Stains is a character driven story following Morris, a man in his mid sixties, who has lived most of his life with his mother in the same house in a small village set in Yorkshire. He is a compulsive cleaner due to the way he was raised by his mother, a perfectionist, strict and manipulative woman.

Morris is quiet and avoids physical contact with other people in the village by staying at home, doing his everyday tasks. Oppressed by his mother's presence, he is compelled to clean every inch of the house everyday. He cleans, he washes his sheets, and he makes sure everything is in place, just as his mother would if she were still alive.

One day while he is gardening, Gladys shows up at his front garden. She is a careless, loose-lipped, and annoying resident of the village. She is everything Morris is not, and yet, while having a conversation with him, she triggers a dark, old memory from Morris's childhood. 

Morris tries to keep it together, but Gladys continues to disrupt Morris's perfect order and symmetry. Gladys is unaware that she is pushing Morris to the edge of his sanity, for he is not completely alone. She is now a stain he must wipe out.  

This is a story about control and confrontation, but it has a different and interesting approach towards  trauma, behaviour and human connections.

Being a psychological drama, Stains follows the main character and his relationship with his mother touching these themes at a very deep level, making us evaluate and recognise how strange and complex the human mind can be. Nevertheless, this story contains elements of comedy within the darkness of the themes presented.

The dark comedy allows for entertainment, whilst the psycho-dramatic elements in this story make us sympathetic towards Morris, keeping us emotionally engaged.  

Frances Farrell Oscroft (Writer and Director of Photography)

"Stains appeared in my thoughts when I was pondering about how everyone has a person - or people - in their lives who they try to avoid at all costs. So I thought what would it be like to surround a person with everything that makes them uncomfortable - with the only solitude being the boundary of a house they’ve lived in their entire life. Being quite a homely person, I wanted to create a story that happened all within a home because I think there is potential for rich narrative there. I feel close to this film not only because I wrote it but because it shines a light on the fact that everyone is experiencing their own story, no matter how mundane or fantastical that may be."

Katherine Battiston (Producer)

"When I first read the script, I was drawn to Morris because he is a very unique character and I immediately felt related to him. He is struggling to adapt to the world he lives in and I know how that feels. When I moved to England and left my family behind, I felt like I was alone in a world that was completely different from me. I understand how hard it is to let go of your past and everything you are used to, which is why I am very passionate about working with Fran and Caleb in order to tell this story through the screen".

Caleb Ching (Director)

"Stains is a universal story in the sense that it deals with the idea of control. Control of our environment, control of our thoughts and control of our lives. Morris cleans obsessively which is something I share with the character and have struggled with. Every mark, smudge or stain takes its toll. Do not even get me started on people who don’t cover their mouth when they cough. This film excites me because it explores not only what is going on in his head but also what happens when a person like that is pushed too far".

Our Team

We are a group of very passionate storytellers from the Northern Film School and we are very excited to tell this story and to go into production.

Locations

A vital part of our film is finding the perfect house where Morris lives, as well as his precious small village. We have been moving around Yorkshire and have few Cottages on our radar for Morris's house, but we need your help in order to secure them. Check them out!

We were lucky enough to get permission from Haworth and Riccall in West Yorkshire to film in many of their beautiful surroundings, which will give context to our story and elevate its production value. 

Equipment

The Northern Film School will provide most of the equipment we will use for our production, but any special equipment required will be an extra cost. Here are some pictures of our team working very hard during a scene re-creation workshop for 'Stains' done in Prime Studios, using the equipment provided by the NFS. 

To be able to bring this story to life we need your help!
There are a lot of elements that need to be put together in order to make a film, and we need help to gather all of the elements needed to make this film successful.

We have a very passionate crew and a location, which are very important, but we still need to raise this part of our budget to pay for accommodation for our cast and crew whilst filming on location, for our amazing set design, for special make up materials, travel, and specialist crew. 

Some of the challenges we may face involve not meeting the expectations we have as creators. Unfortunately, our limited budget can impact our creativity and as young filmmakers and story tellers this is a very frustrating matter. Nevertheless, with your help and with other people's support we will be able to meet the expectations we have set for this story and share it with the world. 

There is a fairly crucial scene that requires SFX work, which is going to need a fair chunk out of our budget for materials, and to hire an SFX artist. With your donation we can give this part of the film the resources required to do it justice.

This story is very important to us because we all see parts of ourselves within Morris and we want to share this feeling with the world. As the crew, we are all very different from one another, but we all found common ground in this story as we are drawn to the unusual and bizarre. 

Regardless of the comedy within this film, we believe that trauma, specially in familial relationships, is a very serious matter that can unravel many issues for a human being. Mental health is a very important issue and it is something that we all need to be aware of when building relationships. This film exposes the power that human connections and experiences can have over the human mind and it invites viewers to evaluate themselves, their minds, and their relationships with others.

To say thank you for your massive help we have some perks for you, which include, a link to the finished film upon completion, a credit, a copy of the soundtrack, a special screening invitation, and a portfolio containing exclusive photos and content from the production, as part of our list of perks. 

Our goal is to try and find funds to make this film a reality. 

However, if at the moment you cannot make a donation, or if you can and want to go an extra step further, you can help us a lot by:

• Sharing our Indiegogo crowdfunding page on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• Liking and sharing our Facebook page.
• Following us on Instagram and liking our posts.