Thursday 10 January 2013

Howl For The Cash




Children and animals, the age-old curses of the cinema, and those you should never work with. Having said that, cinematic history proves that no one has ever heeded this advice, or steered clear of concepts involving such beings. Still, it has to be a tough field to navigate! Anyone who has children or pets in their employ is a brave soul indeed.

With this in mind, allow me to introduce you to Howl. The brain-baby of 14 Film Production students at UCA Farnham, this short film employs not one or two, but a bevy of child actors to wrangle with. Forming the central class of students within the village school, the story unfolds around devoted Teacher Miss Crawshaw, the apparently troubled new pupil Eleanor Stagg, and the mysterious man stalking the young girl. This is bound up with hints of a hellish animal within the village, framing the narrative in an otherworldly terror.

Ok, so perhaps animal is not so apt a word, seeing as the supernatural element of this tale is bound up in this beast, and the horror that lies within. The ambiguous ‘Howl’ that titles the film beautifully frames the bestial figure, and its darkness within. Miss Crawshaw’s seemingly futile endeavors to protect her students in the face of school politics hurl her down a rabbit hole of sorts, which will test her fraying nerves.

And all of this, the horror, the darkness, the beautiful imagery, would not be possible without your help. Yeah, that’s right, I’ve got your interest now, and you want to get into the meat of the tale? They need your money! Do a bit of good for our burgeoning student film market, and log on to; http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/howlshortfilm/howl-short-film-2013?ref=live  Help push this project into fruition, and onto our screens. The funding will go towards production of the set, costumes etc, but most importantly, the realisation of the beast into flesh and fur form! Delicious.

Maestro’s of the mayhem; Allan MacLeod (writer),  Nina Kรคstner (Producer), Jamie Sims (Director), Adam Baldock (Production Manager) Ben Cowan (1st AD and Marketing), Samuel Hooper (Director of Photography), Jason Bourke Velji (Camera Operator), Zavinta Karsokaite (Lighting), Sophie Newton (Production Designer), Louis Grant (Art Director), Emily Britton (Costume), James Wright (Sound Design), Jasper Marriott-Tuft (Location Sound Recording/Mixing) and Ross Cameron (Editor/Marketing Team) are working hard, bringing you behind the scenes videos, outtakes and beautifully rendered concept art for your delectation on their website www.howlshortfilm.com, so the payback for your donation is instant (Allan MacLeod’s pledge video outtakes are compulsive viewing).

This ain’t just another supernatural flick, this film has the backbone of narrative mesmerism and consciousness, with a substance of flesh, fur and fear, but needs your money to feed the beast. Howl needs you!