Budget
Our previous years at University were spent producing films of a smaller scale with little to no budget at all. This hindered our creative abilities and the quality of our films. We had to settle for make-shift costumes that were pieced together from the bottom of our wardrobes, and often relied on a friend of a friend as our actors. Nevertheless, we learnt the importance of what little money we had and how to spend it wisely.
We're asking for £2,000, but for what exactly?!
The money we raise will be used for every last tiny detail of the production, from securing our key location and the props needed to fill it, to the teabag used in a cup of tea for keeping the actors warm between takes (which is just as important!).
Here's a breakdown of what the money will be used for:
SET DESIGN
A large sum of our budget will be given to our team of trusty Production Designers. It's their job to source each and every prop for each and every scene, ensuring that every location looks authentic and true to the story world.
From iconic posters of 80's punk bands, a tatty dull coloured sofa that you might remember from your Grandparent's house, to a fully functioning 1980's Volkswagen Beetle, these are just some of the props that we will be using to make sure the visual aesthetics of the film stay true to the era in which it is set.
COSTUME & MAKE-UP
Another extremely important element in regards to making sure the visual aesthetics of the film stay true to the era of the 80's, is costume and make-up.
We're talking Doc Martins, ripped skinny jeans, studded leather jackets, band T-shirts, green mohawks, fake piercings, blue eye-shadow, etc. Unfortunately this kind of stuff simply can't be dug from the bottom of our wardrobes like our previous films, and with up to 2-3 costume changes for each of our 4 main cast members, its vital that we source each and every last bit of costume to fit their dimensions!
EQUIPMENT
The most expensive element of the production is by far our camera, the Arri Alexa, which costs a hefty £40,000+, but we're lucky enough to have access to it for absolutely free as provided by our University. However, to capture the true grittiness and realistic aesthetic that we hope to bring to the screen, we're planning for many of our shots to be handheld long takes, which might prove to be a problem for our camera operator seeing as the Alexa weighs in at around 20kg.
Unfortunately our cameraman isn't Dwayne Johnson and our University doesn't provide us with grip that allows for handheld use of the camera in a comfortable manner, which is why we'll be looking to hire a shoulder mount, but at an average cost of £150-£200 a day, they don't come cheap!
LOCATIONS
With our main location being 'The Squat', we'll need complete access to a house that looks like its still in the 80's. This means completely refurnishing it for the shoot, filling it with props, access to toilet facilities and electricity to power our equipment.
We're hoping to contact local Estate Agents/Landlords that would be willing to let us use an empty property for our shoot if we offer to pay the equivalent to a weeks amount of rent.
TRAVEL & TRANSPORT
With a team of over 15 people, tonnes of heavy duty equipment, props, costumes and various locations to get to, walking simply isn't an option!
We'll be looking to hire mini buses to transport our equipment and we'll need to be able to cover travel costs for all cast and crew members, be it planes, trains, or automobiles. (Preferably not planes!)
CATERING
Believe it or not, actors are human too and require food and drink just as often as the rest of us!
We'll need to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for a large number of cast and crew members throughout the week. Hungry actors means angry actors!
MISCELLANIOUS
All the other bits and bobs that might unexpectedly pop up!
From things like tape, batteries, ink for the various boring documents that will need to be printed off. We'll need to make sure that we can pay for them if we need them!
What Can We Give To You?
In a world that revolves around money it's very rare that you'll find people willing to give it away for free.
For those of you who are feeling generous enough to donate towards our project, we're willing to give something back. For those of you who are a little short of cash that's not a problem! Something as small as sharing our campaign on Facebook or Twitter would be a great help to us!
Any donation, no matter how small, is deeply appreciated by every single one of us involved with the project, so first of all you get a big THANK YOU from us.
For those of you who want a little more, you can receive a personal thank you video message addressed to you from a character of your choice. We can give you an exclusive copy of the original soundtrack that we'll be using in the film, or even better, you can be in the film yourself!
And for those who are genuinely interested and passionate about the subject we've chosen to cover in our film, we can offer you the promise that we as a team will put every last bit of effort we have into making sure this production is the best that it can be.
Thank You for reading, and don't forget to keep checking back for regular updates on the story!
(DISCLAIMER: Those who purchase the 'Be In The Film' perk must be based in the UK.
Those who purchase the 'Executive Producer' perk will not be granted any creative control over the project.)
