Campaign
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The Story
On a chill October
evening the Fire Wardens come to the school. The furnace has been
stoked and the books have been sorted. The teachers are exhausted
from watching over excited pupils, kept late so they can participate
in the burning.
The Headmaster, a disappointed, deflated
man, is stamping books in his study. The Captain of the Fire Wardens,
a former pupil, comes to see him. The Headmaster is distressed and a
little envious to see how quickly the young Captain has
advanced.
Elsewhere in the school, a Teacher catches a
girl named Alexandria reading one of the banned books - an
illustrated copy of Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience. This
is intolerable behaviour, especially on the eve of such an important
ceremony! Alexandria and the book are dragged to the Headmaster.
The girl must be punished, the book condemned.
The
fire-lit ritual begins and tensions run high in the school. The
Headmaster's betrayals will reveal the brutality of the adult world
to Alexandria. But he may find the courage to keep her belief in the
magic of stories alive.
Characters
The Headmaster - A man
who started life with ideals, but time has worn them
away.
Alexandria - A bright, curious and rebellious girl.
The
Fire Warden Captain - An ambitious and Machiavellian young man.
The
Teacher - A nervy and officious widow.
The Chimney Sweep - A
character invented by the Headmaster to explain the book burning to
Alexandria.
![Cast Detail]()
The World of the Film
This will be a
live-action film, using elements of animation to create Alexandria's
vision of the Chimney Sweep.
We are aiming to evoke the feel
and the tone of 1940's Britain: austere greens, browns and greys. But
this austerity will be brought alive with elements of fantasy,
caricature and the grotesque. This approach is inspired by the way
films such as Brazil, Alphaville and Delicatessen create parallel
realities by incorporating elements from different places and times
in our own world.
Is this a vision of fascist Britain from a
world in which the Allies lost World War Two, or is it a chilling
vision of a possible future in which fears of austerity fuel a
reactionary regime?
Book Burning
Pulping, not burning,
is the most efficient way to destroy a book. They are difficult to
burn, and legible pages often survive the fire. The Nazis pulped many
more books than they destroyed. Book burnings are about a ritualistic
expression of inner feelings. A consciously symbolic act, it provides
an opportunity for individuals to purge themselves of feelings and
ideas which outrage and shame them.
As with other fire
rituals, a book burning is a symbol of cleansing and rebirth, and it
is easy to understand why they continue to capture the public
imagination.
![Book Detail]()
The Impact
Censorship
is becoming invisible. From the suspension of the internet during the
Arab Spring protests to the great firewall of China, the threats
posed by censorship have grown strangely intangible. The power of
book burning as an image, is that speaks about the contemporary
dangers of censorship in a way that is both tangible and strongly
visual.
This film depicts
a world where freedom and culture are under attack. It reflects the
return of nationalist extremism across Europe, and the threat of
cultural contraction facing libraries museums and schools in Britain.
Most importantly, at its heart is a belief in the revolutionary power
of learning and imagination.
What We Need & What You Get
Each contribution to
this campaign will add real value to the film. We currently have a
seed budget which will cover the basics: transport, catering
locations and so on. We must raise £2500 ($4000) in order to
build the world of the film and bring it to life.
This
campaign will make it possible to develop the visual style of Britain
under fascism, to create truly arresting images of book burning.
Currency Exchange Rates
The USD to GBP exchange rate is approximately $1 = £0.64 (30-09-11).
To make things easier, here is a rough guide to the Perk
thresholds:
$5 = £3.20
$10 = £6.41
$25 = £16.03
$50 = £32.05
$100 = £64.10
$200 = £128.20
$500
= £320.50
These are subject to change, of course,
but you can check with a Currency
Converter to help decide how much to donate.
Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you can't help
fund us, perhaps you know someone who can. Please spread the word and
so we can find supporters who can help us realise this moving and
unique vision.
![Title Detail]()
