So What's the Film About?

Salient Minus Ten is the new Sci-Fi/Horror short film from award-winning filmmaker Emma Dark, and is a cerebral foray into the darker, more disturbing, side of Science Fiction.

A brief synopsis - "Adam Harper is an average man. And on an average day he suddenly finds himself catapulted into the strangest, reality changing game... A game of time and chance, where the stakes are a matter of life and death."

The film will be shooting in Autumn/Winter 2016, with a view to start festival submissions as early as possible in 2017.

Producer/Director & Creator - Emma Dark

Hello, my name's Emma Dark, I’m the award-winning Producer/Director of one of the most talked about independent short films of the past year ‘Seize the Night’.  The film was my first self produced and directed project, and gained an incredible amount exposure. 'Seize the Night' garnered favourable reviews from a multitude of respected genre websites including Dread Central, Starburst and UK Horror Scene, as well as a news article on the official AMC's Horror Channel website, and extensive print articles in the UK's leading horror magazine Scream, and indie filmmaking favourite Digital Filmmaker Magazine.

So why crowdfund 'Salient Minus Ten'? Well there are a number of reasons, one of the most obvious being financial support, which really is very important to be able to continue making the type of genre films I want to bring to you as a filmmaker. The other reason for me to crowdfund my film is that it offers you as a supporter a chance to be a part of the film, not simply a viewer, with merchandise and special thanks credits that would otherwise not be made available.

It’s your support that will help enable me to make ‘Salient Minus Ten’ just as epic a short film as ‘Seize the Night'!

Here's the trailer for 'Seize the Night', if you haven't seen it this will give you an instant taste of the high production values I adhere to. For more information, and to watch the full film visit seizethenightfilm.com. For more information about me visit emmadark.com.

Meet the Film's Cast

Alan Austen - Alan will be playing the lead role of 'Adam Harper'. He began his acting career in 1979, appearing in many films as a supporting artiste, including notably as one of the Stormtroopers' responsible for placing Han Solo in the carbon-freezing chamber in ‘Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980). Alan joined British Actors Equity Association in 1982, and in 1984 played the role of 'Alf Kitchen' in the award winning Thames TV drama 'Letters from a Bomber Pilot'. This production lead to Alan gaining several roles in British television productions throughout the 1980's and 1990's.

Emma Dark - I'll be playing the part of the story’s antagonist. I can't say too much about at this stage without giving too many secrets away, just that she's integral to the story line!

Chris Hampshire - after being suitably impressed with his onscreen presence in 'Seize the Night' as werewolf second in command 'Mikkel' I’m bringing Chris back in a supporting role.

Beric Read - Beric is another member of the 'Seize the Night' alumni, where he played a character mysteriously know only as 'the Doctor' in a flash back sequence. He joins the 'Salient Minus Ten' cast in a supporting role.

Also introducing newcomer Samantha Oči. A filmmaker in her own right this is Samantha's first time in front of the camera, and she's a natural!

Meet the Film's Crew

Emma Dark (Creator/Writer/Producer/Director) - I'm not one to shy away from hard work, so they'll probably a few more hats to wear during the production life-cycle too, much the same as with my previous film 'Seize the Night'.

Philip Bloom (Director of Photography) - Philip's stunning work is well known around the world, and his advocacy of DSLR technology to create truly cinematic images has sparked the imagination of countless independent filmmakers, instilling in them the confidence to make their own artistic works. He began his filmmaking career at Sky, travelling the world as a cameraman. Philip's recent credits include work with Lucasfilm, Discovery HD, Five, Living, Sky One, and more. You can watch Philip's 2014 showreel below.

After having an absolutely outstanding crew for my film 'Seize the Night' it made sense to me to bring as many people back as possible for 'Salient Minus Ten', including:

Eric Elick (Composer) - having scored eight short films and a feature in just under two years with additional projects to be announced later this year Eric's Hollywood class film scores are rapidly making him the 'go to' composer on the indie film scene.

Davy Simmons (VFX artist) - after receiving a huge amount of compliments from reviewers and film goers alike for his outstanding work on 'Seize the Night' I just had to bring Davy back on-board for this film.

Merlyn Roberts (Assistant Director) - a film producer and director in his own right, I’ve worked with Merlyn on many occasions and his professional attitude is second to none.

David Kittos (Behind the Scenes Photographer) -  most of you will remember David for doing the social media stills for my previous film 'Seize the Night' as well as some of the actors portraits. However you might also know him as the photographer that's currently suing Donald Trump over the infamous Skittles tweet!

Other crew members include...

Mike Peel (SFX artist) - Mike will be helping with some of the SFX requirements of the film. Previously he has created Effects for The Descent, Harry Potter 5, The Zombie Diaries 1 & 2, Knight of the Dead, Predator: Dark Ages, Unhallowed Ground and Shed of the Dead.

... with more announcements to be made via the official Facebook fan page.

Let's Talk About the Perks!

There are some amazing perks available to suit a range of budgets from just £5 upwards, including:

• Social media shout outs
• Autographed posters and DVDs
• T-Shirts (supplied by smart-fx.co.uk, who use an extremely precise direct to garment digital printing process to give the highest quality result)
• IMDb credits including special thanks and producer credits
• Personalised behind the scenes polaroid images
• Cast and crew screening invitations
• + more perks to be unlocked!

T-Shirts and posters* are estimated to be available for dispatch in Autumn/Winter 2016. The rest of the physical merchandise (such as DVDs) will be available after the film festival run has completed and the film has been officially released later in 2017. It might seem a long time to wait for a DVD but the festival circuit is often an integral part of the film's lifecycle.

* Representation of T-Shirt and poster above. The final items/artwork may vary slightly.

Where Your Contribution Goes

So where is your money going, besides paying for the perks? Filmmaking, even at the lower end of the budget scale, is still an expensive art form, and the following list highlights some of the main expenses the money will be used to help cover:

• Crowdfunding platform fees and perk fulfilment expenses
• Cast and crew travel and food
• Equipment hire and insurances
• Location and props
• Post production expenses
• Festival submission fees

£3000 is really the minimum funding amount that needs to be raised via Indiegogo to help cover as many of these expenses as possible. Of course if the film is funded beyond the £3000 minimum budget it gives me more flexibility to produce the film to the highest production values possible.

Other Ways You Can help

Not everyone who wants to support the project is able to back it with hard earned cash. However there are still ways you can help:

• Liking the Facebook page (facebook.com/SalientMinusTen)
• Following on Twitter (@SalientMinusTen)
• Share the campaign posts on Facebook and Twitter. Easy share links can be found at the top of the page

Every gesture helps, and is greatly appreciated by myself, and by the rest of my team. Everyone working on this project is going to be putting 110% in so please do support them by following their fan pages too.