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Welcome to the Sacred Skin campaign page!
We are an international group of MA Film students from Edinburgh Napier University with an ambitious short film project, Sacred Skin. We chose the tale of the selkie and the fisherman for our grad film as a tribute to Scotland and its deep roots in the magical and fantastical.
This dark, psychological thriller is the story of a faithful night when Duncan, an isolated crofter, has to confront a selkie who has returned for her skin, stolen by Duncan's father. As a storm rolls in, a psychological battle ensues for domination and possession of the sacred skin.
Our film is about breaking the cycle, the choices we make and our accountability for our own actions. It challenges dogmatic beliefs and explores isolation, alienation and identity. It speaks to everyone whose life has been mapped out for them and all those who feel they don't belong. We invite you to join us on this journey to creating Sacred Skin!
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RORY GRANT
In 2017, Rory left a corporate career to pursue his childhood dream, studying an Acting diploma. After graduating in 2018, he moved to London and has worked full-time as an actor ever since, most recently filming for Sky Cinema’s 'Borderland'.
Now based in Glasgow, Rory is living his dream alongside volunteer and professional work with high school children, helping guide them to achieve their own educational and career goals. Rory is looking forward to joining the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to study a Masters degree in Acting later this year and is "thrilled to be bringing Duncan to life in this captivating Scottish tale alongside a stellar team".
www.rorygrantaw.com
IMDb
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www.aitpictures.com/barnumnixonsmith
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www.georginatibai.com
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www.toscadewilt.com
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alistairjbrown.com
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@addiegrosse
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@imogen_grieve_designs
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www.giuliasansone.com
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There is a wonderful sense of suspense, mystery, and anxiety in Sacred Skin. It is important for us to visually express the developing tension throughout the piece. There are moments of apprehension and animosity, wherein the characters are suspicious of the other and conscious of their surroundings. This contrasts with the moments of intimacy and violence in the story, as the characters close the distance between one another, and the space becomes claustrophobic.
The natural light of the sky, with the dark blues of the ocean, will flood the cold and brutal exterior colour palette, while in contrast, the minimal, practical and warm candlelight of the interior of the cottage will cast harsh, rich shadows. The costumes will reflect this, too, as Duncan’s wardrobe is void of colour and expression, while the Selkie’s deep blue clothes will be out of place inside his cottage.
The sound design of Sacred Skin will be vital in constructing its cruel world. The violence of the storm reflects the inner turmoil of the cottage, and every creak and howl of wind will tell the audience how little protection Duncan and his home have against nature.
Sacred Skin draws inspiration from Robert Egger’s The Lighthouse (2019), Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2014), and Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin (2013), with a heavy dose of David Fincher; all of which have incredibly strong visual and audio styles, and their influence will hopefully be present throughout this short film.
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We launched this campaign to raise money for production costs. We are very fortunate in that the crew works for free, but we are still looking to raise funds for the remainder of the costs, including Cast, Production Design, Travel and Accommodation.
Cast - With such a strong script, it is vital that we find the best possible cast for this film. Georgina, our Producer, is speaking to numerous casting agents around Scotland, and the more funding we can raise, the higher calibre of actor we can hire.
Production Design - It is important to fully immerse the audience in the world of this story, and by sourcing and building props, dressing the set, and designing costumes, we will have complete control over the visual style of the film.
Travel and Accommodation - For us to capture the wild coastline of Scotland, it requires us to travel all of our crew and equipment up to the Highlands to authentically represent the vast and sprawling landscape our country has to offer.
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Thank you for taking the time to check out our campaign! We are grateful for your help in bringing us one step closer to fully realising the potential of this story. Check out our amazing perks and help us directly through those or follow us on Indiegogo, Instagram, Facebook, or check out our website!
Be part of our story and support us on this journey towards the creation of Sacred Skin!
Like and share the content we release on social media. We will release more interviews with the crew and more behind-the-scenes photos as we bring our film to life! Sharing this will help us
to reach even more people and spread the word wide and far!
If you have any questions about the project or would like to learn more about how you can help our production, please email us at: sacredskinshort@gmail.com.
