Short Summary
The Piece
Murder...at the Circus! is a modern take on the old silent horror film. Told through vivid colour, and a lush soundscape, the film peeps into the melancholic world of a travelling circus. After months on the road, the drudgery of circus living is turned on its head one fateful night, when an eerie presence starts to meddle with the show! There is murder no doubt, but who is killer? And furthermore, is it a crime!?
The Filmmakers
Lesley Marshall and Matt Miwa are....
An Ottawa based performance and filmmaking team. Having collaborated together on various projects since 2007, Murder at the Circus marks their 2nd short narrative video after the successful sex farce Captain Sorelski and the Women in Search of Space Gold (2011).
"Murder" has been a labour of love for Lesley and Matt, who have been working on this project for the past 5 years. Shot on a wing and a well-executed prayer, principle photography was completely in the summer of 2012, and we two have been piecing this film together in our spare time ever since. We received a Cultural Equity Grant from SAW Video for initial start-up and funds were used for equipment rental and production. Finally, after many experiments, transformations and grit, our rough cut is ready for the diamond polisher!
Where Your Money is Going
We are raising $700+ to complete Murder...at the Circus! by May of 2017! While $700 is our stated fundraising goal, we hope to raise as much as $1,000! Though a sizable amount of money to raise, we feel good about paying artists and technicians the wage they deserve for their work and for their expertise.
It's important for us that you know exactly where your money is going. With the project already in final cut, your funds will be split into 2 priorities:
1. Colour Correction and Sound Editing ($500);
Two weeks working full time in the editing suite. Well done Colour Correction is essential for this piece as you will note in the two images below:
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Vivid colour with blacks disappearing into blacks define the mood of this piece and help us to achieve the overall look of cartoon realism we are striving for. Colour correction in Murder is extra complex as a hefty number of Murder's images are actually composite shots (with up to 3 shots layered on top of one another). While this technique has allowed us to explode the scope and perspective of our film's universe, it has also complicates the colour correcting process, creating 3 times the amount of work.
Colour correction will be done primarily by Lesley Marshall in consultation with an expert. As a videographer, Lesley's ambition is to become ever more technically adept at filmmaking, and this process will provide her with a fantastic opportunity to hone her colour correcting skills.
Sound ($200)
Quality sound mixing in a film without dialogue is essential and for cinema screenings we need to mix our sound for 5.1 format. With funds raised, we will hire local artist and sound technician Chris Payne to give our film the best possible soundscape.
2. Promotion and Distribution (Extra Funds)
After Murder... at the Circus! is completed it will be screened locally in Ottawa at The ByTowne Cinema and the O'Brien Theatre in Arnprior, and any additional funds raised will go towards poster printing fees. After this, Murder will be submitted to as many national and international short film festivals as possible, all with submission fees which your funds will support. We hope to take/send Murder on a world tour, showing at festivals including the Coney Island Film Festival in New York; The Toronto Arthouse Film Festival; The Los Angelos Arthouse Film Festival; The Austin Revolution Film Festival; Shorts On Tap - London; Indy Film Fest (Indianapolis)...and the list goes ON!
What will do with less (and more!) funds:
Should we raise less than our goal, fees will be reduced and the colour correction and sound mixing will be done without expert consultation. This will mean extending the timeline for our project's completion, while laying a heavier burden on our efforts.
Should we receive more funds than requested!!!! we will certainly put the money to productive use! Extra funds will also go towards effective promotion for Murder's premiere, giving honourariums to people who donated their time, or allowed us to hire them at reduced rates as well as towards submission fees to even more film festivals around the world.
About the Murder! Team
Achieving a compelling narrative in a film involving 12 characters without dialogue has been no an easy task, and this project is a testament to our love of working with people; their natural and beautiful talent and to complex storytelling. We are devoted to the mystery of film-making, and are proudly based in Ottawa, where a lot of talent and genuine heart has A LOT to say and give. We are happy to work in narrative video to give voice to not only our own dreams, but the dreams of our collaborators. We know ourselves better through our dreams and our dream sharing!
Featuring a cast of 12 stunning, dedicated and for the most part, first time actors, Murder...at the Circus! is a film filled with wonderful silent performances. 3 months of rehearsal and informal 'acting school' went into each actor's performance and the heart that went into the discovery of character and the risk of performing really shines through on screen! Lesley and Matt are so proud of this cast and so grateful to have worked with them. They are: Sheri Borts; Megan McLeod, Genevieve Morin, Simon Lalande, Emilie Dugas, Thalia Cherrie, Maryl Morris, Paul Davis, Louis Emond, Marie France Courtemanche, Jeremy Latawiec and Dave Norman, Isobel Morin, and last but certainly not least, Ottawa Legend Phil Caracas of Harry Knuckles and Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter fame!
We shot on location at The ByTowne Cinema, in the studio of Orleans Young Players Theatre School and in Club SAW at Arts Court. Our theatrical backdrop created by scenic artist Marian Marshall and miniatures created by Matt, Lesley and friends with some donated by Chris Rohde. We created a technical feat of 3-points of focus and a compressed visual environment for the epic dramatic thriller. Our motion graphics were created by the talented Emily Pelstring, our sound effects and some music by Eric Larock and our title card images were hand drawn by Stefan MacDonald-Labelle with Main title design also hand drawn by Pascale Arpin.
Musical Score by (the rad and gallant) Michael Dubue.
Having scored (and performed during) multiple silent films for the CFI's Lost Dominion Project, Mike is a natural fit for Murder...at the Circus! His approach to scoring is the perfect blend of contemporary and classical and his compositions always enhance both the action and the mood of a film, while subtly playing with the genre. Murder being a modern take on silent film, we are in great hands with Mike Dubue. He's the best, and we are very privileged to be able to work with him! Mike's other musical projects include HILOTRONS, Scattered Clouds, Little Scream.
