'The Undone Years'

We at Branchwork Media (Andy Flush & Sam Birch) have been planning this film for a long time. We had first discussed creating a WWI period piece back at university, as the concept of studying an individuals story, in a global war setting, really excited us!

Some background on us:

• We both graduated from SAE Liverpool last year with first-class degrees in Digital Film Production. Since then we have been working as a video production company, creating promotional videos for companies such as The Wicked Tour, The Liverpool Empire, as well as creating music videos, adverts and more.
• Our first short film 'Avaritia' was crowdfunded in 2016 for £500 and was a very proud moment for us. The film was completed in 2017 and was screened last year at a sold-out event in Liverpool's Bombed Out Church to very positive feedback. The film really wouldn't have been possible without the crowdfunding so it felt like a route we would like to pursue again.
• The film is an intimate story of a young British soldier, Tommy, who has no desire to be a soldier but is thrown into the horrors of The Great War. It follows him running from battle and finding himself in an abandoned house with a fellow deserting German soldier; Henrich. They bond over a mutual dislike of the situation they find themselves in and soon come to the realisation that they have little reason to dislike each other. We feel this story is especially relevant with themes that are topical in today’s political climate and society and the centenary of WWI being this year made it a great time to explore these themes.
• The crowdfunding will allow us to create the film at the level we are now accustomed to. After working on multiple funded short films in the last year, we have been a part of that level of production and are confident to run one ourselves. The money really allows us to hit that quality level by getting proper costumes, props and of course, high-level cast and crew. The reality is the best stuff doesn't come for free, so with your help, we feel we can make something special.

What We Need & What You Get

So this is what we are asking for, and what you get back

• The big scary number is £5500. This is our total ask for the project. This will pay for all of the production, including cast, crew, props, costumes, music departments and more.
• This number has been extensively scrutinised whilst we were doing the budget and we feel it covers the production and will allow it to reach the heights we know are possible, without excess.
• If we do not meet our total goal, we will still produce the film, but will move to our back up budget of £3000, and scale the project down slightly.

The Impact

We feel the time is perfect to make this film, with the centenary of the end of WWI upon us and the political turmoil various parts of the world find themselves in, our story is more fitting than ever:

• Our story really delves into the thought processes soldiers may have had away from the battlefield. In our research, we read many great stories, poems and letters written by soldiers in the battlefield and we really tried to get in the mind of these soliders as best we could. There are countless tales and accounts of soldiers feeling disillusioned with the idea of hating the opposition and many times where these lines have been crossed or set aside. Especially where youth is involved as was the case for many in both World Wars, the patriotic hatred for the opposition was simply not always so present. We want to explore the idea that young men from opposing sides may have had a lot in common, and were fighting wars they perhaps didn't even agree with.
• After the success of our first crowdfunded film, we felt it was the logical next step to go down this route again. Avaritia was able to happen because of the generous money we received from backers, and we have come so far as filmmakers and practicioners since that project began two years ago we feel like now is a great time to make a new film. 
• With our experience in film-making, being on film sets and also running a video production company, we are fully confident in producing this film from start to finish. With a completed script and a cast and crew already being assembled locally, this project will be kicked into life by the backing that allows us to progress.

Risks & Challenges

As with any project or film, there are risks attached:

• Things always go wrong on film sets. It is something you are taught early on and then you see become reality when you start to get involved. Timing gets thrown off, kit malfunctions or anything else throws a spanner in the works. Film-making to us is partly about how we solve these issues.
• We are assembling a talented and passionate cast and crew to minimise these risks. We know first hand that a crew that cares is one that works hard and overcomes any and all issues on set, before or after. Our business background also helps us to confidently plan the shoot and assess all things that could go wrong, hopefully stopping them before they do.

Other Ways You Can Help

Not everyone will be able to help us financially, and we get that! We would still welcome everyone to help out in any way they can, such as:

• Follow, like and share the project! We will be making noise on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so show your support and please help us get as many eyes on this project as possible.
• IndieGoGo makes it very simple to do this. The built-in share tools allow you to post our campaign to most social media outlets at the touch of a button.
• Lastly, just talk to people! The more people are aware of this exciting project the better. Word of mouth has been so important to us in the past and we think it will continue to be so, so just be loud and tell anyone who will listen. We appreciate all the help we can get.