Who We Are

Magic Monkey Films is an emerging Scottish Film Production Company. Led by Award Winning and BAFTA nominated Director Ryan Hendrick and BAFTA Winning Producer David Newman.

Magic Monkey Films was set up to develop our feature film Journey Bound, a road comedy set in the Scottish Highlands starring some of Scotland's most well known talent including Ford Kiernan (Still Game), Clare Grogan (Gregory's Girl), Karen Dunbar (Chewin' The Fat), Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who), Caitlin Blackwood (Doctor Who) and James Kirk (Scot Squad). In developing Journey Bound we have produced the multi-award winning and BAFTA nominated short Perfect Strangers.  The 26 minute Christmas comedy was selected for 18 festivals worldwide and has been broadcast on television.

Sundown will be the next stage of our company's development, we hope to propel Sundown beyond the level of success that Perfect Strangers was able to obtain.

Ryan Hendrick has been a filmmaker for a number of years, producing multiple award winning and critically acclaimed short and feature length films including Choices, Falling, Minds of Glass, Besieged and Perfect Strangers.

THE CAST

CAITLIN BLACKWOOD  as Abigail

Caitlin's acting debut was in the 2010 series of the BBC’s Doctor Who as the young Amelia Pond. Caitlin is currently attached to play a role in our upcoming Scottish feature film Journey Bound.

FRAZER HINES as William

Frazer is best known for his roles as Joe Sugdon in Emmerdale, Jamie MacCrimmon in Doctor Who and Sir Fletcher Gordon in Outlander. To this day he remains a popular and busy actor on both stage and screen.

This campaign is a first for us. Until this point, every film we produced has been financed from our own pockets. We have learnt all we can from working with what we can 'beg, borrow and steal' and now it is time to take the next step: to let the writing lead the production, not the available resources. Our last film Perfect Strangers was the pinnacle of what can be achieved without funding. In order to produce Sundown in the way that does this important story justice, we need to climb to the next level of professionalism and use higher spec. equipment and resources as well as cover expenses and compensate the talented and skilful professionals that work on the production.

Sundown  presents many logistical challenges that require additional funds.  The perfect location for our film is on a small and remote Scottish Island, so a large portion of our budget will be spent  covering location costs for the duration of the shoot. By contributing to this project you will be helping us to create a highly professional film that will have a very unique look and feel. 

What We Need & What You Get

• We are looking to raise £10,000 to produce this film. This will enable us to pay our cast and crew a modest fee for their services. It will allow us to rent the 4k camera technology including an aerial camera needed to display Scotland at its very best. A large percentage of the budget will cover essentials such as travel, accommodation and sustenance for our team. The money also contributes towards the post production, music recording, marketing and festival submissions. We will also be able to host two screenings of the film.

• Choosing to contribute to Sundown you will have various options and perks available to you. From receiving a simple "thank you", or receiving a signed DVD/Blu-ray of the finished film to attending VIP screenings with the cast, crew and special guests (our famous pals) not to mention a fully IMDB credited Executive Producer.

• If we don't reach our entire goal. We will still produce the film to the best standard possible. Ryan and David are already contributing their own funds to additional costs and would therefore attempt to push forward. Though it would be financially challenging for them to do so.

The Impact

"This is a story that needs to be told. It is a journey that we all will face and how we face it defines us. We've all felt that desperate longing for simpler times, the hopeless certainty that someone  will have the answers we seek. On the surface, William is on a journey we all must travel eventually, but dig a little deeper and you realise, his is a road we're all already on." Clare Sheppard describing her approach to Sundown.

From a creative perspective this will provide an opportunity to see our stars Caitlin Blackwood and Frazer Hines portray very real and original characters, adding something completely new to their respective repertoires.

Risks & Challenges

Finding traditional funding for short films in this day and age is almost impossible. Short film is an essential medium for emerging filmmakers, it allows them to display their creative voices on screen and show they have what it takes to go further to produce commercially viable feature films. Short film also presents the opportunity to present stories and ideas far more effectively than can sometimes be achieved with feature films.

Crowd funding offers the opportunity for filmmakers and contributors to come together and create satisfying pieces of cinema that can inspire as well as entertain.

The challenge with this campaign will be to get the word out on a large scale. To overcome this, both the filmmakers and our actors have loyal followings. Frazer and Caitlin have an incredible fan base from their work on Doctor Who and we will be counting on all of our supporters and fans to help us get the word out there about our film.

We are reaching out on social media and in conventional media to raise as much awareness and excitement about this film as we can. We will be working tirelessly to raise the full amount we are requesting.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you love our project but you are unable to contribute financially, by sharing this campaign and spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter and with your friends and colleagues you are helping this campaign to reach a wider audience. Please use the indiegogo share tools. Hashtags are also very important,  for this project please use the following;

#Sundown #indiefilm #scottishfilm #SupportIndieFilm #CaitlinBlackwood #FrazerHines 

QUESTIONS & QUERIES

If you would like to enquire into any aspect of our project or campaign, thinking about contributing and want to know more? Then please get in contact with us using the "Ask a Question" button at the top of the page.

THANK YOU...