HELLO THERE BOGHOPPERS!
My name is Bex and I am the Director/Producer/Writer of The Medua Box (TMB).
TMB started life 7 years ago whilst I was living in my van Yoshi in deepest Dartmoor. I immediately fell under the moors bewitching spell and decided to pay tribute to this majestic location.
Whilst living amongst the bogs and tors I came across the hobby of letterboxing and was exposed to the folklore of the moor. I read, researched and walked the moors, becoming more enchanted by its wild nature and ancient landscapes with each day that I spent there.
Over the last 7 years I have met some amazing people who have helped keep this project pushing forward, and built a community of supporters. It has been a slow process, but a steady and fruitful one. You join this quest as we are about to leap into production.
The script is locked, locations finalised and our cast and crew are ready for action!
I am so excited to be on the cusp of taking this epic tale from script to screen. It will be a dream come true! I can't wait to share this story with you,
Join the adventure!
THE STORY
The Medusa Box is a blood soaked loveletter to Dartmoor, horror, folklore and the niche pastime of Letterboxing.
'The Medusa Box' tells the story of two mismatched hobbyists on a quest across Dartmoor to uncover the secret of 'The Elusive Medusa'. This innocent pursuit, so far unexplored on film, forms the backdrop to this twisting tale of unhealthy obsessions and sinister secrets, one that will appeal to anyone with a sense of adventure, and an appetite for mysteries and perhaps a little of the macabre.
So, what is Letterboxing I hear you cry? The short answer is that Letterboxing is a giant treasure hunt whch began life on Dartmoor in 1854. It combines puzzle solving, orienteering and art. Dartmoor is covered with hidden boxes each containing a unique stamp which is created by the boxes owner and is collected by each visitor to the box.
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LOCATION - DARTMOOR
DARTMOOR IS WILD! It is one of the UK’s remaining wildernesses, so filming on there is not for the faint hearted. Getting permission to film on the moor has already proved to be a mission in itself, but through a little detective work and pure grit, we manage to track down landowners and get permission to film in some truly jaw dropping locations.
The Dartmoor in our story is set in a version of the present day, recognisable to ours, but sligtly off-kilter. No mobile phones or 'outside world, just the moor existing in its own microcosm, Timeless and dreamlike, surrounded by the pitch dark of the moor at night.
Filming on the moors is a real challenge, due to the unpredictability of the weather, terrrain and lack of home comforts. But our team are no strangers to adversity, as they proved whilst shooting The Medusa Box Prologue.
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THE MEDUSA BOX PROLOGUE (TMBP)
Our story begins in the 1600s with The Medusa Box Prologue. A small cast and crew headed to a forest on Dartmoor during the spring equinox 2022 and captured this grizzly scene. The Prologue acts as a short film in its own right is currently screening in festivals, giving audiences a bloody taste of things to come. So far it is going down a storm!
TMBP acted as a test to see if it was possible to achieve our goals whilst faced with the challenging environment of Dartmoor. We nailed it, managing to capture all of the footage we needed in 1 day!
Check out our perks to get an exclusive sneaky peek of TMBP to see what our team is capable of, and if you like what you see, feel free to bag some more Medusa Box goodies.
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STYLE
We are straying from the road within this genre, taking creative risks and adding something new.
The film combines the weird and eerie atmosphere of British Folk Horror with the cinematic high energy of 70 & 80s American genre movies and the surreal arthouse strangeness of David Lynch. It also has a sprinkle of humour to balance the light with the dark.
1980's VHS footage is interspersed between the main narrative and helps add to the 'analogue' feel of the film. The VHS footage has already been shot and is ready to go!
We will be using practical, in camera effets and turning to alternative and more experimental solutions to achieve our vision, whilst still achieving cinematic quality. Models, back projection, imagination and blood are the ingredients we will combine to conjure movie magic, all soaked in an atmospheric soundtrack composed by acclaimed underground music producer JS Zeiter.
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CREW
We have an incredible team, with cast and crew hailing from Devon and the SW of England, who are so excited about making this film. Our key crew, which was formed during the filming of TMBP, are also excited and are all really experienced in their fields - and primed and ready to start. The film is in safe experienced hands.
Our Director and DoP have already done a recce for every filming location, so when 'Action' is called, nothing is left to chance. Our shots planned and storyboards drawn up.
Producer Dom has devised a schedule which includes contingency days to make space for the notorious dartmoor weather, and any other unforseen hiccups.
Preparation is key, and we are prepared :)
WE CAN DO THIS!
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INVEST IN INDIE FILMMAKING AND THE LEGACY OF BRITISH FOLK HORROR
You will be championing indie film, female filmmakers and supporting a small scale crew with big talent, skills and asperations. Investing in a new style British folk horror.
However, there's no beating around the bush. We need cold hard cash to complete TMB and to make it the best we can. We have everything in place to get started and have managed to gather as much as we can for free or in kind.
So far we have already raised £7,000 (50% of our minimum budget) through selling merch and hosting fundraising events in our local area. We want to match this amount through our crowdfunding campaign.
This budget will help us pay for further equipment, lighting and all of the gadgets and materials we will need to capture this vision in the most cinematic way possible and create something magical!
Here are some of the key things your contribution will pay for...
- Camera Hire (Arri Amira - used in TMBP)
- Sound recording equipment
- Key location fees
- Cast & Crew travel expenses. (we don't want people to be out of pocket)
- Equipment insurance
- Drone and extra camera rig
- Special FX makeup
- In camera/practical FX
- Costume & props
- Lighting
- Set building/model making
- Keeping the cast and crew fed and watered
We have a stretch goal of £20,000, and to reach this target would be A M A Z I N G! This kind of budget would mean we could really splash out on all aspects of production and also pay the cast and crew a fee. It would be a dream come true to be able to pay everyone something for their hard work. The whole team are talented, passionate and committed to the cause. It would be great to be abe to offer them more than just cheese sandwiches, tea and battenburg cake in exchange for their efforts! (although the cheese sandwiches are delicious).
WHAT WE HAVE FOR YOU...
There's something for every budget and every penny counts. Some perk highlights are...
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An exclusive sneaky peek of The Medusa Box Prologue. Due to film festival rules, TMBP is currently iunavailable to view ANYWHERE online. Take a sneaky peak with this perk. See our team's talent in action, and if you like what you see, feel free to grab some other Medusa Box goodies!
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Your chance to become a part of letterboxing history. Your name or moniker will be included in the custom-made logbook of The Elusive Medusa letterbox, which will be hidden out on Dartmoor to become a part of the game. You will also receive clues so you can seek out The Elusive Medusa for yourself.
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JS Zeiter's 'Box 'E.P on blood red vinyl for analogue lovers. Otherwise you can grab a digital copy of this hypnotic soundscape.
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Become our Old Crockern, spirit guardian of the moor and TMB team Exec. Producer. Clinch all of the perks, an IMDb credit, BTS updates and be the holder of the co-ordinates to find The Elusive Medusa Box
There are also the usual bits and bobs including thankyou credits, art prints, posters and of course... stickers!
If you are unable to contribute financially to our campaign fear not! You can help by spreading the word about our film to your friends, follow us on our Instagram page and/or share our campaign using the Indiegogo share tools.
If we don’t reach our goal, filming will still go ahead, but it will contunue to be a lengthy process. We will need to continue begging, stealing and borrowing things like costume, props and equipment, cut back on lighting, locations and shoot days and have less time and money to play with to capture this epic tale. Filming will take longer and completion of the film will be drawn out even more. I don’t have another 7 years to wait!
