do so with this project is just a dream. I'm really looking forward to working with such highly committed individuals as my team and I can't wait to see what we can do."

Hayden Bennett - Producer

"I knew from my early teenage years that I wanted to make films for a living and ever since then I've been working tirelessly towards achieving that lofty goal. Producing a project this size will be really crucial to my development and I'm really excited to get started and put my all into the role.

I'm also the writer for this project and thus I'm really focused on crafting a story that feels authentic and original. Although the idea is certainly farcical in nature, making a story that feels real is always something that I've felt is super important. I feel like I've treaded this line very carefully with the script and have been able to create a story imbued with all the unique perspectives of my fellow crew members."

Roo Miljan - Director of Photography

"My whole life I've had a passion for film and since coming to the University of Portsmouth I've learnt so many new skills that I can't wait to apply to this short film. Human Hot Pot stems from a concept I thought of when I was 14 years old that the team and I have developed into something we feel is really special.

As the director of photography, I'm really excited to start executing some of the ideas I have planned. Having taken a lot of visual inspiration from other films involving cooking such as Ratatouille (2007) and similar murder-comedies such as Knives Out (2019) I really think I can elevate the cinematography of the film."

Kieran Hall - Line Producer/1st AC

"My interest in film comes from a desire to tell stories in interesting ways that can't be explored in other mediums. As a film student, I'm really looking forward to making the production of Human Hot Pot a learning experience which I can take forward with me into the future.

Although my background is mainly in editing, which I will be assisting with as well, I'm looking forward to having a hand in all aspects of production to make the shooting of this film go as smoothly and efficiently as possible."

Hayden Lush - Editor

"I'm definitely someone who spends most of their time either at the cinema or watching films and TV at home and that's something that has really informed my knowledge when it comes to filmmaking.

I'm really excited to get stuck into the post-production for 'Human Hot Pot' and use all my skills to create a high quality, finalized product. I'll also be working closely with the crew throughout the shoot, lending a helping hand to make sure we get everything exactly how we want it."

Why fundraise?

So why fundraise for this project? Well, as students we have no real starting budget to speak of and we'll need funding for multiple things:

• Hiring the perfect locations.
• Finding and paying a talented cast of actors to fill each role.
• Paying for the travel of talent and crew.
• Covering catering costs.
• Submitting the finished film into film festivals where it can be put up for awards.

We would really appreciate every donation we can get - even if you can't give a lot, every little helps.

Production Schedule

3rd January - Crowdfunding & social media rollout begins

3rd March - Crowdfunding campaign ends

6th March - Begin shooting

19th March - Shooting wrapped

20th March - Post-production & marketing campaign ramps up

28th April - Film finalized

May - Film released and festival campaign begins

Risks & Challenges

There are many risks and challenges that a project like ours might face. The chief among them will be finding locations that fit our creative vision and feel authentic whilst maintaining control over the budget. Another will be to cast actors who feel natural to the role whilst not spending too much money all whilst working around tight deadlines and busy schedules.

These problems can all be alleviated by the support of our backers so we're going to need as much support as possible. To say thanks we have a number of rewards to hand out to backers so feel free to browse the available options should you choose to donate.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you've already contributed or are unable to, there are many other ways you can help promote our campaign:

• Share this page around with people that you know!
• Check out, like and repost our social media content on Instagram and Tiktok.