'The Forsaken'
'The Forsaken' follows Abby, a young woman who is terrorized night after night by a dark entity in her home. The attacks have reached such a point that Abby must now confront the creature for fear of losing her mind, or worse.
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Director's Statement of Intent
‘The Forsaken’ deals with themes of domestic abuse via the monster’s attacks and Abby’s psychological state. These themes will be tackled with maturity due to the subject matter and great care and research has been taken in order to create a character who is authentic. There will be a clear message by its conclusion which will prove thought provoking for audiences.
The film will be a visual treat and formalist in approach. There will be a strong use of colour in terms of lighting, set design and costume in order to translate themes and character. This world will have a sense of the fantastical and this allows a level of interpretation to be made by the audience by the film’s end.
The film features a monster as the abuser as they are universal- all cultures have a connection with monsters, all religions feature them and when you give them a resemblance to a human being they become a conduit in which we can see the dark side of our own psyches. The creature will be created via practical effects applied to an actor. Though a small amount of digital effects will be used, we will use primarily practical as such effects age far better than digital and provide a greater sense of realism.
A range of techniques will be used throughout the film to capture Abby’s psychological state and vulnerability. In terms of capturing the intensity and fear factor required in creating a horror film I will avoid using cheap jump scares which are so commonly featured in the genre, every scare here will be justified and the use of misdirection will create a sense of paranoia in the audience along with Abby. The edit itself will also use proven techniques that fit horror convention in terms of pacing to create tension and discontinuity editing to reflect the character’s psyche.
Sound must never be underestimated in film, especially in horror. ‘The unseen threat’ is a proven technique in horror which will be used here. This plays on the very human fear of hearing something go bump in the night and what people imagine is often more horrifying than the threat itself.
All of these elements will come together to create a film which is thought provoking and relevant while also hitting convention criteria allowing for an intense thrill ride which the audience expects of the genre.
The Future
While 'The Forsaken' will be a strong short film in its own right which will be entered into a range of film festivals it will also serve as a proof of concept for a potential feature film. We have great faith in the potential for a larger narrative and believe such is worth pursuing.
Crew
Writer/Director/Producer: Kerry Norton
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Kerry Norton has worked professionally on two feature films thus far as an assistant director. Kerry's focus however is on writing and directing and he has done such on a number of short films over the last few years including 'Innocence Lost' (2015) which was recently shortlisted in the 'Swansea Film' festival. 'The Forsaken' will be his latest short film as writer/director and his most ambitious project to date.
Producer: Kristiane Korneliussen
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Kristiane Korneliussen has worked with several theatre productions before taking the step over to film production. After that she co-produced a short documentary and has been involved with many other short films. This will be the most ambitious project she has been involved with yet when it comes to film.
Director of Photography: Nick Perry
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Nick Perry has worked professionally within the industry for a number of years and has worked as director of photography on a number of feature films now. Nick and Kerry are no strangers having worked together in the director/DOP dynamic a number of times previously including the short film 'Innocence Lost'.
Cast
Mandy Rose
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Mandy Rose is a South Wales based actress whose work ranges from clowning to Shakespeare, comedy to horror. Since graduating she has worked with the likes of Taking Flight Theatre Company, Walk the Plank and Sbardun Gwreiddiol. Her recent passion for film and TV has allowed her to gain roles which have pushed her acting ability and she wishes to continue this into the future.
Where will the money go?
It's no secret that it takes a lot of money to make a film, even a short film like ours. Here is a chart to give you a better sense of what the money will go towards.
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What happens if we can't reach the goal? We will still make the film, but we will have to make compromises. While part of filmmaking is working within your means and being creative, being too far off budget will run the risk of taking away from the vision behind the project. We are also on a tight schedule and less money will make this all the more restricting. Less money will also result in less funds for the festival run.
What happens if we go over the goal? We will be able to put more money towards the festival run and the production. More funds will also allow us to budget for more time on the shoot, which is always beneficial.
Why Support Us?
It is a valid question and there are a number of reasons but the primary ones are these:
First of all filmmaking is expensive if you are to create something of any real ambition. It is incredibly difficult as an independent filmmaker to find these funds, especially early in their career, and it is important such artists find a means to showcase their talents and create stories that will capture audience's imaginations and furthermore, help filmmakers get noticed. It is an incredibly competitive industry and we need your help in order to bring to life a story we are not only passionate about, but have a great deal of faith in. It is an ambitious project and it needs an appropriate budget supporting it in order to do it justice.
Secondly, the subject matter. Domestic abuse happens all around us and victims often go misunderstood. While this is intended to be an enjoyable film, we also hope to open viewer's eyes to some very real issues.
Lastly, we are passionate about the intention to use of a practical monster in this film. Practical effects are seen less and less in cinema due to the rise of CGI and that is a tragedy. There is such a sense of reality gained from such effects and we are desperate to use such, but of course, such things come with costs.
So if this is a film you would like to see, please do help. We can't do this without YOU!
Perks
£5 - A shout out on our social media pages and a follow if you'd like.
£15 - A digital poster + a shout out on social media.
£25 - A digital copy of The Forsaken (after the festival run has concluded) + a digital copy of the poster + a shout out on social media.
£30 - A copy of The Forsaken script signed by writer/director, Kerry Norton, and lead actress, Mandy Rose + a digital copy of the poster + a social media shout out.
£50 - A poster signed by main crew and cast + access to a private Instagram account + a shout out on social media + a digital copy of The Forsaken (after the festival run has concluded).
£75 - A special thank you in the credits + a digital copy of the poster + a digital copy of the film (after the festival run has concluded) + a shout out on social media.
£150 - Being credited as associate producer in the credits + a digital poster + a digital copy of the film (after the festival run has concluded) + access to the private instagram + a shout out on social media.
Risks & Challenges
Making a film has it’s challenges, as with anything in life. The main challenge is to hit our goal on indiegogo, if that doesn’t happen we will run the risk of having to compromise and that will impact the quality of the film.
Other Ways You Can Help
We aim to create the very best film we can, so we are grateful for any contributions that will help us make that a reality. However if you want to support us but can’t financially, there is still a way you can contribute: You can find us on social media so please do follow us and help spread the word by sharing the pages with your friends.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theforsakenfilm/
